Heller distances himself from Romney’s remarks

WASHINGTON - Sen. Dean Heller on Wednesday put some distance between himself and Mitt Romney, while Democrats tried to pull him back in and tie him to the GOP presidential candidate, who told donors behind closed doors that
47 percent of Americans believe they are "victims" and expect to be cared for by the government.

Heller said growing up in a working- class family gave him "a very different view of the world" than the GOP presidential candidate, who grew up in wealth as the son of auto company chieftain George Romney, who became governor of Michigan and ran for president himself in 1968.

"I have five brothers and sisters, and my dad was an auto mechanic and my mom was a school cafeteria cook," Heller said. "I believe the federal government has certain responsibilities, building bridges and roads and national defense, but I also believe in a safety net for individuals who need the help, so that's why I would respectfully disagree with the comments that were made."

In remarks that were secretly recorded at a Florida fundraiser in May, Romney told a group of donors that
47 percent of Americans will vote "no matter what" for President Barack Obama, and he was not going to worry about them.

By contrast, Heller's campaign was quick Tuesday to say he "is fighting for every vote" in his Senate race against Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley. Heller made the same point Wednesday when approached by reporters seeking to take the pulse of GOP senators on Romney.

As Heller tried to pull away from Romney, at least on the controversy, Nevada Democrats led by Sen. Harry Reid on Wednesday tried to reel him back in and tie him to the nominee.

Reid, the Senate majority leader, told reporters that Republicans, including Heller, were running from Romney "as if the Olympics were still on."

Reid said he recalled that the Nevadan once likened jobless people to hobos in a speech questioning long extensions of unemployment insurance.

"Dean's got to be very careful," Reid said. "He recognized how toxic Romney's comments are, but that's interesting coming from somebody who just a short time ago compared unemployed people to hobos. That was his word: hobos."

Berkley picked up the attack.

"Senator Heller is going to have a tough time trying to distance himself from Mitt Romney's insulting comments about struggling middle-class Americans after he referred to unemployed Nevadans as 'hobos,' " she said in a statement.

Heller has disputed he called jobless people "hobos," insisting the reference was taken out of context from a speech he gave at an Elko County Republican Party dinner in February 2010.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.
Follow him on Twitter @STetreaultDC.