People hear what they want to hear. People watch the video, hear the words, read the words, and what they hear is Romney doesn't care about the 47% of Americans who are poor, because they're poor.
What he said was, as a candidate running for office trying to garner votes, he can't worry about the 47% of the people who will not vote for him under any circumstances, because it's a waste of time to concern himself with their votes.
People hear what they want to hear, on both sides. There are countless examples of conservatives soiling themselves over what they have heard Obama say, despite him not saying it.
What amazes me most about that sort of thing, looking at it closely, objectively and pragmatically, is the fact that there are 47% of Americans who are so deluded and messed up that they think their chains are actually jewelry, and that Obama has done a great job and deserves to be reelected. The other day I asked my step-dad, who is somewhere left of Obama, if he and we are better off now than we were four years ago, and without hesitation he said, "Absolutely! No question about it! Obama has created {some ridiculous number} jobs every month he's been in office (despite the unemployment numbers saying otherwise), he's reduced the unemployment rate, and he's (get this) reduced the debt considerably."
OMG. You can't even talk to someone like that.
The facts are, real economic growth during the recovery (now three years old) has averaged 2.2%, less than half of the historic average for post recession rebounds. Based on the historical precedent, we should be in the third year of a raging recovery boom by now. But instead we have suffered the worst economic recovery from a recession since the Great Depression. There are 1.1 million fewer people on non-farm payrolls today than when President Obama took office. The unemployment rate has been above 8% for 42 consecutive months, the longest period of sustained high unemployment since the Great Depression.
Passage of an $862 billion stimulus was promised to keep the unemployment rate from rising above 8%, compared to a projected 9% peak without the stimulus. Instead, the unemployment rate peaked at 10% in October 2008, and exceeded 9% for more than two years. Absent the stimulus, the unemployment rate was projected to fall below 7% during 2012. Yet, last month, it rose to 8.3%, in spite of 7.5 million people leaving the labor force, and therefore no longer being counted as unemployed. If the labor force participation rate had remained unchanged, the unemployment rate would now be above 11%.
My step-dad's response to that, "If it wasn't for Obama, it would be worse. Obama promised to fundamentally change America, and he's done that, and he'll finish the job when he gets reelected."
Well, he's certainly changed America fundamentally, I'll give him that one.
Since Obama took office an increase of 18 million people, now at 46 million, receive food stamps. Food stamp spending is up from $40 billion to $89 billion, an increase of 122%. 3.6 million people have been added to those receiving Social Security Disability payments, mostly due to being disabled from emotional stress at having their unemployment benefits run out. A 10 million person increase in those receiving Welfare, now ay 107 million people, which is one-third of the US population.
Obama has also greatly increased the power of the government, the Executive branch in particular. ObamaCare fundamentally changes the relationship between the Executive and Legislative branches of government. As we know, the law creates a 15 member “Independent Payment Advisory Board” which has the unilateral power to make and enforce laws, including rationing of health care and imposition of new taxes. Under ObamaCare, the IPAB proposals will have the force of law without the approval of Congress or the signature of the President. Congress may only block the IPAB rulings if both the House and Senate pass, and the President signs, an alternative that achieves the same budgetary result, but no circumstances are provided to reduce the ObamaCare budget.
The Dodd-Frank bill established a new regulatory body, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and gave it vast regulatory authority over consumer financial products and services. However, just like the IPAB, it is shielded from Congressional oversight and budget control by being located as a unit inside and funded by the Federal Reserve.
Obama has established the precedent of making recess appointments when the Senate is technically in session. And, he has established the power of his office to suspend laws he chooses not to implement (or existing laws he chooses not to abide by) by executive order, like the current Federal immigration laws. He's even reinterpreted the US Constitution to justify the killing of US citizens, without due process, simply because he deems in necessary.
My step-dad has no problem with any of this, because Obama good - Obama Progressive. Republicans bad - Republicans Regressive. He's definitely one of the 47% that Mittens shouldn't be wasting his time with.
