COMMENTARY | While being interviewed by CNN reporter Soledad O’Brien, Mitt Romney said that “he was not concerned with the very poor”, and that created a little bit of an uproar.
In my opinion, Romney expressed an appropriate sentiment when he made that statement. Sure, the liberals and left-wingers can point to it and attempt to label it as a heartless remark and as an abandonment of the poor. But that is not how I interpret it. Listen, he said that the very poor have adequate safety nets in place and his focus is on the middle class. That is what I want to hear. I want a candidate who cares about me. I truly do not care that he is among the rarefied elite of the infamous 1 percent.
The fact that people of the middle-income may have a champion is gratifying. What is wrong with having policies directed at fostering the growth of the middle-income? Why should American policy not be directed at strengthening what arguably has been the segment most hurt?
Romney did not advocate abolishing the food stamp program, Medicaid or any of the assistance programs in place to help the impoverished. In fact, he publicly stated that if there were holes in them he would fix them.
The liberal press may have chosen to focus on the scintillating part of Romney’s remark, but anyone who takes the time and makes the effort to view the interview will clearly understand Romney’s focus.
I would not be surprised if this does not become a bright yellow line in his campaign. Focus on the middle-income is good, but now he will need to develop cogent strategies on how he will help all of us in the middle. It will take more than repealing the capital gains tax to accomplish this; after all, most middle-income wealth is likely in tax deferred accounts, such as an IRA or 401k, and therefore taxed as ordinary income.
Last week I bought a Mitt Romney pin and I am glad that I did. In my opinion, Romney is a centrist, someone who will appeal to the vast majority of Americans who are disheartened by the antics of the extreme right tea party and extreme left liberals.
Hopefully Romney is an example of the wealthy giving back through service and innovation. He does have a record as a “doer”, and I would rather have a “doer” than a “talker.”