http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012/09/18/crisis-experts-weigh-in-on-romney-response-to-video/57803032/1
Synopsis:
The republican party has definitely taken a hit these past few days as a result of a video of Romney going viral. The video was of a "closed-door gathering" earlier this year, and catches Romney speaking casually about the democratic party. "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent on the government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has the responsibility to care for them..." This particular quote has certainly fired up disputes on both sides.
Analysis:
Not surprisingly, there have been a few questions about what Romney meant by the "47 percent" he speaks of. Right after the video went viral, Romney called an emergency press conference to clear everything up. He admits that he could have stated it in a more clear and effective way, and he also points out that neither the question, nor the full response was included in the video. Of course, Romney assures the press that he wants to help all Americans who are struggling, and he restates that he believes in a free enterprise, free individual society.
Romney also states that he prefers talking about his approach on how to restore the economy rather than how he plans on getting votes. So, while in this "closed-door gathering", he was asked about the campaign; and his response included his views on the other party that will not be voting for him.
Obama has definitely been taking advantage of Romney's little set back by saying that a president should be willing to serve and represent all Americans, not just those who share in the same beliefs. He also states that if you want to be president, you can't just push half of the country aside. Romney's comments have Obama's locked-in supporters believing that it is not his job to "worry about those people".
Romney has responded and reassures everyone that he wants to work for both parties and everything in between. A lot of people agree that he should not have referred to Obama's supporters as those who "believe they are victims and dependent on the government", but Obama also gives Romney some slack and says that every candidate makes mistakes. He is referring to his leaked audio from 2008 of him saying that some residents of depressed rural areas get bitter and “cling to guns or
religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.” If peole were able to look past this comment, who knows, maybe people will be willing to look past Romney's.
