(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY NIELS SCHACK NORGAARD

Mitt Romney was forced to clarify a controversial remark Wednesday morning.

First -- to the remark. Speaking to CNN’s Soledad O’Brien Wednesday morning, Romney said he isn’t concerned with very poor Americans.

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich. They are doing just fine.”

Only the night before, Romney won a crucial state -- Florida -- with 46 percent of the vote, beating rival Newt Gingrich by 14 points. But Wednesday morning, he was having to explain his remarks. Speaking with reporters while on a flight, The LA Times quotes him as saying:
 

”The area that I think is the greatest challenge that the country faces right now is not to focus our effort on how we help the poor, as much as to focus our effort on how to help the middle class in America, and get more people in the middle class, and get people out of being poor and becoming middle income.”


Even with the clarification -- The Hill’s A.B. Stoddard tells MSNBC Romney’s initial statement shows a big disconnect with most Americans.


”They will find all of this very hard to understand. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to do the right thing for the middle class and create more opportunities for economic growth. It just sounds like he doesn’t care about them at all.”


Yet Romney was defended by Derek Thompson, a senior editor at The Atlantic:


”Democrats are squealing in delight that the fabulously rich GOP frontrunner has ostensibly admitted ... he doesn't care about the poor. The line is tailor-made to be taken out of context, but if you read closely, Romney is absolutely not saying he has no regard for the very poor. He's saying he believes that the safety net we have is sufficient to protect them.”


And as Romney prepares for Saturday’s caucus in Nevada, Fox News’ political correspondent Carl Cameron predicts even though Romney explained himself, the issue will stick.

”It plays to the notion that he is a rich, out-of-touch Wall Street businessman elitist. And the Romney campaign and the Governor himself worked hard on the airplane to try to knock that down but he will deal with it for some time.”