"I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it,"
The safety net that has faced drastic cuts over the last few years? The safety net that Romney himself has proposed cutting? For him to pretend that the safety net is all the help the poor need, just makes him sound so out of touch with reality.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This is the same millionaire who said, corporations are people, he enjoys firing people, he knows what it's like to worry about pink slips, he's unemployed too, and $374k in speaking fees isn't much. It seems that every time he opens his mouth, he sticks his foot in it.
Mitt Romney: 'I'm Not Concerned About The Very Poor'
CNN's Soledad O'Brien pressed him on his comments, adding that they may sound odd for Americans who are very poor.
"Well you had to finish the sentence, Soledad," he replied. "I said 'I'm not concerned about the very poor that have a safety net but if it has holes in it, I will repair them.' The challenge right now -- we will hear from the Democrat party the plight of the poor. And there's no question it's not good being poor and we have a safety net to help those that are very poor. But my campaign is focused on middle-income Americans."
"We have a very ample safety net," said Romney. "And we can talk about whether it needs to be strengthened or whether there are holes in it. But we have food stamps, we have Medicaid, we have housing vouchers, we have programs to help the poor."
Programs in the "safety net" are also suffering during the economic recession. Medicaid, for example faces cuts as states attempt to balance budgets at a time when more people are using the program. GOP lawmakers have also eyed cuts in food stamps as food prices rise, even though more Americans are using the the program as a consequence of the economic recession.
Romney's policies call for cutting federal spending and reconfiguring the social safety net. He calls for an immediate five-percent cut to non-discretionary spending, which would hit the safety net hard. He proposes turning Medicaid into a block grant program and undertaking a "fundamental restructuring of government programs and services." He also calls for capping spending at 20 percent of GDP -- a significant cut -- and adds that he "will pursue further cuts" as spending comes "under control."
I know, he just barrels right in there with these stupid comments and then repeats it. I heard him say that three times.