Washington (CNN) -- In one ill-fated fundraiser, Mitt Romney managed to offend Palestinians, Latinos and some of the same people he's counting on for support if he wants to unseat President Barack Obama. It isn't the first time Romney's oratory fumbles have put his campaign on its heels, handed opponents material to push the stereotype of him as an out-of-touch businessman and provoked members of the party's conservative base to question his worthiness as their standard-bearer. "Everybody has the same reaction: 'dumb, dumb, dumb,'" said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, adding that Romney's gaffes reinforce a sitcom-like caricature of the candidate.
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GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's verbal gaffes have once again stymied his campaign's ability to control the narrative
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Democrats were gleeful, while Republicans left scrambling after Romney's comments
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Less than two months before the election, Romney's challenge is to steer clear of speaking slip ups; hammer Obama on the economy
Barack Obama
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However, he defended the main message of his remarks, saying he that while he could have made them "more clearly," he said he was trying to point out the differences between his and @placeholder's campaigns.
Mitt Romney
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Mitt Romney
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"Look, I mean, I think that, you know, big picture, this is a -- was a devastating moment for Governor @placeholder, potentially fatal, as people start to focus on this campaign."
Mitt Romney
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Mitt Romney
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The Romney campaign had banked on its convention last month to make a favorable introduction of @placeholder to the electorate, a large part of it just beginning to pay attention to the election.