Romney isn’t the only guilty party, just the most recent. Even Barack Obama loses his last syllable south of the Mason-Dixon. For Romney, however, the more he tries to get down with the people, the more he highlights the perception that he can’t. Why try? Why not be yourself? How many times do I have to say this?

Southerners, some of whom have actually ventured beyond their state’s borders, understand that biscuits and grits are local fare and that northern politicians probably haven’t enjoyed much of that. They understand that a city boy probably hasn’t had much experience in deer stands and duck blinds. They get that you have a different elocution, so why try to imitate theirs? Would Romney speak English with a Latino accent to win over a crowd in Little Havana?

No, because that would be racist — or something. Which raises the question: Why is it perfectly acceptable to mock white Southerners? If it’s because you think they’re ignorant, then when did it become okay to mock the less lucky? Or to ask only residents of the Deep South questions you don’t ask people in other regions?