CHARLESTON, S. C. -- About a dozen protesters wearing Mitt Romney masks gathered outside the posh hotel where the GOP presidential candidate was holding a private fundraiser on Thursday.
The mini-protest outside the historic Mills House Hotel may be a form of good news for Romney—tacit acknowledgement that he’s once again the strongman of the Republican field.
The protesters complemented their masks with blue blazers and power suits—the sort of attire favored by Romney, a cofounder of Bain Capital, an investment and corporate restructuring firm. They greeted attendees at the fundraiser, hosted by South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis with shouted slogans including:
- “If you vote for me I'll take your property and give it to my friends!”
- “Vote for Mitt Romney and I'll say whatever it is you want to hear.”
- “I'm Mitt Romney—big banks are paying for my campaign with your tax dollars.”
- “A vote for Romney is a vote tyranny and oppression."
Members of the youthful crowd said they organized via Facebook and did not identify themselves as Democrats or Republicans. Romney glimpsed the protesters but went in a side door to avoid them.
No reporters were permitted inside the hotel, but Loftis earlier said he was expecting a diverse crowd of 100 local elected officials, tea party members, businesspeople, and a few cadets from the Citadel, where Romney is scheduled to deliver a foreign policy address on Friday.
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