With the release of a secretly-filmed video starring Governor Mitt Romney speaking rather unfavorably about 47 percent of the electorate, it was no surprise that a media frenzy immediately ensued Monday evening, further flustering an already shaken Romney campaign. The video shows Romney speaking at a fundraising dinner to a small group of wealthy donors who are there to hear why exactly they should be pouring millions into his campaign.
I honestly am not surprised by these sentiments because they are basically a exclamation of Republican ideals that denounce welfare and promote small government. What I am surprised about is that Romney would label this 47 percent of citizens as all die-hard Obama supporters just because they receive federal aid. What about poor, conservative (white) people who may not understand supply-side economics but do believe gays should not have the right to marry? Ouch.
It is especially scary that these millionaire donors are capable of funding someone who is willing to write off almost half of the country as unproductive freeloaders "who believe they are victims" and feel entitled to government help without working for it.
What is obvious is that these fat-cat donors feel the same way. They each have their own high-end corner of the world they live in and feel that hard work and determination got them there. If you are able to casually sit at a table where each plate costs $50,000, you would probably feel just a tad disconnected to the 47 percent of people in this country who do not make enough money to pay federal income taxes.
While this has always been the attitude held by the GOP, Romney was the one caught speaking honestly about it, and so he is taking the hit. I mean it now does seem pretty ridiculous that a man who dislikes and misunderstands half of the nation is up for the task of governing them. And as the pool for Republican voters is shrinking, Republicans are worried that they are in trouble as a party, not only for this election, but in the future as well.
Anyway, what really concerns me about the Romney video is the donors. The money the goes into these campaigns, on both sides. It got me thinking: Who is funding the campaigns? Where is the money for this commercial coming from? Do I agree with their ideals? Is it possible to win an election by buying it? Isn't that the opposite of democracy? This being the first presidential election without limits on who can donate and how much they can donate, it should be interesting to see what campaign wins and if they were the one to raise more money.
My own personal moment of zen:
"If they have success they built it. If they failed the government ruined it for them. If they get a break they deserve it. If you get a break, its a handout and an entitlement. It's a baffling, willfully blind cognitive dissonance best summed up by their head coach, in what is perhaps my favorite soundbite of all time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTwpBLzxe4U." -John Stewart on the "denizens of Bull Shit Mountain" http://www.hulu.com/watch/403039#i1,p28,d2
What I don't understand is the disdain people have for the poor. With all this religious rhetoric flying around you would think conservatives would be more willing to help and love thy neighbors. One could consider it a contradiction that conservatives use their religion to decide their opinions on social issues but when it comes to federal aid of the poor, they are up in arms at the idea. Essentially, they believe we should do everything to protect the life of an unborn child, but once that child is born into a low-income family, its health and well-being are no longer the concern of the government. But that's a different blog post.
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