Rick Santorum makes him a patsy. Kathleen Parker, of all people, thinks he’s a poser (“Would Romney greet an audience at a Jewish Community Center with: “Oy vey, did I ever enjoy my loxies and bagels this morning!”? Or African Americans with: “Yo, dawg, wassup?” Actually, yes, he might…”). And the Thurston Howell moments just keep coming:
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney used a private, VIP Registry of Motor Vehicles office Wednesday to renew his Massachusetts driver’s license, avoiding the lines and the aggravation that have been synonymous with the agency.
__
The office, located in the State Transportation Building, is just blocks from a standard Registry branch in Chinatown. But Romney instead went to the headquarters of the state’s Transportation Department, visiting a second-floor office belonging to the Registry’s enforcement division, his campaign confirmed Thursday.
__
The space is often used by state troopers investigating accidents, though it has also become known as a place for celebrities, athletes, and other high-profile drivers to transact their business. The Registry officials said such drivers receive different treatment because their presence in a public Registry branch could cause a disruption.
__
“Particularly because he has Secret Service protection, we thought it was a prudent request to let him do it in that fashion,’’ said Cyndi Roy, a Transportation Department spokeswoman…
I’ve been to that Chinatown branch, and while nobody could accuse the staffers of wasting government dollars on amenities, it hardly seemed like a den of iniquity where resentful patrons were liable to engage the Secret Service in a gun battle over line-cutting.
Also, in its best Media Village courtier mode, the Washington Post chose the Sunday before ‘Southern Supertuesday’ to remind everyone that Mrs.Thurston Howell has a very, very expensive hobby:
Dressage demands agility and finesse — and money. Ann Romney’s involvement in the sport has allowed her access to the heady world of high-level competition, but it has also exposed her to horse dealing. Two years ago, it resulted in a lawsuit against her alleging fraud in the sale of one of her horses. And that lawsuit provided testimony in which she spoke in unusual detail about the benefits — and the costs — of riding…
__
The Romneys, through a campaign aide, declined to tally how much they spend on dressage, saying, “We are not required to disclose this information.” But some of their animals cost more than $100,000, and the Romneys continue to sink tens of thousands of dollars into year-round training and feeding, plus veterinary bills…
Of course, if I were Ann Romney, I would probably take up dressage, too, unless I could find a medically necessary excuse for using hundred-dollar bills as kindling in every one of my several homes’ many fireplaces. You’d think one of Willard’s campaign consultants would convince him that Jes Folks Like You! is never gonna fly as a marketing point for his misbegotten campaign to get beaten by President Obama even more respondingly than he was beaten by McCain…
Daaling
Ha…”Thurston Howell”….haha. Now there is an tweak of the ole memory banks that is sure to ‘date’ anyone who gets it.
And what an absolutely PERFECT characture. Thinking about it, I cannot think of any individual in the history of sitcom TV that more accurately charactures Romney then Turston Howell the third….lol!
Cacti
I still think everyone’s ignoring the elephant in the living room.
Bible belt protestants are rejecting Romney because he’s a Mormon.
Repugs have nominated old money elitists (Bush 41), and charisma-challenged party flacks because it was “their turn” (Dole, McCain).
What’s different about Willard than those guys? I’ll give ya a hint. It starts with an M, and ends with an ormon.
Citizen Alan
I also wonder whether Romney’s Death Star approach to campaigning is starting to backfire. It seems like everyone I’ve talked to in North Mississippi has complained about getting 3 or 4 robocalls a day from the Romney campaign. Late last night, I actually got an anti-Santorum push poll of all things! It asked the usual questions — would I be less likely to vote for Santorum if I knew he had voted to raise the debt ceiling, endorsed Arlen Specter, ladida-ladida — but I was shocked when the last question was about Santorum previously being pro-choice and about his wife once have lived with an abortion doctor! Shades of McCain and his black love child!
Citizen Alan
Also, if you read to the end, the delightful Ms. Parker comes to the defense of anti-miscegenation Southerners by pointing out that the pollsters didn’t ask people in other, non-Confederate states what they thought about interracial marriages which just goes to prove who the fuck knows, you silly bitch!
MonkeyBoy
In addition dressage requires very expensive formal-wear human costumes. You wouldn’t want to be mistaken for some hoi-polloi by wearing jeans and a sweatshirt to ride.
Ruckus
The rich are different. They understand how to be bigger assholes. Shame that most of them don’t understand how not to be bigger assholes.
Dr. Loveless
Dear Whatever Is Left of the Old GOP Establishment:
“Do you still think you can control them?”
Suffern ACE
You know, I think what I hate most about our stupid two year candidate selection process, is having the press attempt to make me care about where a candidate gets his drivers license renewed and whether it would have been better to eat grits or pancakes at the state fair with cowboy boots on or not.
Suffern ACE
I wonder where Kerry gets his license renewed. And how much cash Bev Purdue spends on her horses.
max
Rick Santorum makes him a patsy.
Will no one do the honors? Will no one remember the great fire-breathing amphibian on his (maybe) last day on political earth? Will no one hew to that great tradition Monday Night Football? The one where Dandy Don Meredith annoys the shit out of Howard Cosell? Fine, I’ll do it.
{hums} ‘Tuuurrnnnnn out the liiiiiigggghhhhhttttttssss… the party’s oooooohhhhhvvvvvvveeeeerrrrr.’
If Gingrich wasn’t the ego that walked like a man, and he still wanted any kind of political career, he’d call up Santorum and offer to drop out and endorse (and campaign!) in return for the VP slot. Bet he won’t.
max
[‘Santorum/Gingrich would be an awesome display of bullshit power.’]
WereBear
I understand Romney not wanting to stand in line at the DMV (hails bails man, you meet VOTERS there!) But not doing it because it never occurs to him to even fake it; that’s some Disney level robotry.
And to be fair to Anne Romney, there’s more expensive hobbies. Making your own blockbuster movies, for instance. Those mad scientist labs where they create zombies, those are just going through the roof lately! Though I would love to see Mitt’s Volcano Lair in House Beautiful.
Frankensteinbeck
@Cacti:
Mormonism is one of the possibilities, but mostly we’re looking at how he’s a lousy general candidate. And yes, there are two very strong things different here: A) Romney has vastly less charisma than Dole, than any GOP candidate I’ve seen in my lifetime, while being far better at looking like… Thurston Howell. B) The GOP base truly has slipped a cog. I blame Bush’s massive pounding on the fear, xenophobia, and tribalism buttons combined with McCain picking Palin. The coalition of crazies and assholes has broken up. The crazies have been told for years they had to let assholes represent them for electability, and now they don’t believe it or don’t care or both.
Schlemizel
Speaking of comics, “Bad Reporter” is great today
http://www.gocomics.com/badreporter/2012/03/14
It is three “headlines” for todays GOP – a sample: “GOP Defends bill declaring womens NO vote really means YES”
beatty
Yeah I’ve been to the Chinatown branch myself. It’s bustling and bare but it works efficiently. Used to be there were smaller places to go like in the Galleria Mall, which suited me better. But perhaps it was too boutique?
As for dressage, the MRS has MS. And she discovered that riding horses has been therapeutic to staving off her symptoms. Willard has so many traits to make fun of, let’s not go after his wife on the horses.
HeartlandLiberal
This actually demonstrates how tone deaf and out of touch with real people Willard is. Further, it shows what an idiot as a campaigner he is.
Tell me honestly, you know I’m right, if this had been Bill Clinton or Barock Obama, they would have waded into the waiting room of the regular office, and shaken every hand in the joint, and probably have signed some autographs, too.
But not Willard. He chose to avoid what could have been a tremendous PR moment. And that says everything about him.
Then again, he probably would have babbled some new monstrous gaffe, and it would have been a net negative. Maybe his staff just know this, and so try to keep him out of harms way. Trouble is, only way to do that is to put duct tape on his mouth in public, it seems.
He is the most inauthentic, fake, plastic, empty shell of a person running for president I have seen in my at this point somewhat long lifetime, and I have voted in every presidential election since the late 1960’s except one, when I was living in Europe and did not vote absentee.
harlana
Anne Romney will talk about how she has MS and how horse-riding helps with MS and so stfu. I personlly think Karen Santorum’s past is relevant but the media won’t touch that either.
owlbear1
When you are continually try to sell yourself a “Just one of the guys, honest”, renewing in a private office kinda blows that claim, Ace. And maybe, just maybe, bragging about eating grits has something to do with why “the press” brought it up?
Evil bastards that they are reporting on what Romney said like that
John Kerry; Silver Star, Bronze Star and triple Purple Heart recipient, btw, gets his license renewed at a branch office.
Is “Bev Perdue’s horses” a conservative dog-whistle of some sort?
Linda Featheringill
@harlana:
Perhaps Mrs. Romney could help not-so-rich folks with MS have the opportunity to interact with horses?
liberal
Awesome comment under Eugene Robinson’s op-ed saying we need to get out of Afghanistan, now:
Jibeaux
I’m so out of touch with everyday millionaires I don’t even know what dressage is. Just “horse-related expenses?” anyway, let the crazy train chug along!
Applejinx
“Resoundingly”. Not respondingly.
Unless his kink is to be beaten by a black man more capable than he will ever be? Then ‘respondingly’ would be… correct.
And more hideous than ‘santorum’…
JPL
@Jibeaux: My friend helped with the dressage events during the 96 Olympics. That’s my frame of reference. I also thought it was called jumping and stuff.
BruceFromOhio
@beatty: I was trying to come up with something along these lines, yours hits it just right.
If dressage is the slight of choice, don’t bother. Like any sports involving horses, you can portray it as a rich persons game. However, as a solidly middle-class citizen, both of my young riders had a chance to experience dressage lessons and competition through a local county/4-H program. It was accessible for a comparably modest fee to any who wanted to ride, taught the riders safety as well as amazing things horses can do, and it was a lot of fun. I’m no fan of Ann, but this one stands up pretty easily to scrutiny. Campaign exposure provides a target-rich environment, I expect there’s other more tempting tidbits in Mrs Romney’s life that can be raked over.
Of course, can’t have ‘disruption,’ Gaia help us, the motor vehicle registry is such a severely disciplined environment, all those *ordinary* citizens standing in line.
Pat
We already know that the Romneys are very very rich and of course they hang out with other rich people and do things that are expensive. So what? Let’s not turn this into our side’s version of “but they have granite countertops, flat screen tv’s, etc.”. The point is his economic plans don”t make much sense, favor the rich, etc. And this should be the focus.
debit
@JPL: You may be thinking of three day eventing. One day there is show jumping in a ring, second day there is a cross country course with obstacles and the last day is the dressage. Dressage does not have any jumps, it is a series of movements designed to demonstrate the horse’s ability. If you’ve ever seen the Lipizzans of the Spanish Riding School, that is dressage.
Dressage is a very expensive sport, as is show jumping, especially when you get into the higher levels. However, it’s just like any other sport; the higher you go, the more expensive everything gets. I don’t care for Mitt Romney, but I’m not seeing the problem with his wife owning or showing horses. Dressage is work, hard work, and takes a lot of time and dedication.
ETA: dressage as we know it does not include the airs above the ground the Lipizzans preform. Just in case anyone thought this. It’s early! I haven’t had coffee!
AlladinsLamp
The interest in horses isn’t what it appears. Ann only became interested in dressage after buying a pony for the Romney’s daughter.
AlladinsLamp
The interest in horses isn’t what it appears. Ann only became interested in dressage after buying a pony for the Romney’s daughter.
Schlemizel
For which I am sure they have several, now even legal, Mexicans to do for them.
I’m not in the mood to cut these bastards a break on anything. My belief is that if it had been a Dem’s candidates wife she would have established a program to fund dressage for people with MS that can’t afford it rather than to go on about how they are not really rich.
magurakurin
@Pat: agreed. The fact that Romney is rich is absolutely not the reason why he is unfit for office. He’s is unfit for office because he is a stupid fucking moron who amazing the people around him when he remembers how to breathe every morning when he wakes up.
maybe that’s a bit harsh.
Let’s go with your comment about his policy proposals being unworkable and/or ruinous.
debit
@Schlemizel:
Sorry, but that’s silly. It would be like saying she has Mexicans employed to train for her Tour de France ride. You can’t fake it with riding a horse and dressage requires a willing partnership between horse and rider. You only get that with hours and hours in the saddle.
bob h
Standing in line at the MVD might have been a nice, common-man touch.
Kirbster
The Romneys are wealthy, so why wouldn’t they have rich people hobbies? That’s not the problem. The root of the problem is that Mitt doesn’t like being a politician: the banter, the glad-handing, the necessary bullshit, the whole game of big-time politics. His thinking is all business-linear. The task of winning the MA primary had been checked off the to-do list, so there was no need to deal with potential voters there again until after the convention. Mitt might have the most money and the biggest campaign organization, but he either has a really bad PR team or he can’t or won’t follow their advice.
mai naem
Dressage is a very expensive hobby. This is the stuff Princess Anne and I think her daughter were involved in. Bloombergs dtr too. Also, I believe Christopher Reeve was into dressage when he took the fall.
I wonder why Ann Romney’s MS is not as issue? I am assuming its a slow progressing form of MS. I wouldn’t want a president distracted by his wife’s disease. Maybe not a PC thing to say but it would be a huge distraction for me if my spouse was having major problems with their MS.
Stentor
21. Applejinx beat me to it, but I think you mean “resoundingly” not “respondingly Anne.
Emma
The thing is, I don’t care that he’s rich. My problem is that he’s both arrogant and stupid. When Obama talks about taxing the rich, he talks about “people like me,” which immediately makes most (sane, I’m not talking about fundies) people believe that he knows exactly where in the American economic spectrum he falls into. He and Michelle both come across as “hard work, family, and luck” people, which appeals to the sane even if his politics may not be to their taste.
Mitt, on the other hand, comes across as “I’m so far above you that every time I bend down to talk to you I get a nosebleed, but I have to say this crap to get to what is my due.” And he can’t seem to shake that.
Geoduck
Comparing Romney to Thurston Howell is an insult to Mr. Howell. Howell never pretended to be something he.. well, OK, he did, but that was because he was a character on a very goofy sitcom. It is to Jim Backus’s eternal credit that he was able to make such a one-note utterly hammy caricature into someone sympathetic and practically human.
Jamey: Bike Commuter of the Gods
Mitt being Mitt is like Mitt: Boring.
But am I the only one who finds Parker particularly offensive today?
dogwood
The sad thing about campaigns is that it turns some interesting people into phony robots, and Ann Romney is one of them. In late 2007 I watched a lengthy panel discussion on CSPAN with the wives of some of the candidates. Maria Shriver moderated and Romney, Obama, Thompson, Edwards and McCain participated. Ann Romney was definitely one of the standouts for her candor and charm. She was adamant about the need for women to learn to say “no” and set limits when campaign staff tried to push them around. I liked her a lot. The most telling part of the discussion came at the end when Shriver asked what they did when they were frustrated or angry at their husbands. Romney and Obama answered honestly. They basically said they vented to friends and family when they were frustrated or annoyed and that their women friends were invaluable to them. Jeri Thompson dodged the question with a bit of humor by indicating that with 2 children in diapers she was frustrated all the time but had no time to vent. It was Edwards and McCain who were completely phony. Each looked directly toward Ann and Michelle and sweetly answered that their husbands were their best friends and they couldn’t imagine talking to anyone else when they were feeling angry or frustrated. I guess it’s not surprising that the 2 with the questionable marriages would feel it necessary to pile on the bullshit, but it was pretty sickening and catty nonetheless.
Vaughan Thomas
Going after dressage is’t smart politics. Lots of people like horse stuff. And it’s unseemly (oh! The discomfiture!) to go after a spouse, especially given her apparent MS diagnosis. IMHO.
But I can’t help but delight in Sparkle Pony Blog’s aesthetic deconstruction of Calista’s hair.
Schlemizel
@debit:
See: sarcasm n.
debit
@Schlemizel: I did say earlier that I hadn’t had any coffee yet, didn’t I?
Unsympathetic
I’m shocked that anyone who actually cares about Jobs in the US would ever vote for Romney.
His entire career at Bain was simply buying old companies, selling more bonds on that company to stupid rich people based on lies about his future plans, giving himself the money from those bonds, and then firing everyone.
He doesn’t understand or appreciate the importance of science and technology – because his “private-sector experience” consists solely of firing all the engineers he ever met.
He is as perfect a Manchurian Candidate as we’ve had in years, though.
Jeff R.
I really don’t think the VIP treatment at the Registry is all that big a deal. I haven’t been to the Chinatown branch, but the ones I’ve been to (Framingham, Milford) aren’t all that big, so a SS detail would take up a lot of space. Of course, it sounds bad getting special treatment. And you don’t stand in line anymore. You get a number, sit on a bench and go up to the counter when they call your number.
Also, too, when I went to the Registry recently (I was forced to replace my green numbered plate because it wasn’t “reflective” enough) the staff there was reasonably polite and very helpful. I didn’t have to wait all that long, but I think the secret is getting there after the opening rush but before the lunchtime rush.
gnomedad
I can’t help but sympathize a bit. Voters get cranky when you tell them you don’t think exactly the way they do and that you have to represent everybody, not just people exactly like them. Mitt just sucks at pandering more than most.
rikyrah
but but but…
they’re just like you and me
Tyro
Used to be there were smaller places to go like in the Galleria Mall, which suited me better. But perhaps it was too boutique?
No. For renewals of the sort that Romney needed to get, he could have just gone to one of those quickie-DMV outlets at the Galleria.
Nicole
Dressage riders are real riders. They have to take a horse through a lot of different movements, all with signals so subtle that the average person can’t see them being given. While I’m veeeeery interested to learn more about the alleged fraud in sale of one of their horses, I can’t judge Ann Romney for pursuing a hobby I’d certainly love to pursue if I had the resources. I judge the Romneys for lots of other things, but I’ll take Ann Romney’s being a dressage aficionado over GWB’s photo ops in the saddle when he was actually terrified of horses.
At the world-class levels, it can be really neat to watch, like the horse is dancing. Here’s one of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKQgTiqhPbw
ornery_curmudgeon
Being into dressage is the first good thing I’ve heard about the Romney’s … it’s not the insanely expensive sport people think it is, though of course it gets very pricey at the top. Most top riders are professional with sponsors. It’s also a humane, ancient and beautiful sport that becomes an artform at its highest level.
mining city guy
I thought your line about resentful patrons engaging the Secret Service in a gun battle over line-cutting was very funny. Just wanted to mention that. And of course Mitt Romney is a phony. But I want him to win the Republican nomination because then it might give rise to a national conversation over just how it is that a phony like him made all that money without producing anything of lasting value
debit
@Nicole: My god, look at how happy that horse is. That was just beautiful and just a joy to watch. What an awesome pair.
Liz
I love you Anne Laurie.
samara morgan
hahaha!
OF COURSE Ann Romney is a “dressage queen”.
ive ridden competitively since grade school, and im an eventer, and eventers have some contact with FEI and the dressage world.
these ladies import a $200000 warmblood from europe, bust it back to training level to compete and then win the test on movement alone.
there is ZERO skill involved for Ann Romney.
just buckets of moola.
SuperHrefna
@Nicole: Here’s my favorite Andreas Helgstrand video, Hip Hop Dressage All those beats were just made for dressage! :-)
Dressage is expensive, but you don’t have to be rich, my step-sister does it and she isn’t rich, but she has completely devoted her life to training horses and her partner’s a farrier. So it’s possible. But yeah, most people who have the resources for it are rich – and the optics for Mitt Romney aren’t great, given that he only seems to know team owners of popular sports…
El Cid
I don’t have a problem with the VIP Motor Vehicles registry (though, can’t you renew a license online?); but without even knowing / reading any details, I would guarantee that the whole thing would be a tale of variouse Thurston Romney The Turdisms.
samara morgan
@Nicole: except, Ann Romney is not a dressage rider, she is a dressage queen.
look into eventing.
its the last honest horse sport that hasnt been corrupted by money.
you can still go the olympics on a $600 race track reject like Simply Red or Nirvana II, its relatively cheaop to compete, and you can rescue an off track race horse from the killers.
plus eventers are great people and you get to/have to ride a dressage test.
or just take lessons.
Riding is the easiest thing in the world to do, and the hardest thing to do well.
Ann Romney is not a rider. She is a well-funded passenger.
Nicole
@SuperHrefna: That was fun; thanks for posting the link. I loved Blue Hors Matine.
samara morgan
@SuperHrefna: the optics arent great for real riders either.
mostly real horse people loathe dressage queens.
redshirt
@Jeff R.: GREEN PLATE!
Do you also drive a large, old American car?
I’ve got a working theory that anyone in such a car with the green MA plates is typically the Massholiest of Massholes on the road.
But aren’t we all?
Redshift
@Citizen Alan:
Except that unlike the McCain smear, this one is actually true. It’s the weird thing about these Republican candidates — the only time they tell the truth is when they’re talking about each other.
redshirt
Also too: I just had to renew at the Wilmington RMV and even though it was busy, I was in and out in 10 minutes. Pretty darn efficient and overall good experience. Hate the new ID photo though!
Beauzeaux
@debit:
Even at the lower levels, dressage is expensive. First, you have to have a horse. Then you have to feed and shelter said horse. You need lessons. If you are going to compete, you need a horse trailer, a vehicle big enough to pull a trailer with a horse in it, and entry fees.
I have two friends who do dressage and they are far from rich. They do it for fun and are as far from Ann Romney as I am from the Queen of England.
SuperHrefna
@Beauzeaux: I think a lot of people in dressage aren’t rich. This is because they’ve spent everything they have on their horses :-)
samara morgan
@Beauzeaux: its expensive for dressage queens like Ann Romney, not for real horsefolk.
three day eventers are famously thrifty, and they do dressage as part of their event. at the end of the summer you can get a race horse for next to nothing at your local track, or go thru your local horse rescue. in this economy there is a tremendous need for horse adoptions. then board and take lessons at a barn that will haul to shows for you.
@SuperHrefna: oh for fucks sake.
Romney isnt a rider……..she is an owner..
oldenberg news
samara morgan
i wonder how paying someone else to ride her horses helps Ann Romneys MS?
lol.
lymie
@Nicole:
I love that horse. Too bad she died soon after – she was pregnant and broke her leg in a pasture accident.
Here is a great article from Cracked about rich people – 6 things rich people should stop saying. Very good!
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cracked.com%2Fblog%2F6-things-rich-people-need-to-stop-saying%2F&h=RAQFRAHfYAQENx_R0lGX7G4tTVbs9rY7LumlnzcV0bMRlvg
lymie
@samara morgan:
Don’t forget competitive trail riding, that is still an honest sport! And not THAT expensive.
samara morgan
@lymie: competitive trail riding is awesome. i love working horses and working dogs.
like the Hunt, cutting horses and team penning.
Dressage was originally horse trials for warhorses.
Darkrose
@Dr. Loveless: Such a brilliant, terrifying moment–and if you tried to make the parallel, it would be “Libruls are calling us Hitler!” inside of a minute.
EJ
And Bill Clinton once paid $100 for a haircut (or whatever it was, not gonna look it up). Nancy Pelosi flies on private jets (turns out the secret service requested it because it was easier to provide security, but W/E). Does it have to be a story every time Mittens does some random rich people thing?
I mean, practically everyone who has ever run for president has considerably above average wealth, even Joe Biden.
Can’t we focus on Romney’s very crappy ideas?
samara morgan
@EJ: you have to admit Ann Romney is Colbert level spoofable.
if i cared enough i could look up exactly how much she spent for that imported Hauptpremium FEI(federacione equestrian internacionale) GERMAN warmblood stallion, and how much she is is paying Jan Ebeling (who is either dutch or german, i cant remember) to ride him, and how much his training costs and with who.
but i am sure that stallion cost waaaaaaaaaaaay more than 100,000 dollahs, and orders of magnitude more than a $100 haircut.
Again, Ann Romney is not a rider…she is an OWNER. and only multi-millionaires play in that equestrian sport league.
samara morgan
and she doesnt even have enough grace to buy made in America.
EJ
@bob h:
Yeah I’m sure it would have gone over real well when the Secret Service cordoned off half the office and insisted on frisking everyone who entered.