He’s done it for a long time. Go back to Romney’s March 30 speech in Appleton, Wis., in which he introduced the charge that President Obama is creating a “government-centered society.” “Over 46 million Americans are now living in poverty, more than ever before in our nation’s history,” Romney said. “In households with single moms, over 39 percent are living in poverty.”
In speech after speech since then, Romney has included the nation’s poverty rate in his case against Obama. “Today, more Americans wake up in poverty than ever before,” he said in his address to the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 30. “Look around you. These are not strangers. These are our brothers and sisters, our fellow Americans.” Romney also brought up poverty at both presidential debates that covered domestic policy.
In contrast, President Obama rarely utters the word, and usually not in a campaign context.
