Mitt Romney called a press conference last night to address comments he made speaking to donors at a fundraiser that were  secretly recorded by a hidden video camera.

Romney explained that the video was only a “snippet” of an answer he gave in response to a question by a donor, admitting that his answer was “off the cuff” and “not elegantly stated.”

“Typically I don’t talk about process in speeches because I think candidates are wiser to talk about policy and their vision than to talk about how they’re going to win a election,” Romney explained. “At a fundraiser you have people say. ‘Governor how are you going to win this?’ And so I respond, ‘Well, the president has his group I have my group. I want to keep my team strong and motivated and I want to get those people in the middle.’ That’s something which fundraising people who are parting with their monies are very interested in knowing can you win or not and that’s what this was addressing.”

When asked about his comments about the “47 percent” of people who were “dependent on government,” Romney took time to outline his views at length.

“Of course individuals are going to take responsibility for their lives. My campaign is about helping people take more responsibility and becoming employed again, particularly those who don’t have work,” he said. “This whole campaign is based on getting people jobs again, putting people back to work. This is ultimately a question about direction for the country. Do you believe in a government-centered society that provides more and more benefits or do you believe instead in a free enterprise society where people are able to pursue their dreams?”