Last updated on June 21st, 2012 at 09:55 am
Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential presumptive nominee W. Mitt Romney, told Detroit’s WJR Frank Beckmann that she “doubted†she and Mitt would take as many overseas trips as the Obamas, because their happiness “comes from being with our children and our grandchildren.â€
Mrs. Romney probably shouldn’t be making digs about vacations, with her husband having taken off 212 days of his last year as governor.
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Frank Beckmann was a good choice for the Romney campaign to place surrogate Ann Romney, allegedly W. Mitt’s best public face. Beckmann once railed on about former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm creating the Michigan Climate Action Council, because everyone knows climate change is a hoax. He also rated second as the most biased commentator in an informal poll.
Thus it was Beckmann who first threw out the completely inaccurate hot potato that the Obamas take a lot of “overseas trips”. One wonders if he was referring to the President’s job, but no, Ann assumed he meant as vacations, and that choice infers her tacit agreement with the faulty premise.
The Hill reported:
Romney was responding to a question from WJR Detroit’s Frank Beckmann, who asked Romney if her family would be vacationing abroad as frequently as the Obamas.
“I doubt that,” Romney replied. “Our vacations and our happiness come from being with our children and our grandchildren.”
How many things are wrong with this? Well, number one, President Obama hasn’t taken any overseas vacations. He does travel overseas for work. You know, as President and all. And yes, even though Cokie Roberts thought Hawaii was exotic, it is still in the United States and not considered “abroadâ€, and it’s where the President’s family resides.
Number two; the trips Michelle has taken have been with her kids, sorta like “happiness†coming from being with “children.â€
And number three, W. Mitt Romney was basically on vacation the entire last two years of his term of Governor of Massachusetts. He pulled a Palin, only he never announced it.
It all started when W. Mitt bet heavily on his party taking over in the midterms in an attempt to set himself up for his 2008 run. Republicans lost big. It was a “stunning defeat†for Romney according to the Boston Globe. Instead of fighting, Romney just gave up and walked away from the job. In the last year of his term, he ended up spending on average more than 4 days out of the week traveling to drum up support for his 2008 White House bid.
Salon noted, “He spent 212 of them out of the state, racking up more than 200,000 miles in the air and traveling to nearly 40 other states to lay the groundwork for his 2008 White House campaign. He kept the title of governor, sure, but ask just about anyone in the Bay State and they’ll tell you: He walked out on the job. He quit — just like Palin.”
Ouch, but the comparisons to Palin don’t end there, “His polls numbers were dropping (by October ’06, his favorable rating was barely above 30 percent), with voters expressing regret at having elected him in the first place.”
Wondering why his poll numbers were so low? Turns out that Romney’s approval ratings sank down to barely 30% because he ruled a bit like a King. Vanity Fair described the setting:
Referring to the time later when Romney was governor of Massachusetts, a Democratic lawmaker recalls, “You remember Richard Nixon and the imperial presidency? Well, this was the imperial governor.†There were the ropes that often curtailed access to Romney and his chambers. The elevator settings restricted access to his office. The tape on the floor told people exactly where to stand during events. This was the controlled environment that Romney created.
While we note that the description offered is from a Democrat, it does echo sentiments from Republicans about Romney’s persona and style. Tape on the floor is nothing new, but roping off his chambers is excessive and sings of the pomposity that already clings to Romney.
Can you imagine what would have happened to our country if President Obama gave up when his party lost in the midterms? It’s really rather troubling to see elected officials just give up and walk away from a position of trust, especially an executive position like Governor. No one can guarantee a Governor or a President a friendly legislature. If Romney can only operate within that context, he had better hope that if he does get elected, Democrats have short memories of the infamous Republican obstruction that has so tainted Congressional Republicans.
Furthermore, Republicans and conservatives would avoid the issue of vacations if they were tethered to reality and facts, with Obama taking significantly less time off than all of the three previous Republican presidents from Reagan to the both George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Bush spent 1,020 days of his presidency on vacation. To put this into context, John F. Kennedy spent fewer days in office, 1000, than George W. Bush spent on vacation. Bush spent 487 days at Camp David, 490 days at his Crawford ranch, and 43 days in Kennebunkport. George W. Bush spent 69 days in Crawford during his first year in office. In contrast, according to FactCheck.org, Obama spent all, or part of, 26 days of his first year in office on vacation. This was less than all three previous Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, but more than the two previous Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
But Ann was meant to sound folksy and down to earth as she claimed that she and Mitt would rather spend time with family than travel overseas — a one-of-you kind of lady. This pretty picture was somewhat sullied when she added that she “was excited a horse she jointly owns, Rafalca, had qualified to compete in the Olympics in dressage, an equestrian sport.†Because it’s so every-womanish to own a dressage horse.
Though Ann Romney tried to make it sound as if her horse was jointly owned, and it is, according to W. Mitt, she also owns plural Austrian Warmbloods. Perhaps the Romneys will need a horse elevator next?
Ann Romney’s attempt to every-woman herself on the issue of vacations is also perilous ground given the many vacation homes the Romneys own, replete with their own lobbyist and car elevators. For most Americans, a family trip involves renting a house, staying in a hotel or camp grounds or staying with family, not flying via private jet to one of our 12 million dollar ocean-front, 8,000 square foot, staffed homes where we can choose which among a fleet of cars we wish to drive whilst on vacay.
Ann Romney’s attempt to paint the Obamas as elitists is further proof of her sense of entitlement and privilege. She expects that the press will not report on the truth. Maybe she doesn’t even realize how most of us live, but then, why was she trying to so hard to paint her vacations as family get togethers, while implying that the Obamas’ vacations are not?
Whatever happened to “leave the families out of it” anyway? Oh, that’s right. It was then Senator Barack Obama who made that statement regarding the press’ treatment of Sarah Palin’s family. It was Obama’s campaign that condemned hecklers of Mitt Romney, while Romney refuses to condemn the hecklers of Obama.
Thus, America is given the stone-throwing, glass-house living quittler Mittler who dined under Hitler, trying to paint the Obamas as elitists. Still, the Obamas appear lonely encased in their manners and real family values.
Maybe the Obamas are elitists after all; that is, if it’s character we’re after.
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