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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

2012 Mitt Romney Hides Behind His Wife

Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 5:05 PM

BuzzFeed says Romney's people are trying out a new tack to defend Mitt from the attacks about his finances:

In an interview with BuzzFeed about the Obama campaign's recent assault on Romney's personal finances, a Romney adviser repeatedly brought up Ann Romney's name unprompted, arguing that the attacks were aimed at her as well.

"I think when they refer to Mitt, suggesting there was something illegal or untoward about how they managed their financial affairs, they're talking about Ann by extension, because she signed those tax returns." the adviser said. The insinuation of Ann Romney's culpability, he argued, is one reason the campaign believes that Romney partisans are not the only ones who will see Obama's attacks as underhanded. "It's not just right-wing Republicans — I'm talking about business leaders, officials in the [George] H.W. [Bush] administration, who are frankly shocked by what [Obama's campaign] is saying."

The adviser added, "Nobody's perfect, but there's a level of decency that shines through with Gov. Romney and Ann and the family that no one can deny."

I guess that's one way to do it, sure. They're going to try to make the financial issues into a new "war on women," because the last time the Romney campaign held a sustained media blitz against the Obama campaign was when Ann Romney was involved. But I've said before and I'll say again that I don't think Ann "You People" Romney is as popular as the Romney campaign believes she is. To put it kindly, she doesn't have a deft touch with the common folk.

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I think the last time a political figure tried this, it was Louis XVI hiding behind Marie Antoinette. Of course, the big wigs and hoopskirts made it much easier back then.

Posted by Pope Buck I on July 24, 2012 at 5:19 PM

I don't think this tactic is going to play as well as they think. Ann Romney has constantly portrayed herself as the good little wife who stays home with the kids while hubby brings home the bacon. I don't think anyone is going to buy that she's some sort of saint who is going to go through her husbands tax return (because while they may file jointly he's the breadwinner) with a fine toothed comb and refuse to sign if she sees anything a little shady.

Posted by Noadi

on July 24, 2012 at 5:24 PM

She just signed those returns because her husband told her to - the way an obedient wife is supposed to.

Posted by SuperSteve on July 24, 2012 at 5:44 PM

I'm wondering how this will play with the "independent" voters.
It seems rather childish.

So questioning why Romney won't release his tax records (like his father did) is ... being mean to his wife?
And you cannot be mean to his wife because she was really sick.
So stop asking about Romney's tax returns.
Because it upsets his wife.
Which you shouldn't do.
Because it is mean.

Posted by fairly.unbalanced on July 24, 2012 at 5:56 PM

Hey, check out Mitt's call for restoring "Anglo-Saxon" relations -- http://www.balloon-juice.com/2012/07/24/…

Posted by Fnarf

on July 24, 2012 at 6:15 PM

...there's a level of decency that shines through with Gov. Romney and Ann and the family that no one can deny."

It's true. On a scale of zero to 10, the decency of the Romneys registers somewhere between zero and 10.

Posted by Fred Casely on July 24, 2012 at 7:02 PM

OT, but speaking of racism...have any of the Black Bloc thugs who ransacked downtown Seattle a few months ago been given sentences of any significance?

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on July 24, 2012 at 8:05 PM

Trying to hide behind his wife is pathetic. As we all remember from the last dust-up, Ann Romney has never held a paying job in her life. All the money coming into the Romney household came by way of Mitt, meaning that those returns will tell us a lot more about him than about her.

Posted by I have always been... east coaster on July 24, 2012 at 8:08 PM

The black man is out to get the white woman.

Posted by ejamadoodle on July 24, 2012 at 10:10 PM

Maybe if he wanted to keep Ann out of this, he shouldn't have transferred so much money into blind trusts set up under her name:

http://m.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/08…

Posted by badstone on July 25, 2012 at 6:08 AM

@9, replay of the 2008 primaries.

@7, yes, it is off topic. Maybe you should start your own website to post that? I'm sure we will all flock there to read your ramblings.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on July 25, 2012 at 6:33 AM