Was Romney Right About the 47 Percent?

A secret video obtained by Mother Jones magazine has rocked the political world.

In that video, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said 47 percent of Americans believe they are victims, are dependent on the government and will never vote for him. He went further, saying he wasn't worried about them.

The magazine released a portion of the video Monday.

In a late night press conference Monday, Romney said the comments were not "elegantly stated," but were part of a larger conversation about the role of personal responsibility.

Romney went on to say the comments were a reflection on "the political process of winning an election, and, of course, I want to help all Americans—all Americans—have a bright and prosperous future."

Mother Jones later released the full video.

In a campaign fundraising appearance in Atlanta Wednesday, Romney continued to defend the outline of his argument—that too many Americans are dependent on government—while vowing to find alternatives to what Democratic President Barack Obama is offering: 

“The question of this campaign is not who cares about the poor and middle class. I do, he does. The question is who can help the poor and middle class. I can, he can’t, he couldn’t in four years.”

Does the video show Romney's true feelings or was this an out-of-context snippet? Tell us in the comments.

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