Romney and Concern for the Poor

I've always liked the definition of a political gaffe as when a politician accidentally says something he really believes.  Many have jumped on Mitt Romney for his comment in a CNN interview that he's "not concerned about the poor".  Now this can be taken out of context, no doubt.  Romney went on to clarify that he wasn't concerned about the Poor because "there's a safety net" for them, just as he's not concerned for the Rich because they have money and will be fine.  His point was that the Middle Class is his focus.

And that's a good strategy, since most Americans see themselves as "middle class", even those who are objectively pretty rich (remember the brouhaha from the well-off complaining that there shouldn't be higher taxes on thos making $250,000/year, since "that's not rich!"- never mind that $250K is more than four times the median salary in the US).

But let's be clear about the implications of Mitt's statement.  He's not concerned about the Poor because "there's a safety net".  But in reality that safety net is pretty thin and tattered.  And the GOP's plan is to lower funding for the safety net- if Mitt's elected, the Poor will require a lot more of our concern, since they'll be losing services as government shrinks so we can afford tax cuts for the wealthy.

Hey, that's still a legitimate point- Republicans believe that poor people are at fault for being poor, and safety net programs just encourage them to stay poor.  I think it's wildly inaccurate for Romney to claim that he's "not concerned about the Poor".  Everything in his platform and rhetoric suggestes he's quite concerned about the Poor, because they're mooching off the public trough.  So he's lying about his lack of concern.  But of course lying is just what Mitt does- every time he opens his mouth.