2012 Decoded

Mitt Romney has a plan to lure Latino voters into his camp, and perhaps not surprisingly, it's the same strategy he's employing to win over women, young people, independents, and all other undecided voters. Here's a hint: It's the economy, stupid.

"Did you know that the rate of unemployment among Hispanic Americans rose last month to 11 percent?" Romney said Tuesday during a rally in Fort Worth, Texas. "And that the people in this country that are poor, living in poverty, one out of three are Hispanic American?"

You couldn't blame any Republican who, upon hearing Romney's remarks, may have whispered, "Finally." Indeed, the political chattering class has long wondered: When will Romney, who lags far behind President Obama among Latino voters, signal an aggressive outreach to the country's fastest-growing demographic? And, considering Romney's hard-right stance on illegal immigration made his Republican rivals look "moderate," perhaps the more salient question is: How will Romney sell himself to a group that was often ignored and occasionally vilified during a brutal, prolonged primary contest?