Romney's 'poor' quote seized upon by critics
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Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney hands 6-month-old Dexter Hall back to his mother during a campaign stop at Freightmasters, Inc. in Eagan, Minn., on Wednesday. -
People wait for Republican presidential candidate former House Speaker Newt Gingrich to arrive for a campaign stop at the Great Basin Brewing Co. on in Reno, Nev., on Wednesday.
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EAGAN, Minn. -- The Republican presidential contest shifted Wednesday to the West and Midwest, as an exultant Mitt Romney dueled with the man he hopes to meet in November, President Barack Obama, but found himself sidetracked when an infelicitous remark was seized upon by his opponents.
Mr. Romney's comment came as he sought, after his decisive win Tuesday in Florida, to cast himself as the inevitable GOP nominee, a posture that had eluded him since his Jan. 21 South Carolina primary collapse.
"I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," he told CNN.
His characterization about the poor immediately metastasized online. Asked about it later, Mr. Romney explained, "Of course, I'm concerned about all Americans -- poor, wealthy, middle class -- but the focus of my effort will be on middle-income families, who I think have been most hurt by the Obama economy."
Newt Gingrich, a distant second in the Florida Republican contest, sought to take advantage of Mr. Romney's wording as he spoke to hundreds of supporters packed into Great Basin Brewing Co. in Reno, Nev. "I am fed up with politicians in either party dividing Americans against each other," said Mr. Gingrich, at his first Nevada event before Saturday's caucuses there. Drawing a sharp distinction between himself and Mr. Romney, he added: "I am running to be the president of all of the American people, and I am concerned about all of the American people."
Mr. Romney's comment also drew condemnation from Obama partisans, who have repeatedly exploited the candidate's quotes to argue that the Republican front-runner is out of touch.
First Published February 2, 2012 12:00 am
