Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Democrats Blast Romney Joke: 'I'm Also Unemployed'

Aides say Mitt was mocking himself, got laughs

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Jun 16, 2011 4:42 PM CDT

(Newser) – Discussing unemployment at a Florida coffee shop, Mitt Romney said he felt the pain of his jobless listeners: “I should tell my story, I’m also unemployed,” he said, according to the New York Times. "I'm networking," he added. “I have my sight on a particular job.” Romney and his small audience laughed at the banter, but Democrats jumped on the comment, sending supporters the Times piece with the note “Out of touch much…" Romney aides, however, say he was just being self-deprecating, ABC News reports. (Romney also raised eyebrows recently with another joke in which he pretended to get goosed in a photo with women. ABC has the video.)

Mitt Romney talks with a woman eating breakfast at a diner as they are surrounded by photographers and reporters during a campaign stop in Derry, N.H., Tuesday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Mitt Romney laughs as he shakes hands with a breakfast diner during a campaign stop in Derry, N.H., Tuesday. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

13%

76%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Getty Images

Man Goes to Hospital For Kidney Stone...Leaves a Woman (Huff Post)

Is Chase Crawford Dating a Cougar? (Bleacher Report)

My Boss Walked in on Me Touching Myself, Now He Won't Stop Flirting (Slate)

7 Gross Celebrity Items Sold at Auction (The Week)

The Lowest-Rated Show on TV Is Actually Awesome (Slate)

Partner Links

Sponsor Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 36 comments

JackNelsonSteward

Jun 17, 2011 11:18 AM CDT

Y'know,there's a lot to be said about a guy who threw thousands out of work while making millions sitting in a coffee shop with people who are there because they are out of work ... things like ... oblivious, and that old favorite "out of touch," blase' ... there are others, (fill in the blank) and, as far as this particular little encounter is concerned ... having listened to it ... Dems ... you look like you're workin' awful far to make a point. For reasons that shall forever remain theirs, his audience found the laugh lines amusing, and laughed quite heartily at both. Now, they may have sat across from each other afte Mitt and his entourage left and looked at each other and asked," Are you shittln' me??!!" A good ad would be to recreate the scene in the diner just as he left and have one of the guys look at another and ask,"By the way, where WERE you working?" and have the guy name one of the companies that Romney's Bain Capital dismembered and sold for assets ... and then show the "A HA moment as he realizes he was just talking to the guy who killed his job. and the guy was laughing about being "unemployed."

Reader68389796

Jun 16, 2011 9:23 PM CDT

Go ahead Mr. Romney LAUGH YOUR ARSE OFF AT THE SMALL MAN, while living the life of a mega star. We will definitely vote for you to continue your lavish lifestyle in 2012! GO ON BOAST ABOUT IT!!!

RockyPneumonia

Jun 16, 2011 9:16 PM CDT

A non-issue; George McGovern made a similar joke the last time he ran.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

Rape Conviction Cleared, Thanks to Facebook

ABC (Source Grid »)

Politics

Mitt Romney • unemployment • Democratic National Committee • DNC • Election 2012 • unemployed • Mitt Romney 2012

More Newser Stories

Romney Promises 6% Unemployment

First term would bring a vast improvement, he assures 'Time'

(NEWSER) - Talk about an ambitious campaign promise: Mitt Romney today assures the American people that should he be elected, the unemployment rate would fall to 6% during his first term. "I can tell you that over a period of four years, by virtue of the policies that we'd put in place, we'd get the unemployment rate down to 6%, and perhaps a little lower," he tells Time in an interview picked up by CNN and the Washington Post . More»

Romney Misleads With Women Jobs Stat

His 92.3% number is technically correct, but missing context

(NEWSER) - As part of his recent bid to appeal to women, Mitt Romney deployed what he called an "amazing statistic," saying that "92.3% of all the jobs lost during the Obama years have been lost by women." If that made your eyebrows climb your forehead, you're not alone. The AP's fact checkers looked into the statement, and found that while it's technically true, it's also truly misleading. More»

Romney Slipped Broke Woman Cash

God 'told me to pray for Romney,' says South Carolina woman

(NEWSER) - Corporations might be people, but Mitt Romney is more like an ATM these days: At a rally in South Carolina, the GOP candidate responded to an unemployed woman's tale of woe by opening his wallet and forking over what aides say was $50 or $60. The Washington Post notes that the incident did not take place with cameras rolling, though an ABC reporter did witness the exchange and interviewed 55-year-old Ruth Williams later. Agonizing about how to get her electricity turned back on while driving on Wednesday, Williams says, “I pulled up to a stop sign and his bus was there. And then God said, ‘Follow the bus,’ and I followed the bus.” More»

Romney Staff Wiped Records Before '08 Bid

Dems demand Massachusetts emails

(NEWSER) - Just before Mitt Romney left the Massachusetts governor's office and launched his previous bid for the presidency, 11 of his top aides took the unusual step of buying their state-issued hard drives, and the administration's emails were wiped from a server, the Boston Globe finds. The Democratic National Committee has filed a huge Freedom of Information Act request for Romney administration emails relating to the destruction of records, and for emails containing terms like "flip-flop, "move to the right," and "ranked 47th in job creation." More»

Romney Rakes In $18M—and That Worries the GOP

Obama is clobbering Republican candidates in money race

(NEWSER) - Fundraising reports are starting to trickle in from the GOP presidential field, and the results look great—for Barack Obama. Even Mitt Romney’s vaunted money machine collected only $18 million in the first true quarter of fundraising, a big step back from his 2008 showing, Politico reports. The results only get uglier from there, with Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman not even cracking $5 million, and the Republican National Committee $18.5 million in debt. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Democrats Blast Romney Joke: 'I'm Also Unemployed'

Aides say Mitt was mocking himself, got laughs

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Mitt Romney • unemployment • Democratic National Committee • DNC • Election 2012 • unemployed • Mitt Romney 2012

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Romney Promises 6% Unemployment

First term would bring a vast improvement, he assures 'Time'

Romney Misleads With Women Jobs Stat

His 92.3% number is technically correct, but missing context

Romney Slipped Broke Woman Cash

God 'told me to pray for Romney,' says South Carolina woman

Romney Staff Wiped Records Before '08 Bid

Dems demand Massachusetts emails

Romney Rakes In $18M—and That Worries the GOP

Obama is clobbering Republican candidates in money race

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?