We begin with Mitt Romney’s attempt at making his now famous 47% remark, 100% less damaging as new strategy, according to CNN’s Gloria Borger will be in part to, quote, personalize his economic message. And here’s how it’s playing out. 

 

It’s a campaign about the 100% and over the last several years, you’ve seen greater and greater divisiveness in this country. We had hoped to come back together, but instead you’ve seen us pull apart and politics has driven us apart in some respects, so my campaign is about the 100% of America, and I’m concerned about them. 

 

That’s Mitt Romney yesterday talking to Latino voters in Miami. No doubt that 100% pledge inserted because of the now famous or infamous depending on how you look at it, video secretly shot at that $50,000 a plate fundraiser. 

 

Well, there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitle to health care to food, to housing, to, you name it. But that’s an entitlement. That the government should give it and they will vote for this president no matter what. 

 

All right, that was then. This is now. Since the tape bit Mr. Romney has taken pains to say he wasn’t really talking about those in that 47% who don’t pay federal income taxes because they’re seniors or serving in the military. He does however seem to be talking about welfare recipients and people on food stamps and other forms of government assistance. Keeping Them Hones, though, he’s now making at least one exception for people who fall into that category, people like his parents. 

 

 

They came back to the United States and my dad had to get help, financial help, the government helped his family to be able to get on their feet again. By the way, we, that’s the way America works. 

 

There is also video from back when George Romney was running for office and facing charges that he was wealthy and simply out of touch. This is Mitt Romney’s mother, Lenore, back in 1962.

 

You know, we’ve only owned our home for the last four years. He was a refugee from Mexico. He was on relief, welfare relief for the first years of his life, but his great country gave him opportunities. 

 

Mitt Romney’s mom talking about how her husband’s family was on government relief when he was a child, so will disclosures like that, Governor Romney’s own father benefited from a program that the son has characterized as populated by, quote, victims, help the Romney campaign reboot, or will it further knock him off message? Mark McKinnon is a conservative who’s been sharply critical of Mitt Romney on this issue. He’s also is a former top campaign advisor to George W Bush and John McCain, currently writes for The Daily Beast, also with us chief political analyst Gloria Borger and Alice Stewart, former spokeswoman for Santorum and Bachmann 2012 presidential campaigns. Mark, let’s start with you. Right after the Romney fundraising tape came out, you said you weren’t too happy with what the campaign was revealing about Mitt Romney. You’ve seen how he’s responded over the past few days, talking about his own family’s experience with government assistance, for example, telling people he wants to represent the 100%. Are you happy with the way he’s address the situation?

 

Well, Wolf, it’s an improvement. It’s been 48 hours now without a gaffe, without another new tape so that’s a good sign. The thing that strikes me that’s interesting about the campaign is that, you know, Romney’s goal in this campaign was to make it a referendum on Obama. Obama’s goal was to make it a choice and oddly now it’s become a referendum on Romney. Soyou know, 

 

all the focus now is on Romney and who he is. Now the upside for that for Romney is he has an opportunity to reveal his vision, his goals, his policies in a way that we really haven’t heard before because I think now he realizes and the campaign realizes that it can’t just be a referendum on Obama, he now has to fill in the story, and that’s got to be part of their strategy.