Falstaff for president

Not really much of a point here -- just a rhythmic rhyme triggered by "listening" to Mitt Romney on the printed page. Here he is explaining why he's not concerned about the poor:

We have a very ample safety net, and we can talk about whether it needs to be strengthened or whether there are holes in it. But we have food stamps. We have Medicaid. We have housing vouchers. We have programs to help the poor.

And here is that old fraud Falstaff, puffed up by momentary good fortune and the victorious young Prince Harry's favor, invoking the 'safety net' circa 1400 (or circa 1600, in Shakespeare's England):

What! a young knave, and begging! Is there not wars? is there not employment? doth not the king lack subjects? do not the rebels need soldiers?  (Henry IV part 2, I.ii.)

Given Romney's mindless foreign policy posturing, his actual provision for the poor may have something in common with Falstaff's, as well as his unconcern.

It's interesting too that Romney thinks that the 90-95% of Americans he credits with being middle class have no concern with food stamps (45.8 million recipients, approximately 15% of the population) or Medicaid (48.6 million people, 15.9%, including one third of all U.S. children -- and 60% of nursing home residents).  No indication of any awareness of the connection between education and poverty, or housing segregation and poverty, or even, cf. Santorum, cultural habits and poverty.