Republicans: Romney's 'Gift' Comments Are 'Absolutely Wrong'

Jindal, Rubio and Ayotte rebut claim that Obama won by 'gifts' to minorities

Republicans of various stripes are piling on Romney after his latest (and perhaps last) gaffe of the 2012 election.

As Romney complained in a post-election call with donors, Obama won because he offered "gifts" like healthcare and free contraceptives to young people, women, and "illegals."

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called Romney's comments "absolutely wrong," and tied them to Romney's earlier 47% gaffe. "We have got to stop dividing American voters," said Jindal, standing up for Republican inclusivity. "We need to go after 100 percent of the votes, not 53 percent - we need to go after every single vote. And second, we need...to show that our policies help every voter out there achieve the American dream...which is for their children to have even better-paying jobs than their parents."

NH Sen. Kelly Ayotte, formerly a campaign surrogate for Romney, said this morning that "I don't agree with the comments." Marco Rubio also "gently rebutted" Romney's comments, Politico reports.

Perhaps the harshest response comes from conservative columnist Matt Lewis: "Romney's theory isn't just wrong, it's pernicious. Here's hoping he finally rides off into the political sunset," wrote Lewis in the Daily Caller, adding that Romney's comments are "poison" for the GOP.

Via Politico and the Daily Caller.

Are you happy to see Republicans reject Romney's "gift" comments?

[woodtick57]

Wow! Way to go Mitt. Screw the party you forced into loving you...(I guess they deserve what they put up...)

I guess Mitt is out for stumping for the next elections GOP candidate...

BTW...when is the last time a ex GOP president was good for campaigning for their party's next nominee? It seems that they have all been running as far and as fast from them as they could. whhy is that?

[Keyjo]

I'll go out on a limb here and say the answer to your question is, Republican Presidents have a tendency to screw things up!

[GetAwake]

@Keyjo <<<LOOK<<< I outrank you.

[Keyjo]

@GetAwake
Well, perhaps in the adjective sense.:-)

[Fishbone345]

I thought his Concession speech was well spoke and humble. I respected that. He lost that with this current statement. Typical Mormon behavior though, they do the same here in Utah. It's everyone's fault but their own. They play the martyr card all the damn time.

[MadAsHell]

How is he screwing that party when he spoke his mind and spoke the truth?

[Jean]

No. we have become a "gift" nation. The realism of this will set in when there are more receiving "gifts" than there is people working to pay for those "gifts"....at that point it will be too late. check out this article and the stats in it. http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/332916/w...

[Sonny]

Oh, yeah...well where's my "gift"?

[Mia003]

He is wrong that he says healthcare is a gift! We all need health care not just the Greedy One Percent and contraceptives is a gift to use all unless you would like to pay for a person 19 kids and counting til they are 18. The logic of the GOP is not smart.

[MongoAPillager]

as they use their obama phones to answer the call to worship

[Sonny]

Oh you mean the phone program that Ronald Reagan started?

[MongoAPillager]

@Sonny dats da one,although it was the fed com that stated it

[Cool_voter]

@MongoAPillager no that was started under the Reagan admin, giving phones to people who can't afford them.
That dang socialist commie terrorist Muslim terrorist who's a terrorist and not an American... Dang Reagan...

[MongoAPillager]

@Cool_voter nope,the federal communications bureau back in 1984 i believe,i don,t believe his name was mentioned except as being prez at the time

[DerivePI]

Obamaphones, electric cars, food stamps, school debt forgiveness, healthcare, rich people's money, amnesty (promised not received) and World Peace (when you're dead). What's under your tree?

[Sonny]

...Hmm..."whats under my feet when I'm dead......"...Oh I know....All of those Old, Failed Republican Ideas!!!...Thanks, Derive...for reminding me!

[DerivePI]

@Sonny Actually that would be fire and brimstone, but there is still time.

[Sonny]

@DerivePI Well if you are suggesting that, that's where those lousy republican ideas will end up...then I guess I will see you, them, and the rest of the backwards republican party in hell...Please dress accordingly...I hear from Nixon & Reagan...that they don't hand out sun block down there.

[Mia003]

..All you Republicans want is to fight and argue and not agree with anything. You Republicans don't care about the American people only want to fight the president every step of the way. You don't want to work together and most of you act like whining two children throwing a tantrum. If you really care about the American people you would work together and they want to raise the taxes on the middle class and not the rich. What a surprise only caring about that 1%. GOP Greedy One Percent

[MRMacrum]

I am glad to see some signs of intelligence emanating from the GOP. They need to have some serious conversations among themselves to decide which way they want to head. Continue backwards or maybe try to catch up with the rest of the country.

[VCP]

I fear that they will only pretend to catch up to get the vote. Too many old dogs in that kennel to really change much. We can hope though.

[MOOGG]

@MRMacrum - I agree, Mitt's silly comments to his 1 billion dollar campain contributors may finally wake up the Republican party and help them find one person (there must be one) who is "forward thinking"!(from a devote independent)!

[MadAsHell]

Serious conversations? What it would be is the coming up with ideas and ways to connive people so as to get their own gifts, just like "almost all" politicians do every waking moment.

[Waynestew]

@VCP You may be on to something. I hear Marko Rubio took a trip to Iowa two days after the election. Now why would a Florida Sen. be in Iowa? Looks like the GOP might be going after Latino vote. But I like Rubio so they might have a chance of getting mine.

[MadAsHell]

Change? What has ever changed? Hope for change? That will come when voters start voting only for the politicians that tell the truth and actually care about right and wrong and act on that. That will never happen. It gets me so mad to see people speak so highly of certain elected officials. I just do not understand why those people can not see. Nor do i understand why those people will never learn. case in point is NY mayor Bloomberg. forced himself an additional term, people fell for it, again, then changes the law back for only two terms for future Mayors. All the while in office he forces his opinions and beliefs on others by making laws and changing lives. Nothing will ever change until all realize you must all stand up, united as one, not Republicans on one side Dems on the other but as humans, and demand and put in office the only ones that are honest and caring.@VCP

[woodtick57]

Do we have to go all the way bnack to Ike?

[martydotcom]

Poor Mitt so far removed from reality. tell me again about the 47% was that his campaign promise, or was it overturn Roe v Wade or Obamacare or go to war with Iran, start work immediately on Keystone ... guess Mitt's promises didn't sell

[Tralee]

Those same 47%, the giftees, polled 100% in favor of the "rich" paying higher taxes. Higher taxes from "the rich" = A much Merrier Christmas for the 47%. They aren't stupid you know.

[Mia003]

@Tralee Yeah because the poor middle class should pay higher taxes? What is wrong with the rich paying more? They make more so they should pay more. Do you think it's fair for a billionaire to pay less taxes then his poor receptionist. I am sure the rich always have a merry Christmas when they dodge taxes that all of us little people have to pay. They get so any deductions and put there money over seas bc they are greedy and don't want to pay any taxes at all.

[1hardcorerepub]

@Mia003 you have the same opportunities as the rich.

[martydotcom]

@1hardcorerepub were that true there wouldn't be such inequality. Go visit an inner city school. and compare it the the learning environment/ offerings/programs/learning tools available at a suburban school at the corner of Chardonnay and Brie.Inner city kid start off with one arm tied behind their back. First hand knowledge Harlem NY.
Give same kids from same neighborhood, same background a fully equipped charter school 4year record 100% graduation college admission

[1hardcorerepub]

@martydotcom they are afforded the same opportunites to go to school to get educated. No laws or rules require them to sucessfully graduate. Democrats have facilitated the entitlement mentality and attitude by sucessfully convincing the "urban" folk that Obama is the guy that has the answers through welfare programs, obamaphones etc. And, through the teachings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles in the Communist Manifesto, democrats now want to tax the rich to "even" the playing field.

Where does the notion of self reliance and self responsibility play into your ideas?

[MongoAPillager]

are rats good swimmers?the water is full of them,obama's ship is listing hard to starboard,romney's ship has gone under, republican's are poking holes in the hull of their own ship????

[jessejaymes]

I never reply to you since I can't understand your far right rhetoric but what is this supposed to mean? Of COURSE the GOP is distancing themselves from Romney. Neither political party holds close a loser. The Dems never stood Gore or McGovern or Carter back up as their "good guys". The deserted them. The GOP has nothing to say about either Bush nor McCain. It's the nature of the beast man. They desert their losers and start the process all over again.

[MongoAPillager]

@jessejaymes strange,most of your progressive friends seem to think i'm quite simple,yet you can,t grasp my simple concepts,HHhhmmm,what if i kept my limit my words to 4 letters

[jessejaymes]

@MongoAPillager Yeah I know. Everyone not just like you are "progressives". Except I'm pro gun, pro controlling the border, pro English and about 80-90% conservative. I'm just not a fascist.

[DerivePI]

This is just a struggle for power due to the sudden vacuum. Introspection is important, but mourning must be given its space. What went wrong will be more evident in the Spring. Its also important to note that the gleeful press is on the hunt for some juicy meat so anything negative towards conservatives will be amplified.

[MongoAPillager]

@jessejaymes is that like being 80 to 90% pregnant??

[commonsense51]

Romney is 100% correct. Of course women voted for Obama to get free stuff and welfare people vote for him for free stuff. ARE YOU KIDDING? It sure was not his job performance. Give me a break.

[Sonny]

Yeah, yeah, yeah...pout, cry, whimper....yada, yada, yada.....You LOST---Get Over It!!!

[hybridlment]

This very well employed woman was up early to vote for Obama, but not for any free gifts, welfare or "stuff". Are YOU kidding?

[commonsense51]

@hybridlment THEN FOR WHAT? oh you must have voted for him because of the wonderful job he has done as president. LOL, or did you believe all the lies from Obama on how the GOP was going to put you back bare foot in the home pregnant. Please don't tell me you are that brainwashed, pleaseeeeeeeeeee. You are employed, one of the few but don't worry about all those women unemployed, don't let them influence your vote.

[Mia003]

I think he has done very good even with republicans fighting him every step of the way. What is wrong with his job performance? He has the right ideas if congress will stop fighting him and making it hard on him. Do you think it's better for rich people to pay less taxes trhen us? Do you think it's smart for a woman to not be able to get birth control bc she can't afford the 3,000 a year? Who do you think is going to take care and pay for all those babies til they are 18 if she didn't get birth control? It's a lot cheaper to help a woman get birth control then to take care of a bunch of babies food, shelter, clothes, healthcare ect. til they are 18. A lot of woman would be having 18 kids and counting and we really can't afford that. He has the right thinking. GOP just thinks woman don't have sex or they can just expel babies. lol

[hybridlment]

@commonsense51 I voted for the party that I feel best represents my interests. I'm not one of any few employed. I don't have one female friend who isn't employed and voted Democratic. If the women you've been exposed to in life are unintelligent and/or easily led, then I'm sorry (for you and them); but none of us are. Don't assume that women - of course - voted for Obama for welfare and freebies.

[jessejaymes]

I don't blame Romney for saying what he said. He's just being what he's always been. A sock puppet for the GOP establishment ultra rich which is exactly what Bush was. A leopard can't change his spots.

[DARSB]

So even Republican women and people of color see the problem with the current GOP leadership. There's hope.

[Sonny]

I just think that its about time---that the "grown-ups" in the republican party, are finally beginning to step up to the plate. I think that the "smarter element" of the party---is getting the message, loud & clear---that the wild "extremist" and the "nutty things being said" are really starting to hurt the republican party....Its time to put an end to that nonsense.

[WMCOL]

An Indian, a Mexican, and a woman. Boy that'll be credible critique to right-wingers. No matter that the three are right about Republican party.

[PNWest]

The GOP needs to run these RINOs out of the party. Where does Congressman Scott DesJarlais stand on this issue?

[WMCOL]

Most government gifts go to the ultra-rich.

[Romney2012]

Looks like the Republicans are becoming soft toward the Democrats! And the sad thing is that the Republicans are this country's only hope of surrvival through this administration!

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

It's time to make the Tea Party an official party. If the Republicans refuse to do the job we sent them to Washington to do, we will start a grass roots party that will send people to Washington to do what the people want. Time and time again the American people have demanded an end to the outrageous spending that goes on in our government. One way or the other, through the Republican party or through a newly born Tea Party, the American people shall be heard!

[PNWest]

@Neo_NtheMatrix The American people were heard. That's why we will have 4 more years of Obama. That's why so many Tea Party favorites lost.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

@PNWest - The 47% were heard. Not many of the 53% were heard. I bet if you could poll the two you'd find the vast majority of the 53% are unhappy with what transpired on Tuesday of last week. I promise you, America will rebound. Maybe not in the next 4 - 8 years, but eventually we will dig our way out of obama's socialist nightmare.

[PNWest]

@Neo_NtheMatrix No you won't. You can read the demographics just as well as I can. The country is getting more and more diverse. As one of your leaders Lindsay Graham said your party is not generating enough angry white guys. Your day is past. It's a new world and the GOP will either adapt or die. With the policies that the current GOP espouses how in the world do you think that you'll be able to win another national election? If it wasn't for GOP gerrymandering you wouldn't have the house because the dems got over 1,000,000 more votes than the GOP in the congressional elections. 2012 was the last gasp for the angry white man vote. Face it the angry white guys lost to the black guy the last two elections. You may hang onto the house until 2020 but after that it is completely over.

[Romney2012]

@PNWest Or may be the citizens of this country are brainwashed by the Democratic media to vote for the black guy so that we become more diverse, or so they can get more free passes at life!

[WMCOL]

That 47% of America that Romney so despises works hard, pays taxes, is law-abiding, wants the best for their kids, and are not looking for any gifts.

[Jasonopolis]

Two things 1) Have you ever listened to the comment made by Romney concerning the 47% remark/ 2) By gifts he means that those 47% get money for doing nothing - that is a gift. A gift is something that you receive that you have not earned. And YES those 47% are looking to get that government check to pay bills, by food, and a little bling-bling....

[MRMacrum]

@Jasonopolis - Does the fact that his 47% comment is a lie matter?

[RobertJHarsh]

@MRMacrum The problem is the 47% is NOT a lie. In fact, it is starting to turn out the real number is 55%, not 47%. I keep repeating this and I know you are sick of hearing it, but at least 47% of this country do not produce ANYTHING. What the GOP is doing now is saying is "ok...we want mostly producers in the party, but we'll take some of people whom just take up space". I knew this was going to happen. Also notice the atheist article that was just posted? Looks like the GOP middle-managers are at least reading my comments.

[MRMacrum]

@RobertJHarsh - You are right I am sick of hearing it because it flat out is not true.

[RobertJHarsh]

@MRMacrum I wish it wasn't true myself...but it is.

[Canoochee]

Jindal LOL Only reason youre quoting Jindal is he is saying things you like to hear. This is the same governor who not too long ago signed a bill promoting the teaching of Creationism in La. gradeschool Science classes.

There's a mental giant for you.

[WasteWater]

Looks like Romey is a sore loser and rapidly becoming a Republican outsider.

[2b1ask1]

They can reject it all they want to....It's nothing but the truth!!