White Guy v. White Guy: 47% Lazy Victims Edition

The latest edition of our White Guy v. White Guy series focuses on the reaction to Mitt Romney’s famous 47% statement.

White Guy v. White Guy is designed to highlight policy differences between Romney and other Ohio Republicans.

BudgetWatcher has a nice post on conservative reaction to Romney statement that 47% of the population of the United States believes that they are victims who can never be convinced to “take personal responsibility and care for their lives”

So what does the Ohio Republican Party think of this?

The silence is deafening.

The silence speaks volumes about the political impact of this in Ohio.  Republican Representative Steven LaTourette told the Huffington Post that the comments “don’t help in swing districts like mine. . .   People were ready to throw Obama over, like dumping a boyfriend, and were ready to be courted by a new boyfriend.  But now they’re having second thoughts.”

The Dispatch asked Gov. John Kasich.  Kasich denied that he had seen the video – which probably makes him the only person in the United States who can say that by now.  But Kasich seemed to suggest that he did not support Romney’s policy by noting that he voted for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which the paper notes “now how much of the 47 percent Romney referred to doesn’t pay federal income taxes.”

(Insider aside to journalists:  notice how the Dispatch buries the lede?   The Kasich response is found hidden within a piece on a Democratic fundraising email – so perhaps Kasich will say something more interesting this soon.)

Josh Mandel has said nothing we can find.  One source, Business Insider, says that they have reached out to Mandel for comment but have not yet heard back.   The Hill had this interesting White Guy v. White Guy tidbit:  “One Republican strategist who works on Senate races, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Ohio GOP candidate Josh Mandel has appeared to distance himself from Romney while trying to connect with blue-collar voters.”

(Insider aside to everyone:  figuring out Mandel’s position on breaking issues is almost impossible.  His webpage on Obamacare STILL is not updated since the Supreme Court decision upholding the law.  And Google STILL can’t find any reaction from Mandel about the attack on our embassy in Libya.)

John Boehner apparently wouldn’t go on record, but sent out a spokesman to say essentially nothing:  “There is no doubt that Republicans and Democrats have differing views on the role of government . . .” said the spokesman for Boehner’s political operation.

Remember when these guys had message discipline?  Once again we seem have Republicans on both sides of the issue.  Please let us know if you find any other Ohio Republicans who disagree (or agree) with Romney.