Mitt Romney's sincerity gap

The space between Mitt Romney's words to high-dollar donors at a private fundraiser and his words to Circle of Protection, a group of faith leaders seeking to preserve government poverty programs, is huge. It's the space between:

All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them.

And:

Our government rightfully provides a safety net for the hungry, the homeless, the sick, and the elderly and we have the responsibility to keep it intact for future generations.

(See if you can guess which of those was said to wealthy Republicans and which was said to faith leaders who want to help poor people.)

But as big as the gap between those sentiments is the sincerity gap. At the fundraiser, Romney is comfortable. He's among rich people who support him. He's saying something he by all indications believes. In his message to Circle of Protection, he's uncomfortable, condescending, and not doing a good job selling his sincerity. In short: Romney is a lot more believable talking about how 47 percent of Americans are victim-moochers who have the nerve to believe they're entitled to eat than he is promising that "together we'll ensure that those who need our help remain within the circle of protection." It's right there on video, not hard to see.