Oh I don't know, even in context it shows Romney's arrogance and superiority complex

Romney seems like a good man. He really seems to care and he is sucessful in his own right. I am good with on that point alone. I question someone who is of a faith (as a consenting adult) that proscibes to sacred golden tables found written in the lanuguage of the angles that only one man has ever seen . I am a catholic and understand how important faith is…but there is a point when you should question the under pinnings.

This coming from same guy who attacked Bill Clinton?? Well at least Bill cares about voters Mitt.

WHY DO THEY ALWAYS MESS WITH HIS WORDS. Why does everything always have to be turned negative. Comment taken way out of context. Just another jab as usual. Even with all the jabs he is still #1 so whatever.

Please use a little journalistic integrity wth your post here. Maybe that sound bite was just too juicy that you had to race to zing this one out there?

The specific question to Mitt was regarding reporting of the funds that he's contributed to his own campaign and Mitt responded that his concern is posturing with the other candidates as the fundraising totals provide a level of uncertainty and possible advantage until the figures have to be reported.

CNN's attempt here to spin this that Romney isn't concerned about voters is laughable.

When Economey Romney says JOBS JOBS JOBS he earned my vote.

Economey Romney is the most respponsible candidate that has the right balance.

Pathetic that you libs trot this out. You even admit its not in context, so how is it even newsworthy….?

That is exactly why we should not elect him. He is not concerned about us. He is more concerned about winning with his money. Money knows money so, I am not impressed by the fact that his friends have given him more money. He is obviously for the rich. If you dont see that you have blinders on, or you are rich yourself.

I just knew some anti-Romney outlet (like CNN) would sieze on that statement.

The problem is not what he said, it is how badly it will be taken out of context. If you have the context, he was saying that he is not concerned about the voters knowing how much he has spent (not that he doesn't care about the voters), but that he is concerned (for strategic purposes) about the other candidates knowing how much he has spent. I hope that reporters and other candidates will be intellectually honest with this one and not take it out of context.

As Mitt said, he is not concerned about the voters misusing the information about his personal funding a share of his campaign….he can trust the media and his opponents to distort the facts and twist reality!

Mitt is commited to the campaign for the right reasons!

He will improve our nation plain and simple…what he spends in doing that doesn't matter to me, we all have choices to make with where we put our money….HE IS INVESTING IN OUR NATION!

Wow! He had lobbyists go to his same high school? Go Romney!

Too bad Hillary's not running against him right now. I'm sure she'd love to take this out of context and run with it.

The line of the night, Mr. Producer, was Mitt saying, "I don't want to think about Bill Clinton in the White House with nothing to do."

Why not put the quote you have in context where he said he was competing against the guys on stage with him?

I was starting to think CNN "fair and balanced" and have been watching it more than the other cable news channels. I may have to rethink that.

What a misleading title.

Every analyst agreed tonight. Romney rocked the house. He was at his absolute best. He not only won resoundingly, but McCain seemed too old, too out of touch and he downright lied about a quote about the economy he had made before.

Romney won the debate, he'll win Florida and he'll win the nomination.

Go Romney in '08!

Fair enough, Wiilard. We don't care much about you either.

How dare Tim Russert ask Prince Romney how much Prince Romney is paying for the Presidency! Prince Romney is not accustomed to revealing to the common people the price amounts of his purchases.

I JUST KNEW CNN and the other liberal maintream networks would twist Romney's comment and take out of context to make it appear he was blowing off voters. These liberal media types really are scumbags, and this is proof. CNN frames this issue and creates a headline intended to make Romney look bad, when in fact there was nothing at all wrong with his statement.

Here's what Romney really said. When asked the question about his donations to his own campaign, Romney said he wasn't concerned that the voters would think this was a big issue. He said he was more concerned that the other GOP candidates could use the information to hurt Romney in the election. And he's right. The scumbag tag team of Mac & Cheese wouldn't hesitate to use it against him.

With that bit of narrative, here's the quote again. It's OBVIOUS he's not denigrating voters.

"Well, I'm not concerned about the voters. I'm much more concerned about the other guys on this stage. And we have some competitive information we make sure that we use for our own benefit.

If only CNN could report the news rather than framing issues in a way that advances their political agenda.

CNN be ashamed of yourselves. Be VERY ashamed.

It's a non-issue. Romney clearly won the debates tonight. He spoke to the major issues that this country faces and tackled them with poise and leadership. McCain looked like a total idiot when he LIED about his knowledge of economics, and then skirted the question posed by Ron Paul. Huckabee should just quit, he's a non-factor and Romney could use his delegates.

Vote smart, Vote Mitt!

this is gonna come back to haunt him.

That may be the only truthful comment you will here from him,write it down for posterity.

I love how CNN can completely take this out of context and then not report the whole story. Mitt went on to say that it shows something when a candidate says he'll inves a lot in to the campaign as well…not just relying on others to toot his horn. He's invested, sure, and because of it the election is more personal to him in comparison to the other candidates who rely too heavily on others' personal bank accounts to parade them into the White House. It's like when your young and you have to earn your own money and because you do, when you finally buy that bike, you take care of it a whole lot better. Mitt Romney is showing America that this is something personal and important to him and if elected, he'll make greater efforts to solve the issues that we are facing as a nation since he's made the personal financial commitment. I recommend watching Mitt's entire answer to the question before you make any sort of opinion.

Leave it up to CNN to take that line and run with it…..Give me a break..

Mitt is going to WIN Florida you watch….

And this is surprising?

If he has raised more money than any other Republican in the race, it has been raised out of his own wallet and raised out of his friends trustfunds!

What about money donated by individual citizens? How about $6.02 million in one day? Has anyone heard of this amount of money being donated in one day to one single candidate? Well it was, December 16, 2007, the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. But it wasn't donated to Romney, McCain, Ghouliani, Huckabee, Obama or Clinton! And unfortunately no one will ever know who managed to raise that much money, because the MSM won't tell you!

Look it up!

Very poor context or very Freudian. People will spin this anyway that they want.

Did he not say he raised more than any other on the stage, then proceed to say that he was his own largest donor?
What else could this mean than he's put more money into his campaign than the public?

The other candidates couldn't have said it better themselves! Great job Mitt! Go Huckabee!

When I watch CNN, I feel like they are acting as a media manager for Clinton and McCain. They intentionally clouted the debate, raising the race issue to help Clinton. That’s why Time magazine already focused McCain's picture.

Oops!

Wait just a minute, politicians AREN'T concerned, this is earth shattering stuff people.

Thanks for posting this. I'll be curious to see who exploits the soundbyte and who does not.

He is not concerned about the voters!!! He is only concerned about HIS own self importance. What a telling comment… I wouldn't vote for him EVER!!!!!!!!!! Pompus jerk.

Yes… this statement can easily be taken WAY out of context. I too am not concerned about voters because the VAST majority of voters don't care how much money a candidate personally invests into a campaign. Neither is Gov. Romney…. voter simply don't care by and large. But the other candidates are because they're all strapped for cash and Romney's the only one who isn't and they're not happy about it.

Context…is CNN trying to sabotage Romney…this isn't relevant.

Why do people care so much how much of his own money Romney has spent? Does that change where Romney stands on the issues, or his past record? Does it change his multitude of successes? Does it change his character, or his abilities to lead?

From what I've read Romney has raised more money than any other Republican candidate. He has also contributed from his own money. Romney stated earlier that he didn't think it was right to ask people to contribute to something that he was not willing to contribute to himself. I think that is pretty honorable.

Romney knows that the voters are smart people. He doesn't need to worry about them, as he said.

It seems the media will try to sour anything they can about Romney. Good luck. He’s a pretty amazing guy. The best they have is name calling and stupid questions about how much money he has invested.

One thing is for sure. The American people have contributed more to his campaign more than any other candidate. That says something.

Russert seemed shocked when Romney said that he had raised more money than any other candidate. "What? you mean that people want you to be president?" Sorry Tim, more people have voted for Mitt than any other candidate, and he has more delegates. People support Romney because he is talented, not because he has boat-loads of money to buy TV spots.

This is AWFUL reporting. There was absolutely NO DOUBT that Mitt was saying he was not concerned about voters knowing how much he spent, but concerned about rivals knowing.

The fact that you call out that it sounds bad out of context, but then don't give the context, makes you irresponsible.

This oops comment, "Well, I'm not concerned about the voters," may have been a freeby for the other candidates. It will be used out of context I'm pretty sure. I'm not a Romney supporter; but the qestion was a bit unfair because all the politicians are sinking in money to win no matter how you look at it.

Every Republican candidate, including Mitt Romney, should look hard at this "Mitt-stake." Every voter should look hard too. If this statement doesn't tell people about the type of politician Romney really is, nothing else will.

Romney is right. And his totals only recently (since right after New Hampshire) start to take into account General Election funds. Following New Hampshire, Mitt raised another $5 million in ONE DAY. Makes you wonder how much he would have raised if he had won the state?

It's obvious from context that he meant "I'm not concerned about the voters knowing how much of my own wealth I spent". Duh!

Sounds like a good campaign strategy to me.
You've got my vote!

Why don't we try to be honest and true to the values of journalism and tell the truth and report all of the facts. In your piece here, you delibertly mislead us all by the way it is titled and your failure to report the whole message that came from Govenor Romney. You make it sound that he says he does not care about voters across the whole spectrum of both voters and issues. That is so blatantly not true as anyonie with at least some degree intelligence knows. He clearly stated that he has contributed a large amount of HIS own wealth, but it is worth it to have the opportunity to run for this office. I personally admire a person that is so strong in his convictions that he is willing to put his own dollar on the line. Come on CNN you can do better.

CNN stop starting off for me with your opinion please!

Come on CNN. You know better than this. This quote is taken completely out of context and you know it. By any standard Romney won this debate and you decided to pick one random comment, spin to your favor, and use it against Romney. Luckily voters were listening and they are intelligent enough to decide for themselves that Romney is most qualified to lead this country to economic security.

That's ok Slick Willard, we're not concerned about you either. =)

Do you at CNN think you could make this headline sound any more negative? "It’s a sound bite that probably wouldn’t play well without any context." This is exactly what you have done to readers who online skim the headlines on your page.

Typical CNN BIAS…. take the verbiage out of context and make it an issue. Then in customary liberal style… remove the meat of the answer where Romney explains why he is investing his own funds and that he will OWE NO ONE.

Way to go, Mitt. Even if this is some kind of a slip, this guy obviously shouldn't be leading the nation. "I'm not concerned about voters." AWESOME.

When Joseph Smith, the founder and great prophet of the Mormon religion, ran for president in 1844, a pamphlet expressing his views (”General Smith’s Views”) was distributed across the nation. The following are some of Joseph’s positions*; they are worth reading for their striking humanity alone, born, no doubt out of his own deprivations:

“Petition your state legislatures to pardon every convict in their several penitentiaries, blessing them as they go, and saying to them, in the name of the Lord, go thy way and sin no more. Advise your legislators when they make laws for larceny, burglary or any felony, to make the penalty applicable to work upon roads, public works, or any place where the culprit can be taught more wisdom and more virtue; and become more enlightened. Rigor and seclusion will never do as much to reform the propensities of man, as reason and friendship. Murder only can claim confinement or death. Let the penitentiaries be turned into seminaries of learning, where intelligence, like the angels of heaven, would banish such fragments of barbarism.

CNN and the other media players are more and more desperate to find anything and everything to dismiss and discount Romney's success. Here is another example of fabricated "news." The fact that the victories in Wyoming, Michigan and Nevada went resoundingly to Mitt Romney is not mentioned nearly as frequently as the "impression" that he had garnered the most ill will of any candidate. It seems he garners this ill will more from the "experts" and "pundits" who are repeated proved wrong as he makes his way to the White House despite all the best attempts to distort the truth and sway the public with dishonest and biased reporting

These debates usually favor the leading candidates because they get more questions, but the way the questions went out on this one I felt like Romney was being courted by those asking the questions. It was like date night with Romey. And since no other candidate put up any real debate with Romey about what he was saying it was like Romey was Scarlet O'Hara and the rest were just at the barbecue admiring Romney…just happy to be in Romey's company. And when Romney was asked how much money he had spent on his campaign…well just like Scarlet O'hara…he will "worry" about that question "tomorrow".

I can't believe Russert was so adamant with that question. What relevance does that have with voters, really? None. Totally worthless question. And for Russert to pretend that he's doing Florida voters a favor by asking the question…as if Florida is gathered outside the debate hall, waiting for the answer so they can go on with their early voting ballots. What a joke Russert. Stupid, stupid question.

These guys don't take the issues seriously.
The republicns play politics as if it were a game. Give me a break. God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on. This isn't news worthy. Are you trying to get readers to take this out of context?

Nice and the people who vote for him will be voting about a candidate that doesn't even care about you and wants to be president for his own personal gain.

That's Ward Cleaver for you folks…

CNN!!! Come on guys. Romney made his point- it had nothing to do with the "voters" it was about Tim Russert's framed question and not willing to let Romney answer how he wanted- Russert couldn't handle not owning the situation.

Romney is the answer to beat the left-wing-loco's!

MITT 2008!!!

Mitt is a loser, just wait.

Go McCain!!!!!!!!!

Russert got an earfull,but was still soft ball question.

So you acknowledge that taking the line out of context is misleading and potentially damaging to Romney, and you do it in the headline anyway? I'm no fan of Romney, but that's a little low.

Dear CNN,

I know you're in the business of combing through intelligent dialogue for good soundbites, but this is raw distortion.

Russert's question was loaded and, in my opinion, inappropriate. As an independent who looks quite favorably on multiple candidates, I felt Mitt provided an honest, articulate, and very reasonable response. To pull an unbecoming "buzzphrase" from an otherwise legitimate answer is an unfortunate attempt to raise controversy where there is none.

I humbly suggest that you chose a headline that reflects the reality of a civil and excellently conducted debate - an endengered species as of late.

please dont distort his comments! present his whole sentence, im not a romney fan, but i admire this guy, he is smart and knows how to play a goog game! he had a great debate night!

Forgive my spelling error. It is late and I study economics, not English (obviously). The last snippet should read:

I humbly suggest that you CHOOSE a headline that reflects the reality of a civil and excellently conducted debate - an ENDANGERED species as of late.

I used to think that no one could be more deceitful to the American people than Bill Clinton was. I believe Mitt Romey may be that guy. He will say anything to get his way. Unbelieveable!

What is it with the news coverage, this is all they could come up with.
Every correspondant I heard gave Romney glowing reports on his performance, he's leading in the polls and the news papers act like he's not a serious contender. This is getting to be rediculous. There' s good reason he's the least liked by the other Republican candidates, he's the least like all of them and the biggest threat.

"I have rich friends"

Random comment taken out of context. He meant he wasnt concerned about voters knowing how much he spent in Florida.

Not fair to make that the headline. Maybe the debate was so boring that the folks at CNN are fishing for controversy.

Again, as a Democrat, what better gift to be given, than the gift that keeps on giving!

I can hear this comment echoing down the long hallway of the election process, and to the Republicans and Mitt Romney, it will become the gift that keeps on hurting!

He will not survive the ordeal.

I smile as they shoot themselves in the feet.

“not concerned about voters” [finding out] — "finding out" was inferred in the context of his answer and was obvious to all. He noted that because campaigns are a competition, he would wait and disclose that information along with everybody else on the appointed date.

I like that Romney is "putting his money where his mouth is."

Politician are so willing to spend other peoples money–here is a guy willing to put in some of his own. I like it.

The fact that he has raised more than his peers and is able to add some of his own says to me that not only do others believe in him, he believes in his ability to win and bring positive change.

You have got to be kidding me CNN….You know full well that most readers don't click on every single headline to read every single article and to have a headline like this is just ridiculous. It just goes to show the liberal bias of CNN. Any honest person that watched the debate would feel this headline is obnoxious and totally misleading and to choose this as your blog post shows how warped your coverage of the debate is.

You lead with a story that completely twisted what you know he was talking about why?( He slipped and said voter instead of candidate.) What ever happened to good journalism? You all need to go work for THE STAR or other taploids. Was it late and this reporter just wanted get a story submitted and could come up with nothing better?Alexander Mooney you are a poor journalists.

Of course he's not. The only people he's concerned about are the wealthy and the radical right.

"I'm not concerned about voters," stated Mitt Romney. I don't care what context that's taken out of–it's still a slip that shows what's really going on in his mind.

He doesn't care about constantly changing his positions on the issues to suit his needs at a particular moment either, which he has proven time and time again.

When are voters finally going to recognize Mitt Romney for what he really is: a "wishy-washy" yet good-looking and smooth politician who will say whatever it takes to look good in front of a specific crowd without regard for the actual truth of the matter at hand.

He won't even tell us how much of his own money he's spent on his own campaign because that would be proof positive that he wouldn't even be a contender if he wasn't incredibly independently wealthy.

America, we can do a lot better than Mitt Romney! With a common sense, outstanding candidate in Mike Huckabee who's a contender despite working with very limited finances and another lesser but good option in John McCain, why should we settle for a "second rate" president like Mitt Romney?

The problem is not only the context but you have to understand how a campaign runs. If he tells everyone X amount then his opponents take that figure and try to make it negative any way they can. Also, there is an entire strategy within political campaigns of trying to make your opponents spend money out of a reaction of your own spending of money (or how you act like you are spending tons of money). Nothing to see here, except for understand competitive intelligence!

Romney is the best candidate hands down!

so I see………. Libberals would prefer only people who are financial failures to run the country?

Christina i understand your concern for Romneys faith, but the facts you listed are ALL wrong. In fact, many people saw those gold plates and never denied seeing them till the day they died. It wasnt written in the language of angels but rather reformed Egyptian. Your own faith is riddled with the bullets of history. Im utterly surprised that you as a Catholic would try to degrade Romneys religion. Youve obviously never studied your own history. After all, Mormon cities are the safest, cleanest, and bst family towns in the nation… Mabey they're doing something right…

Oh who cares how much of his own money he has spent. All of the candidates have spent ridiculous amounts. Maybe it shows that Romney believes in his message enough to invest in his own campaign. Besides I'm tired of our leaders spending our money all the time and contributing very little. On that topic, why do we have a bunch of US senators running for president when they are supposed to be doing their jobs. They pay themselves more than 98% of us make and they miss senate votes and appear to be attending to their own ambitions and not the work of the people. Clinton, Obama, and McCain: do your jobs or give the money back!

This is for Christina, I do not really think you honestly understand how important faith is. Questioning someone faith when your own faith makes the claim that at the point a catholic priest consumes the wine and eucharist he is in actuality consuming the very flesh and blood of Christ (see Transubstantiation plenty of sources) is not a smart move. I am a person of faith (not catholic or mormon) but I do understand why all faiths must be respected and why belittling other human being's faith is wrong. The founding Fathers were so wise when they included Article VI, section 3 "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." I have no ax to grind I support no candidate, I am utterly dissatisfied by the entire field of choices

Dear Christina,

It seems that you fear the unknown. I was a Catholic, too. Should a Catholic not be worthy of a vote because of the checkered past of that church (i.e. Spanish Inquisition, torture, rapes, pillage, and plunder during the crusades?) It seems that we have no problem with an African-American candidate, a female candidate, a Baptist candidate, a Catholic candidate, a Jewish candidate, an atheist as a candidate, but we can't allow a Mormon candidate! Look a little deeper into the Mormon faith and you will find that we are indeed Christians.

Candidates should be judged on their abilities and vision for the country, not on the church the attend (or not) each Sunday! Don't overlook the vital issues of our country because of the personal beliefs of a candidate.

I wouldnt be putting Clinton up against anyone yet….she still has to beat Obama and w SC bounce it will make things get closer than you think. She also has to be concerned with the bashing now that Obama would be willing to hurt her campaign as well for the general election.

Former Clinton Supporter
Obama 08

Who needs voters when you're a Republican with money. It worked for George Bush in 2000. I wouldn't be worried either, plus he has the guy that is great with voter fraud Jebediah Bush in his arena.

What are you trying to accomplish with your totally misleading title. If that is your idea of good reporting you need to think again. Not only was it poor, it was unfair. Talk about politicians taking things out of context! Certainly you can do a better job than that. You may not like him as a candidate, but I would think your bias wouldn't keep you from performing your duty in a more accurate way. CNN you disappoint me on this one!

Come on. You know better than that, anti-Romney people. Don't take every word literally and out of context. He cares about the welfare of American people. He wants to ease the economic burden of the people. That's why he agrees with tax cut and tax rebate. Of course, this is just and example. And why say he's not concern about voters regarding so many different things. The only issue here is his refusal to disclose his own expense to this campaign. And you know, even if he tells how much of his own money he spent, he'll still be arrogant to those who are against him, saying yeah, you're wealthy. You have that kind of money. Whatever he does, there will always be people who will say negative against him. Come on.

"I'm not concerned" and "I don't care about" are two different things. Take this into consideration.

What a piece of trashy journalism! Anyone who watched the debate can see that was taken way out of context and was actually more of a compliment to the integrity of the voters. And yet the line is a link on CNN's politics page. This author just became the misleading, word-twisting type of person he references in the article. Incredible!

Are you guys serious, this guy is a clown. The only reason he wants to be president is to make his money back and PAY BACK all his HIGH SCHOOL friends that helped him raise money. Did you hear him talk on his website, he has no clue about anything.

Yes he might have had some luck at Bain making his fortune, but thats where his career ends. He failed in his first company and will fail as President just like Mr Bush.

I think the only candiate in this race who can possible bring our country back on track is R. Paul

Christina,

Yeah…I would really be worried about that religion with golden plates and angels…I mean it's not like anyone else believes in crazy stuff like a man dying and then rising from the dead on the third day or another man traveling on a hugh ship for over 300 days with all sorts of wild animals.

Wait a minute…wait a minute…

Totally out of context! Romney said he wasn't concerned about voters worrying about his finances, but he was concerned about politicians twisting it for gain. Case in point–this "ticker" posting! I think tonight's debate cemented Florida for Romney, which will seal the western states (including CA) and probably several other states for him on Feb. 5th. Surogates of the other candidates are going to attack Romney like crazy, but it won't do them any good at this point.

MACACA MOMENT. GOOD-BYE MITT.

I am a election race junky and like to watch as many programs as possible on this race. The race is so tight with the Republicans. I have found CNN to be very anti-Romney, and this article does not surprise me. Romney may or may not end up being the nominee, but CNN will do it's best in the process to spread smear journalism. It would be wise to seek journalism that will be fair to all of the candidates.

I generally put up with CNN's liberal bias because they at least attempt to appear journalistically objective. It appears I may have to reconsider.

CNN I am not surprised but disapointed you would stoop to this kind of journalism. I would hope you would be "fair and balanced" and a source we could rely on, but once again you have proven we can't take anything any news conglomerate says to be the truth. We MUST find the source and see it from start to finish get the whole story.

For you haters & doubters out there, if Romney's religious beliefs where anything to be concerned about, that they might cloud his judgement and cause him to do something unwise that would damage him or the country then you simply have not been paying attention. Anyone as successful as Romney does not get that way by being short sighted, biased or brain washed.

If you doubt a religion, get to know it from the source, live it for a while, try it out and then form an opinion. But don't believe everything you hear from "experts" that have never stepped foot into an LDS church or taken a serious first-hand look into the religion.

Take another look, watch the entire debate and look at his track record, I think you will find he is human, he learns from experience and he has successfully implemented positive change in all the organizations he's been involved with.

We know you're not concerned about the voters, Mitt. We know.

Mitt Romney is a fraud…. I'm a registered democrat, and would vote for Obama hands down if he makes it past the primary. I like Huckabee and McCain, Though Huckabee more than McCain, on the republican side.

If Romney wins the presidential bid, Obama and Hillary are gonna have him for breakfast, cause it's sooooooo obvious he's a farce…

They only one's that don't notice it are the same ignorant fools that voted for Bush in 2004, even after all the crap that his administration did.

Look, my vote counts, therefore, nobody up there has my vote won yet. It's gonna take many debates before I know for sure where my vote is going. It's sad to say that most of you are so caught up in the Left wing - Right wing horse race, that you're too stupid to make up your minds by your own research and critical thinking.

It's a shame that the few of us intellectuals have to put up with the remaining morons out there, mostly republicans that aren't even in the proper tax bracket to begin with.

What this country needs is another Kennedy, which is clearly being portrayed by Senator Obama.

Go to hell right wing, neo-con, religious nutcase losers!

People will hate Mit all the way to the White House

Neil, according to the WSJ McCain has received 340,000 from lobbyists. The most of any republican. Who else does he owe favors too?

He was obviously saying that it wasn't giving the financial info to the voters early that he was concerned about - it was giving away his fundraising secrets to his competitors any sooner than required.

You know, who would you rather have lead the country out of the mess we're in - a man who has proven over and over that he knows how to take large failing companies the turn them around or your uncle Joe, the bookie? Romney got his money the old fashioned way - he earned it. He didn't inherit it. The fact that he has a lot of it is clear evidence that he knows how to reorganize and put big organizations on their feet. Do some research yourself - I'm sure the details of his turn-arounds are out there - the companies were public companies. If anyone can turn this country around, Romney is the one who can.

The fact that he is spending a lot of his own money on the campaign makes it clear what sort of a Patriot he is. He isn't running for President because he needs the money. You won't see him pandering for campaign donations from China or renting out nights in the rooms in the White House for donations like certain past
degenerate presidents have.

Mitt scored on ways to fix the economy, especially in stopping the housing
crisis, while McCain only showed he lacked a firm grasp on the subject…
and what with those "bridge to nowhere" comments on spending about?

McCain needs to get more specific with his plans to rescue the economy.

Romney answered every question directly, articulately, and intelligently. It is even more clear now who will receive the Republican presidential nomination.

Go Mitt!

Hey this guy is arrogant as hell and like Ross Perot,he thinks he can buy the presendency…………My vote is for Hillary Clinton all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That has to be the most idiotic comment ever.

To Christina–Your comment is so offensive and bigoted. You admit yourself that you too are a Christian, and so surely there are people who wonder about your underpinnings because a Christian actually believes that a man who was God was raised from the dead after three days. Faith does not always look logical, especially when put under such a bigoted light. I don't care if you like Romney or not, but please look to the issues. 6 million other Americans believe like Romney does so it can't be that dumb.

Using admitted out of context quotes as a title to a news story ? hmmmmmm,,,,,I see very few bomb thrower comments on this story,,, I guess Obama and hillary's bickering tired the haters out,, It couldn't be that dem/libs are starting to get it ?

This just shows that Romney will be another Bush, not caring about voters, laws and regulations, privacy, the constitution, and many other issues. If you want another president that wants you to just trust him and not share anything with the people vote for Mitt "The Chameleon" Romney!

'Mitt' cant even tell the truth to the public when asked what his name is (which is Willard Milton, names after Willard Marriott (marriott Hotels), another gazillionaire)…so what else is he inventing as truth? Seems like a spoiled RICHER THAN RICH kid trying to get the top toy in the store…at any cost.

One should ask if Mitt "I saved the Olympics" and "I saved MA's economy" can't get endorsements from the governors of the States that he suppose to have done so much for. Governor Huntsman (a fellow Mormon) from Utah endorses McCain.

Too bad the average voter falls for what candidates claim they accomplished rather than look into the facts.
If Romney was so good for MA, then why does he not have a chance to be elected there again?

Romney stepped up as the leader on the stage in the debate last night. Who better to lead the county than an extremely successful businessman who has morals. Mitt Romney will do great things for the USA. He will make us proud to be Americans and proud he is our President.

Christina,

Don't get started with the faith issue. We could always bring up some of the things the catholics have done to other people throughout the centuries and what they believe but where does that leave me? Attacking a fellow American. This is what makes this country the greatest. That we all have the freedom to choose the religion that our conscience dictates. Does the belief in golden plates and angels make a person bad or is it the choices that they make with their life? Please make a decision base on what they are talking about and not their religious beliefs.

And he's not concerned about the voters? How True! He is only concerned about the corporations.

There is nothing misleading about it. He said what he said. The real zinger is how testy Mitt got when Russert brought this up. Not good for someone who said a year ago that it would be a "nightmare" to have to use his own money for his campaign. He definately came off as quite the slimeball.

In the Iowa we saw alot of concern with Huckabee over religion endorsements? Now He wasn't active baptist minister.But,Romney is active Melchizedek Priest. Is not his endorsing him self representing the Church and issue that makes him unelectable? I mean you can't serve two god's.Does he not expect his Melchizedek Priest be issue brought on by the Clinton Political war machinery. And will destroy the GOP?

It's irrevelant - so a guy is willing to invest his own money because he believes he can help the nation. The question was designed to get headlines and the exact amount shouldn't be a relevant factor for voters. Romney is the only candidate period. McCain is too old, too slow and doesn't get it on many issues. Guilani is a one-trick pony and we don't need a preacher as president in Huckabee. We need a CEO-model president like Romney who has intelligence and the resolve to "restructure government".

More spin, comments after the debate they couldn't say enough about Mitt and how he won the debate, in the morning I have seen one headline. what happened over night.

Romney, was not saying he didn't care for the voters, a better choice of words would have been I have "CONFIDENCE" in the voters. He was saying in this that he didn't think the voters had an "ISSUE" with it.

I think it says a lot about a person who puts there own money behind there convictions. They understand the value we place on it ourselves. No matter how much you spend, it is still up to the voters and he knows that.

I don't care for Romney but that comment was taken out of content as were so many other comments were from other candidates.

More anti-Romney rhetoric. You people at CNN (and especially TIME) can't help yourselves can you? You can't give Romney a story without bashing him at least part of the way through it. So the man has spent some of his personal money on the campaign trail! The question should be: why hasn't McCain? McCain is filthy rich by anyone's standard and yet he hasn't seen fit to sacrifice some of his own wealth for his own campaign. Romney is the leader for 2008.

Mitt is just a Republican John Kerry.

I find myself as a woman who relys on her income warming up to Mitt Romney he really cares and that means a lot to me.

The more I get to see Mitt, the more I find myself warming up to him.

If you're looking for journalistic integrity at CNN you're wasting your time. Every analyst agrees that Romney won the debate hands down and the only thing CNN can report is a comment taken out of context. This is a great example of "MAKING THE NEWS" not Reporting it. Shame on CNN.

In the context of his statement, he doesnt need to worry about the voters judging him negatively for caring enough to spend his own money. What he does worry about is that someone "on the stage" would use that information to twist his motives in the same way they have twisted this quote. He seems to be very wise in keeping strategy within the campaign. Surely spending is part of a candidates strategy.

Wow CNN, is that the best you can do to knock Romney? Pathetic.
There are so many good sound bites from Romney at the latest GOP debate and you came up with that baloney? Romney was, by far and away, the only convincing presidential candidate out there last night. While McCain is aging by the minute, Huck and Rudy fading fast, and Paul (what is there to say?)….Romney made the others look like the weak politicians they are. The guy has a brilliant mind (law AND business degrees from Harvard) and has a record to back up his words. And all this talk about pouring his own money into the campaign…the guy is putting his money where his mouth is and the more people that get the chance to listen to him, the more his popularity grows.

You're going to have to try a little harder than this lame rubbish to stop the surge for Romney!

… this from Mitt - the man who told us that he was a life-long hunter, that he saw his Daddy marching with MLK and that the dog really liked traveling on the top of the car - speaking in harsh tones about illegal immigrants while the same worked on his lawn.

Why do all the major NE newspapers, including the ultra-conservative NH Union Leader, and the MA Boston refuse to endorse "the governor" or "the neighbor?" ???

What has New England seen in Mitt?

His comment about voters was out of context , unscripted and probably one of the truest comments he's made in the past year. You want change? Vote for Mitt! He changes his policies every week or so…

Sorry the story left out something very important that Mitt included in his answer. Mitt also said that he does not owe anyone (lobbyist) any favors for giving him money.

Lobbyist - a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest; a member of a lobby.

Mitt is a Washington outsider unlike McCain so think about who really wants McCain to go against the Clintons. The answer is the dems, the media and the lobbyist.

Fortunately only republicans will have a voice in Florida next week and we will see who wins.

——–Ha, he spoke the truth——ha. The GOP has never been about the average American and they finally spoke the truth…….and don't worry haters, I read the whole story and he really does not care about me. No surprise here really!

You guys are so pathetic to put this on like this.
You are as bad as the Clintons, taking Mitt's words, leaving out the entire context and hoping that voters get ticked at him.
Shame on you!
It's the worst misuse of your skills yet, CNN!
Besides that, Mitt Romney clearly won this debate last night and there's nothing you can do but put this out-of-context comment as a headline?
I am through with you and am so glad that not everyone looks at these articles.
You are certainly trying to bury Romney alive and that is wrong wrong wrong!
Get a refresher course in ethics in reporting!

Funny…

Romney spends his own money to fund his run for pres. Edwards spends taxpayer's money for his run.

It's so odd how the media would rather beat up someone who spends more of his own money than someone who steals from the public for their own personal gain.

Maybe Russert should ask McCain and all the democrats this:
"Why not tell the voters of Florida and across the country how much of the country's wealth you are going to steal by funding ILLEGALS, so they can make a judgment and factor that into their own decision?"

Biased jerks.

CNN is no longer the "most trusted name in news" for me. I am so disappointed about the way they have tried to bring down Romney. You want to talk about negative campaigning just look at CNN vs ROMNEY. Very very disappointed in CNN.

Keep on going, Romney-bashing media. The more you bash, the more delegates he accrues and the higher he goes in the FL polls. You'd just hate to see him get the nomination, wouldn't ya'?

Why don't you dig a pit and watch someone fall into it so you can report about it. WHERE'S THE PROFESSIONALISM? COME ON!!!

Its probably because you support the Clinton tag team and know that Romney is the only reasonable chance the Republicans have in November. Ooh, ooh, I can't wait to have my taxes raised and send the economy into a quicker tailspin.

"Well, I'm not concerned about the voters," Mitt Romney said during Thursday’s presidential debate.

That alone is reason enough not to vote for this imbecile.

Let me be clear: I'd vote for Harpo Marx before I vote for Romney.

That said, why would you guys acknowledge that a comment of his sounds bad only out of context, and then use it out of context in a headline? At least you put it in context later, but once you do…there's no real news value. Are there like a dozen of you sharing one journalism degree?

Russett and the editing department;why, couldn't you ask a question that has to do with governing the united States? What difference ,to the american voters, does it make how much of his personal money he is spending? Why not stop the comedy act between McCain and Huckabee and pin them down to answering the questions? All of CNN political coverage has lost credibility. If Cafferty contiues to share the same stage as the oxymoron, best political team in, unfortunately, he will also loose his reputation. Please try to remember, Report the news ,do not tell me how to think.

Could someone please put this guy out of the race?

This kind of reporting illustrates what is bad about the media. Of everything that was said last night during the debate, this quote is the most insignificant one the media could have picked. It is a good thing Mitt Romney has monetary resources of his own because the media is certainly not giving him unbiased reporting. I think it is admirable that Mr. Romney is willing to spend so much of his own money to try to help the American people with regards to the economy. Think about it. When did it become a negative to be successful? I would rather vote for a person who has been successful in their job and has a proven track record of fixing a state economy.

I am really getting fed up with the media's reporting during the primaries. Everyone in the media is pushing John McCain. Probably because most newspaper/TV reporters are liberals. They want another Bob Dole to represent the Republican Party, so the Democrat can win in November. The media should stop reporting their opinions and stick with the facts.

What a misleading headline! Keep the quote in context people.

So who cares?

If nobody is donating to his campaign……then mabye that will be telling enough in itself.

I don't think he could pull off the primary if he's got no financial backing…it's like an instant litmus test of his popularity among the people.

I believe he is hopelessly outgunned by MOST other GOP candidates when it comes to Presidential stature…likeability, and trust.

ROMNEY MUST BE RELATED TO THE CLINTONS..

HE SOUNDS LIKE A LIAR AND HE SEEMS FAKE…HE WONT WIN THE NOMINATION

How dare Tim Russert ask Prince Mitt how much Prince Mitt is paying for the Presidency! Prince Mitt is not accustomed to revealing to the common people the price amounts of his purchases.

First of all, TB, FYI, McCain is not a democrat. Sheesh, if you don't know that why don't you keep your majorly uninformed opinions to yourself.

Secondly, I think a McCain/Romney or Romney/McCain ticket would be unbeatable. Although I prefer the first, I could vote for the second.
Romney obviously has the business skill and economic prowess to work on the economy while McCain has the foreign policy and military background to handle foreign affairs and diplomacy with an tough but even-handed approach.

I'm currently an undecided independent voter and, while not perfect, I believe that team may perhaps be the best ticket for this country at this time.

But, that's just me.

Of all the things Romney said last night, this is your take on the debate? CNN you are sad and pathetic. Mitt clearly won last nights debate, every pundit and even the viewers poll agreed.

This isn't fair, CNN. The context was about how much of HIS own money has he spent in running for president. Russert wanted him to let the voters know how much of HIS own money he spent. Romney was not releasing that info until the end of the month! That was the context! CNN, your headline is misleading and unfair

Romney just earned another $50 donation from me last night.

What a low road to take CNN….total distortion of what he said……….

Romney in 08 and Beyond!

go McCain… Romney probably can't beat Hillary. And I'm a Democrat (and Obama supporter)

I do not really support Romney.

And I am niether a Democrat or Republican….I despise both parties, but this headline and little article is completely misleading.

I actually agreed with the way Romney handled the fair yet tough question by Russert.

CNN should be ashamed to run this idiotic distortion.

Is that the scariest picture of Romney, or what? He looks like a cross between a vampire, a court jester and the Joker.

The image absolutely captures the disingenuous core of this corporate candidate for President.

I think the real question is why did Russert even ask that terrible question. No one would have asked Corzine that.

Russert was tactless last night. I thought another question to Giuliani was out of line regarded his dip in the polls and I didn't like the way he phrased the question to Huckabee about his religion making others feel queasy.

C'mon, even Clinton knows that you gotta lie when it comes to being concerned about the voters.

CNN - you're pathetic. What a pitiful excuse of journalism here. I hope you go off the air and never come back. I'll never watch your sorry-excuse-for-a-news-channel AGAIN! Do you think the American people are this stupid, that they can't see through your glaring bias!

I'm concerned about where he gets all his money. The race doesn't seem fair when one man can outspend everybody else. Sure, he cleaned up companies and made lots of money for himself and a select few, but what about all the people that came under his 'CUTS'. I'm not convinced his brand of economics - that makes some people wealthy at the expense of everybody else - is good for our country. When will he answer the question of where his money has really come from?

This is the guy who has our own thank god fomer senater talent who did nothing in his years of substance he said in NH that he is no longher a senater because of unfortunate circumstance ya right all he did for us was a 1.2 million doller rock with the ten commandments! and play golf ny times hit him on the nose. hillary

This was the easiest and most boring debate I have seen. Ever! Nobody but Ron Paul stood out. And this Ronald Reagan crap has got to stop. Maybe they should mummify Ronald Reagan and bring him out and prop him up in a shrine.

This was not a debate.

The republicans will only bring, MORE OF THE SAME.

Romney's comment, whether in or out of context, typifies why as a Republican I could never vote for him. He is arrogant and totally without a core or true conviction. Romney has always said whatever he needs to say to garner votes He cares only about winning and nothing for the people he claims to represent. John McCain is the best candidate for the Republican party. I predict that if either Romney or Huckabee is the Republican candidate, Republicans will support Hillary.

Mitt Romney is a two-bit, arrogant liar who is going nowhere fast. He does, however, seem to have a great deal of support from sociopaths and faux-news types, which probably explains why he spends so much time pandering to these loonies.

Mark, Tampa, FL January 25, 2008 12:03 am ET

Romney won the debate, he'll win Florida and he'll win the nomination.

And if he does, he'll lose big-time to whoever wins the Democratic nomination.

why does russert think voters need that information to factor into their decision. I vote for someone based on their stand on issues, not how much money they have.

We've had sixteen years of this kind of arrogance. We don't any more!

Mitt, the truth comes out!!! Face it, Romney is a great looking but plastic politician who will say anything to get elected. Just remember how he pandered to the Michigan voters. Like he could really bring back the traditional jobs that that state is losing. But, hey, he will probably win the nomination.

Too bad more Republicans don't realize that McCain is an authentic American hero who thinks independently every once in a while. Romney has never been through anything compared to what McCain survived while staying in the Hanoi Hilton.
Go John McCain!!

Man, the irrationality of conservatives shows through so well here.

CNN put this in context, as did the other ten news outlets who reported this same story simultaneously because everyone had the exact same reaction: We know exactly what he meant to say, but it sure didn't sound right and opponents could easily exploit this statment out of context and make him look really bad. Conservatives, liberals, etc., all caught it, and all have been looking at it frm this perspective, and I have yet to see anyone actually use it as an attack by taking it out of context. Chill out and actually take some ime to read articles rather than irrationally lashing out with ad hominem attacks on supposed bias.

Romney, as stated by most columnists, was the better candidate last night for his answers and poise. McCain had only to list a number of people to consult about the economy. Clearly he was out of touch on the financial questions. Romney projected himseld like having a better grasp about how business, and government work. McCain had my supoort, not now. You cannot say that the US will be 100 years in Iraq. It did not work in Vietnam, get it McCain?

Romney's record on hiring minorities in his campaign and in his state house is absymal. His open hostility towards African Americans and that peculiar incident with the incoming Governor Duval Patrick plays very well in the South. That makes him the perfect Republican nominee and probably the odds on favorite to win the Presidency.

I am very surprised there are alot Romney supporters bashing CNN and claimed they do not trust CNN and CNN is biased. As it maybe, why the heck the same group of people come back again and again to read CNN. No one is forcing you to logon to CNN and certainly no one is forcing you to read the articles.

Yes, this is CNN and is FREE press in the USA last time I checked… If you do not like it you have choices…

Romney is arrogant and a weirdo .. enough said.

None of the others disclosed how much money they've spent on their camps either. It's like wearing night visions goggles. Why would you wanna give your opponent logistical info to use against you other than at the prescribed and mandated time. The element of others not knowing how much and when or where your've used this money, might force a miscalculation by one of them to your advantage.
Vote romney for responsible immigration and economics…

CNN is pathetic. Very slanted to print this as a headline. I believe "The Onion " more than CNN.

Shame on CNN for making this a headline.

Romney has good competitive reasons for not releasing that figure. The fact that he has put a lot of his own money into this race shows just what an honorable man he is. He could live comfortably the rest of his life on his wealth and he has chosen to contribute what will undoubtedly be a significant portion of it for the greater good, the voters…. What more honorable use?

Yes, that's right, Republicans. Defend Romney from this onslaught of negative press. Defend him well, and vote for him in your primaries. Hillary will grind him into a fine powder in the general election. I can't wait.

If he had said, "I will let them know what was spent according to the law," and nothing else, that would have been fine. To say in any way, in context or not, that he was not concerned with the voters, that show little regard for the system. I don't care if it provides the other candidates with a tatical advantage, it would have shown how much honesty you had by revealing the number. Besides, there is less than a week to the Florida primary. How could the other candidates get another ad made and on the air to counter yours?

I caught this remark last night and thought it was a terrible answer.
Kind of like when he said "I'd first check with my lawyers" when asked in a previous debate what he would do if there was an another attack.
Mitt Romney is trying to buy the nomination. I think he stinks for America.

It is a scary proposition that a man might be able to buy the White House. Romney is just what we need, another puppet for business coupled with subservience to the Mormon Church.

How anyone would try to defend romney is in itself a joke. He is nothing more than a snake oil salesman; romney has told you everything you want to hear, when you want to hear it; and if it doesn't play well, he'll simply just say say what works best in the polls. Eg., Pro ABORTION? -Nah, pro-life seems to get you more voters these days -I'm pro-life, and always have been!!!. "I'm a hunter! -I have been all my life!!" I joined the NRA, like, a month ago!!! -see? -I'm just like you!! -vote for me!!! I don't have any lobbyists in My campaign -other than that guy who is in charge of everyone in my campaign … but he's not involved in the day to day operations!! I have more money than everyone campaigning -See? I'm just like all of you voters !!! -I know exactly what's good for you!!!.
How can you not feel ill watching this fraud talk ??? You can fool all of the people some of the time -but how/if this creep is fooling anyone at Any point is really a sad statement about out current affairs and politics. What ever happened to critical thinking and instincts in this country??
It's not that the Dem's are so great; It's just after the last 7 years of such awful 'leadership' and rampant republican corruption, how can you not see through this for what it is?? -Have'nt you had enough of these people -yet???

I was starting to pay more attention to CNN since it seemed more "fair and balanced" this political season, but, I may have to rethink that and find my information elsewhere. By my quoting Fox News Channel you may think I watch them all the time. That's not true either.

I guess I watch CNBC more than anything - at least they talk about issues that matter to the public and have both sides on for interviews in a more objective way.

You guys should be ashamed lifting a quote like that out of context (and you bumped this post from last night). I guess all I have to say now is,

After what we have endured with the Bush administration and considering that all the Republican candidates are essentially Bush clones how can anyone seriously consider voting for any of these candidates in the genreal election. Haven't we suffered enough?

Yes, it's a terrible sound bite, but geez, this is about as lame an attempt at telling a non-story as I've ever seen.

I personally think Mitt Romney would be a lousy President because he stands for whatever will give him power and tells the voters what they want to hear, not what they should hear or what he truly believes in (if anything). I'm a liberal Democrat and my candidate is Barack Obama.

All that being said, I think this is shady journalism, at best. I was watching the debates and it was clear that what Romney was saying was that he wasn't concerned about revealing his personal expenditures to the voters of Florida as much as he was to his opponents.

This kind of sound bite, shotgun approach to telling a story is, in large part, why we've had 7 painful years of the Bush Administration, a quagmire in Iraq and are now sliding into a recession. Do journalists even want to tell a story anymore or do they prefer to just tell whatever slanted story they can that will whip the American Conscious into a frenzy.

CNN should try to be just a slight bit above this childish pursuit and avoid publishing non-stories like this. It doesn't do the candidates, the process or the American people any good.

If Romney really cared about the voters (the people), he would spend his money on charitable causes, community causes, not on himself to put himself in power.

Bill Gates just gave three hundred million for farming development in underdeveloped nations. Romney should quit the campaign and give the money away to the people who need it.

Then I would believe he has faith.

Why do so many continue to equate CNN with the liberal side, when it has clearly gone over to covering news like FOX in other words little truth, and run by the entertainment division of thier respective companies. Ted Turner has repeatedly stated that he should have never sold CNN, which has fallen into the grip of Time Warner who gave 1.6 million to GWB's 2000 campaign. It's not liberal rhetoric or taking themes out of context. Tthe news industry as a whole is controlled by the conservative side regardless of what Limbaugh,O'Reilly, and Hannity try to claim as the Main Stream Media what a joke!