Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- The release of a secretly recorded tape of Mitt Romney speaking to campaign donors highlights a risk facing the Republican Party -- of becoming perceived as the party of mean. After a vicious assault from Democrats that portrayed Romney as a vulture capitalist who cared little about saving middle-class jobs, his remarks to a group of campaign donors about the 47% of Americans who don't pay taxes being dependent on government handouts only intensified the perception that he represents a party that is uninterested in protecting average Americans. A New York Times editorial characterized Romney as a "class warrior" seeking to "protect the rich by turning the working poor and middle class into the enemy."
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Julian Zelizer: Romney's troubles reflect a problem GOP has been dealing with for years
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A conservatism that emphasizes cutting social benefits risks appearing harsh, he says
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Zelizer: Reagan insisted conservatism be packaged as a positive force for freedom
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He says Democratic presidents have gained by depicting GOP as the party of meanness
Democrats
Democratic
He was determined to appeal to middle- and working-class Americans who were not satisfied with the @placeholder.
Americans
Americans
Putting @placeholder back to work means putting all Americans back to work."
Americans
Americans
Unfortunately for conservatives, that includes a huge array of @placeholder, from the elderly to defense contractors to young children in schools.
Republican Party
GOP
GOP
If the GOP ignores the kind of backlash it has encountered, it risks falling right back to 1964 or even 1932, when Democrats were able to paint @placeholder as a ruthless party only intent on protecting the prosperous.