It took the DNC less than a day to turn Mitt Romney's comment that he's "not concerned about the very poor" into an attack ad.
"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," Romney told CNN Wednesday morning. "I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."
The first part of the clip features in the DNC's new web ad, along with other tone deaf comments Romney has made about poverty in defense of his tax plan.
Text appears at the end of the ad: "It's clear Romney wouldn't fight for the middle class if he were President. Mitt Romney: Not concerned about the poor... or the middle class."
As outrage erupted Wednesday after Romney's CNN appearance, he tried to clarify his remarks to reporters.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no," Romney told reporters on his campaign plane when asked about the comments. He referred back to his complete remarks, in which he had said he would focus on middle-income Americans rather than the very poor, who get government help, or the very rich, who don't need it. "My energy is going to be devoted to helping middle-income people," he said.
The DNC said in a statement:
In a shallow attempt to show concern for the middle class, Mitt Romney told CNN today he's not concerned about the very poor. But his policy proposals make clear that he also isn't very concerned about the middle class - his tax plan provides a modest tax cut, about $167, for middle class families but provides about $146,000 for families making more than $1 million.
Rick Santorum has also condemned his rival's remarks.
"I think it shows a callousness on the part of governor Romney, you know this is people we're talking about who are on the margins of society," he told Missouri radio station KMOX. "Again, what it shows of governor Romney is that he looks at the poor differently. That being poor is a disability."