HP - Mitt Romney Heckled, Presidential Candidate Says Corporations 'Are People, My Friend'

[@DCGoldPants]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/11/mitt-romney-heckled-iowa_n_924426.html

First Posted: 8/11/11 12:53 PM ET Updated: 8/11/11 01:39 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Speaking to an occasionally rowdy crowd two days before the Ames Straw poll, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made what seems likely to become a much-discussed flub, declaring to a group of Iowans that "corporations are people."

Pressed by an attendee at the Iowa State Fair on Thursday as to why he was focusing on entitlement reforms as a means of deficit reduction over asking corporations to share part of the burden, the GOP frontrunner shot back:

"Corporations are people, my friend... of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people. Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? Whose pockets? People's pockets. Human beings my friend."

The comment was immediately pounced on by Democrats, who saw it as another example of Romney being uncomfortable on the stump and in-artful in his attempts to come off as an every-day pol.

"This is what Mitt Romney is going to run on? Corporations are people? Really?" said Democratic National Committee Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. "There's a great message for people struggling to get by and trying to make ends meet. Don't complain -- corporations are people too!"

Speaking at the Des Moines Register soapbox, Romney was also interrupted by a heckler who asked if if he supported "scrapping the Social Security payroll cap so that rich people pay their fair share into the trust fund?"

Romney responded, "There was a time in this country where we didn't celebrate attacking people based on their success. We didn't go after people because they were successful. I've watched this president go across the country attacking people, and I... and I am... if you want to speak, you can speak. But right now it's my turn, so let me continue."

The presidential contender went on to underscore his bottom line. "If you don't like my answer, you can vote for someone else," he said.

The situation that unfolded comes ahead of Thursday night's Republican presidential primary debate in the Hawkeye State. It also comes two days before the Ames Straw Poll, a test of conservative strength and table-setter for next year's Iowa caucuses set to take place on Saturday. While Romney will appear on the ballot, he is not actively campaigning to lock up support ahead of the event.

"As you know I participated in a major way in a straw poll four years ago," Romney said in addressing his decision to forego the straw poll during an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity" on Wednesday night. "Some of the benefit I already was able to accrue based upon what happened last time around... I want to use my financial resources and my time this time to actually get delegates, not the straw polls -- they are nice but don't get you delegates -- I'm not going to participate in the straw polls anywhere in the country."

[Dan T.]

Sounds like a good campaign slogan for him.

[da#1skinsfan]

Sounds like something people can easily take out of context to trash the guy instead of focusing on his actual point. Yippeeeeee.

F politics and all of these lying dirtbags.

[zoony]

Corporations are people. Nothing more, in fact. And I would hope any politician would view corporations as a strong partner.

What is the dems slogan (those who, according to the article, are "pouncing" on his statement)? "Economic prosperity sux"... or maybe "**** Jobs, who needs 'em!"?

[Larry]

Sounds like something people can easily take out of context to trash the guy instead of focusing on his actual point. Yippeeeeee.

Sounds like something somebody would say right before he launches into a spiel of "Pay no attention to what he said. Here, let me explain which things you have to change, so that you can construct an alternate reality in which he really said something different."

---------- Post added August-11th-2011 at 02:05 PM ----------

Corporations are people.

Oh, I agree.

They're just insanely rich, greedy, immoral people.

[zoony]

Oh, I agree.

They're just insanely rich, greedy, immoral people.

Just the 5 at the top

I know it's different on a board where the majority of members living in SOMD and NOVA leach off the federal government for a living, but out in the rest of America, most people are employed by corporations.

Now, please, be gentle everyone.

[Madison Redskin]

A lot of Dems will make hay of that quote and try to tie it to the SCOTUS' decision in Citizens United. However, Romney made a reasonable point (i.e., imposing substantial tax hikes on corporations is not a cure-all and may do more harm than good).

[Tulane Skins Fan]

Well, if corporations really are people, then they are *******s.

[Kilmer17]

Bush beat Kerry (and to a degree Gore) because the GOP was able to frame Kerry as a stiff out of touch candidate. While Bush was the everyman.

Intereting that it appears the roles have switched. As well as those claiming that type of campaigning is wrong.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

A lot of Dems will make hay of that quote and try to tie it to the SCOTUS' decision in Citizens United. However, Romney made a reasonable point (i.e., imposing substantial tax hikes on corporations is not a cure-all and may do more harm than good).

I would love it if Citizens United became a campaign issue. Generally speaking, I am no in favor of populist political movements, but this idea that corporations have the same rights - and apparently - same morality as individuals is a path to madness.

[ABQCOWBOY]

Sounds like something people can easily take out of context to trash the guy instead of focusing on his actual point. Yippeeeeee.

F politics and all of these lying dirtbags.

That's exactly what happened. I heard this interaction just a few minutes ago.

[Destino]

Corporations are people. Nothing more, in fact. And I would hope any politician would view corporations as a strong partner.

What is the dems slogan (those who, according to the article, are "pouncing" on his statement)? "Economic prosperity sux"... or maybe "**** Jobs, who needs 'em!"?

Corporations are made up of people....when they are acting on behalf of the company however they have a fiduciary responsibility to the corporation and not to the United States of America. They have a legal responsibility to lobby the government for things that will benefit the corporation even if it negatively impacts the country.

See: offshoring jobs, illegal immigration, private prisons, pollution standards, lawsuit caps, etc etc etc.

[mistertim]

Classifying corporations as people is fine by me, as long as we also make sure to get them an official diagnosis of clinical sociopathy so they can't pretend to be people with a moral compass or conscience.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

Bush beat Kerry (and to a degree Gore) because the GOP was able to frame Kerry as a stiff out of touch candidate. While Bush was the everyman.

Intereting that it appears the roles have switched. As well as those claiming that type of campaigning is wrong.

Whoa, painting someone as "out of touch" is not "wrong." People claimed that Bush played dirty in regards to Kerry because he sat back and let his buddies make up lies about John Kerry's vietnam record, which convinced a lot of people that John Kerry didn't love his country. No one blamed Bush for making Kerry look like a "liberal elite," alone. The criticism was related to the Swift Boaters.

[Kilmer17]

There was plenty of criticism about painting Kerry as an elite. The sailboarding, football drops, etc.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

There was plenty of criticism about painting Kerry as an elite. The sailboarding, football drops, etc.

No, people argued that it didn't matter if he was a "liberal elite" or not. They argued that Kerry was an intelligent accomplished person compared to Bush, and said that's why he called him "elite." But no one called it "dirty" that Bush portrayed him as an out of touch elitist. Hillary did the same thing to Obama in the primary.

[zoony]

Corporations are made up of people....when they are acting on behalf of the company however they have a fiduciary responsibility to the corporation and not to the United States of America. They have a legal responsibility to lobby the government for things that will benefit the corporation even if it negatively impacts the country.

See: offshoring jobs, illegal immigration, private prisons, pollution standards, lawsuit caps, etc etc etc.

See: providing jobs, creating wealth, creating technology, increasing standard of living, etc.

It's not hard to be a pessimist nowadays. We need to be real careful about what we wish for, however. We might just get it.

[China]

Corporations are people.

Soylent green is people.

Corporations = Soylent Green

???

[Kilmer17]

No, people argued that it didn't matter if he was a "liberal elite" or not. They argued that Kerry was an intelligent accomplished person compared to Bush, and said that's why he called him "elite." But no one called it "dirty" that Bush portrayed him as an out of touch elitist. Hillary did the same thing to Obama in the primary.

I can remember clearly watching Chris Matthews complain about the GOP taking the pictures of Kerry sailboarding and using them to show he was elitist.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

I can remember clearly watching Chris Matthews complain about the GOP taking the pictures of Kerry sailboarding and using them to show he was elitist.

Chris Matthews is a tool.

[Kilmer17]

FWIW. I think it's smart campaign strategy.

[zoony]

Well, the good thing about Kerry is that his warm demeanor, charismatic personality, and his ability to NOT look like Lurch's socially akward cousin helped to disspell any notions that existed out there that he was out of touch.

It was the GOP smear campaign that did him in. Same one that did in Obama last election.

[Larry]

I would love it if Citizens United became a campaign issue. Generally speaking' date=' I am no in favor of populist political movements, but this idea that corporations have the same rights - and apparently - same morality as individuals is a path to madness.[/quote']

Uh, I seem to recall being told very often, here in Tailgate, that Corporations do not have the same morality as people.

In fact, I've been called all kinds of mean, nasty things for so much as wishing that corporations had the same morality as people.

I've been told, in all kinds of patronizing tones, that it is, in fact illegal for corporations to so much as have morals. Because Corporations have "fiduciary responsibility" (which seems to be Latin for "mission statement which overrides everything else in the Universe") to maximize profits, at the expense of everything else.

[ThinkTwice]

We need more corporations!!

They bring some of the best jobs to this country.Lets be thankful to them.

There are no countries with a good economy that does not have Big corporations fully involved

[Tulane Skins Fan]

FWIW. I think it's smart campaign strategy.

Whether its smart or not, I don't know. But I don't think its "dirty" or "below the belt."

I don't remember anyone claiming that calling Kerry elite was somehow a low blow. I remember people disputing it as inaccurate, but that doesnt mean they were calling it a low blow. This is contrary to the swift boaters who spread lies about his war record, which was a low blow and dirty campaigning.