Romney: 'Great divide' exists over tax philosophy

SALT LAKE CITY — Republican Mitt Romney said Tuesday that Democratic President Barack Obama believes government should "take from some to give to the others" as he defended telling wealthy donors that half of Americans believe they are "victims" who are entitled to government assistance.

Romney told Fox News during an interview that he views such redistribution as a "foreign concept" and that there is a "great divide" among Americans on the subject.

The GOP presidential nominee said a growing federal government, driven in part by people who want support from government programs, has jeopardized the country.

"It's a pathway that looks more European than American in my view. And it's a pathway some Americans are drawn to," Romney said. He said people who pay no income taxes would be unlikely to support his campaign because his plan to cut those taxes across the board wouldn't help them.

The Republican presidential candidate was reinforcing remarks he made at a $50,000-a-plate fundraiser in Boca Raton, Fla., on May 17, comments secretly videotaped and made public on Monday. Romney's campaign spent part of Monday trying to mitigate fallout from the video, in which he tells donors that 47 percent of Americans "believe they are victims" and that his job as president wouldn't be to "worry about those people."

In response, Romney offered no apologies Monday night during a hastily arranged news conference in which he said the comments were not "elegantly stated" and were spoken "off the cuff." He said the remarks showed a contrast between Obama's "government-centered society" and his belief in a "free-market approach."

"Of course, I want to help all Americans, all Americans, have a bright and prosperous future," Romney told reporters.

Obama's campaign pounced on the video, which was obtained by Mother Jones magazine and released only hours after Romney's campaign outlined a new strategy to try to rejuvenate a struggling campaign. The video's emergence came as advisers to the former Massachusetts governor tried to reassure party leaders and donors about Romney's strategy amid concerns that the race could be slipping away.

In the video, Romney also said the Palestinians "have no interest" in peace with Israel.

"You hope for some degree of stability, but you recognize that this is going to remain an unsolved problem ... and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it," Romney said. He said pushing Israel to give up disputed territory for a two-state solution with the Palestinians "is the worst idea in the world."

Romney has not addressed his remarks about the Middle East.

Those comments put him in sync with hard liners in the Israeli government, including some aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli cabinet ministers. Netanyahu himself has publicly advocated for a two-state solution.

The Obama administration favors a two-state solution with Israel and a future Palestine. But it says Palestinian statehood can only come about through a negotiated agreement between the parties, not through the United Nations.

Palestinian lawmaker and scholar Hanan Ashrawi accused Romney of "destroying the chances for peace" and called his remarks "irresponsible and dangerous and both ignorant and prejudiced."

Netanyahu's office declined to comment. The office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also had no comment.

Romney's comments in the first video appeared to focus more on the economy, the No. 1 issue for voters in November.