Wow, great quote from de Tocqueville and good post. I haven't actually seen this now famous video of Romney because although I hate the Obama presidency and want Romney to win, I generally find Romney less than inspiring.
I completely agree with you that Mitt is not inspiring. Neither was he my first (or even second) choice for the republican nomination. He is far less conservative than I would like, but he is a decent and honest man, with an excellent running mate, and I would vote for a parakeet over Obama at this point.