Boston.com reports that Mitt Romney is ignoring the Tea Party:

New Hampshire Tea Party movement activist Andrew Hemingway is not lacking in contact with likely presidential candidates. He’s talked hockey with Tim Pawlenty. He sat down with former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum at the Concord Country Club. And plans are in the works for Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to appear before a group of Hemingway’s fellow conservatives.

A notable exception among the field of would-be GOP presidential contenders? Mitt Romney...As the former Massachusetts governor lays the groundwork for a possible second presidential run, he has largely shunned Tea Party activists in key primary states, including the state he must win if he enters the race, New Hampshire. Thus far, Romney is on track to present himself as the establishment candidate — a responsible, mainstream Republican leader with the necessary financial resources and credentials to beat President Obama.

I said this before, but this is probably smart strategy on Romney's part. The Tea Party will malign Romney for "running to the center" as a RINO, but moderate independents will probably see the Tea Party hate as a seal of approval. And the 2012 election could very well come down to the moderate independents. The real question will be if a semi-credible candidate breaks off the teabaggers into their own third party. If so, Romney will have to circle back and try to court the crazies.