Politics: Who Cares About the Poor?

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Politics Who Cares About the Poor? Romney's newest gaffe isn't just another blunder. It's the beginning of a race over who is most out of touch. By John Dickerson Posted Thursday, Feb 02, 2012, at 01:30 AM ET Mitt Romney is now being protected by the Secret Service. Unfortunately for him, they were not in a position to jump in front of his comments Wednesday morning. The day after his Florida triumph, Romney told CNN: "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling." This statement is striking for many reasons. Most are obvious—it is thoroughly ham-fisted for a politician to ever say he doesn't care about part of the electorate, particularly the "very poor." Everyone knows that much. But Romney's gaffe signals something more about the general election to come. As it looks more likely that Obama and Romney will square off, we are faced with a new prospect: The 2012 presidential election may devolve into a battle between two aloof men trading charges about who is more out of touch.  Romney's slip has faint echoes of some of Barack Obama's own tone-deaf remarks from the last election. In the 2008 race, when Obama said the economy caused people to "cling to their guns and religion," it was the perfect encapsulation of a stereotype that Republicans had been sketching for months: Obama was smug, detached, and clueless. When the Democratic candidate with the Ivy League ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate "I'm Not Concerned About the Very Poor": Will It Be Romney's "Guns and Religion"? Why Do I Have 60,000 Followers on Facebook? And Why Do They Post Such Cheesy Come-ons? The Artist Who Throws Herself at Men. Literally.	Advertisement
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