Mitt Romney did his 2012 prospects no good when he referred to the US as a country of “makers versus takers”. Dismissing the 47 per cent who pay no federal income taxes was neither good politics nor coherent policy. But there are hopeful signs that leading Republicans are starting to rethink the party’s insurrectionary approach. Restoring upward mobility was a big Republican goal in the past. If conservatives such as Mike Lee, the Tea Party senator from Utah, and Paul Ryan, Mr Romney’s running mate, intend to rekindle those ideas, they should be encouraged.
2012年，米特•羅姆尼(Mitt Romney)曾將美國稱爲「勞動者vs不勞而獲者」的國度，給他的總統競選幫了倒忙。對不支付聯邦所得稅的那47%的美國人不屑一顧，不僅在政治策略上有失妥當，在政策上也自相矛盾。不過，有令人鼓舞的跡象顯示，共和黨領導人已經開始反思它的「造反式」風格。幫助美國社會重新打通向上流動的通道，曾是共和黨的宏偉目標。如果猶他州茶黨(Tea Party)參議員邁克•李(Mike Lee)和羅姆尼的競選夥伴保羅•瑞安(Paul Ryan)等保守派打算重舉這個旗幟，他們應該受到鼓勵。