President Barack Obama declared that the occupant of theWhite House must "work for everyone, not just for some," jabbing backat Republican rival Mitt Romney's jarring statement that as a candidate, hedoesn't worry about the 47 percent of the country that pays no income taxes.
Romney neither disavowed nor apologized for his remarks,which included an observation that nearly half of the country believe they arevictims and entitled to a range of government support. Instead, Romney cast hiscomment as evidence of a fundamental difference with Obama over the economy,adding the U.S. government should not "take from some to give to theothers."
The sluggish economy and lingering high unemployment are byfar the overriding issues of the election, and Romney's case for the presidencyis based on his claim that his success as a businessman has left him the skillsneeded to create jobs in a nation where unemployment is 8.1 percent.
Obama and the Democrats have tried to counter by depicting thepresident's challenger as a multimillionaire who has some of his wealthinvested in the Cayman Islands and elsewhere overseas, and is out of touch withthe needs of middle class Americans.
As the rivals sparred with seven weeks remaining in a closerace for the White House, two Republican Senate candidates publicly disavowedRomney's remarks, caught on videotape at a fundraiser. Republican officialsopenly debated the impact that a series of controversies would have on theparty's prospects of winning the presidency.
Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, said the Republicanpresidential nominee was "obviously inarticulate" in trying to makehis point. Ryan told KRNV-TV in Reno, Nevada, "The point we're trying tomake here is, under the Obama economy, government dependency is up and economicstagnation is up."
Top Republicans in Congress declined through aides to offertheir reaction to Romney's remarks — just as they generally refrained fromcommenting a week ago when he issued a statement that inaccurately accused theObama administration of giving comfort to demonstrators after they breached theU.S. Embassy in Cairo.
While the Romney campaign has been promoting its fundraisingprowess for months, it acknowledged that it had borrowed $20 million before theRepublican national convention to boost its cash flow as it waited to begintapping its general election funds. Under law, that money wouldn't be availableuntil Romney was officially nominated.
The Romney campaign confirmed Tuesday night that it took outthe loan in August, using its general election accounts as collateral. TheNational Review Online first reported the loan.
The most recent controversy in a campaign filled with themwas ignited by the emergence of a videotape, made last May, in which Romneytold donors at a fundraiser that 47 percent of Americans pay no income taxes.They "believe the government has a responsibility to care for them ...believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you nameit. That that's an entitlement."
He said, "I'll never convince them they should takepersonal responsibility and care for their lives."
In a next-day interview on Fox, the network of choice forconservatives, Romney said he didn't intend to write off any part of a deeplydivided electorate, including seniors who are among those who often pay notaxes. Instead, he repeatedly sought to reframe his remarks as a philosophicaldifference of opinion between himself and Obama.
"I'm not going to get" votes from Americans who believegovernment's job is to redistribute wealth,' he said, adding that was somethingObama believes in.
He also said he wants to be president so he can helphard-pressed Americans find work and earn enough so they become incometaxpayers.
Romney didn't say so, but the U.S. income tax is designed tobe progressive, so those who earn the most theoretically pay the most. Throughprograms as diverse as Social Security, Medicare, health care and food stamps,the government collects tax revenue and pays it out in the form of benefits forthose who qualify.
Obama responded during an appearance on the David Lettermanshow.
"One thing I've learned as president is that yourepresent the entire country," he said. As for Romney's statement aboutthe 47 percent, he said, "There are not a lot of people out there whothink they are victims" or simply entitled.
At the same time, his Democratic campaign released a new adsaying that if Romney wins the White House, he might seek the elimination of aseries of tax breaks used by millions of middle class Americans. "MittRomney, he's so focused on big business and tax cuts for the wealthy, it seemslike his answers to middle class America are just tough luck," says awoman in the commercial.
For his part, Romney referred to videotaped comments Obamamade in 1998 as evidence he favored government redistribution of wealth. As anIllinois state senator at the time, Obama said he believes in it "at leastto a certain level to make sure everybody's got a shot."
Privately, some Republicans were harshly critical ofRomney's most recent comments and his overall campaign to date, saying he hadfrittered away opportunities. They also noted that with early voting alreadyunder way in some states, the time to recover was smaller than might appear.
Linda McMahon, the Republican candidate for a Senate seat inConnecticut, was open with her criticism. "I disagree with GovernorRomney's insinuation that 47 percent of Americans believe they are victims whomust depend on the government for their care," she said in a statementposted to her website.
Sen. Scott Brown, in a tough race for re-election in heavilyDemocratic Massachusetts, said of Romney's comments: "That's not the way Iview the world."
Still, with high-profile presidential debates and sevenweeks of campaigning yet ahead, others said those concerns were overstated.
"I don't expect the negative headlines of this weekwill be what we're talking about a week from now," said Fergus Cullen, theformer Republican state chairman in New Hampshire and a close ally of Romney.Like other Republicans, he said, "It's incumbent on the Romney campaign tomake it (the election) about Obama's handling of the economy."
In recent days, Republicans have grumbled that Romney neededto sharpen his appeal to struggling middle class Americans by stating moreclearly what he would do as president to help them. That effort began overnightwith a new ad designed to appeal to female voters.
The new controversy blazed as opinion polls suggested that anarrow lead Obama gained nationally and in some key battleground states in thewake of the Democratic National Convention might be ebbing.
Obama and the Democrats have tried to counter by depictingthe president's challenger as a multimillionaire who has some of his wealthinvested in the Cayman Islands and elsewhere overseas, and is out of touch withthe needs of middle class Americans.
In his original reaction to the video, posted by theleft-leaning magazine Mother Jones, Romney told reporters Monday night that hisfundraising remarks were "not elegantly stated." But he offered noapologies and did not answer directly when asked if he felt he had offendedanyone.
He also called for the release of the entire video, ratherthan selected clips, and Mother Jones did so Tuesday afternoon.
By then, the magazine had already posted another excerpt inwhich Romney offered an unvarnished assessment of the chances for peace in theMiddle East. "The Palestinians have no interest whatsoever in establishingpeace," and "the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable toaccomplish," he said.
"You hope for some degree of stability, but yourecognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem," he said,"and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow,something will happen and resolve it."
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said thePalestinians were ready for peace based on the 1967 borders, a two-statesolution and stopping settlement activities.
"We think that these statements are part of theelection campaign, but unfortunately, it will not help the peace process, butrather, will strengthen the voices of extremism and the voices of those whorefuse to reach a two-state solution," Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdenehsaid in a statement.
On another topic, he also noted that his father was born inMexico and suggested humorously that "I'd have a better shot at winningthis" if George Romney had been born to Mexican parents. "But he wasunfortunately born to Americans living in Mexico. ... And I say that jokingly,but it would be helpful to be Latino."