Romney, In Cell Phone Video, Opines on Wealth
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Joe Raedle/Getty Images(CHANTILLY, Va.) — At a private fundraiser in April at the home of pizza giant John Schnatter, Mitt Romney is seen on a cell phone video offering his candid thoughts on how Democrats and Republicans view wealth.
“What a welcome, what a place this is my goodness,” said Romney, who is shown in the video is standing outside at Schnatter’s estate in Anchorage, Ky. Schnatter is the founder of the Papa John’s Pizza empire.
“Who would have imagined pizza could build this, you know that?” Romney said. “This is really something. Don’t you love this country?”
“What a home this is, what grounds these are, the pool, the golf course, you know if a Democrat were here he’d look around and say no one should live like this,” Romney said, as the crowd began to laugh. “Republicans come here and say everyone should live like this, all right. This is a really tribute to America, to entrepreneurship.”
Romney, who has mentioned the pizza magnet on the trail since the April 19 fundraiser as an example of an American success story, has never delivered the joke he told in Kentucky to voters while campaigning. The rest of the video shows Romney delivering his standard stump speech.
According to local reports, attendees at the fundraiser paid $1,000 to $2,500 for access to the event. The higher dollar sum would give them a chance to take a photo with Romney.
Romney’s fundraisers have all been closed to the press. The campaign will start to allow two print reporters into fundraisers held at public venues, continuing to bar them from those held at private residences, beginning this evening at a high-dollar fundraiser in Washington, D.C. The campaign has forbidden cameras from the fundraisers.
The Romney campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the video.
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