What Romney Really Thinks?
By now you've probably seen the leaked video of Mitt Romney telling a group of wealthy donors that he thinks the 47% of Americans who will vote for President Obama are "dependent upon government", "pay no income tax", think of themselves as "victims" and feel "entitled to health care, to food, to housing." It's either a presidential candidate saying what he thinks his money base wants to hear, or a brutally honest portrayal of what he thinks of half of the country. And the political fallout is just beginning. The Romney team thought the video was damaging enough to put the candidate out for a late-night, impromptu press conference, explaining that his comments were "not elegantly stated".
New York Times columnist David Brooks, in a column titled "Thurston Howell Romney", writes that the leaked video shows Mitt Romney doesn't understand the country he hopes to lead.
The video is the latest distraction for a campaign that has made its share of unforced errors. And the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza writes that, while Romney is suffering through his darkest hour, it's too early to declare the race over.
Politico's Jonathan Martin writes about why Pres. Obama is winning.
Yet another poll shows Elizabeth Warren opening up a lead over Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts.
Tonight at 7pm ET, Hardball will have the latest results of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll on the presidential race.