Is This the Real Romney Returning?

As we all know now, Mitt Romney was caught on tape back in May making false and snobbish comments about “47%” of the country. At first Romney endorsed those comments. Then he repudiated them, as he’s repudiated so many other positions he’s taken. So had he really believed them, or was he just telling his audience of rich donors what he thought they wanted to hear?

Today he echoed those comments in another conversation with rich right-wing donors that he apparently thought would never become public, as the New York Times reported. The Los Angeles Times also had access.

Romney claimed that President Barack Obama won because his policies amounted to “gifts” to “the African-American community, the Hispanic community and young people.” Apparently, Romney’s promises of lower taxes for the wealthy, increased defense spending, regulatory rollbacks, and the like wouldn’t have been “gifts” to any of his supporters.

Here’s a taste of the conversation:

“You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you’re now going to get free health care, particularly if you don’t have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity — I mean, this is huge,” Mr. Romney said. “Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus. But in addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group.”

What a heartless and mendacious remark. As you see, Romney went back to showing disdain for the working poor. He once again zigzagged on his own health-insurance policy in Massachusetts and lied about the federal law.

I’m particularly irked by the comment about “the children of illegals.” Some of those children are American citizens. There’s no “amnesty” involved there; they haven’t done anything they need amnesty for.

People to whom the Dream Act would apply are, in Romney’s own word, “illegals” themselves. But they came into the US as children, like Romney’s father. In June he referred to them as “young people who come here through no fault of their own.” Yet for the rich conservatives listening in on his phone call, Romney pulled out the term “amnesty.”

What a vile man Romney is. We’re very fortunate to have avoided granting him any form of national authority.