I agree with everything that you said EXCEPT: pissing his base off in the meantime.
Romney never had a base. His base would be about as real as a John Kerry base. The only base Kerry or Romney would have are those who vote along party lines no matter where the candidate stands on the issue.
If you want to call it a base, Romney's base are those Republicans that vote Republican whether they are pro-abortion or pro-life.
Romney's targeted base is ABC (Anybody But Conservatives).
I think Romney dislikes Conservatives more than he dislikes Obama. His performance during the primary compared to his performance now against Obama is an example.
I think Romney (a billionaire who could make more money in the private sector) would prefer to lose to Obama than to have to say he won thanks to Conservatives.
I’d like to see the GOP hold voter registration drives at local Chik-fil-As.
I’d like to see the GOP hold voter registration drives at local Chik-fil-As.