Mitt Romney's 'Unemployed' Joke Sparks Democratic Backlash

TAMPA, Fla. — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a group of out-of-work Floridians Thursday that "I'm also unemployed," quickly drawing criticism from Democrats who said it showed the former Massachusetts governor and multimillionaire was out of touch.

Romney made the comment while criticizing President Barack Obama's economic plan to a small group of business owners and unemployed workers at a Tampa coffee shop. The former equity firm CEO told the group that he did have his eye on one particular job, however.

Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, issued a statement saying Romney's comments were "inappropriate and insensitive to the millions of Americans looking for work."

"This comment shows that Mitt Romney – a man who wants for nothing and whose only occupation for more than four years has been to run for president – is incredibly out of touch with what's going on in our country and around the dinner tables of those who are out of work," she said. "Being unemployed, Mr. Romney, is not a joke."

Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom called the Democratic criticism an "absurd distortion" of statement that what was clearly made in jest.

"The person who doesn't take the employment crisis seriously is President Obama, who has discontinued his daily economic briefing," Fehrnstrom said. "If elected, Mitt Romney will reinstate the daily economic briefing and make job creation his number one priority."

At an appearance in Georgia later in the day, Romney attacked the Obama administration's record on unemployment and said he was poking fun at himself.

"I will always make light of myself," Romney said during a tour of Kenny's Great Pies in Smyrna, Ga. "Self-deprecating humor is a part of who I am."

"But the reality is we have a president who doesn't understand the plight of the unemployed."

Florida's April unemployment rate was 10.8 percent, higher than the national rate of 9 percent.

Comments

[Writerdude2011]

11:17 PM on 06/17/2011

I can never figure out who is talking, Romney or his suit. Given the option, I'd vote for the suit.

[chadizzy]

06:55 PM on 06/17/2011

Oh no dont make a the dems mad. Ughhhhhoh!

[wetdogmedic]

04:07 PM on 06/17/2011

Ahhh! (Contented sigh). I LOVE HuffPo!! Always good for a laugh, hearing what the loopy liberals think! As a center-right, I like laughing at both sides. But it's obvious conservatives are a whole lot better put together. They see the world as it is, not how they'd like it to be.
Please people, do you REALLY think we'd be in the situation we are today if McCain was president? Didn't think so, as evidenced by how rare it is to see an Obama bumper sticker anymore.

[JackHoffman]

04:33 PM on 06/17/2011

McCain? The same McCain who still has no clue what the economic crisis was about? The same McCain who wanted to "bomb bomb Iran"? The same McCain that abandoned his own campaign finance reform bill? The same McCain who foisted the that tumor called Palin on the USA? And on and on and on...

You are delusional.

[Writerdude2011]

11:19 PM on 06/17/2011

John McCain would be dead by now and Sarah Palin would be president which means we'd all either be dead or wish we were.

[Class of 65]

03:08 PM on 06/17/2011

He looks like (in the photo above) like he is looking up toward the Celestial Room and thinking...will I ever get there?

[Class of 65]

03:05 PM on 06/17/2011

That away Mitt...stick those silver shoes in that silver mouth!

[wrabbitt]

01:50 PM on 06/17/2011

Mitt "Silver Spoon" Romney is unemployed, and, worth 200 Million dollars, guess feeling sorry for him is out of the question. And, shows his contempt for those who are unemployed. If this is the best the GOP can come up with,Obama's landslide in 2012 will propel him and, the democrats into another super majority, maybe America still has a chance.

[chadizzy]

06:56 PM on 06/17/2011

I guess you missed the poll that had Obama losing to generic republican. Yes Generic Republican was on the poll.

[solvseus]

02:08 AM on 06/19/2011

But he's not up against Generic Republican. He'll be up against Actual Republican. Which he usually wins against. Maybe you're also forgetting all the current candidates lose against Generic Republican as well. And as bad as the Actual Republicans have been after the Dems lost in '10, many of us will be voting AGAINST Actual Republican in '12. W lost against Generic Democrat too BTW.

[JBucknoff]

08:24 PM on 06/21/2011

Where did you hear about this "poll"? On the news? or somewhere else, like on Fox Cable or in Newsmax?

[1johnf]

01:46 PM on 06/17/2011

I am reminded of Ann Richards (R.I.P) speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention when she described daddy Bush as" Being born on thirdbase, and woke up thinking he had hit a triple". Those days, and candidates, are back again.

[knott wrench]

01:36 PM on 06/17/2011

"Out of Touch Out of Time" The perfect campaign song for this GOP Presidential Crab wannabe Looser!

[PS Nymn]

01:26 PM on 06/17/2011

"I will always make light of myself," Romney said during a tour of Kenny's Great Pies in Smyrna, Ga. "Self-deprecating humor is a part of who I am."

I can't wait for Mitt to add a "Waffler" joke into his self-deprecating comedy routine.

[Anne Johnson]

01:13 PM on 06/17/2011

If he was so concerned about being unemployed, why didn't he run for reelection as governor of MA?

[Murray bowen]

01:13 PM on 06/17/2011

The poor and disenfranchised on the political right need to wake up and stop listeing to this man and the rest of the bunch running for president as the Republican nominee. Helping corporate America with tax breaks for the wealthy is not creating jobs. Really Romney, unemployed? WHat a joke and I am not laughing.

[ACherokeePhoenx]

02:06 AM on 06/18/2011

It was just tacky.

[JenMI]

01:12 PM on 06/17/2011

...unbelievable!!

[Anne Johnson]

01:12 PM on 06/17/2011

Sorry, your Majesty, Mitt, if the millions of unemployed who are struggling to make ends meet don't see the self-deprecating humor in your inane statement. Maybe we should all just retire to our beach homes in La Jolla like you can. After all, you're just like us, right?

[champagne charlie]

01:11 PM on 06/17/2011

Nothing funnier than mocking the unemployed...right Mitt?

[1johnf]

01:43 PM on 06/17/2011

Wait until he weighs in on Medicare and the disabled.

[champagne charlie]

01:44 PM on 06/17/2011

Maybe Rush will teach him how to do his Michael J Fox!

[thos]

01:10 PM on 06/17/2011

The President responded saying, that joke is "shovel-ready."