Talk:Scott Prouty

Scott Prouty is the videographer behind the "47% Video" released in September 2012 which exposed a controversial speech given by former presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a campaign fundraiser earlier that year. Prouty, a bartender at the event, worked with David Corn of Mother Jones to go public with the video while remaining anonymous until March 2013.

Recording the Video
As a bartender at Mitt Romney's 2012 fundraising event in Florida, Scott Prouty decided to record the guest of honor for the sake of sharing Romney's speech with those who couldn't afford the $50,000 per plate buy in. Prouty admits that he was a registered independent, but after hearing a number of controversial statements made by Romney, Prouty was disgruntled and felt an obligation to share his video. Although he hesitated to release this video out of fear of consequent media and legal backlash, Prouty eventually contacted David Corn, Washington bureau chief at Mother Jones, who released the video while protecting Prouty's identity.

In his first public interview on March 13, 2013 with Ed Schultz for The Ed Schultz Show, Prouty shared his feelings about releasing the video, saying he felt like it was, "my duty to make sure as many people heard it as possible." Prouty reports that he was especially disturbed by Romney's unsympathetic description of a Chinese factory which he toured on behalf of Bain Capital.

When asked why he hadn't exposed himself sooner, Prouty responded that he initially feared the backlash from the right wing but eventually decided to remain anonymous because he "...wanted [Romney's] words to be the absolute center of attention..."

Controversial Statements of the 47 Percent Video
Scott Prouty's footage of the Romney fundraiser, which came to be known as the "47% Video", exposed several controversial statements made by Romney.

Criticisms of American Public
The most widely propagated and criticized statements included Romney making unflattering characterizations of nearly half of U.S. citizens. The video documents Romney expressing that he was not concerned about the "47 percent of people who will vote for the president no matter what...who are dependent on government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, you name it." Romney goes on to say, "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."

Romney's Description of Chinese Factory
During his speech at the fundraiser, Romney recounted a time he toured a Global-Tech small appliances factory in China which he was considering purchasing on behalf of Bain Capital. Romney speaks incredulously about the young women working there, their working hours and conditions, and the extremely small sleeping quarters and facilities where the women were allowed on their time off. He goes on to share his positive reaction to finding out that the barbed-wire fences and armed guards surrounding the factory are intended to keep people out because of how desirable these jobs are to the lines of women at the gate who are looking for work.

Prouty describes his discomfort with Romney's account, stating that he spoke with a "complete lack of empathy" and was disturbed that Romney's tone suggested that he "[came] away with a really good feeling about it..." According to Prouty, it was this segment that bothered him the most, specifically because of its stark contrast with Romney's campaign rhetoric regarding job creation.

Prouty's Heroic Past
In September of 2005, Scott Prouty was working at a car dealership in Florida when he heard a car had driven into a nearby canal in the Everglades. Prouty and a few others hurried to the scene where Prouty proceeded to dive into alligator-infested water where, with help from his former co-workers, he cut the seatbelt off of the driver and pulled her to shore. Upon hearing that the woman may have been driving with a child, Prouty repeatedly dove back into the water surrounding the car in search for the child. Thankfully, the woman had been driving alone that day.

Prouty and his colleagues were later honored by the city for saving the woman in the accident (although his name was misspelled as "Proudly").

Support from United Steelworkers
When asked by Ed Schultz on The Ed Show during his March 13, 2013 interview what he would be doing next, Prouty mentioned briefly that had been talking with the President of United Steelworkers, Leo Gerard. The next day the Huffington Post reported that Prouty would be joined United Steelworkers, and included a comment from Gerard saying "He's going to come work for us... We're going to sit down and talk. He has lots of skills, and we'll try to put him in a place where he can use the skills he's got."