Mitt Romney’s repeated gaffes have made him an easy target for Democratic attacks, but Obama aides say they’re concerned it has also reinforced the belief among some on the left that Romney is hapless and out of touch with his own party — and that Obama will romp in the general election.

And so the Obama campaign has launched a calculated effort to keep the base worried about what will happen if Romney wins the White House…

Democrats expect a campaign sharply aimed at different constituencies, and spiked with warnings of what a Romney presidency would mean for women, for African-Americans, for immigrants, for the old, and for the young.

“Fear is a great motivator — at this point, the more Democratic voters have seen of Romney and the Republican issues discussion, the more they see there is an awful lot to fear,” said Steve Rosenthal, president of The Organizing Group.