All true - the key distinction is (in my mind) one of policy vs. campaign tactics.
As a candidate you expend resources where they will do the most good. Be those resources, time, money, boots on the ground, whatever. No point in sending legions of mormons for Romney into the housing projects. Call that racist if you want, but that’s just the way that it is.
Once elected president then the policies that Romney will hopefully enact (and the taxes and regulations that he’ll roll back) will hopefully be a rising tide that will in fact float all boats - in the projects as well as everywhere else.
If we could turn this into Romney vs the Projects this will be the greatest electoral victory since Washington.
Romney was rightly stating that those who do not pay federal income taxes are not going to be particularly sympathetic to arguments lower income taxes. They have no dog in that fight, in their minds.
HOWEVER, Romney should stress that his program will ESPECIALLY help those who can’t pay income taxes because their income is too low. Those are the ones who suffer most by economic disturbances.
Democrats stoke their envy and hatred of the “rich” to blind them to these facts.