(Image source: Romney campaign photo )

BY CHRISTINA HARTMAN

This is what you call trying to take back the message:

MITT ROMNEY, VIA WNEP : “My campaign is about the 100% in America. And I am concerned about them."

MITT ROMNEY, VIA WTOP : “The question of this campaign is not who cares about the poor and the middle class? I do. He does.
The question is who can help the poor and the middle class? I can. He can’t!”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

His campaign has been dogged by the publication of secretly-recorded video of him speaking at a private fundraiser to a group of wealthy donors:

“47 percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn’t connect.”

He said 47% of Americans believe they’re victims and will vote for Obama no matter what — and that as a candidate, it wasn’t his job to worry about them, but to instead focus on the persuadable middle. He’s since called his words “inelegant” but it didn’t do much to tamp down the media cycle.

So will his numerous clarifications Wednesday that his campaign is about 100 percent of Americans help?

Well that depends on what he’s actually trying to fix.

The latest Gallup/USAToday poll finds Democrats by a majority were less likely to support the candidate because of the leaked video.

But they weren’t likely to vote for him anyway. What’s more interesting: 44 percent of Republicans say they’re now MORE likely to back him for speaking candidly about the conservative position on entitlements.

And really, it’ll come down to the independents and undecideds, a small portion of the electorate, more half of whom by the way — in that very same poll — say they could care less about the video. But there’s about seven more weeks to go, and a lot could change between now and then.