47 Percent

"The Real Romney Captured on Tape Turns Out to Be a Sneering Plutocrat" says New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait. Click here to go to the article, possibly my favorite of all the pieces published today about the remarks made by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser. Romney basically said 47 percent of Americans don't pay income taxes and those folks are moochers who actually believe the government should ensure that they have health care, shelter and food, they actually believe that. The moochers, by the way, include:

The disabled
The retired elderly
College kids with federal student loans
The working poor
Soldiers and military veterans
Teachers
Rookie cops
Proby firefighters
Anyone making under $45,000 a year

Romney laments that he will never convince these government dependent masses to rise out of their shiftless victim mentality and man up and woman up and take care of themselves, so why bother with them, who cares about them, his job is to cater to the other 53 percent, especially the ones whose parents paid for private school and college and grad school and bought their son's first home (as Romney's parents did) all so that Romney could declare that he never took a dime from his parents, his wealth was self-earned. Oh right. There was that million his parents gave him, but that didn't matter. He was already rich.

Well, gee, that makes me sound so bitter. I'm not, really. Just incredulous. Truth is, I'm not mad at rich folks. I'd be quite happy if my children get rich while constructing a life they love, but really, the goal is for them to be able to take care of themselves and their families, and there are millions upon millions who aren't what you call rich who manage that. My problem with Romney is he acts as if the rich are morally superior, and those who are not wealthy are just lazy and stupid and not worth his time.

The actual quote that has spawned a million bits of type and a parade of talking heads is this: "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 upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it—that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

On my way to work this morning, I was intrigued by how ominous the sky looked, and I wondered if I would see it again before night fell, since I knew I had a long day in the office ahead of me. Yes, I am part of the 53 percent, even if my children with their student loans and my old aunt who is bedridden with state-subsidized care and my cousin who served in Afghanistan and has his health care paid by the government, are part of the 47 percent. Mitt Romney says it's not his job to worry about them. Funny thing is, I know Mitt Romney doesn't think his job is to worry about me either.

At least Obama's interested in being everybody's president, even those ones who hate him, who are some of the very same folk who don't even realize that Mitt Romney has contempt for them.