A surreptitious recording of Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser has gone public. The GOP candidate is heard giving a snapshot of the electorate raised eyebrows.
Romney told a small group of wealthy contributors what he truly thinks of all the voters who support President Barack Obama.
The recording was released to the magazine Mother Jones, here's a portion of it:
"Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn't connect. So he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean, that's what they sell ever four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is to convince the five to ten percent in the center that are independents, that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon in some cases emotion, whether they like the guy or not."
Romney later clarified his statement:
"As I point out I recognize that among those that pay no tax, approximately 47% of Americans, I'm not likely to be highly successful with the message of lowering taxes. That's not as attractive to those who don't pay income taxes as it is to those who do. And likewise those who are reliant on government are not as attracted to my message of slimming down the size of government. And so I then focus on those individuals who I believe are most likely to be able to be pulled into my camp and help me win the 51 or 50.1% that I need to become the next President."
What effect will this have on the Romney campaign?
