Mitt Romney: I Lost Because Of Obama’s ‘Gifts’ To Minorities

Mitt Romney has finally broken the silence on his 2012 election loss, telling his top campaign donors on Wednesday that “the gifts” President Obama had extended to minority voters earned him a second term.

In a campaign donor call, Mitt Romney expressed his disappointment in President Obama’s re-election, saying that neither he nor his top aides expected to lose, reports the LA Times. He said that his own team ran a “superb” campaign with “no drama,” chalking up Obama’s win to “the gifts” the administration had given to blacks, Hispanics, and young voters throughout his first term.

Romney said that Obama’s healthcare coverage promise to voters making $25,000 to $35,000 was “highly motivational” to those voters as well as other minority voters. He also said that the Obama administrations efforts to depict Romney as “anti-immigrant” were successful and that his promise of “amnesty” to children of illegal immigrants helped him with the Hispanic vote.

“The president’s campaign,” he said, “focused on giving targeted groups a big gift — so he made a big effort on small things. Those small things, by the way, add up to trillions of dollars.”

Romney continued: “I am very sorry that we didn’t win. I know that you expected to win. We expected to win…. It was very close, but close doesn’t count in this business.”

The former GOP candidate said that he’d “gotten beat up pretty bad” following the primaries, and his first presidential debate rebound wasn’t enough.

He also said that he wants to keep the donor team connected somehow, “so we can stay informed and have influence on the direction of the party, and perhaps the selection of a future nominee.”

“Which, by the way,” Romney laughed, “will not be me.”

Do you think Mitt Romney is right about why he lost the 2012 election?