Can Romney help Republicans win in 2014?

Mitt Romney has kept a low profile since losing to President Obama in the November election. But that might soon change. The former Massachusetts governor tells The Wall Street Journal that he plans to return to the political stage to "help shape national priorities," starting with a three-day summit he's hosting next week for 200 friends and supporters at a Utah mountain resort.

Romney also says he plans to campaign for Republican candidates in the 2014 elections. He says Obama's second-term performance has been "disappointing," although he acknowledges that his own clout was eroded by his defeat. "Having lost the election, I don't look at myself as the person best equipped to prescribe where the party should go, going forward," he tells the Journal.

Will Romney be able to help Republicans make gains in the midterm voting?

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He may have already gotten off on the wrong foot, telling the Journal that GOP needs "to translate our message in a way that minorities understand" — an unfortunate turn of phrase that implies the nation's minorities can't comprehend what Republicans are saying, which is sure to remind Republican candidates of Romney's penchant for gaffes.

Steve Benen at MSNBC says Romney has proven remarkably adept at turning off both Democrats and Republicans. "I'm trying to imagine a list of Republicans who would welcome him and choose to campaign alongside him. I can't think of any," Benen says.

Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway agrees that Romney is too out of step with his own party's base to be of much help: "It's unclear why they'd want to see him return or why his endorsements in 2014 would matter to anyone." However, Mataconis says, there is one way he might be of assistance.