I’ve never seen a number like that. That comment thread is at David Corn’s original MoJo article about the video from a Romney fundraiser where, to quote Corn:
Romney displayed a high degree of disgust for nearly half of his fellow citizens, lumping all Obama voters into a mass of shiftless moochers who don’t contribute much, if anything, to society, and he indicated that he viewed the election as a battle between strivers (such as himself and the donors before him) and parasitic free-riders who lack character, fortitude, and initiative.
2751 Frackin’ comments! Also, class warfare anyone?
UPDATE: In comments, mac adds this (wowza!):
But guess what Moe! Just saw that the original post on HuffPo about the video – which has become the most commented EVER at their site..
167,682 comments.
Yes. 167 thousand comments.
You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy. But you cannot have both.
Whatever Works 
Of course, Mitt and his friends will say that anyone criticizing his comments is encouraging class warfare. Funny how they always see their own faults in others.
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Yup. Projection pure and simple
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Seems simple.
Obama won the last election. You (if you’re Mitt or his backers) don’t like Obama, and want to defeat him.
Two candidates (mostly).
Thus you need to get some 2008 Obama voters to vote against him.
Action: insult Obama voters.
There’s a flaw in this logic somewhere, but I see it applied by Mitt and many others frankly.
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Bruce, I know what he thought he was saying, but it came out and he looks awfula and besides, he was dead wrong as any google search would have revealed if he weren’t being so crass. David Brooks had it right; this is country club republicans talking to each other. That doesn’t endear you to the electorate.
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Bruce, also – a big part of the problem with it was that he equated the 47% with Obama’s voters, which is not at all correct – large numbers of that 47% are Romney voters. And he apparently doesn’t realize that.
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I’m curious to see what turn Mitt’s campaign takes.
I tend to think that at this point he has only one way to go: appeal to his base and go all out to get them to turn out. This remark may actually solidify his hold on the hard right. They talk in these terms all the time, and likely appreciate the bluntness of Mitt’s apparent agreement here.
We might see high public statements get more hard right. I don’t see how he can slip toward the middle now.
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He’s also alienated – by name calling – a large segment of his OWN base, like the elderly and hard working families who don’t meet the income threshold to owe income taxes.
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Also, class warfare anyone?
He’s discussing campaign strategy. In the same way that California is going to overwhelmingly support Obama making any campaigning there rather silly, so is Romney making the point that the group of people who pay no income tax going to be swayed by conversation regarding taxes.
As for whether or not Romney cares about those most in need in society I’ll ask you this:
Who do you think has contributed more in personal charity; Romney or Obama. You may answer this question assuming literal dollar amounts OR percent of income/wealth.
I will then ask you how anyone could accuse Romney of “not caring about certain groups of people.”
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Before applying that criterion for caring “about those most in need”, Pino, you should consider several factors:
1. The LDS Church requires and enforces tithing on pain of Hell.
2. Obama has a net worth of about $3M, compared to Romney’s secret net worth of over $250M, or over 80 times as much. Which can afford charity more?
3. Charity is tax-deductable in this country.
4. For an ambitious politician, some might consider charitable giving a form of advertising.
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The LDS Church requires and enforces tithing on pain of Hell.
Of course both Obama and Romney feel that God is the enforcer of hell; not the LDS. But yes, Romney does belong to a church that took Jesus at his word when he commanded us to give 10% of our wages. The fact that Obama, a Christian, doesn’t feel he needs to donate his 10% is between him and his Savior.
Obama has a net worth of about $3M, compared to Romney’s secret net worth of over $250M, or over 80 times as much. Which can afford charity more?
Both are millionaires and can afford charity. That being said, I allowed you to answer in terms of percentage of wealth/income. Which man contributes more to charity in terms of %?
Charity is tax-deductable in this country.
Ahh yes, indeed it is. However, I believe Romney gives money and he doesn’t do this to reduce his tax burden. THAT is a manipulation used by the likes of Warren Buffet. See, they obtain a wonderful tax break by donating stock. So when Buffet buys stock at $3 and watches it rise to $10 and then donates it he gets the whole $10 tax break. Slick really.
For an ambitious politician, some might consider charitable giving a form of advertising.
I suspect Romney donated significant amounts of money before he was a politician.
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1. Your confirmation bias is showing, pino. In 2011,
2. Mitt Romney’s future financial security for himself and his family is firmly assured because of his vast and mostly secret fortune, but while you may think that $3M assures the same for the Obama’s, it doesn’t, at least not to that same extent. The percentage argument is your own, isn’t it?
3. Given Romney’s position in the LDS Church I readily concede that he would tithe regardless of the tax law. However it is naive to believe he doesn’t take full advantage of every tax rule he can. He has even boasted that he does. Defending the secrecy of his tax returns he asserted that he has paid every penny of taxes due “and not a penny more.” Compare that to Warren Buffet’s use of the perfectly legal and common use of tax law in donating stock – it is morally identical, nothing more and nothing less.
4. Of course Romney donated to charity before he was a politician. He tithes. I was just countering your original argument which gave Romney’s charitable giving as evidence that he cared as much about “certain groups of people” as Obama. Given the tithing mandate I submit that Romney’s motive is unresolvable. And, I grant, so is Obama’s because as a politician he’s no dummy.
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pino – of course he was talking campaign strategy. I think that was pretty obvious. But it was the bizarre mischaracterizataion of about half the electorate that is the news. Not only was it crass, it was wrong.
Charitable contributions? I’m guessing Romney if we’re measuirng by money, since if he meets the Mormon expectation of a 10% tithe, that would be a large amount of money. Measured by percentage of income or in-kind? He’d probably still win that one, what with the missionary work and the kind of wealth that permitted 10%, or even more without having an advverse effect on his life. He was a high earner from day one and didn’t have the burdens of things like student loans.
In either case, are you saying that the higher one’s personal charitable contributions, the more one cares??? I think that’s nonsense pino.
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In Mike Luckovich’s cartoon I can’t help but notice: Thurston Howell III is prominently missing!
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Jim, David Brooks’ column in the Times yesterday was headlined “Thurston Howell Romney”.. Did you see it?
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Yup, I did, now that you mention it, and it fits perfectly!
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Here’s mine…who were those other 2751…must have been very repetitive.
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Nope. It was just a blazing burning lively comment thread. Dialogue for sure with people talking to each other, but every one is a comment..
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Two Cars in Every Garage and three eyes on every fish.
It’s a Simpson reference that seems to apply to Mr. Romney and his campaign of late.
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The Simpsons’ writers are, in their way, right up there iwth Mark Twain ad Willl Rogers!
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But guess what Moe! Just saw that the original post on HuffPo about the video – which has become the most commented EVER at their site..
167,682 comments.
Yes. 167 thousand comments.
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Holy Elvis!!! And I thought Corn’s count was big. I’m updating with that mac.
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Yeah – never seen anything like that count.. it hit a nerve!
And the video – that was the real Mitt Romney standing up – with warmth and passion.. talking straight with no robotics or stiffness.
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Yeah, I noticed that too – he was clearly relaxed and sure of himsef in a way we haven’t seen. That was the real him alright.
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I agree, Moe, that was the real Mitt. BTW, is it really true that the Secret Service code name for him is “Mannequin”? 😆
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/mitt-romney-video_n_1829455.html#comments
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