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.”
Read more at the “NOW with Alex Wagner” blog