Posted Wednesday, September 19, 2012 --- 12:37 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Mitt Romney is looking to re-direct the flap over his comments to a fundraiser this year in which he dismissed the half of Americans who don't pay income taxes. He's hoping to turn it into a debate over the role of government in family finances.

In an essay in USA Today, Romney writes that he will encourage "private investment and personal freedom." He says instead of a "web of dependency," he'll "pursue policies that grow our economy and lift Americans out of poverty."

President Barack Obama's political allies continue to make use of the video. A super PAC supporting the president's reelection is using clips in a new TV ad, suggesting Romney will never convince most Americans he's on their side.

A new poll finds Americans feeling better about the country's future and about how Obama is doing in his job. Still, 65 percent of likely voters in the Associated Press-GfK poll say they think the economy is worse off or no better than four years ago, and 57 percent don't expect unemployment to ease in the next year.

But Obama's approval rating is back above 50 percent, and the share of Americans who think the country is moving in the right direction is at its highest level since just after the death of Osama bin Laden.

Copyright 2012: Associated Press