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Friday, September 21, 2012

Do RI Republicans stand by their man?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Who pays NO federal tax? The largest single bloc
are senior citizens. At least 5,000 millionaires pay no taxes.
That figure could include Mitt Romney, perhaps accounting for his
reluctance to release his tax returns.

Republican candidates from both Massachusetts and Connecticut came out against Mitt Romney’s “controversial comments” about not concerning himself with the 47 percent of Americans that he feels are dependent on government, according to Politicalwire, a beltway blog about politics. (Here’s my post on the matter from earlier, with the video if you still haven’t seen it.)

So far I haven’t heard anything from the Republican candidates running in Rhode Island. I left Dave Layman, from Brendan Doherty’s campaign, a voicemail. I just now left a message for Mike Riley, who is running against Jim Langevin. 

Patrick Sweeney, spokesman for Barry Hinckley, said he would email a statement by 3 pm, though I haven’t gotten anything from my inbox yet.
According to The Hill, Scott Brown, a Massachusetts incumbent who needs to defend his seat against middle class champion Elizabeth Warren, said, “That’s not the way I view the world. As someone who grew up in tough circumstances, I know that being on public assistance is not a spot that anyone wants to be in. Too many people today who want to work are being forced into public assistance for lack of jobs.”

And according to the Hartford Courant, Linda McMahon said, “I disagree with Governor Romney’s insinuation that 47% of Americans believe they are victims who must depend on the government for their care. I know that the vast majority of those who rely on government are not in that situation because they want to be. People today are struggling because the government has failed to keep America competitive, failed to support job creators, and failed to get our economy back on track.”

She actually posted her statement to her website, but she also has a history with the idea that 47 percent of the population doesn’t pay income taxes. Read the Courant story for details.
Would someone please let me know if the GOP congressional candidates from Rhode Island decide to speak up about this issue? Since both are accused of being too conservative for Rhode Island, and because Romney’s comments shined a light on what many liberals and moderates fear most about conservative Republicans, I think we should know what Brendan Doherty and Barry Hinckley think of Romney’s comment.
EDITOR'S NOTE: this chart shows the Top Ten states for non-payers of federal income tax in red. All but New Mexico (which is a toss-up) are also "red" states for voting Republican. The blue colored states have the FEWEST non-payers of income tax. Seven out of ten of those states went for Obama in 2010. Romney's statement about the political demographics and tax payments is FALSE.
Bob Plain is the editor/publisher of Rhode Island's Future. Previously, he's worked as a reporter for several different news organizations both in Rhode Island and across the country.