Romney’s condemnation of America’s entitlement society — and his assessment that Obama voters are part of the problem — fit firmly into contemporary movement conservatism, and seem to demonstrate an internalization of the Republican Party narrative about meritocratic success.

The same goes for the unapologetic defense of his own wealth that was caught on camera, a subject he typically tries to avoid on the campaign trail.

“I have inherited nothing. Everything that Ann and I have, we have earned the old-fashioned way,” he told the donors, referring the fact, little-dicussed, but basically accurate, that his wealthy father offered him only slight assistance when he was a young man…

Several campaign officials told BuzzFeed earlier that Romney’s team now sees its top priority as rallying the base, not winning the political center. The leaked videos have pushed all of Romney’s chips, whether he likes it or not, into that bet.