Stephanopoulos Asks Reince Priebus If The Romney Campaign Is 'In Denial' About Impact Of 47% Comments

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Appearing on ABC's This Week, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus joined George Stephanopoulos to talk about the now-infamous hidden camera video in which Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney talked about the 47 percent of Americans who pay no income tax as well as the members of the GOP expressing anxiety that the Romney campaign needs to rethink their strategy. When Priebus insisted that the Romney campaign is still competitive with President Barack Obama, Stephanopoulos asked if they were in a state of denial over the negative impact of the GOP nominee's comments.

RELATED: David Frum Savages Mitt Romney Over His Comments About The 47 Percent

Stephanopoulos asked Priebus about the impact that Romney's comments about the 47 percent would have on the trajectory of the presidential race.

'Governor Romney's been pretty clear, it wasn't the best-said moment in the campaign and probably not the best week in the campaign,' Priebus said. He said that this week would be seen as the week when the Obama and Romney campaign's messages crystalized around a dependency society or a future of independence.

'You like the choice that was presented to votes last week,' Stephanopoulos asked.

'No,' said Priebus. He clarified that the message the Romney campaign has embraced in the wake of the 47 percent comments around dependency is a strong political argument.

Priebus was asked about critics of Romney on the right, notably Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, who called the Romney campaign a 'rolling calamity.'

Priebus called Noonan 'really smart' and said that he respects and admires those who are concerned about the Romney campaign's message. 'I'm not sitting here talking to you because I'm worried about the future of the Republican party,' said Priebus. 'We're worried about the future of our country.' He said, in this way, he can understand the anxiety of his fellow conservatives.

Watch the segment below via ABC:

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• One of the best things about an Obama victory will be never having to see or hear Rinse Pubes again.

• Um, you're the one in denial George. There hasn't been a backlash to the comments. The race is dead even. It's driving you libs crazy that there wasn't more of an impact of his statements. You keep playing gotcha with Romney and coming out the losers. You and your buddies in the corrupt, liberal media are getting more pathetic by the hour.

• How can ANY serious political person go from slamming DWS to listening to this clown?

• >>the race is dead even.<<

  lol'except in the swing states, bubbleboy.

• Obama will win in Wisconsin making a fool of Ryan and Rinse Prebus

• he does look real 'crabby'

• Impossible to spin or deny, so Rinse and Repeat can only eat crow this week.

• Ancient news, Steffi.

  Obama's massive foulups in the Middle East, his two Marxist videos coming out, his lying on Letterman and his making a fool out of himself and lying on Univision made for a bad week for Barry.

  He was in Wisconsin yesterday, drawing a very small crowd, just as he couldn't fill up venues in Charlotte and Las Vegas.

  George is being a good little deckhand on Obama's Titanic.

• Dummy.

• George, in case you didn't know it, your boy went from stating 'they passed a budget', which inclulded a $716 billion dollar cut on Medicare, to, in the next sentence, mentions Obama raided Medicare. You didn't think there was a need to mention that fact?

• If President Obama had a 'bad week', then how on God's Green Earth do characterize Mitt Romney's bad week?!?

• Don't get your feelings hurt if George doesn't reply to your comment. See, George didn't write the article. He's merely the interviewer on the video. So your comment is a rehash of your complaining to the images on your television screen again. George didn't hear you then either. I know that's rather complex for a bagger like you'

• Bad week for Obama-he is up in every Swing state poll, Romney is praying for that kind of bad week. President Obama got 18,000 to watch him speak in Wisconsin.
  Gloves you are clearly a liar and in denial.
  http://www.classwarfareexists.com/obama-speaks-to-largest-crowd-yet-18000-people-in-a-swing-state-in-the-rain/#axzz27JPKmDc3

• The Party of NO is not in denial because they keep hearing what they want to hear on FAUX News. Meanwhile, the rest of America is getting ready for the beat down.

• Priebus is from Wisconsin, one of the swing states currently and heavily favoring President Obama 51.2 to 44.2.

  Interesting'

• Reince is a drunkard.

• I wonder if Michael Steele looks so bad in retrospect.

• Politics aside Reince Priebus is the most smarmy, snotty, nasty individual the Republican could have gotten to chair the Republican Party. He's COMPLETELY unlikable and does the campaign more harm than good when appearing on television. Optics and perceptions matter. Americans love happy warriors not mean, vile SOB's. Save the DWS comebacks as I don't think she's very effective either.

• Reince Priebus has done something no one could have ever thought: Make Michael Steele look like a competent GOP chair.

• He's not there to elect people. He's there to raise money and push the Republican party even further to the right while the state GOP continues to disenfranchise as many voters as can.

  They've already admitted that they don't want people to vote.