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Rep. Jason Chaffetz Discusses Romney '47 Percent' Comment on 'Wilkow!'

Rep. Jason Chaffetz Discusses Romney '47 Percent' Comment on 'Wilkow!'

Mitt Romney's presidential campaign has spent the last 48 hours addressing backlash due to a report released by Mother Jones that featured "secret" video of Romney making controversial remarks to donors at a private fundraiser in Boca Raton, Florida, this past May. Romney's comments in the video that have drawn the most criticism relate to his description of and tone towards those Americans who do not pay income taxes and are dependent on government:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it,” the former Massachusetts governor can be heard saying.

“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,” he continued, adding “so our message of low taxes doesn’t connect.”

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

Romney has claimed that his remarks were “off the cuff” and not “elegantly stated,” but has stood by the point that his criticisms of the president’s approach to taxes is more likely to attract "those who are in the middle" than those not paying income taxes.

Republican Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz came on TheBlaze TV Wednesday to speak with Andrew Wilkow about the Romney video, how the media has covered the comments in comparison to remarks made by Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, and whether or not Romney made substantial points in the video that relate to key policy differences between Republicans and Democrats in 2012:

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