Speaking to a group of 900 business leaders this morning, Mitt Romney was quoted by The Washington Post as saying, “I know it seems like government doesn’t like you. I love you." This is just the latest latest example of Mitt Romney offering up an all-too-easily-spun quote to a media that loves to make him sound like an out-of-touch C-suite suit.
The purpose for the Northern Virginia Technology Council breakfast this morning in Reston, Va. was for Romney to talk about tax policy and other economic proposals with businessfolk. But with headlines like "Mitt's Love for Business Has Always Been Real" and "Romney to business leaders: 'I love you'" that didn't end up being the focus of reports on the event. Sure, it's a Romneyism similar to many others, such as:
- "I like being able to fire people who provide services to me."
- "Corporations are people, my friends."
- "I'm running for office, for Pete's sake. I can't have any illegals."
- "10,000 bucks? A $10,000 bet?"
Each of these were used by critics to make the candidate seem inaccessible, robotic, merely very rich. But Romney, like the even more wonderful gaffe machine that is Rick Perry, should have learned like now to make his soundbites less susceptible to being spun. Then again, maybe Romney really does just love business.
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