Conservatives Embrace Romney’s 47% Remarks

The right thrills to an alleged gaffe.

Erick Erickson @EWErickson

Dammit! I'm just now seeing these Romney secret videos. We need that guy on the campaign trail!

10:01 PM - 17 Sep 12

• Reply
• Retweet
• Favorite

Videos published by Mother Jones on Monday of Mitt Romney speaking at a closed-press fundraiser drew immediate attacks from Democrats — but they’ve also, finally begun to gin up enthusiasm among conservatives for the Republican nominee.

“Dammit! I’m just now seeing these Romney secret videos,” RedState founder and CNN contributor Erick Erickson said on Twitter. “We need that guy on the campaign trail!”

“In the battle of caught-on-tape scandals, I’ll take Romney’s (accurate statement) over Obama’s (promising Putin) any day,” Brady Creemens, a writer for the Right Sphere, tweeted, referring to a hot mic Obama promise of post-election “flexibility.”

Creemens continued, “Oh, Romney doesn’t much care for those who benefit from the system without contributing? Good. Me neither. I think I’ll vote for him.”

Romney’s remarks at a private fundraiser were secretly recorded, including the statement: “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.”

The comments provoked a firestorm on social media and prompted a strongly-worded statement from Obama campaign manager Jim Messina: “It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation.”

Soon after the release of the videos, FreedomWorks staffer Dean Clancy tweeted:

Dean Clancy @DeanClancy

A new video that makes me like Mitt better than I did. Thank you, @MotherJones! bit.ly/SVb2WA

9:02 PM - 17 Sep 12

• Reply
• Retweet
• Favorite

Fox News’ Todd Starnes:

toddstarnes @toddstarnes

Mitt needs to speak in public like he speaks in private.

10:15 PM - 17 Sep 12

• Reply
• Retweet
• Favorite

San Francisco conservative activist Kyle Raccio:

Kyle Raccio @kyleraccio

That Romney video was leaked to gin up our base. Bookmark this tweet.

9:19 PM - 17 Sep 12

• Reply
• Retweet
• Favorite

Raccio later explained in an interview with BuzzFeed that “it only serves to excite the conservative base into knowing that Mitt Romney understands the situation we’re facing in the country.”

“Mitt Romney needs to be vocal about that because I don’t believe the majority of Americans want so many people on the government dole unchecked,” Raccio said.