McCrory defends 47% remark

Some North Carolina GOP candidates, like Mark Meadows who is running in the 11th District, are seeking to distance themselves from comments made by Mitt Romney at a private fundraiser, which surfaced in a video released earlier this week.
Others are taking a somewhat different approach.
Pat McCrory, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, downplayed Romney’s claim that 47 percent of Americans pay no federal income taxes and “believe they are victims” entitled to government help.
According to the Fayetteville Observer, McCrory said Romney was merely doing a “political assessment of where his potential votes will come from.
“And you know, sometimes we allow candidates to speak and express themselves, from a political assessment, and not get criticized for it.”
Walter Dalton’s campaign seized on McCrory’s comment to try to tie the former Charlotte mayor to the sentiments expressed by Romney.
“I’ve always said we should respect everyone and stereotype no one,” said Dalton, the Democratic candidate for governor, in a release. “Romney’s comments were disrespectful of 47 percent of our population, and Pat McCrory seems to think that’s OK.”
Earlier in the week, Dome asked McCrory about Romney’s remarks, but he declined to comment until he had seen the full video. But he did say, “There is a fact that we have more people dependent on government.”