Romney: Poorest have safety net; focus on middle class

Posted at 1:16 PM on February 1, 2012 by Paul Tosto
Filed under: Politics

Mitt Romney's morning comments to CNN are turning into a talker. The Republican presidential candidate told CNN his focus is squarely on middle class needs, adding, "I'm not concerned about the very poor because they have a safety net."

MPR News blogger Bob Collins notes that it's certain to be grist for Democrats.

The criticism has already begun.

At Slate.com, blogger Matthew Yglesias writes that while there's logic to Romney's comments, "if you read Romney's policy agenda what he appears to think about the social safety net for the poor is that it should be drastically curtailed....he wants to cut the safety net, cut the health care part of the safety net, muck around with the federal workforce, and then cut the non-health care part of the safety net.

Click below to hear the interview.