Winning the GOP nomination could cost Romney the youth vote, oval office

One can only hope that Mitt Romney's comments about young support for incumbent President Barack Obama will mean a re-tooling of his campaign to focus on millennial issues.

But don't hold you breath.

To his credit, Romney is winning big right now — not only in the delegate count but also in terms of the number of young voters punching his name on the ballot.

According to New York Times exit polls, Romney won nearly every demographic in Illinois, and carried 41% of the youth vote.

But the enthusiasm lack among GOP voters has been well documented, especially among millennials. In order to mobilize the base, Romney will have to do a handful of things.

1. Stop moving to the right.

While other GOP candidates such as Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have hammered Romney for being a Massachusetts moderate, Romney must remember that his national electability comes from his ability to appeal to independent voters who may be disenfranchised by the unfilled promises of Obama's 2008 campaign.

The further right he moves, the more he turns those voters off.

2. Refocus the message on young voters.

Gas prices, student loan debt, social justice issues (such as the Trayvon Martin case currently engulfing the attention of much of the country) — all things that matter to young voters, and all things we've yet to hear Romney discuss. If Romney wants to mobilize the GOP youth base, he'll have to aggressively court them. Right now, he hasn't even asked them out on the first date.

3. Bring Paulites into the fold.

Lost in the recent election coverage has been any mention of the fourth GOP candidate: Ron Paul. Now, there's a legitimate reason for that, since he's polling less than 10 percent nationally and has yet to win a single state (even in the caucus states his campaign bragged it could win).

But with that said, no candidate has had a more excited base of support or more visible and vocal young backers than Dr. Paul. Without mobilizing the libertarian arm of the party, Romney has absolutely no chance — pending another nationwide financial crisis — to defeat Obama in November.

Alexander, got anything you'd add to the list?