Gov. Deval Patrick Lambasts Romney For ‘Turning His Back’ On Half The Country
Gov. Deval Patrick made a strong and emphatic showing at the Democratic National Convention, and the governor of Massachusetts — the man who has Mitt Romney’s old job — said he is stunned and saddened that the guy running for office on the GOP ticket seems to have abandoned half the citizens of the US before even being elected.
Deval Patrick appeared this morning on Meet The Press, and spoke candidly about his reaction to the leaked video last week of Mitt Romney essentially dismissing a block of voters he feels will never vote for him because he will “never convince them” to take responsibility for their lives or aspire to achieve anything. The 47 percent to which Romney was referring isn’t necessarily clear, but regardless of his meaning, the tape was considered by many to be damning and divisive.
Patrick says that as a person who achieved his position after growing up in poverty, the message seemed an insult as well as a bad precedent, and the governor explains:
“It’s just shocking to me that a candidate could aspire to be president by turning his back on half the country, and I think that’s what came through … I can tell you — as someone who grew up on welfare, who spent some time on food stamps — my mother was just the kind of person … who was aspiring to get to a better place, to get her GED, to get a job, to stand on her own two feet.’’
Deval Patrick continues:
“And the notion that she or we or people like us would be belittled while we needed some help to be able to stand on our own two feet is exactly what I think Governor Romney is conveying.”
Supporters of Romney have said that the message was inaccurate and that the GOP candidate does include the “47 percent” in his plans.
Tags : 47 percent, deval patrick, deval patrick meet the press, Deval Patrick Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney
Posted: September 23, 2012
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Sep 24, 2012
What a sickening twist that yanks Romney's words completely out of context. Romeny was talking strictly about the election. That 47% of America will vote for Obama no matter what he does. So his strategey is to focus on those that are undecided, not those who have already made up their minds to vote for his opponent. To tell people that after being elected Romney would then ignore those who voted for Obama is a scare tactic that is beneath the role of Governor. Deval Patrick clearly has a personal grudge agaisnt Romney. And Romney is right, there is a very large number of Americans who have no desire to find work. If they did, they could find it. There are all kinds of entry level jobs that a person can build a career on. But there are those who will continue to feed off the system as long as they can. Patrick is trying to make peple think Romney is talking about everyone on assistance. But there are plenty of people who get assistance that will vote for Romney. They're not all Democrats. And there are plenty of peple who receive assistance who only plan to be on it temporarily. It's the ones that plan to stay on it permanently that have this entitlement fantacy.
Sep 24, 2012
there is jobs that not hiring people are trying out here to make ends meat romey is going to take services away from them that they need to make it sir relook at what he said he was not talking about this election he was talking about the people
Sep 24, 2012
really your shocked by this!? its the same thing every election. some one says something, they blow it up and its all anyone well talk about tell the next gaff happens. nothing new here.
Sep 24, 2012
really your shocked by this!? its the same thing every election. some one says something, they blow it up and its all anyone well talk about tell the next gaff happens. nothing new here.
Sep 24, 2012
I have to agree with the governor I saw the video and he was not referring to the election he was referring to the people.
Sep 24, 2012
I have to agree with the governor I saw the video and he was not referring to the election he was referring to the people.
Sep 24, 2012
Julius, I guess you heard what you wanted to hear then. Because that's not what I took away from it. You must not have seen the video in its entirety. Only the little clips that were shown by the media.
Sep 24, 2012
it doesnt matter what i seen the thing is is that no should say 47% of people or what ever depends on anyone or anything did you go up in a low income envirment
Sep 24, 2012
to those who say he was talking about the election and not the people, give up on the spin. he was very specific about the people who would not vote for him, very specific and unnecessarily insulting and personal. Saying you cant convince someone to take responsibility for themselves or aspire to achieve has nothing to do with saying they wont vote for you. he clearly said that all who do not pay taxes feel like victims and entitled to government support. He really just showed his own prejudices and ignorance.
Sep 24, 2012
If you are offended by what he said and in that "47%"…don't get mad, get a #&&#&# job!
Sep 24, 2012
I have never been on Welfare but did take out student loans to go to college and without them would not be able to.
I find his comments offensive! The people he is talking about are the elderly, veterans, or people are too poor to pay taxes*.
Although some people do not pay income taxes, they pay payroll taxes, etc.
Not everyone has over $200M sitting somewhere, earning interest, etc and paying 14.1% how ****ing convenient.
Finally, it seems that the people who will vote him tend to live in the poorest states in the country.
Ex: West Virginia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana, etc etc.
Makes you wonder!
Sep 24, 2012
He lost my vote not because I am part of the 47%, not because I am African-American, not because I am Muslim, not because my parents immigrated here, but because he is PHONY!
Mitt Romney will say anything and I mean ANYTHING to get elected. The man flip flops soooo much that it is impossible to overlook when stuff like this comes out.
He is simply his own worst enemy! He is not ready to be President and that is the bottom line. He will LOSE this election and he cannot blame anyone but himself!
A candidate for President needs to appear and present himself as ONE. Mitt Romney does not!
Obama 2012
.
Sep 24, 2012
It really doesn't matter WHO he was talking about….there's 47% out there that Romney don't and won't care about. That's no kind of leader, and definitely not the kind of President I want in the Whitehouse. In the context of the statement, I'm thinking that the 47% are not economically sound..based on his assertion that he cannot (as a leader) convince them to aspire to anything…wow…some motivator…but the point is that who ever they are, he has given up on them, and won't even be trying.
Sep 24, 2012
If he doesn't care about the poor why does he donate 30% to charity. JOE BIDEN WHERE ARE YOUR CARING $s?
Sep 24, 2012
There is no spin to what he said. I saw the full video that was released, and he said it quite clearly that 47% of the country is dependent on the government, and will vote for Obama no matter what…just to keep getting the government assistance. Face it Troy, he showed his true colors when he thought that he was around his own kind. Once again, he put his foot in his mouth. No matter how often some people try and put a spin what he said, the video says it all.
Sep 24, 2012
He did not take obvious deductions. Look at the records and do the math donations are not taxed if he did not give that money away the media would be up in arms that he paid under a 10% tax rate.
Sep 24, 2012
In Romney's mind the 47% consist of people of color and poor people. He was not thinking about veterans, senior citizens or students. His usage of food stamps, free health care, free housing, entitled, lack of personal responsibility are terms used by people like him often when talking about people of color. His false welfare ads and saying after his visit to the NAACP………..if they want some for free, vote for the other guy support this contention. The media is trying to school him about who actually does not pay taxes and why. I doubt if he will listen or even care.
Sep 24, 2012
right!! if there was no tax deductions on donations Mitt would be the last one to do it.
Sep 24, 2012
thats right bc 100% of the 47% dont have jobs.
Nov 17, 2012
Of course there are people who are takers – and will probably vote for the candidate that they believe will give them the "best" deal. Some rich people voted for Romney becasue they are takers and a probably some people voted for Obama for similar reasons.
I have known people that have made a lot of money and a quite a few people who have barely been able to squeak by. Some were takers, but rich, poor, or in between, most – by a vast majority – want to earn their own way and are proud when they can and ashamed when they can't. Saying 47% of the population cannot be taught to take responsibility for themselves is inaccurate by a huge percentage.
For a "presidential' candidate to say that before he is elected is disrespectful and ignorantly out of touch with the human spirit. For a losing "candidate" to say it makes most of us relieved that he lost.