Romney dismisses 47 percent of the American population as ‘dependent victims’

This week, we learned what Mitt Romney said about Obama supporters to fellow millionaires at a closed-door fundraiser:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent of the people who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has responsibility to care for them, who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what… These are people who pay no income tax…

“My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

And Jim Messina, campaign manager for Obama for America, responded:

“The man who spoke these words – who demonstrates such disgust and disdain for half of our fellow Americans – is the other side’s choice for president of the United States. He wants to lead our country.

“If we don’t come through for President Obama right now, this will be the guy making big decisions that affect us and our families every single day.”