Romney: 'I care about the people of America'

WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Slipping in states that could sink his presidential bid, Republican Mitt Romney declared Wednesday that "I care about the people of America" and that he can do more than President Barack Obama to improve their lives.

Obama scoffed that a challenger who calls half the nation "victims" was unlikely to be of much help.

Romney's approach reflected what he is up against: a widening Obama lead in polls in key states such as Ohio, the backlash from a leaked video in which he disparages Obama supporters as government-dependent victims, and a campaign imperative to make his policy plans more plain.

With under six weeks to go, and just one week before the first big debate, the day's setting was Ohio, where Obama's momentum has seemed to be growing. It's also a state no Republican has won the White House without carrying.

Romney went after working-class voters outside Columbus and Cleveland before rolling to Toledo. Obama rallied college crowds at Bowling Green and Kent State, reminding Ohioans their state allows them to cast ballots starting next week.

For Romney, it was time for plain talk to contrast himself with Obama.

"There are so many people in our country who are hurting right now. I want to help them. I know what it takes," Romney told the crowd in Westerville. "I care about the people of America, and the difference between me and Barack Obama is I know what to do."

That message so late in the campaign -- a presidential nominee declaring his concern for all the people of the country -- was part of his widening effort to rebound from his caught-on-video comments at a fundraiser that 47 percent of the people will vote for Obama no matter what, and do not "take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, took a sharper approach. He told radio host Sean Hannity that Obama is "basically trying to say, 'If you want any security in your life, stick with me. If you go with these Republicans they're going to feed you to the wolves. It's going to be a dog-eat-dog society.' "

New opinion polls, conducted after the video became public, show Obama opening up apparent leads in battleground states, including Ohio and Virginia. Majorities of voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania say Romney's policies would favor the rich over the middle class or the poor.

A Washington Post poll found Obama up eight points among likely Ohio voters. The margin was 10 points in a Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times poll.

Noting the Romney video comments, Obama said Wednesday: "We understand that America is not about what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us together, as one nation, as one people."

And he added: "You can't make it happen if you write off half the nation before you take office."