Romney attempts to smooth out '47 percent' in op-ed

Continuing his effort to stamp out the flame created by his dismissal of the "47 percent," Mitt Romney has a column in USA Today offering some nuance.

He writes:

"Government has a role to play here. Right now, our nation's citizens do need help from government. But it is a very different kind of help than what President Obama wants to provide.

"My experience has taught me that government works best when it creates the space for individuals and families to pursue success and achieve great things. Economic freedom is the only force that has consistently succeeded in creating sustained prosperity and lifting people out of poverty. It is why our economy rose to rival those of the world's leading powers -- and has long since surpassed them all."

Meanwhile, opposite Romney's column the editorial board kind of, sort of tries to help him along. "The nation's tax code does let too many people off the hook, undermining the sense that Americans are all in this together," they say. "And the many federal entitlement programs do threaten to create an unaffordable culture of dependency. But as is too often the case with the Republican presidential candidate, he muddles things up. ..."

[USA Today]