Jane Lynch Reflects on Meeting Mitt Romney

Glee star Jane Lynch said a chat with Mitt Romney over the weekend left her unimpressed and reinforced her sense that the Republican presidential candidate cannot "relate to people."

Lynch, a fervent Barack Obama supporter, spoke to Politicoabout her talk with Romney in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Sunday. The lesbian actress and the former Massachusetts governor ran into each other at an event in advance of the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race.

"It was like small talk, but he didn't really hear a word I said," Lynch recalled. "It affirmed for me that the guy does not know how to relate to people."

Lynch's comments echo a common criticism toward Romney, namely that he lacks authenticity. He has been mocked for what sounded like pandering in a speech last week in Michigan, his home state, where he faces a tough primary challenge today against surging candidate Rick Santorum.

"It seems right here. Trees are the right height," Romney said in the speech. "I like seeing the lakes. I love the lakes. It's just something very special here. The Great Lakes, but also all the little inland lakes that dot the parts of Michigan. I love cars."

Saying the Republican Party is struggling with a "huge identity crisis," Lynch told Politico that she believed Obama would win reelection this fall. She also defended the president's record.

"He's one of those people who moves slowly, so at first I was like come on, get a move on," she said. "But he's done great things -- rescued the car industry, killed Osama bin Laden, and the right doesn't want to give him any credit for it."