TPM2012

Allen: ‘I Have My Own Point Of View’ On The 47 Percent

Eric Kleefeld September 20, 2012, 2:45 PM

George Allen joined most Republicans in tough races who are distancing themselves from Mitt Romney’s explosive comments about the 47 percent of Americans who don’t pay income tax.

Already in other key Senate races, Republicans Linda McMahon, Scott Brown and Dean Heller have backed away from Romney’s secretly recorded comment that 47 percent of Americans are voting for President Obama because they don’t pay income tax, and think of themselves as victims who want the government to take care of them.

David Gregory, who moderated Thursday’s Virginia Senate debate between Allen and Democrat Tim Kaine, asked Allen whether he agreed with Romney’s secretly recorded comment that 47 percent of Americans think of themselves as victims who want the government to take care of them.

Allen tried to change the subject to the economy and jobs.

He touted his experience creating jobs as governor of Virginia in the mid-1990s, and on welfare reform. “We wanted to promote the work ethic, and we wanted to lift people out of poverty and toward dependence, and have the dignity of a job.”

But Gregory kept pressing on whether Allen agreed with Romney, the standard-bearer of the Republican Party, about 47 percent of people seeing themselves as victims and dependent on the government.

“As I stated in the beginning, David, the best social program of all is a job. How do you provide more job opportunity for people is by having — “

Gregory interjected again, asking whether nearly half the country see themselves as victims.

“No, I don’t — I see people — look, I look very positively at the people of Virginia,” Allen said, to which Gregory asked whether he parted company with Romney.

“I have my own point of view,” Allen said. “And my point of view is that the people of America still believe in the American dream, and our responsibility as leaders, as public servants, is to make sure that this is a country where everyone has that equal opportunity to compete and succeed, and pursue their dreams.”