In new TV ad, Romney tries to undo damage of ’47 percent’ comment

WESTERVILLE, Ohio—Mitt Romney released a new television ad Wednesday aimed at curbing the fallout from his secretly taped comment at a fundraiser that 47 percent of the country has a "victim" mentality and is dependent on the government.

Speaking directly to the camera for nearly a minute, the Republican presidential candidate offers an appeal to middle-class Americans, insisting his policies will help those in the country who are struggling.

"President Obama and I both care about poor and middle-class families. The difference is my policies will make things better for them," Romney tells viewers.

He says "too many Americans" are living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to find work in the current economy and insists Barack Obama's policies have made it harder for the country to recover. Repeating a line he says frequently on the stump, Romney claims "more Americans are living in poverty" today than when Obama first took office.

"We shouldn't measure compassion by how many people are on welfare. We should measure compassion by how many people are able to get off welfare and get a good-paying job," Romney says, vowing he will "lift families out of poverty" and strengthen the middle class.

The Romney campaign declined to say how much it is spending on the ad or where it will air. It's Romney's first direct-to-camera ad so far this campaign.