Mitt Romney: 47 Percent Lesson Learned By Young Republicans

Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment is still stuck in the minds of the public.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment is now being actively denied ever being said by the former presidential candidate.

This is Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment in its original context:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax…. [M]y job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment wasn’t fabricated out of thin air. Various political articles of the time were talking about how 46.4 percent of American households in 2011 paid no federal income taxes on top of payroll taxes. But Mitt Romney failed to mention how even the 18.1 percent of Americans who do not payroll or income taxes at all still have to pay state taxes.

Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment is now being said to have only referred to the percentage of Americans who would firmly vote for Obama. Mitt Romney argues that perception is reality in politics and he says he was trying to convince people at the fundraiser to give him money so he could reach more swing voters and that’s what he meant by 47 percent.

Young republicans are learning the lesson presented by Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment. Mitt Romney turned off many young people who happen to be among the 47 percent because their wages are so low they receive an income tax return. Republicans have a hard time attracting the votes of minorities and the image Mitt Romney portrayed was very off-putting to the Hispanic community.

Angel Garcia, who leads the Young Republicans in Chicago, says his fellow Republican Millennials should learn lessons from Mitt Romney’s failed presidential run:

“We don’t have to lose our principles. But we have to have a conversation on all these issues so we don’t leave Democrats to say we’re just old white men and racist, bigoted homophobes.”

For examples, Republicans may hate Obamacare but health insurance state exchanges and buying insurance across state lines started as Republican ideas before being bundled into the Affordable Care Act with other ideas Republicans dislike. Young republicans say immigration reform attempts should focus on making it easier for foreign students and workers to legally work in America. Young Republicans argue the party should be more inclusive to people with differing views.

What lesson do you think should be learned from Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment?