Mitt Romney’s failed bid for president did net him one victory—though not the one he was hoping for.
Yale Law School released its seventh annual list of the year’s most notable quotations, and coming in at number one is Romney’s infamous 47 percent comment.
The former Massachusetts’ governor’s campaign was rocked back in September when Mother Jones published a secretly recorded video of Romney at a May fundraiser, declaring that 47 percent of the population is made up of people who believe they are “victims,” and are “dependent on government.”
Despite his efforts to apologize and insist that he does care about 100 percent of Americans, Romney never fully recovered from his politically disastrous remark. The rest, as they say, is history.
Romney also took the Number 2 spot in the list, with his tone-deaf assertion that, as Massachusetts governor, he received “binders full of women” as potential candidates for jobs in his administration. The line became an instant internet sensation.
Here is the full list of Yale Law’s top 10 quotes for 2012:
1. Mitt Romney, “47 percent,” May 17“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what … who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims. … These are people who pay no income tax. … and so my job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
2. Mitt Romney, “Binders full of women,” Oct. 16“We took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet (in Massachusetts). I went to a number of women’s groups and said, “Can you help us find folks?” and they brought us whole binders full of women.”
3. President Obama, “You didn’t build that,” July 13“If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that.”
4. Obama’s lead-in to Romney’s inaccurate accusation that the president did not call the Libya attack an act of terrorism, Oct. 16“Please proceed, Governor.”
5. Obama, “Horses and bayonets,” Oct. 22“You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military has changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.”
6. Todd Akin, U.S. senate candidate from Missouri, “Legitimate rape,” Aug. 19“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”
7. Romney senior campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom, “Etch A Sketch,” March 21“You hit a reset button for the fall campaign; everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again.” 8. Jill Kelley in a 911 call about the media crews outside her home when news broke of her involvement in the scandal over the resignation of CIA director David Petraeus, Nov. 11“I’m an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability.” 9. South Korean rapper PSY’s musical sensation“Oppan Gangnam style.” 10. (3-way tie) Ben Bernanke, “Fiscal cliff,” Feb. 29“Under current law, on January 1st, 2013, there is going to be a massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases.” Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Nov. 21“I care more about my country than I do about a 20-year-old pledge.” Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey on Hurricane Sandy and presidential politics, Oct. 30“I have a job to do. … If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics, then you don’t know me.” msnbc political analysts David Corn of Mother Jones and Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post weighed in on the top quotes of the year on Monday’s Hardball. Click the video above to see.
Emma Margolin
Emma Margolin is a reporter at MSNBC.com. Recommended
