THIS BOOK—AND THIS story—would not exist were it not for the gutsy actions of one person. I thank him profoundly and hope that one day many others will, too.
I am deeply indebted to James Carter for his diligent pursuit of the source for the Romney fundraising video and for introducing the two of us. It was a consequential hook-up.
I am grateful to Henry Ferris, my sharp-eyed editor at William Morrow, and Gail Ross, my ever-loyal agent (and friend). Both helped to conceive this project—and pushed me to do it.
At Mother Jones, breaking the 47 percent story was a group effort. I thank all my colleagues there for the hard work they provided to make it a success—and the camaraderie they supply every day. The full Romney fundraiser video, a transcript of Romney’s remarks, my original reporting on the video, and other related material can be found at MotherJones.com. Portions of this book were adapted from articles I first posted at MotherJones.com.
Finally, as always, I thank my family—Welmoed, Maaike, and Amarins—for their support and love.