Why the water cooler matters

I was happy to see the Mitt Romney video saying that the 47% of the population who don't pay federal income taxes are "victims" and "dependent on the government."

Happy because I think this is the nail in the coffin of his candidacy and because I've heard the same thing over and over listening to right wing talk radio and reading right wing blogs.  It's just nice to have it out in the open.

First, the 47% Romney identifies as moochers includes the elderly, students, and the working poor.  Here's a good breakdown.

Second, I find it highly ironic because Romney is part of the 47%!  His income for the past couple of years has come from interest made from investments.  He has not "income" therefore, he has not paid income taxes.

Third, read the reactions:

David Brooks:  "Personally, I think he’s a kind, decent man who says stupid things because he is pretending to be something he is not — some sort of cartoonish government-hater. But it scarcely matters. He’s running a depressingly inept presidential campaign.

Brooks also asks:  "Who are these freeloaders? Is it the Iraq war veteran who goes to the V.A.? Is it the student getting a loan to go to college? Is it the retiree on Social Security or Medicare?"

Rich Lowry:  "... he should make it clear that he doesn’t think they are half the country, and also make it clear that he knows many hard-working people don’t pay federal income taxes, although they do pay other taxes and if they could earn more income, would pay federal income taxes, too. The overall impression of Romney at this event is of someone who overheard some conservative cocktail chatter and maybe read a conservative blog or two, and is thoughtlessly repeating back what he heard and read."

David Frum:  "Mitt Romney has just committed the worst presidential-candidate gaffe since Gerald Ford announced in 1976 that "there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe."

So who are Brooks, Lowry, and Frum?  Conservative Republicans.

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I titled this post, "Why the water cooler matters."  A campaign is lost when supporters think, "Meh, that's not worth defending."  It's a feeling I remember well back in 2004.  Kerry's remark that he voted for the defense appropriation bill before he voted against it actually made sense if you heard the entire quote... but I didn't defend it when my colleagues made fun of it around the office.  It just wasn't worth it.

Romney's supporters are going to have a hard time defending a quote that calls low paid workers, students, uniformed military and senior citizens moochers.

Again, as a long time political geek I have never, never seen a campaign go down this quickly.