Etch-a-sketch alert: Romney backs Obama student loan proposal; Update: Romney says #StoptheSpending

With this announcement, Mitt Romney manages to simultaneously (a) throw House Republicans under the bus, (b) undermine his argument that he is serious about controlling reckless federal spending, and (c) lend his support to an awful policy.

Twitter conservatives were not pleased:

https://twitter.com/#!/marklevinshow/status/194524445015146496

http://twitter.com/#!/SteveBayrd/status/194554400411357184

http://twitter.com/#!/speakez6/status/194556545432961024

http://twitter.com/#!/Marcus_Porcius/status/194537531088441345

http://twitter.com/#!/GHalv/status/194558600641904641

http://twitter.com/#!/rln22/status/194476734752628736

http://twitter.com/#!/PATR2012/status/194513494543056899

http://twitter.com/#!/brendanmadigan/status/194515592135458816

Romney clearly is trying to reach out beyond the GOP voters he disparages as “Fox News true believers.” But left-of-center voters aren’t exactly rallying to Romney’s side:

https://twitter.com/#!/KKoz22/status/194510262957637632

https://twitter.com/#!/kmlynch10/status/194501296726867970

https://twitter.com/#!/kokobyrd/status/194508896558264320

http://twitter.com/#!/brucepknight/status/194515266238025728

http://twitter.com/#!/AlecMacGillis/status/194511326893182976

Pander #fail.

Update: The Romney campaign is paying Twitter to promote this tweet:

https://twitter.com/#!/MittRomney/status/192242069983600640

#StoptheSpending? Really?