Yeah, I call shenanigans on this Politico article this morning:
No, seriously. When the hell did Ann Romney even become a factor in this race, let alone become a source of “fear” for the Obama campaign and Democrats in general?
Ann Romney’s unexpected rock star status has the political arena buzzing about how her husband’s campaign will leverage her popularity in an election in which Michelle Obama — one of the most admired first ladies in history — will have an outsized and substantive portfolio.
Indeed, this 62-year-old grandmother’s contribution to Mitt Romney’s campaign could amount to the most relevant role a wife has ever played in a presidential effort — softening the edges of a flawed and awkward candidate who struggles to connect with voters.
Bulworth
This is some Very Serious political analysis from the nation’s most Very Serious political source.
amk
Is mehmney hiding behind her skirts ? The coreless fucker would do anything to gain some traction.
redshirt
Every day, gotta keep setting the agenda. We create our own reality now, in the words of Turd Blossom.
porter
It’s only going to get worse. Not just Politico but all media in general.
The higher Obama’s numbers the more desperate and unbelievable the bullshit becomes.
The Republic of Stupidity
Don’t forget…
Yesterday was April 1st…
kd bart
Can’t wait for the Politico stories on The Romney Boys. A combination of The Hardy Boys, The 101st Airborne and The Fighting Sullivans all rolled into one.
Zandar
MattF
Maybe they mean ‘rock’ as in ‘clod of earth.’ And, um, ‘star’ as in ‘shape of echinoderm belonging to the class Asteroidea’. Yeah, that makes more sense now.
Schlemizel
@Zandar:
I posted a comment in an earlier thread about this. It runs off the RH side of the page in hysterical laughter. Few writings have given me more confidence about the November outcome than this little gem of nob polishing. Usually they save this sort of crap for after the loss. Politiho decided to get it out of the way early.
maya
Well, yes, I did hear that Ann and Babs Bush, the elder, were going on tour as “$alt & $altier”.
daveNYC
You’d think that they’d at least attempt to keep things somewhat believable. When they say ‘rock star status’ it’s pretty obvious that they haven’t actually been to a major concert, ever.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
Actually, I fear Michelle Obama more. I’m pretty sure she could kick my ass without breaking a sweat.
rlrr
One has to give Ann Romney a certain amount of credit – it takes a very special woman to marry an android…
Poopyman
Kudos on the lithium in water analogy.
Geek out!
(Wait, isn’t that potassium?)
Emrventures
They gotta keep the horserace going. If she’s the rock star, that’s full of win for Democrats.
phantomist
Ailes activating the shock collars?
Legalize
No no no no. Democrats are afraid of Ann “Many Caddies” Romney because she is white. Ergo, ipso facto, in pari delicto, gabba gabba hey, Democrats are the real racists. WAR. Get some, bitches.
dmsilev
@kd bart:
Well, since the Sullivans all went down with the ship, that could work.
Re: the article, it’s worth pointing out that if Ann Romney, who hasn’t been much in evidence on the campaign trail, is “the most feared Romney”, what does that say about Mitt? I mean, given that Mitt can be described as having a silver foot permanently inserted in his glass jaw, it’s kind of accurate, but is that really how the campaign wants to portray its candidate?
MattF
@Poopyman: Note this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ypUVpwgcAA
Also, the right-hand sidebar on the YouTube page link to videos of what happens when various other alkali metals meet H2O.
biff diggerence
Uh, Sodium.
Villago Delenda Est
Ann Romney is a “rock star”?
OK, apparently the morons at Politico have no fucking idea what an actual “rock star” is like. Ann Romney is a “rock star” in the same sense that a block of granite is a “rock star”.
This is cretinous imaginary crap at its most obvious and ridiculous.
rlrr
@Poopyman:
Both lithium and potassium react violently with water (lithium more so.)
Splitting Image
@rlrr:
Are you saying Ann Romney is the Scarlet Witch?
Hmm. If she has the power to warp probabilities, maybe she can put the Quantum Candidate into the White House.
biff diggerence
Latter Day Saint Rock Stars.
Yeah. The Osmonds.
Rog and Wilc
Redshift
On a related note, did everyone see the story about Romney’s campaign playing a practical joke on him for April Fools? Well, it didn’t strike me until I saw both the TPM story and a piece on the local news, but every one of those stories includes a tidbit about how Romney is “known to be a prankster” or some such. My bet is that it was a deliberate plant by the campaign to “humanize” him. Seriously, has anyone ever heard any mention of Romney being a “prankster” before, despite these claims that it’s “known”? And we’ve all seen his sense of humor on display…
the Conster (f/k/a Cat Lady)
All the Politico hacks mean is that when the Annbot’s campaign mode program runs without glitches, it can pass the Turing test 50% of the time. Yes, that’s the pony they’ve found under the enormous pile of bullshit they’re forced to dig through, so it’s going to be ZOMG watch out Obama! until tomorrow when both Romneybots manage to step in it all over again. It’s going to be a long 7 months for the Romney beat reporters.
geg6
Seriously? Rock star status? I wouldn’t know the woman if I fell over her and I’m a pretty heavy imbiber in political media.
Yeah, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hilary Clinton, Jackie Kennedy, Rosalynn Carter, and Michelle Obama were and are nothing but ciphers in their husbands’ campaigns.
RosiesDad
The notion that anyone would vote for a candidate for ANY office based on their like/admiration/worship of the candidate’s spouse is just nonsense.
It has never happened and will never happen.
This just goes to show how thin the news is as far as following the campaign goes. Americans still generally don’t like or trust Mitt Romney and he is an awful general election candidate. Santorum is worse by orders of magnitude.
The next set of stories will be “America doesn’t much like or trust Obama but they dislike and distrust him less than the entire GOP field.”
GregB
I am shocked, shocked that the Halperin Bugle would attempt to help Mitt out of the ditch in light of the news that the Republican Vagina Patrol has scared off every woman with a brain.
The media wants to make this a race come hell or high water.
Needless to say Ann Romney won’t be opening for the Stones anytime soon.
rlrr
@biff diggerence:
Alkali metals in general…
Nina
It’s a beat sweetener. They’re trading this for later “access”.
Or they’re totally and completely in the bag. Who’s writing their paychecks?
RosiesDad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_EILTrhmo
This cracks me up whenever I hear it.
Villago Delenda Est
@Splitting Image:
OK, as a PMM, I get that reference.
But I don’t think that Ann Romney has the glorious auburn hair of the Scarlet Witch.
rlrr
@GregB:
Republican Vagina Patrol – band name
Robin G.
@dmsilev:
Very nice. I’ll be using that one.
amk
borowitz tweet
Romney: “I love American democracy. I’m friends with some of the owners of it.”
redshirt
@Splitting Image: Nerd powers, activate!
Love the reference! Romney has no Vision, however.
jibeaux
I don’t know Michelle Obama, I’ve never worked with Michelle Obama, but I can guaranfuckingtee you that Ann Romney is no Michelle Obama.
Slugger
This is an example of ‘burying the lede’. See the next to last paragraph where it says that Mitt is not connecting to voters with his unloved personality and unclear stand on the issues.
Cacti
Does this strike anyone else as team Willard’s lame version of…
“How can I hate women? My wife is one.”
Seems like the same sort of political savvy that calculated on women voters swooning for Sarah Palin.
Suffern ACE
It’s amazing that rock music ever got off the ground, what with all those squares at Politico with star making pretensions. Ann Romney is not the best band you’ve never heard of.
Satanicpanic
@Redshift: I could see him being a “prankster” as in haha, guess what? I just phoned the INS on our gardeners. They’re being deported, we don’t even have to pay them, they’ll be so surprised hahahahaha.
pamelabrown53
@jibeaux: I know and isn’t it fascinating how GOPPolitico drops this turd when there has been so much buzz about Michelle Obama rockin’it at Nickolodeon’s “Kids Choice Awards”? If you haven’t seen any pictures or video they’re easy to find.
pamelabrown53
@jibeaux: I know and isn’t it fascinating how GOPPolitico drops this turd when there has been so much buzz about Michelle Obama rockin’it at Nickelodeon’s “Kids Choice Awards”? If you haven’t seen any pictures or video they’re easy to find.
Linda Featheringill
Poor Ann. She’s a lot more irrelevant than Callista although she does seem to have more substance than Mrs. Rick Perry.
porter
@Slugger: Ahhh, isn’t that special. Nice find. I think you are dead on. Romney not connecting with voters was probably the lede. Fucking Politico. Bunch of snakes in the grass.
the fugitive uterus
Anne vs. Michelle?
harrumph!
(ooops, forgot that Michele is an “angry black woman” who hates America)
Steve
This is just more of Politico’s standard schtick, trying to create a narrative out of thin air while pretending that they’re just reporting on what’s going on. Having said that, I find Ann Romney likeable. Not sure why it matters.
Raven
@dmsilev: The Sullivan’s Caroline’s Spine
Raven
And the acoustic version of Sullivan
amk
More borowitz
Gingrich: “I’m staying in the race until the end. This isn’t like a marriage or something.”
patrick II
Funny, I was just now watching the walk-off scene in “Zoolander” with David Bowie judging the hot walker competition. In the movie they treat trying to be a rock star without actually being a rock star as a funny contrivance. Politico doesn’t get the joke.
handsmile
A question for those who’ve read this Politico expose on “rock star” Ann Romney: does it mention whether she’s a junkie and fucks groupies?
Cacti
@Satanicpanic:
Indeed.
One must wonder what sort of “pranks” come from a guy who thinks a humorous anecdote starts with…
“I remember the time my father closed a factory.”
ET
Did I miss something? I think I remember a few weeks ago seeing something about her but that’s about all. I don’t even think that I knew her name was Ann. And she is supposed to be a “rock star” – really? I guess on the right she is but outside of that I don’t think so.
Lojasmo
Polish that turd any way you can, Politico.
Tom Q
Well, Politico achieved its objective, as CNN right this moment is discussing “Can Ann Romney help her husband connect with voters?” By the end of the day, Chris Matthews will be bubbling over about Annie’s charisma.
the fugitive uterus
@Cacti: i never thought he’d get through that story, chuckling all the while, and it was FUNNY, i tell you. all those people losing their jobs, what a knee-slapper! that man is a caution, a CAUTION, i tells ya!
zubalove
Kevin Madden is an old friend of mine, and I’ve seen this referenced by people in his facebook and twitter feeds. There are people in the Romney camp that are convinced Ann Romney is some kind of Super-Weapon they are certain will change the course of the campaign.
I just don’t see it.
Roger Moore
@Redshift:
Yes. There was something about him being involved in a series of pranks and counter-pranks with his guards when he was Governor of Massachusetts. The one I remember was that one of them short sheeted him when he was on a trip, and he got back by pretending he hadn’t known who was responsible and had gotten the hotel to fire the maid so the perpetrator would feel guilty. Just the kind of humor you’d expect from an asshole Galtian Overlord like Rmoney.
jim filyaw
actually i think the article got this part dead on: “softening the edges of a flawed and awkward candidate who struggles to connect with voters.”
in other words, the reason she looks so good is the asshat she’s standing beside.
Mike in NC
@Redshift:
Didn’t he once hand out pink slips to some employees, only to later admit it was a gag? Very classy move.
MikeJ
When Ann doesn’t bring the polls up they’ll trot out Seamus.
Paul in KY
@Roger Moore: He got the maid fired!! Ha, ha!! Boy, what a kidder he is…
The Bobs
@Poopyman: Lithium is the least reactive alkali metal and is unlikely to bust into flames on contact with water.
Roger Moore
@Paul in KY:
No, he just pretended he had gotten the maid fired to manipulate the actual perpetrator. I think it was to make him feel guilty, but ISTR there being something about an informal “how many people can you get fired” competition. That last part might be a smear rather than a real thing, though.
Satanicpanic
Romney pranks-
Glue a $100 bill to the sidewalk, watch poor people try to pick it up.
Press all the buttons in the car elevator, so people have to wait while it stops on every floor.
Redshift
@Roger Moore: Oh, yeah, I do remember that one. That supports Ms. Redshift’s alternate theory — that he’s the same kind of “prankster” as W — an asshole boss whose “jokes” everyone has to pretend are funny.
We’ll probably never hear about who gets fired or sandbagged for pulling this April Fool’s on him.
low-tech cyclist
Nothing new to add, just wanted to say, Zandar, that was freakin’ brilliant and right on target. The whores at Politico have outdone themselves this time, but even they can’t make this thing look like a race.
Women under 50 have basically deserted the GOP in droves, and Romney’s losing among men under 50 as well. This thing is OVER.
vickijean
What makes this most hilarious is that many in the Land of the Right are convince that Politico is LEFT WING.
redshirt
ROMNEYBOT PRANKSTER ROUTINE ENGAGE
Betsy
@Cacti: You got it!
(I think the calculus for Sarah was a little different, along the lines of “Look at this hot Gov! The chicks will LOVE her!” — but a roughly parallel construction)
gex
It is really strange to watch a party both decide that women are utterly unimportant to their electoral strategy and then tell us that this extremely unrelatable and unknown character is just the thing to get women running back. I know they think women are stupid, but they have seen the polling right?
ETA: I take “our potential FLOTUS is a superstar” is just how they are trying to compensate for the fact that Michelle is really fantastic. It’s always projection for them. This time it’s some weird reverse projection.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@gex:
Probably not, that bubble thing. They probably swear by Rassumen or some other pollster would will pander to them.
Shrillhouse
Hal
I wonder how many people out there even know Mitt Romney’s wife’s first name. I’m guessing the majority know here as Mitt Romney’s wife.
Splitting Image
@Villago Delenda Est:
Newt Gingrich would know how to solve that problem in a jiffy.
Let’s watch and see if Ann gets a perm this summer. Then we’ll know if someone on the campaign has a sense of humour.
Some Loser
@gex:
Republicans pretend they have all the good qualities of Democrats, and then they project all of their weaknesses on us.
danielx
@kd bart:
But they’re Very Serious People! But Seriously…is there anyone out there who takes Politico Seriously? It’s like People magazine for Villagers.
On the other hand, considering the number of people who buy and take seriously a magazine with the name Kardashian appearing on the cover in every issue, maybe Politico has more impact than I thought (shudder).
Hal
@Villago Delenda Est:
I always thought the Scarlet Witch was a brunette, and was called the Scarlet Witch because her costume is red.
Nylund
Prior to reading this article, I’m not so sure I could have even named Mitt’s wife. Undoubtedly, I’ve heard her name before. I’ve probably even seen some images and videos of her, but if I were on Jeopardy and they asked me her name and it was up to me to decide my wager, even if I picked Ann, I wouldn’t have bet a dime, so unsure I am. And if I had to pick her out of a police lineup? Oh no chance.
And I follow politics daily! I can’t imagine what her recognition levels are for “normal” people.
bvac
“They turned me into the April fool this morning.” He continued, “This is known as forgive, but remember.”
I’m adding this to the array of humanizing Romneybot2012 sound bytes:
“The trees are the right height. The grass is the right color, for this time of year.”
“What was sauce for the goose, is now sauce for the gander.”
[mechanical laughter]
LAC
OH, GOD, ANN ROMMNEY!! OH, YES, YES, YES!!!!!
Poor Politico…still faking orgasms with wingnuts for money.
Martin
I think I’m a pretty above-average politics watcher, and if Ann Romney walked into my office right now, I wouldn’t have a fucking clue who she was. I have no idea what her background is, if she’s ever worked or what her profession was, or anything of the sort. I could pick out Karen Santorum because she’s regularly at her husbands side during speeches, but Ann isn’t so routine about that. Maybe the problem is that I don’t watch The View?
But my litmus test of someone’s importance and influence is to consider that if they were killed in a random accident, how much the world or my life would change. In Ann Romney’s case, I wouldn’t notice any difference at all, other than the 4 days of coverage about how it affects Mitts campaign. Which tells me that she’s important to him, but not to us.
klondike
Remember “the birthday stocks”? That was Ann Romney.
If anything she has even fewer clues than Mitt.
kd bart
Prediction. By the end of the week, all the 24/7s and the network will have done a feature on Ann Romney and her “rock star status”.
The media are such sheep.
kd bart
Prediction. By the end of the week, all the 24/7s and the network will have done a feature on Ann Romney and her “rock star status”.
The media are such sheep.
kd bart
Prediction. By the end of the week, all the 24/7s and the networks will have done a feature on Ann Romney and her “rock star status”.
The media are such sheep.
redshirt
@kd bart: Media? They’re not sheep, they’re following the script.
That anyone takes what they have to say at all seriously is the sheeple part.
Surly Duff
@Villago Delenda Est:
She’s a rock star like Tennille of Captain and Tennille.
bemused
I can’t see the 99% income Republican women going gaga for Ann like they did for Sarah Palin. Palin is still a rightwing goddess for many of those churchy women.
rikyrah
She is LITERALLY
Miss Ann
and acts like it.
sure..the Obama campaign is shaking in their boots.
NOT
mdblanche
Yes, Marie Anntoinette is the Romney Democrats fear most.
Also too, please don’t throw us in the briar patch.
gaz
@Poopyman: I was thinking sodium, although I’ll have to look up lithium – I would not be surprised if it reacts the way Zandar described as well (been awhile since I’ve darkened the doorway of any science class, much less chemistry class).
Wouldn’t it be geek overkill if we were all correct?
Paul in KY
@Surly Duff: I thought you were going to say ‘The Captain’, because Toni Tenille was waaaay more of a ‘rock star’ than him.
mdblanche
@Redshift: Romney held a campaign event and nobody showed up? It was an April Fool’s Day joke! Yeah, that’s the ticket.
gaz
@Martin:
Okay so for me that would limit it to friends, family, employer (maybe employer’s family as well depending on how much my emotional well being is dependent on that of my employer’s – or IOW, how shitty of a job I have at the moment).
Anyway, that’s not a bad metric you’ve got going on there, if you ask me.
Princess Diana didn’t affect me at all.
Neither did Frank Zappa’s death (though I lamented his passing (mourning would be too strong a word), it didn’t really effect me.
etc…
Makes a hell of a lot more sense than mindless celebrity worship. =)
cheers
Tony J
@Hal:
Geek-joy!
Ultimate Scarlet Witch was brunette, the Mainstream Universe Scarlet Witch has lovely waves of rich auburn hair just like her mother. OTOH she did get the Scarlet part of her name from the costume.
OTOOH, if Ann Romney is the GOP Scarlet Witch, that means the Romney Boys are all artificial lifeforms created out of Chaos magic and the torn up soul of Mephisto – which would explain a lot.
Still, it explains why Politico are humping that leg so frantically. One bad cover-story and she’ll get mad enough to utter the words “No more wingnuts”.
bjacques
There’s another rock star who had lots of Cadillacs, but he gave them away.
Kane
It seems like only yesterday the same media was telling us how Mitt was the Republican that Democrats feared most. Not even Politico is trying to push that ridiculous meme.
It’s obvious that the “Ann is a rockstar” narrative is all about the sinking poll numbers Mitt has with women.
Mino
Heh. The one Morman family I know doesn’t care much for her, though they might vote for him. They were really offended by the “I’m not rich” bit.
gene108
I can’t be a hater.
The Romney’s have been married 40+ years, without any signs of infidelity or other problems that would sully a marriage.
They have kids, who seem to be functional adults, i.e. no Neil Bush-esque illegal activity in the S&L crisis, and plenty of grandkids.
Ann Romney’s no “rock star” spouse, because she really doesn’t have a prominent role in the campaign (yet), but there doesn’t seem to be anything contemptible about her.
She married a rich man, who became a wealthy man. I can’t fault her for her good fortune.
Surly Duff
@Paul in KY:
Well, I used Tennille because, well Romney, like the Captain, is the duller of the two (I guess?). Also, I always picture Romney in a sailor cap and saying things like, “It’s easy to grin, when your ship comes in, and you’ve got the stock market beat. But the man worthwhile, is the one who can smile, when his shorts aren’t too tight in the seat. Bwah, ha, ha!”
SamR
Ann Romney’s only role has been to serve as an amazing example of the double-standard for her vs. Michelle.
Imagine the reaction if Barack Obama announced Michelle drove a couple of Cadillacs.
Imagine the reaction if Michelle Obama—who is far less wealthy than Ann Romney—said she did not consider herself wealthy.
Imagine the reaction if Michelle Obama said she wanted to strangle the media.
To sum up this split in how the media covered Mrs. Romney to how they would cover the same comments from the First Lady, I’d propose a companion to IOKIYAR: INOKIYADEIYB (Its Not OK If You’re A Democrat, Especially If You’re Black).
peanut
I think you guys are downplaying how a wife can effect a canidates public perception. People are looking for a reason to like these politicians. If they like the wife and she publicly supports the campaign it’s a powerful message.
Basicly what I’m saying is, one of the best endorsements of the the campaign is an effective spouse.
Of course it would take a huge effort to humanize Mitt Romney but they’re going to try a lot in the next 7 months.
LAC
@Surly Duff:
LOL!!
Ahoy, polloi!
geg6
@gene108:
Ann Romney was a rich girl who married a rich man, though I DO like the sound of her dad, at least his take on religion. As for her, she’s never done a single thing in her life. Nothing. No work, no real visible volunteer work until Willard won the governorship, nothing, nothing, nothing. Except ride horses. So she’s just like Willard, entitled as hell, with the exception that she is even lazier than he is. At least he’s been running for president for the last six or seven years. All she’s done is show jump.
Fuck her and her fucked up husband.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Romney
JoyfulA
I used to have a positive impression of Ann Romney because she has MS and being Mitt’s wife can’t be easy. And I think she’s tall and blond, but I could be wrong. Anyway, that’s all I knew to base my vaguely positive impression on.
Then I read some brief interview with her, and she came across just like Mitt, not enough of a common touch to deal with the housekeeper even. Now I have a negative impression of Ann Romney.
Why do Republicans consider her a rock star? Is it just that she doesn’t have the lethal negatives of Mrs. Santorum and Callista?
smith
As much as I dislike Sarah Palin, she was a genuine “rock star” during the 2008 election.
Ann Romney? Yeah whenever I see a Romney rally the people are going wild over Ann. Oh wait, they’re not. She is a drag and a bore just like her husband. They both have the personality of mold. She may be a nice person genuinely and I feel bad for her that she health problems, but every interview I’ve seen of her she comes across as a bored housewife.
Keith G
Who cares? I hope very few.
I fear this will be a very long summer.
Betsy
@smith: Compliant Mormon woman = bored housewife, trying to look deeply fulfilled.
Jamie
this may be akin to selling Bush as a guy who’s fun to drink with, while he had supposedly given up drinking. We really need a better media.