David A. Rice feels like Mitt Romney wrote him off.
The 61-year-old has always been a values-based voter, generally votes Republican and could be a key vote in the swing state of Florida. But he's also among the 47% of Americans that Mitt Romney said don't pay income tax and rely on government support.
"There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what," Romney says in a clip from a secretly filmed private donor meeting in May, which was first posted on Monday afternoon. "There are 47% who are with him, who are dependent on government, who believe that, that they are victims, who believe that government has the responsibility to care for them. Who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing."
Romney's '47%' – Washington's tax-break obsession to blame
Rice says he is working part-time and doesn't pay taxes because he can't find a good job. And the fact that Romney wrote him off in those comments is frustrating.
"I am insulted. I support you and you just wrote me off with the 47% who pay no taxes. In that group are those who cry every time they use food stamps; people who would trade them in a minute for a real job. In that group are Christians who shudder at the thought of voting for abortion and gay rights," he wrote in an iReport. "You have strengths that appeal to the demographic you just wrote off ... use it! In the middle of rich supporters you cannot afford to write off a huge group with a careless word."
The 61-year-old said that he has been forced once or twice to take food stamps - and unlike what Romney contends in his comments - he maintains it was not something he was proud of or hopes to ever have to do again.
"It really hurt me," the iReporter told CNN. "It was not something that I wanted to do, I did it because I didn't have a job."
Rice says he didn't think it was right for Romney to lump every low-income person into the same group.
"Not everyone who takes food stamps is a food stamps junkie," Rice told CNN. "There are people who think the government owes them a living and that the government ought to take care of them and be their momma and daddy all their life. That doesn't apply to everyone."
It all left Rice a bit uneasy.
Which leads to the big questions swirling around the Romney campaign: How much damage will Romney's comments do to his chances for winning the election? Were his comments a big enough gaffe, combined with previous missteps, to really dent his campaign? Were his comments just the brutal truth others don't want to hear? Will it sway the votes of Republicans, independents or the undecided?
Rice says he'll still be voting for Romney because of the candidate's social views. But he knows it may not be the same for others.
"I think it was a mistake on his part because he insulted a lot of people who he needs to vote for him," he said.
CNN asked our readers on Facebook what they thought about the remarks and more than 71% said Romney was wrong and should apologize. Twenty-four percent of readers who answered our unscientific poll said he was right, and it was something someone needed to say. Just about 4.5% felt that Romney was right but shouldn't have phrased the remarks the way he did.
Nevin Sanli, from Los Angeles, California, said he is in the 47% and Romney's recent remarks, as well as other gaffes, have sealed his decision to vote for Obama.
"I never took a penny in help or government assistance money or otherwise. I own two businesses, and all I have been doing, along with my business partners, is creating jobs. I am not a victim," Sanli said in response to the CNN poll on Facebook. "I worked hard and built it all from scratch and I pay a lot of taxes. I am not as rich as Romney, but I sure pay a much bigger percentage of my income in taxes than he does. I find his remarks to be un-American, shocking and insulting."
And definitely unbecoming a president, he added.
"Elitism, silver-spoon arrogance and outright divisive statements, with undertones of racism, cannot be attributes of an American president," Sanli wrote.
For his part, Romney has stood behind the comments from the secretly recorded video. They were an honest reflection of his campaign's message, he said.
"This is a message I'm carrying day in and day out and will carry over the coming months," Romney said on Fox News. "This is a decision about the course of America, where we're going to head. We've seen the president's policies play out over the last four years."
Kristopher Daughtrey agreed with those tough words and took them to show that Romney won't shy away from the truth and will stick to his convictions.
"I applaud Romney for his remarks. He's the only one willing to not sugarcoat it. I'm not a huge supporter of either party, but at least Romney has the guts to speak out frankly about it, instead of Obama, Congress, and other politicians trying to justify their actions constantly or running away with their tail between their legs," Daughtrey said. "If you're going to be president then you need to have the backbone to walk the walk and not just talk about it."
Jason Asselin, an iReporter from Iron Mountain, Michigan, is an independent who says that he generally votes for the best candidate, despite their affiliation, though he likes the ideas and stances of the tea party.
While Asselin is normally a critic of Obama, he said Romney's comments really angered him because he doesn't pay taxes, but it isn't because he doesn't want to.
"I try paying taxes each year and every year they say we don't make enough, it isn't that I don't want to pay my taxes - they won't take them," he says. "Our government put rules and regulations in place for the lower class of people. It isn't our fault for falling under that. I don't like being called the 47%, I'd like to be called American."
Asselin said he is frustrated that Romney makes assumptions about how he will vote. And he is not alone.
Jeff Zicker, 21, might have been a candidate for the 47% category. He's college-aged, but left college because he landed a job performing with a national Broadway tour. He worked two jobs all through college, and these days he pays all his taxes, which puts him in the 53% category.
“For (Romney) to say his plan only appeals to those who don’t victimize themselves just further proves how out of touch he is with the rest of the American public,” he said.
Zicker is a moderate Democrat who will be voting for Obama this fall.
“I honestly believe that somebody that would say that a large of a portion of Americans, that this group victimizes themselves and tries to appeal to voters in that way, I don’t think that shows that they would be fit in any way to be president," he said.
But others say that Romney is merely beginning a dialogue that many Americans refuse to have. Steven Evans said that he thinks the discussion is an important one as the country moves forward.
"It is time to start a national dialogue on whether we are creating a major dependency class," he said on Facebook. "I am glad to see him tell the truth. Let's decide whether we are going the way of Greece or the traditional USA."
But some believe that having that conversation with only half of the country is problematic.
“It’s not in touch with what America’s values are and what we should be in a country," Zicker said of Romney's comments. "At the end of the day, we’re all connected. What I do affects you economically and socially. We shouldn’t see it as an one-for-all system.”
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Don’t throw stones when you live in a glass house! Pay your taxes first than call out the poor hardworking Americans. Hypocrisy at its best…
I just don't understand the people who say it is "refreshing to see him start a dialogue about this issue" ... are you kidding me? His numbers are flawed people! Do you really think that 47% of this country is on welfare? He is talking about all social programs... including your grandparents on social security... and your children in college. How is it that so many of our citizens are so out of touch with their OWN realities. It is understandable that Mitt Romney can't relate... but how can an American be so blinded that the don't realize they are working against themselves in supporting this nonsense. I, am part of the 53% that do pay taxes... and you will not hear me complain about it.
Why does it hurt so much to hear the truth and then make a choice about making a change. I do not make 50k. I work, pay the taxes I'm suppose to pay and not pay the ones I don't have to (just like the rich) So I guess I'm not paying my fair share either. I have two daughters going to college and no they did not get loans . They go to a college I could afford and that I saved for since they were little. I have a small house in a neighborhood I can afford to live in and I own my little house. We went on few vacations and a lot of backyard outings. Few restaurants and many home cooked meals. My life is not rich in money but in values. For these reasons I'm voting Republican this year. AND NO I did not vote for McCain, or any of the Bushes and when everyone was voting for Reagan I wasn't.
Yet another woman totally ok voting for someone with policies that make it obvious he thinks she is 'less than'. Way to go.
What is this truth you speak of? You are telling me that the 47% of Americans that don't pay taxes will vote for Obama simply to keep the free money rolling in? Is this the truth you speak of? You didn't stop to think for even one second if some of the 47% are republican leaning but will vote for Obama anyways?
Why are so many people fixated on 47%. If you are one of the 47% ask yourself a question why are you voting the way you are ? Everyone's answer will be different. I don't care why anyone is voting the way they are. I know why I'm voting the way I am and am not embarrassed about writing my name to sate my belief
It's interesting that he and many other Republicans denigrate people who end up owing zero federal income tax. All that those people did was take advantage of the current tax laws, just as Romney did so that he paid under 14%, and just as the 4000 millionaires did so that they owed zero income tax. It was absurd and insulting for Romney to have said what he did. If he wants to criticize, then place the blame where it is due: Congress for setting up the tax code.
WOW. CNN sure keeps this one story alive by keeping it their headline for a long time. Any bias here? Nope. None at all.
Taxes are wrong and illegal, for state taxing corporate profits are supposed to be illegal ..
'Beginning a dialog'??? Who says that? He was caught saying this behind closed doors! Coward!
Isn't it funny that even when people go on public assistance they still think they are different from other people on public assistance? Research time and time again reveals that the majority of people who are on some sort of public assistance feel bad about being on public assistance. Mr. Rice's comments are no different than Romney's. He assumed that there are a group of people who are different from him. A group of people who love being on public assistance.
Raven, your last line should be blasted over all news media outlets. Well said!!!!
He's probably more qualified to talk taxes than any of us because he's likely paid more in taxes in his life than all of us on this blog will ever make combined. Is that not a "fair share"? if not, please define to us all what number "fair share" means? 25% of one's income? 35%? 45%? 80%? Just tell us the number so we can stop having this BS notion of what is fair out there. You give us a number and then let's determine if that's fair. FYI, be prepared to pay it yourself if you ever become successful:) Stop being a hater against a guy who is winning in life. FYI, you know Obama is Rich as hell too right? You a hater on him too?
There's a huge difference, Obama explicitly says "people like me" when discussing raising taxes.
Mitt wants to raise the effective rate on the middle class to finance lowering his own taxes. That's shameless.
And stupid people are born, not made.
There is nothing he can do for world peace! Just ask Miss America….
Someone said "we've seen Obama's policies played out" No we havent? We haven't seen much of anything from Obama. Why, because every attempt Obama makes to improve the country, the Republican congress shuts him down. They haven't given Obama a shot at improving things yet. And there is a reason why. they know his policies would improve the country. and if that were to happen, it would be disastrous for the gop.
I fully agree with you. With Republican appointees as Secretary of Army and other wings, Obama extended his hands to Republicans, but he was rebutted every time he went to them with any proposals. You are totally right.
not true...Obama approved health care reform – how was the majority of congress then?
What do you mean we have not seen Obamas policies. Yes republicans are not working with him now. But that is because he had 2 years of a super majority in congress and the senate. We are seeing exactly what he was doing. It has raised gas prices and healthcare costs. It also has not helped cut down on poverty or joblessness. Blaming the GOP for all your issues is like blaming a bandage for the cut you got.
Oh... poor Obama. Get real. If he can't get done what he wants and needs to get done than. GO HOME BABY
The media didn't go crazy like this when Obama said that middle Americans were xenophobic and clung to guns and religion. More media bias.
becuase it wasn't the same type of statement AND he IMMEDIATELY said he was wrong to say that and aploogized
repubs don't handle things like that tho
Mostly because it's true?
Actually, they did.
Taxes are wrong and illegal, for state taxing corporate profits are legal and taking wage earners wages is illegal..
taxes are supposed to be voluantry ..
My county and the town tax me and use it for free Chinese/...classes/free bus service etc. I am not sure how I will survive this tax when I am retired!
You're presence in this country is also voluntary. If you would rather build your own private island than live in a society where you are expected to contribute and receive in return, then you are free to do so. No one will stop you I promise.