Romney Focused on Middle Class Recovery for 2012, Not 'Very Poor'
Mitt Romney said he wasn't "concerned about the very poor" during an interview, citing the poor's access to "safety nets" in social welfare programs designed to sustain them through hard times.
While being interviewed by CNN's Soledad O' Brien, Romney said, "I'm not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there, if it needs repair I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine."
The former Masschusetts governor explained, "I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans right now who are struggling."
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O' Brien, though, wasn't satisfied with his answer. She asked him to clarify his stance, saying that very poor Americans would think his comment "sounds odd."
Romney, slightly miffed, said, "finish the sentence, Soledad."
He then went on to describe in detail the "safety net" the poor are entitled to: Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps and housing vouchers are all government programs put in place to ensure that the poor don't suffer.
The former CEO then reiterated that his focus would be on the middle class, who have taken the majority of the burden of America's economic burnout.
Although some media outlets could take Romney's quote out of context, his quick defense of it outlines a problem he's had connecting with voters.
Gaffes like a $10,000 wager proposal with Rick Perry during a debate and the quote that he had feared getting a "pink slip"- Romney was CEO of his own company- has hurt Romney in the polls and with average voters, say some critics.
David Firestone of The New York Times called the comment "remarkably tone-deaf," especially when Romney himself has a $250 million fortune.
Even those on the political right felt Romney's point was poorly communicated.
"[Mitt] is handing choice sound bites to the Democrats to make him as unlikeable as he made Newt Gingrich," wrote Erick Erickson of RedState.com, while Joe Weisenthal of Business Insider stated Romney would be "shredded" for the "monster gaffe."
To see the CNN video with Romney's comments, see here:
