Mitt Romney gaffes: 9 times the button-down candidate should have buttoned up

In politics, a gaffe is often described as a "truth told by accident." Mitt Romney has had relatively few of them during his time in politics, but when the former governor of Massachusetts commits one, it can be a doozy. And his gaffe in the Dec. 10 debate may end up costing him way more than the $10,000 he was betting fellow presidential candidate Rick Perry. Here’s a list of the most memorable.

- Linda Feldmann, Staff writer

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Mitt Romney celebrates his Florida primary election win at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 31. (Charles Dharapak/AP)

1. 'I’m not concerned about the very poor'

Talk about buzz kill. Romney uttered these now-infamous words the morning after his big victory in the Florida primary on Jan. 31, igniting a firestorm. As is often the case, eye-popping statements like this one need to be put in context. Here’s a fuller version what he said:

"I'm in this race because I care about Americans. I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it," the Republican front-runner said Feb. 1 on CNN. "I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."

But who needs context when there’s a juicy line to be exploited. Ever since he said it, Democrats have been pounding on Romney for “not caring about the very poor,” perfect for the cartoon version of Romney as an out-of-touch rich guy. And adding insult to injury, some conservative Republicans are just as unhappy, because he stuck up for the safety net.

“The safety net is one of the biggest cultural problems we’ve got!” gasped conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

The Wall Street Journal editorial page wished Romney had talked about “growing dependency on government and its corrosive effect on human dignity.”