Romney Defends Comments Made In Secret Recording

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Candidates have 48 days left until the November election.

In the race for President, Mitt Romney is standing by controversial comments he made in a secretly recorded video. Romney is trying to regaining footing after taking heat because of comments he made during a fundraiser last spring.

The secretly recorded video shows Romney telling donors that 47 percent of Americans will vote for the President no matter what because they believe they're entitled to government help.

"There are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are the victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them," Romney said in the recording.

The video was released online by the Liberal magazine Mother Jones. We've learned former President Jimmy Carter's grandson was the middleman between the magazine and the person who took the video.

Tuesday night, President Obama was on the 'Late Show with David Letterman' on WCCO-TV Channel 4. Here's what the President said about Romney's comment.

"When I won in 2008, 47 percent of the American people voted for John McCain. They didn't vote for me and what I said on election night was even though you didn't vote for me, I hear your voices and I'm going to work as hard as I can to be your President," Obama told Letterman.

Romney, meanwhile, is defending what he said. He spoke to Fox News, telling voters the election is a choice between big government and personal responsibility.

"We were talking about a campaign and how he is going to get close to half the vote. I'm going to get half the vote. I hope I will get 50.1 percent or more. Frankly, we have two different views about America," Romney said.

President Obama and Romney will debate their views of America soon. Their first debate is two weeks from now, Wednesday Oct. 3rd.