Romney’s ‘Corporations Are People’ Called a ‘Gaffe’ as Nets Disguise Agenda of Leftist Hecklers in Iowa
ABC’s Jake Tapper on Thursday night scolded Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for a “gaffe” over his assertion that “corporations are people” since “everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people.”
That common sense observation came in reaction to a bunch of hecklers, from a left-wing activist group, who confronted Romney in Iowa, yet neither ABC or CBS acknowledged their agenda. The CBS Evening News, in fact, put “Voter Anger” on screen over one of the screaming leftists as anchor Scott Pelley declared “voters are angry about the economy.”
(On FNC’s Special Report, Carl Cameron noted Romney was “badgered, at the state fair, by a Democratic group, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement...” Even NBC’s Chuck Todd, on the NBC Nightly News, reported Romney was “challenged on taxes by a group of Democratic activists.”)
Previewing the then-upcoming GOP debate in Ames, Iowa, ABC’s Tapper asserted: “Romney’s detractors call him insincere and note his propensity to gaffe as happened today when he said corporations are people.”
CBS teased its newscast with a clip of Romney saying “corporations are people, my friend,” before Pelley painted the hecklers as average citizens: “Voters are angry about the economy. Norah O'Donnell is with the Republican candidates as they get an earful in Iowa.”
A Des Moines Register blog post, “Activist group vows to heckle others the way it did Romney,” identified the man CBS’s opening teaser showcased as a typical voter:
The main heckler was Joe Fagan, 71, of Des Moines, who is a former Catholic priest and a retired activist for Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement. Asked if he’d gone to the fair intending to aggressively question Romney, Fagan replied: “You’re damn right I went out there to do that.”
Fagan said both political parties are engaging in “garbage talk” about Social Security and Medicare cuts, which he said would add terrible burdens on middle-class and lower-class Americans. He made no apologies for the angry edge to his questions. “You know what? The tone of what they’re talking about doing is more important than the tone of my voice.”
O’Donnell subsequently failed to identify the agenda: “At the Iowa State Fair today, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney faced a feisty crowd, including some hecklers. He was asked how he would save Social Security and Medicare and if wealthy Americans or corporations should pay more taxes.”
From the Thursday, August 11 ABC World News:
JAKE TAPPER: ...Grilling pork loin this morning at the Iowa State Fair, the front-runner, Mitt Romney. After keeping a low profile for months, he's now jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. The former Massachusetts Governor is, in these trying economic times, emphasizing his time as head of an investment firm.
MITT ROMNEY: I didn't inhale politics. I'm still a business guy and a private citizen.
TAPPER: Romney’s detractors call him insincere and note his propensity to gaffe as happened today when he said corporations are people.
ROMNEY, AT IOWA STATE FAIR: One is we could raise taxes on people-
CROWD: Corporation, corporations, corporations.
ROMNEY: Corporations are people, my friend.
MAN’S VOICE: No they're not.
ROMNEY: Of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people.
TAPPER: And there's the upstart, in first place here in Iowa, in one poll, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, beloved by conservative Christians and Tea Party activists for her strong stand against new government spending and taxes, though Republican Party insiders worry that she may potentially alienate swing voters....
From the CBS Evening News:
NORAH O’DONNELL: It is a big week here in Iowa. All of the declared eight Republican candidates are here to compete in this weekend's Iowa straw poll, but they're all about to be overshadowed by Texas Governor Rick Perry.
MITT ROMNEY, TO CROWD: Hold on a second and I'll let you speak.
O’DONNELL: At the Iowa State Fair today, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney faced a feisty crowd, including some hecklers. He was asked how he would save Social Security and Medicare and if wealthy Americans or corporations should pay more taxes.
MITT ROMNEY: Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people.
AUDIO OF CROWD LAUGHTER
ROMNEY: Where do you think it goes?
CROWD, YELLING: In their pocket! In their pocket!
ROMNEY, OVER YELLING CROWD: Whose pockets? People's pockets. Okay, human beings, my friend.
O’DONNELL: Romney is the perceived Republican front-runner. But when we caught up with former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, he said he was better qualified....
- Brent Baker's blog
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Comments
The "Hunt" is on...
Submitted by gopcongress on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 10:49pm.
...for the media to trash EVERYONE to the right of Jon Huntsman. You can tell that Huntsman is the John McCain of the 2012 election, according the the media.
Keep in mind that the media was just as engaged in selecting the REPUBLICAN primary candidate as they were in selecting, and promoting, Obama over Clinton last year. They made a huge point of promoting McCain the entire season, then when the nominations were safely in the bag, went after McCain like he was George Bush on steroids.
Bottom line: The candidate who the press smears the most is the one they fear the most; the one they promote is the one who will give their own candidate the easiest path to victory.
"The news and truth are not the same thing." -Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
while obama vacations....
Submitted by MidAmerica on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 10:56pm.
Hecklers will help keep Mitt from becoming too squishy and force him to be prepared to be confronted. Good training for future debates.
Poor Mitt
Submitted by Vonu on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 12:05am.
He just doesn't understand, repubs will NEVER vote for a Mormon.
However
Submitted by Franksam on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 6:55am.
Many would vote against a Muslim.
I was going to say
Submitted by HockeyKid on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:46am.
"against a Moron", but OK.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Huh?
Submitted by CobraMan on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 12:06pm.
"He just doesn't understand, repubs will NEVER vote for a Mormon."
Then how did he become a Republican Governor?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Liberal Pea Party
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 12:28am.
Ever since the President told Americans to eat peas, nobody better get between the MSM and the consumption of a good pea.
Good Analogy
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 2:36am.
Let them eat peas. Peabaggers.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
I was rash and owe mitt an apology
Submitted by Vonu on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 1:16am.
If Mitt can declare another war,
He could win the neocon. Vote
But we already have 5 wars ongoing
2 are secret, Somailai and yeman
But think of the stimulus, if we could go to war against the world to save our debt. Awesome.
Pathetic Viewership
Submitted by HardRightTurn on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 2:32am.
The left biased media is so smug it thinks its audience watches only them, and that they can shape and mold the news to whatever they want it to be without being detected. How pathetic. Their day has come and gone. They blew it.
To more fully comprehend the Left, one must read “Leftism As Psychopathy” by John Ray, M.A., Ph.D. Caution, it might scare you a little bit.
http://jonjayray.tripod.com/psycho.html
Hmmmmm
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 5:35am.
Was that former priest Fagan defrocked because he had homosexual affairs with his parishioners? Where are the investigative journalists?
The left likes to pick out a
Submitted by buddyc on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 6:09am.
The left likes to pick out a villan and vilify them and associate them with republicans. Because they own the media, logic and facts are unimportant. The point they are tying to make to attack Romney shows just how ignorant they are. It shows how the left seeks to attack the only thing in this country that creates good jobs.
Romeny's answer was surprisingly deep and right.
In fact corporations are people. That should be Romeny's campaign theme. He should build on it. It is really simple and easy to understand. Nothing better illustrates the disconnect the left has with business and job creation and nothing better illustrates the igrnoance of the progressives and the progressive media.
Corporations are owned by ordinary people from individuals to pensions. They employe people. They create jobs. They create wealth.
The Right Makes. The Left Takes.
Submitted by THBarb on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:41am.
Corporations are groups of people that risk their money to produce things that others want so they can make money.
The Right sees this. They see opportunity for growth. More people "MAKE" resources to make more things for more people. A win-win for everybody.
The Left sees a pie. A very small pie. And nobody should get a big piece. The want to restrict our resources and what we produce. If you take to big a piece of THEIR pie, they need to take it away.
The Right is the party of Make. The Left is the party of Take.
So it's a "common sense"
Submitted by cathartic1 on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 7:17am.
So it's a "common sense" observation that corporation are people because the give to people? You do understand that they are sitting on billions - if not trillions - of capital without hiring?
And considering that in the report you're complaining about, they are labeled as "hecklers" - sounds to me like they did identify the agenda.
Duh,
Submitted by HockeyKid on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:45am.
The issue has nothing to do with whether corporations "give to" people, and that wasn't Romney's observation. (But nice attempt at a red herring--typical lib.) Fact is, corporations consist of people who benefit financially from the existence of the corporation in the form of income, and people who own corporations (somewhere around 3/4 of the American public) also benefit financially in the form of dividends (for starters).
Now, if you want to really see who made the gaffe (Romney or Tapper), google "corporate person" and see what kind of education you get. It's not only common sense--it's the law.
As to your whining complaint about corporations sitting on billions and not hiring--why do you think that is? It's because the current marketplace in such a shambles that the safest thing to do for the stockholders (um, those are PEOPLE, you know) is sit on the capital until it makes economic sense to do otherwise.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
Cathartic, Do you have any
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 9:26am.
Cathartic,
Do you have any investments or are you sponging off your parents? If you have any investments then they are no doubt tied to a corporation somewhere. Taxing a corporation is in effect taxing yourself unless you are an entitlement loser ( which I suspect you are).
Stop sticking your fingers in you anus and learn to think.
"Everything they do is for people"
Submitted by CobraMan on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 12:17pm.
"Everything they do is for people," which is true. You claim that they're "sitting" on billions of dollars, but that money already belongs to people. Those people are the shareholders.
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Sitting on Trillions
Submitted by THBarb on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 12:11pm.
No wonder people have chosen to sit on THEIR money. We have an administration that rewards failure and demonizes success, who wants to invest with risks like that?
not a "gaffe"
Submitted by SmartyMarty on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 7:21am.
to add a little to buddyc, here is a wiki excerpt:
Despite not being natural persons, corporations are recognized by the law to have rights and responsibilities like natural persons ("people"). Corporations can exercise human rights against real individuals and the state,[2] and they can themselves be responsible for human rights violations.[3] Corporations are conceptually immortal but they can "die" when they are "dissolved" either by statutory...
The "wise men" of the media are not so smart.
That's right
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:53am.
Furthermore, shares (and thereby profits/losses) are held by whom? (a) either individual people, or (b) aggregate groups of people. Who do these talking heads think own and actually run (are employed by) corporations? Machines? Computers? It's patently absurd.
Now...if we'd like to talk about "real" gaffes....here's the Gaffe Master, and it isn't BiteMe...it's The Won. List is at 79 and counting.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Republicans will never vote for a Morman
Submitted by rusino on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:33am.
I am a Roman Catholic, Conservative, Republican! If nominated I would not hesitate one second to vote FOR MITT ROMNEY!
AP Had a story on this yesterday morning on Comcast
Submitted by exLib on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 10:01am.
Comcast.net regularly features liberally biased stories on their home page, which I have to access before going to email.
The bias is at least 10-1 and they frequently link to Daily Beast or HuffPo and NEVER to conservative sites.
Yesterday morning AP had a story siting Romeny's comment as a gaff and also not attributing any label to the hecklers, actually the person implied they were Conservatives or Republicans who didn't like Romney's record.
The report read like a liberal commentary and chastsed Romney and call it a "Defining Moment" and compared Romney's "Gaffe" to Hillary Clinton defending lobbyists and slammed Romeny repeatedly in story.
I couldn't believe what I was reading and was just saddened that this is considered a "report" by a "journalist". It would fine it was an OP Ed in the NYT or something.
Norah O'Donnell = gotcha. She
Submitted by amyshulk on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 10:14am.
Norah O'Donnell = gotcha. She is shameless.
Ronald Reagan
He probably shouldnt have
Submitted by Snappy on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 10:22am.
He probably shouldnt have gone there but since he has, he needs to run with it, talk about how business taxes are just passed on to consumers, businesses are made up of people, tie it in to your neighbor, friends family members, etc. Make it personal and run with it. The president and Dems have done a very good job of painting businesses as impersonal machines just gobbling up money and hurting "People", Now that Romney has opened his mouth he needs to combat that image with one of businesses made up of your neighbors, paying taxes, trying to make ends meet corporations are made up of employees as well as CEO's.
one question for these reporters or robots
Submitted by ohio granny on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:49am.
Is CBC, NBC, ABC or their parent companies not corporations?? Are they not made up of people with names? Last time I checked there were no nameless, faceless anchors or reporters. They are not inanimate objects although they may very well be robots.
Maybe that is why they get so many things wrong. They don't even know the definition of a corporation. Idiots, all of them. Liars and enablers of the crazy democrats.
Poor man never gave me a
Submitted by Zippy on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 2:59pm.
Poor man never gave me a job.
How about you?
If corporations are not people?
What are they?????
Even farmers work for corporations.