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•罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)曾将美国称为“劳动者vs不劳而获者”的国度，给他的总统竞选帮了倒忙。对不支付联邦所得税的那47%的美国人不屑一顾，不仅在政治策略上有失妥当，在政策上也自相矛盾。不过，有令人鼓舞的迹象显示，共和党领导人已经开始反思它的“造反式”风格。帮助美国社会重新打通向上流动的通道，曾是共和党的宏伟目标。如果犹他州茶党(Tea Party)参议员迈克•李(Mike Lee)和罗姆尼的竞选伙伴保罗•瑞安(Paul Ryan)等保守派打算重举这个旗帜，他们应该受到鼓励。