Sununu: Obama Won Because He Turned Out Voters ‘Dependent’ On Government

Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu (R), the irascible TV face of Mitt Romney’s campaign, told a Granite State audience Tuesday that President Obama won reelection thanks to a base that’s “dependent, to a great extent economically, on government policy and government programs.”

That puts Sununu squarely in the “gifts” caucus, the group of Republicans who — like Romney himself — believe Obama’s coalition is formed by people who want handouts rather than the self-sufficient, individualistic base that they envision as the GOP base. In the wake of the Republican losses across the country last month, the party has split over the “gifts” idea, with some former Romney surrogates and officials dismissing the notion and others, like Sununu, embracing it.