Mitt Romney's 'Gifts' Gaffe

In his Chicago Tribune column, Clarence Page tackles the failed GOP presidential candidate's "gifts" comments, saying they echo his earlier remarks about "47 percent of Americans" who "don't pay taxes," and concludes that Romney is out of touch. 

... Romney was proud to contrast Obama's so-called gift-giving strategy with his own tight-fisted talk about "big issues for the whole country: military strategy, foreign policy, a strong economy, creating jobs and so forth."

"With regards to the young people, for instance, a forgiveness of college loan interest was a big gift," said Romney, who probably never had to take out a college loan in his life.

"Free contraceptives were very big with young, college-aged women," he said. Sounds like he's been listening too much to Rush Limbaugh, the conservative radio talk show host who called law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" and "prostitute" for advocating government-funded contraceptives. Republicans fume at Democrats for suggesting the Grand Old Party is waging a "war against women," although it's not hard to see where the Dems get that idea.

In that light, I congratulate Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat, for introducing a bill in April that would require men to visit a sex therapist before getting a prescription for erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra. What's good for the gander should be good for the goose.

"And then, finally," said Romney, "Obamacare also made a difference for them, because as you know, anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents' plan, and that was a big gift to young people." And, I would add, to many of their parents.

Read Clarence Page's entire piece at the Chicago Tribune.

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