I went to a Romney town hall earlier this afternoon in Nashua. I’ve been down on Romney’s chances here lately, but I have to say it’s the best I think I’ve ever seen him. It was a healthy crowd packed into the cafeteria of a middle school. The theme of being the Mr. Fix-It who can bring change to Washington suits Romney well, and it’s true to who he is (it’s also not a new theme for him). He addressed the debate in two main ways: 1) by saying people don’t want to hear insults, they want to hear about issues; 2) by saying there’s no reason to get into definitional disputes about amnesty, but McCain’s approach of letting illegals stay is clearly wrong. Both lines were well received by people there. One woman asked why McCain criticized him for changing his mind when everyone changes his mind sometimes. Romney used McCain’s continued insistence that he was right to vote against the Bush tax cuts as an example of someone being consistent but wrong, while he would rather be inconsistent and right, citing his change on abortion. People seemed to get the point he was making. In general, he was a little more fired up and passionate than usual. He even tried to use his personal wealth as an argument that he wouldn’t be beholden to Washingon special interests. Romney has always had a potential appeal as the businessman outsider who can get things done. The question is whether he can connect with people enough to make that potential appeal an actuality. I am surely grading on a curve from his prior performances but I think he came closer to delivering today.