Romney's laser like focus on the economy

I'm so old I remember when Romney's campaign was going to be all about the economy and his self-vaunted business experience. But hell, if that doesn't work, then the culture war suits Romney just fine:

In the past 72 hours, Romney has endorsed the controversial conservative Iowa Congressman Steve King, appeared onstage with televangelist Pat Robertson, debuted a revamped stump speech with warnings of encroaching secularism at its center, and devoted substantial time to a hot dog-heavy photo-op at a NASCAR race.

"The pledge says 'under God,'" Romney declared to a hangar full of flag-waving partisans in rural southern Virginia. "I will not take God out of the name of our platform, I will not take God off our coins, and I will not take God out of my heart!"

Take God off our coins? That myth is straight out of the viral emails the angry cons take as gospel. Of course, after a robust mocking on the internets for that one, Flip Flopney dropped the talking point.

Meanwhile, the Mittster's chief ambassador to the little ladies in the electorate, Ann Romney insists she can't answer questions on social issues like access to birth control or equal marriage rights because women she meets on the campaign trail don't care about these things. Mrs. Romney dutifully assures us Mitt has a laser like focus on the economy and that's the only thing that matters -- to anyone.

To be fair to Ann, I'm sure that's probably true. Feel relatively certain most of the women she meets at big money fundraisers on Long Island really do care more about their money than social equality.

Meanwhile back at the NASCAR race, poor Mitt didn't get his "man of the people" moment. As sadly announced on the twitter:

Olivier Knox: RT @AshleyRParker: Due to a rain delay, Romney will no longer be saying, "Drivers, start your engines" at NASCAR. ...

Disappointing on so many levels. And he still had to eat the damn hot dog. Which probably explains the look on his face in the photo. [Photo credit AP at Atlantic Wire where they posit Romney is doomed.]

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]