Mitt Romney's so-called secret video, which derives from what I learn from Ben Smith of Buzzfeed was a Boca Raton fundraiser last May 17, in which the then presumptive Republican nominee asserted that the entitlement state 47% of the population is unmoved by the facts of his candidacy, arrives just in time to make Mitt Romney work harder in his long stroll to Election Day. This is a very old news video, with dust and fingerprints all over it from all of the heated handling, but it has its uses, chiefly as TV talk show entertainment. Perhaps it is gentle coincidence that the Mother Jones ambush video -- constructed from several attempts to leak pieces of this video over five months by the full library of left wing media sites --, arrives just as the New News Gallup Poll of likely voters shows the contest in favor of Candidate Obama 47% to 46%.
Surprise?
The challenge for Mr. Romney becomes how to explain his sudden, fresh madness to speak candidly and wickedly of Mr. Obama's supporters; and Mr. Romney tried gamely on Monday 17 by conceding his remarks were not artful. This is artful understatment. While Candidate Obama enjoys his serenades to class warfare, hacking at the millionaires and billionaires who do not pay their fair share of the tax burden, Mr.Romney now must learn to enjoy taking a hatchet to the free riders who vote for the Democrats because they think it will continue the transfer payments either to themselves or to the worthy poor. In sum, Obama has the liberals; Romney has the conservatives; the deserving poor don't vote much; and the in between have to choose between the state quo ante of Mr. Obama (47%) and the unknown of Mitt Romney. Well done to Mother Jones to edit the video in a fashion that makes something said to well to do supporters in May appear to be relevant to the election in September. Is there news here? No. Is there enthusiasm here? Perhaps. Does this video suit the class warfare theme established by OFA? Yes. Does this video surprise anyone about Mitt Romney? No. Therefore, is this video already in the Gallup poll numbers? Unknown.