Yes, Mitt Romney said this.
Romney says, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich.... I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."
Nice job, Mittens. Even if your words are put in the best possible context (for you), you are the gift that keeps on giving by letting dumb insensitive phrases like that leave your mouth in the first place. Recall:
So here we are again, with GOP Nominee in waiting Mitt Romney truly saying "I'm not concerned about the very poor." Well, can't fault him for his honesty. How many in the GOP do care about the poor? But wow, what a dumb thing to say.
O'Brien asked him to clarify his remarks saying, "There are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say, 'That sounds odd.'"
Romney continues, "We will hear from the Democrat party, the plight of the poor.... You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus.... The middle income Americans, they're the folks that are really struggling right now and they need someone that can help get this economy going for them."
From a purely political perspective, Romney's comments are hilariously tin-eared and reinforce every callous stereotype about Mitt. But more than that, it's sad. Poor and working class Americans don't have much (if any) of a voice in American politics. That a politician running for President would disregard them so flippantly is another slap in their face.
I still would rather Obama face Newt Gingrich in November, but the more time passes, the more I'm beginning to think that Romney will be just as weak.