Romney: I Don't Care About the Poor

Mitt Romney just helped create a very powerful Anti-Mitt ad for his opponents, both within the GOP and in the Democratic Party.  In an interview for CNN he said:

"I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich.... I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling... We will hear from the Democrat party, the plight of the poor.... You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus."

This quote is so wrong on so many levels.  First, you should be concerned about all Americans, rich and poor so that they can reach their full potential.  Second, is the only way to help the poor is through a government safety net?  What about, I don't know, jobs?  Opportunity?  Why should the only recourse for the poor be government handouts? That doesn't sound like a very Republican way of thinking.  Third, it's amazing how he implies that the poor aren't struggling.  Yes they get food stamps and assistance from a variety of government programs but I would hardly consider their lives comfortable.  Fourth, why would he cede ANY segment of the American populace to the Democrats?  Before Reagan, this type of thinking was what led to decades-long minority party status.  It took Reagan's outreach to working class and poor voters to change that.  He made the GOP the party of opportunity and the future for all Americans, not just people who belonged to the country club or were on Wall Street.

Luckily it is still early, despite what the pundits say about his inevitability, Romney has won a total of 1 contest in a row and is 2-2, with 46 left to go.  The GOP is not yet chained to this anvil.