Romney speaks during campaign rally on October 4, 2012 in Fishersville, Virginia/AFP
The admission came amid a campaign reset that shocked Democrat Barack Obama at Wednesday’s debate, in which his invigorated rival for the White House vowed to fight for middle class families that Romney said were being “crushed” by the president’s policies.
“Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you are going to say something (that) doesn’t come out right,” Romney told Fox News late on Thursday.
“In this case, I said something that’s just completely wrong. I absolutely believe, however, that my life has shown that I care about the 100 percent.”
The video released last month by the liberal Mother Jones website showed Romney, in a closed-door gathering with wealthy donors, saying that 47 percent of Americans paid no income taxes, viewed themselves as victims and would vote for Obama in order to keep getting government handouts.
Romney admitted when the remarks surfaced in mid-September that they were “not elegantly stated”, but he slid in the polls leading many to wonder if the video had torpedoed his years-long quest for the presidency.
But on Wednesday an energized Romney delivered a surprisingly strong performance in the first of three presidential debates opposite a listless Obama, injecting new momentum into his campaign ahead of the November 6 vote.
To the surprise of many supporters, Obama did not mention the “47 percent” remarks during the debate.
“Clearly in a campaign with hundreds if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you are going to say something (that) doesn’t come out right” – Romney.
On Thursday Obama went on the attack at big rallies in Colorado and Wisconsin, delivering the verbal blows he missed the previous night and trying to prevent his Republican opponent from gaining a boost in the polls.
– ‘Real Mitt Romney’ –
The president beseeched voters not to be duped by the suave debater seen by 67 million television viewers, but to focus on the “real Mitt Romney” who he said promised tax cuts for the rich and cared little for teachers.
“If you want to be president, you owe the American people the truth,” a fired-up Obama told supporters anxious not to see him fritter away his opinion poll lead with less than five weeks to go before election day.
Obama aides admitted that they needed to take a hard look at their strategy before the next debate on October 16, but accused Romney of flagrant distortions that made it hard to pin him down during the debate.
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