Mitt Romney rolled into South Carolina having won both the Iowa Caucuses (by a hair) and the New Hampshire primary, but saddled with the baggage of Bain Capital, via super PAC ads that portray him as a greedy, heartless, “vulture capitalist.” How better to rebrand, and to show that Jesus Christ really is his personal savior (hear that, Mormon-skeptics?) than with an act of charity?
And God sent Ruth Williams.
Williams, a 55-year-old black woman, is hardly the archetype of the Republican base voter. In South Carolina, blacks make up just 2 percent of the GOP. But Williams, who has been out of work since last October, says God led her to Mitt Romney’s campaign stop, there to receive $50 from his own hands — a blessing that, along with the $150 or so from his state treasurer, helped her keep her lights on. Ruth was so moved by Romney’s generosity, she has begun volunteering for Romney’s campaign — not going door to door drumming up primary votes, or answering the phones (though wouldn’t a black woman showing up at the door be an interesting campaign strategy). No, Ruth is cleaning up at one of Romney’s campaign offices, and “just doing little things.”
