If Mitt Romney had only kept his big mouth shut, then none of this would have happened. He thought he was in his comfort zone among his millionaire friends, and he felt safe. And that was fine. Scott Prouty, the man who taped Romney’s infamous 47% statement, did not intend to make news when he took his camera and began recording the Republican president nominee. No, Scott just wanted to take a picture with Romney after the event was over.
But some things Romney said to his millionaire friends rubbed Scott the wrong way. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with the recording. He went back and forth in his mind for a couple of weeks trying to figure out his next move.
Romney’s words however, kept ringing in his head. That 47% claim and Romney’s story about travelling to China to buy a factory that employed what we would call, slave labor. Prouty explained these two factors helped him make the decision to share his video.
“I knew where he came from” Prouty said, when asked about his initial feeling to Romney’s 47% comment. “The day-in day-out struggles of everyday Americans, that guy [Romney] has no idea and I don’t think he’ll ever have an idea.”
Prouty explained how he lost sleep for two weeks before deciding that he needed to release the tape so that “as many people hear [Romney’s] words.” He explained how he contacted James Carter through YouTube and Twitter, because of some research that Carter had done for a David Corn story on Mother Jones.
“I wanted the conversation,” Prouty said, explaining that fame was not his intention. “I wanted Mitt Romney’s words to be the absolute center of attention.” David Corn of Mother Jones put out a partial recording showing the 47% comment and the rest of the media picked up on it.
Romney opened his mouth again. Back in September Romney was forced to respond to a reporter’s question about his 47% claim. Romney called the piece a “snippet” suggesting that if the full content of the tape was heard, then his statement would make more sense to the rest of America. Prouty said that hearing Romney’s lame excuse prompted him to release the rest of the tape in its entirety to Mother Jones. “He asked for the full content” Prouty said, “so we I told David Corn to release the tape.”
Prouty, who is an Independent, said he voted for President Obama in the November election and is “proud to call him my president.” And hearing President Obama referenced the 47% in the second Presidential debate was the pinnacle.
“It was the last line of the debate and I think I was sitting at the edge of my couch waiting. I watched the first debate and there was no mention of it. There was certainly a cheer erupted in the room at the time. I was thrilled that he hit him with it when he did. It was well done.”
Then yet again, Romney opened his mouth earlier this month in an interview with Fox News and continued blaming President Obama. That was the moment that Scott Prouty decided to come forward and tell his story. Asked why come forward now, Prouty answered that Romney still doesn’t get it. And in his response, Prouty offered some advise for the Republican Presidential loser;
I think the guy needs to respect the will of the voters. The election wasn’t even that close. I think he needs to take personal responsibility for his campaign, take personal responsibility for the words he said. And move forward. A good start would be to go back to some of those towns that Bain Capitol shipped jobs, you know, closed down plants. If he went back to Freeport Illinois, maybe start a business. Hire some people. Create a product. Build something in America. Do something other than vulture capitalism. Do something for America other than making another million dollars for himself. I would have a lot of respect for him if he went forward that way.
Video below.
