The little lies matter because they tear the veil obscuring the one big lie that is Romney’s campaign. Posing as a conservative after a career as a liberal politician in a socialist state uses up all Romney’s reserves of credibility. He’s got nothing left to protect him when he stretches the truth along the campaign trail.
The latest little white lie will hurt. They will all hurt, and eventually one of them will kill his candidacy.
The problem with this lie is that it was made to cover one of his vulnerabilities, which his refusal to repudiate Mormon teaching on the inferiority of blacks. That is why he was talking up some imaginary connection to Dr. King in the first place.
Now this lie has exacerbated his original problem, and shredded his credibility in this area, where he can least afford it. You cant’ mess with certain things in this country, and Dr. King is one of those things.