Blowout

To say the last 72 hours has been bad for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign would be an understatement of monumental proportions. Mitt Romney's comments at a private fundraiser, captured on secret video, prove that the Republican candidate for President has effectively written off nearly half of all Americans - many of whom might vote for him under other circumstances.

Pundits and politicians alike from Bill Kristol to David Brooks, from Ramesh Ponnuru to Sen. Scott Brown to David Frum have all distanced themselves from Romney, like townspeople in an Old West movie, fleeing Main Street right before the big shootout scene. And those are just the conservatives and Republicans.

This massive mistake was far more than just Mitt Romney shooting himself in the foot. This was Mitt Romney taking a pair of big guns and completely blowing his political feet off.

There are plenty of dissections in the media of all the massive issues exposed by this 49 minute video, including the previously released five minutes of lowlights. From writing off all Palestinians, to characterizing anyone who benefits from the U.S. government as a freeloader, the list of pandering, gaffes, and arrogance is enough by itself to cause Mr. Romney scattered issues for the rest of his campaign, and possibly the rest of his life.

What almost everyone seems to have missed about the video that exposed to the world the person that Mitt Romney is behind closed doors, is one of the most basic features of being an American politician - or really any American who serves others.

If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you'll know exactly what we mean.

When a waiter or waitress works in a restaurant for a while, they get to recognize the type of customers that come in; the regular customers, the visiting high rollers, the parents escaping for a night without kids - and of course, the bad tippers.

Some servers will try and avoid the bad tippers, or treat them poorly, hoping to get them to leave right away - which is exactly the wrong thing to do.

The best wait staff knows that you treat each customer with respect, with courtesy, and with top-quality service, even those you are most certain will tip you poorly. Why? Because sometimes, you are pleasantly surprised. Sometimes, you win them over, even the ones you were most certain would never like you. Because, as we've said here for years, anything worth doing is worth doing well.

For example, being the President of the United States.

Americans are rapidly heading towards the day they choose who they want to be in the White House. To us, the choice is simple.

Should it be this man, who said to half of America, "To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too."

Or this man, who said about half of America, "I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Who do you want leading your nation for the next four years?