The 47%

by Blueberry T

Justice is served.

In September, the Romney/Ryan campaign was rocked by a Mother Jones report on disparaging comments that Mitt Romney made about 47% of the American people.  Romney’s 47% remark clumsily and wildly inaccurately equated Obama’s core supporters with those not paying federal income taxes and those who have benefited from government assistance.  Romney labeled this group of proclaimed moochers the “47%.”  

After the revelation by MoJo, Romney first doubled down on the remark, but later walked it back and admitted it was a “mistake.”  His “mistake” was being truthful for one of the few times during the campaign (albeit not in public).  Thanks to the secret videographer and others, people finally heard what Romney really believes about a large number of Americans.  The truth was told; the damage was done.  (Note that the tape also had a number of other damnable statements  that did not get as much attention as they deserved, including the comments about slave labor conditions at a Chinese factory that Patrick reported on during the RNC, several weeks before the MoJo article appeared.)  

Romney’s recent comments about President Obama winning votes of blacks, Hispanics and young voters because he gives them “gifts” proves that the 47% comment was not a mistake; it reflects what Mitt Romney really believes.  He, with his very privileged life, massive wealth and advantages that he gained through his status rather than his abilities, is so out-of-touch that he does not know how far from reality his dismissive attitudes toward many Americans are.  Many Republicans, who extolled his virtues mere weeks ago, are roundly criticizing this latest remark.  

Never mind that it is the GOP that has showered the wealthy, Big Oil, banks and other constituencies with massive taxpayer giveaways.  

Now, finally, there is poetic justice.  It turns out that the “47%” to which Mitt Romney disparagingly referred, in the video released by Mother Jones in September, actually represents Mitt Romney voters.  Our reader Linda1961 alerted us that Wikipedia now reports Romney’s percentage of the vote has fallen below the 47.5% threshold, following the consistent downward trend since Election Day.  Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) of the Cook Political Report, who has been keeping a detailed spreadsheet of all the vote counts, shows the total at 47.503%, and the trend is continuing downward, meaning that Romney's vote total will round to 47% of the presidential ballots that were cast.

This outcome restores my faith in divine retribution!  ;-D

And in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to express my huge gratitude to AnneOnyMouse670 and to James Carter IV, as well as MoJo, for their actions that made this information publicly available, to Patrick and Kathleen and our readers for our community's progressiveness, and for everyone who VOTED, especially those who overcame serious obstacles to do so. 

UPDATE:  Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report now reports that "the moment that many have been waiting for has arrived," as his spreadsheet total now shows Romney below 47.5%.