Can Mr. Fix-It Fix Himself?

Republicans don't want to elect a repairman. They want a demolition man

Illustration by Oliver Munday for TIME; Romney: Win McNamee / Getty Images

Mitt Romney is in trouble again. Despite having won the must-win states of New Hampshire and Florida, he faces yet another formerly lagging opponent's surge to the top of the polls. While Romney's super PAC is certainly unwrapping its beloved ugly stick to give Rick Santorum the kind of thumping on the airwaves that crushed Newt Gingrich, it could be that Romney's problems will take more than a barrage of negative campaign ads to solve.

That is because the political terrain has changed in ways Romney never planned for. A year ago, the recession's sharp pain promised to drive an angry...

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