Why a secret recording from a fundraiser is very bad news for the Republican nominee
Speaking to a closed-door gathering of donors to his campaign, Mitt Romney made disparaging remarks about 47 percent of Americans. He didn't realize he was being secretly recorded.
Almost half of all Americans "believe that they are victims," he said, explaining that "these are people who pay no income tax," and think they're entitled to food, shelter, and medical care. "I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives," he said, so "my job is not to worry about those people." If you're cutting Obama ads, this is as good as it gets.
Josh Barro predicts that this will cost Mitt Romney the election. It certainly plays into the criticism that he doesn't care about poor people and will govern on behalf of wealthier Americans.
But it also reminds me of Barack Obama's infamous statement during the 2008 election that rural voters "get bitter, they cling to their guns or religion." Those words were also said to donors at a private event, and broadcast only when a secret recording was made public. Rural voters aren't 47 percent of the electorate, but folks who like guns or religion are a rather large demographic.