Romney's Secret Meetings With Voters: What Gives?

Mitt Romney says he's been secretly meeting with voters to hear about their economic suffering. In an interview last week, Romney said he met with "three or four families almost every day," according to the AP. The revelation shocked "nearly everyone who has covered him," writes John Dickerson of Slate. Because, really, how does Romney squeeze it in? "You can imagine the candidate suddenly appearing from behind the detergent display at the all-night Target to get the views of the startled Anderson family."

Of course, Dickerson thinks the most shocking thing about Romney's clandestine focus groups is how little he seems to get out of them. It makes sense to keep the meetings private—"Public roundtables devolve into spectacles. … The face-twisting and lip-biting required are embarrassing for everyone." But Romney should give us some insight into what he's hearing, beyond the "rapid-fire anecdotes" he has started sharing. Do voters challenge him? Has he learned anything? "There's got to be some benefit to all of these meetings beyond the production of campaign propaganda." Click for Dickerson's entire column. (More Mitt Romney stories.)