Do RI GOP Candidates Stand By 47% Comments?

Republican candidates from both Massachusetts and Connecticut came out against Mitt Romney’s “controversial comments” about not concerning himself with the 47 percent of Americans that he feels are dependent on government, according to Politicalwire, a beltway blog about politics. (Here’s my post on the matter from earlier today, with the video if you still haven’t seen it.)

So far I haven’t heard anything from the Republican candidates running in Rhode Island. I left Dave Layman, from Brendan Doherty’s campaign, a voicemail. I just now left a message for Mike Riley, who is running against Jim Langevin. Patrick Sweeney, spokesman for Barry Hinckley, said he would email a statement by 3 pm, though I haven’t gotten anything from my inbox yet.

According to The Hill, Scott Brown, a Massachusetts incumbent who needs to defend his seat against middle class champion Elizabeth Warren, said, “That’s not the way I view the world. As someone who grew up in tough circumstances, I know that being on public assistance is not a spot that anyone wants to be in. Too many people today who want to work are being forced into public assistance for lack of jobs.”

And according to the Hartford Courant, Linda McMahon said, “I disagree with Governor Romney’s insinuation that 47% of Americans believe they are victims who must depend on the government for their care. I know that the vast majority of those who rely on government are not in that situation because they want to be. People today are struggling because the government has failed to keep America competitive, failed to support job creators, and failed to get our economy back on track.”

She actually posted her statement to her website, but she also has a history with the idea that 47 percent of the population doesn’t pay income taxes. Red the Courant story for details.

Would someone please let me know if the GOP congressional candidates from Rhode Island decide to speak up about this issue? Since both are accused of being too conservative for Rhode Island, and because Romney’s comments shined a light on what many liberals and moderates fear most about conservative Republicans, I think we should know what Brendan Doherty and Barry Hinckley think of Romney’s comment.

I’ll update this post if and when they speak on the matter.