Photograph by Paul Videla/Bradenton Herald/MCT/Getty Images
Protesters gather outside the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota as supporters of Mitt Romney arrive for an afternoon rally on Sept. 20, 2012.
Two thirds of voters recognize Mitt Romney as the person who made the remark about the “47 percent” — and most don’t like it.
The majority of Republicans (65 percent), Democrats (65 percent) and independent voters (72 percent) know that Romney described 47 percent of Americans as government dependents who don’t pay federal income taxes, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Of the respondents aware of the remarks, 55 percent view them negatively while 23 percent view them positively.
Further breakdown shows 55 percent of independents consider the statement negatively and 18 percent consider it positively. Among Republicans, 54 percent react positively and 17 percent react negatively. Eighty-eight percent of Democrats consider the remark negatively.
Voters’ disapproval does not stop at the Republican nominee, however. Of voters who are aware of the comments, 49 percent think the media are over-covering them. Just 13 percent think there hasn’t been enough news coverage of the remarks.
Romney’s comments about the “47 percent” were recorded at a May fundraiser and made famous last month when Mother Jones magazine published a series of videos from the recording. Although the magazine eventually published over an hour of footage, the most controversial segment lasts just over a minute.
It’s no wonder Romney is preparing to answer questions about the comment during Wednesday night’s debate: That clip has over 3.87 million views on YouTube.
