Public figures should be conscious that critical eyes are watching them at all times. Mitt Romney has proven to be oblivious of this fact.

The Romney campaign has been filled with gaffes since its birth. Romney previously claimed the poor have a “safety net,” and it’s not his job to care about them.

Recently he was caught on hidden camera by magazine Mother Jones writing off nearly half of America’s votes.

While on the campaign trail, presidential candidates should act as though a hidden camera is looking out for every mistake they make. In 2012, thanks to the paparazzi generation, constituents are likely to find out about scandalous remarks.

This can seem intrusive to some degree, but the public deserves to know when candidates such as Romney make extreme generalizations regarding nearly half the country.

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what,” said the Republican presidential candidate in a private statement to donors. “There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government.”

Romney goes on to claim Obama voters are the same individuals who think they’re victims, entitled to government aid, don’t pay income taxes and can’t be convinced to take responsibility and care of themselves.

The former governor makes himself appear to not care about individuals who don’t favor his policies, and that is a very frightening thing to hear from a prospective president.

No matter what party he or she represents, the president needs to have compassion for every citizen and concern about improving the status quo rather than disregarding citizens who rely on government aid.

Census Bureau data shows 49 percent of Americans do depend on some kind of federal benefits. We don’t need an American president, no matter party affiliation, who believes that it won’t be their job to care about a considerable amount of the population.

Candidates running for the executive office should be seeking the approval of a wide voting base, rather than give up on almost half the nation’s citizens because they rely on government in some way.

Romney has described his statements as “inelegant”, but they were really just clumsy and embarrassing miscalculations unfitting of a presidential candidate.

According to an Associated Press-GfK poll, 47 percent of likely voters do support President Barack Obama. Romney had that correct.

But Romney lumping these voters with people who receive federal benefits and those who don’t pay income taxes is factually unsupported.

The former governor isn’t considering that there is a range of demographics that fall into the groups he disregards, and not all of them are painted blue.

Romney’s flawed statement makes it clear he doesn’t understand whom his supporters are.

Blanketing government beneficiaries as outright Obama voters is incorrect. The elderly who receive some of these benefits are often Republican voters.

Romney even has more support from voters over the age of 65 than Obama, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll.

The Tax Policy Center data for 2011 showed 46.4 percent of American households didn’t pay income tax but nearly two-thirds of them paid payroll taxes.

These households don’t pay income taxes because they either don’t make enough money to qualify or they are retired. Romney ignores that these groups contribute by paying other taxes through payroll, sales and gas.

The assumption made by Romney that these people can never be convinced to take care of themselves is an insult to hard-working Americans who are facing challenges.

This statement foreshadows careless policies to come from a candidate who doesn’t care about the needs of his voters.

 

Samantha can be reached at: [email protected]