I never in a million billion trillion gadzillion years thought I'd be writing this

[magical thyme]

But today, I am officially and on record as starting to appreciate Ann Romney. I hope the GOP campaign decides to start using her a whole lot more.

I'm almost starting to feel sorry for her. I'm sure she thought she was helping him greatly when she talked about how he always needed to find her in the audience and see her approval in his face.

She thought we'd see he was supported by a strong, caring helpmate. It never dawned on her that illustrating how insecure he is -- that he is totally dependent on reassurance from his mommy-wife -- is not real reassuring to you people. We the people realize that as President he'd be sitting across the negotiating table and gazing into the eyes of not his soulmate, but more likely, say, Putin or Kim il Jong or somebody else not enamored of, or dependent on, him. Somebody armed with nukes.

And now she has thoughtfully let us know that his mental health is her biggest concern about him.

All I can say is, thank you, Ann. I apologize for some of the mean things I've written about you. And I thank you.

[livetohike]

1. A decade ago, during grad school, I had a Prof. who always brought his wife to the lecture

She set up the power points for him and then sat in the back of the room. He didn't last a month....and we had the Chair of the Dept. fill in. The Prof had a nervous breakdown.

There is more to this than a wife's off the cuff statement, imo.

[pamela]

4. They openly admit to calling her the "Mitt Stabilizer"

That's kind of scary in itself. She once said they call her that because she has "the ability to kind of talk him off the rail sometimes."

[2on2u]

9. From a cyclists point of view she is Mitt's kickstand. n/t

[mwooldri]

44. I'd say "training wheels" actually.

Stabilizers in the British English world refer to "training wheels". But kickstand is appropriate too.

[flamingdem]

19. What happens if she gets sick again, who will talk him off the rail (or the button?) nt

[coldbeer]

25. I think you are correct Pamela (I substituted correct for right, hate that word)

If mittens does not get his way, he
will lose his mind. He thinks he is GOD!
He wants to be the CEO of the world!

[Heather MC]

64. I believe she protects him from people knowing

he suffered brain damage from the accident in Paris

[jerseyjack]

69. She's the Mitt Stabilizer? She ain't doing too good of a job.

[grantcart]

2. Or she is a woman with little self awareness and is projecting concerns about her own emotional

health.

In either case I say bring her on.

More Ann Romney.

[Honeycombe8]

3. I'll have to pay more attention to her to learn how she puts men under her spell like that.

How do you mesmerize and control a man to the point that he can't function without seeing your face with an approving expression on it? Sounds like she worked a spell on him.

Maybe she's a witch!

[flamingdem]

6. Aren't Muslims witches, she's a Muslim Witch!

We should let people know about this

[siligut]

12. You have to add "hunt" to that, Muslim witch-hunt.

And it would be very good if people were aware of it

[whathehell]

8. How do you know it's about her and her "spell'?...Maybe it's about him and his weakness.

Sorry, but I felt the need to point that out...We're way too quick to

attribute "blame" or some sort of "witchcraft" to the woman

when it's just as easily an issue of "neediness" or weakness on the part of the man.

[siligut]

18. Correct, Romney is a mama's boy, Ann just fills a need.

I believe that is what his walk and posture is all about also.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021374052#post12

He walks like "a good little boy"

He looks like the third grader who is going on stage to read the Mother's Day poem he wrote. I am guessing he is a mama's boy, just watch the way he looks at Ann while she defends/supports him.

Though, I also agree with the poster who said he wears a girdle, which could explain his posture.

[whathehell]

42. The walk -- Tweety mentioned it once, though he didn't speculate on causes...He takes small steps.

Like Inspector Poirot, or something...It looks a bit weird. There's no natural "stride", it seems,

and by "stride" I don't mean "swagger", which is a different thing altogether.

[gateley]

60. Or Tim Conway on Carol Burnett.

[whathehell]

77. I remember him, but forget the walk.

but I'll take your word for it.

[lunatica]

45. He walks like he's the one holding the aspirin between his knees

[Sekhmets Daughter]

58. Or a stick up his ass

He either has a bad back or hemorrhoids.

[lunatica]

68. Yeah, maybe he walks that way because he's clinching his rectum around something

[LibGranny]

71. Not defending him, but he could have

a hernia. I have a hernia and wear an abdominal binder every day (all day long). It beats the alternative of surgery!

[Sekhmets Daughter]

72. My son had a hernia repaired while in high school....

2 weeks later he was back on the football field...It's not the same misery it was years ago.

[eppur_se_muova]

27. Ann Rmoney: I'm not a witch. I'm you. nt

[Hutzpa]

5. Her comment is really damaging

worse than the 47%, it is a known fact that your wife is suppose to know your mental state as she is the one closer to your most of the time.

Dang!

Everyday is something different with this family, bet we didn't think we could get worse than Sarah Palin, well the GOP is showing us that there are more kookoo sitting in the nest than we thought.

[Voice for Peace]

70. I remember during the 2008 season, Michelle saying

"Barack is special."

And the way she said it gave me such a flood of
confidence in who he was off-screen.

Don't know exactly what it was -- confidence, pride,
certainty about him -- but she conveyed something
authentic and potent which boosted my own
confidence in him.

Mitt just seems like a frantic person with a very
conflicted brain. I see it in his eyes, the way the
two eyes don't look in agreement with each other.
I do not think he's suited for the job and if elected
much of the presidency would be outsourced to
neocons, as with W.

[coalition_unwilling]

73. "The way the two eyes don't look in agreement with each other" - that

image should win some kind of DU award, I think. Brilliant observation - sent a real frisson down my spine.

[patrice]

7. The dear probably thought she was being Michelle-like, when THE thing about Michelle is

it's very clear that, though she feels profoundly affectionate and supports Barack, she does NOT in the slightest stand short and passive on what is going on, she is engaged, first of all for her family and secondly for his career. This is because Michelle is a person in her own right and Barack is strong enough to also be the person he is in his own right together with her.

Strong women want strong men. IF they can learn how to be strong together, strength loves and admires strength. Because each is strong, each one can stay in the relationship or walk away from it, ergo the relationship is based upon CHOICE, not need.

Weakness does not tolerate authentic strength. Weakness needs a more passive relationship to support its own dependency, so it will tolerate lots of whatever, even parasitic business relationships that hurt and destroy other families. Funny how this is what Randian "philosophy" actually produces, perhaps that's because Ayn Rand was actually a liar.

Same model applies on the macro-level, this is why Rmoney NEEDS a WEAK 47%, because he is weak.

[babylonsister]

13. Great post, patrice; makes a lot of sense to me! nt

[dmr]

38. Wonderful post.

[lunatica]

46. +1

Right on! You're brilliant!

[GP6971]

53. Whole heartily agree n/t

[eridani]

62. Excellent points.

Michelle wearing heels is taller than he is, and he doesn't mind at all. Some men would.

[madmom]

10. Remember how they always talked about Hilary being too

involved or over bearing. There was the "two presidents for the price of one" meme. At least if Hilary was doing it, she had some smarts to help her along!

[kurt_cagle]

56. However

There was never any question that Bill was seeking his wife's approval - more likely making sure the coast was clear.

[Iliyah]

11. Her comment is downright scary.

I don't want Mittens nor Mini Mitt near that button.

[SunSeeker]

30. Ann would be the only thing between Mitt and the button.

Now THAT's scary, especially in light of Mormons' "end of the world" beliefs.

[tarheelsunc]

14. There is only one way for Romney to look Kim Jong-il in the eyes

and that would require him to go to the mausoleum where his dead body is preserved and pay his respects to the fallen Dear Leader. I think that would make him a a communist in the eyes of his party.

[magical thyme]

17. Sorry. Couldn't remember name of Dear Leader's successor son

or even name of Dear Leader himself.

Hard shift last evening -- we were slammed in the ER from about 16:35 until 22:05 nonstop. And I am now so tired and sore from running....

[babylonsister]

15. Rec'd; she's not helping, is she.

[goclark]

16. That statement was probably the most honest thing

she has said in the last few months.


He did not just get this way since the nomination. He has been this way since Cranbrook or before......

If she was not so greedy , she would have forced him to stay out of the race and seriously get help.

He doesn't even realize that he suffers from problems that will put the world at risk.

[progree]

20. Here's the article if this is new to some of you as it was to me

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2210388/Ann-Romney-says-biggest-concern-Mitt-president-mental-being.html

In an interview with Nevada television station KTVN, Mrs. Romney was asked what her biggest worry was should Mitt Romney be elected to serve in the White House.

"I think my biggest concern obviously would just be for his mental well-being,' she said. 'I have all the confidence in the world in his ability, in his decisiveness, in his leadership skills, in his understanding of the economy. ...So for me I think it would just be the emotional part of it."

...

"We call the rope line now the advice line because everyone cares and everyone wants to help and everyone wants to just give their piece, a little piece of advice. So I feel like my best advice is just to bring peace and calm to him and just trust in him and just say, 'I know you can do it', but not to give him any advice because it gets too overwhelming.”

"In all the past debates, he would find me in the audience and after each question, he’d look at me ’cause it was like, ‘Did I do O.K. Ann? Was that O.K.?’ ” she said. “And I love that because he cares so much. I mean, we have such a good relationship and we have such a strong marriage and I know that he measures himself and how he’s doing by my face and how I think he’s doing, so I know in these next debates it’s going to be very important for me to be sitting in that audience.”

[GulleyJimson]

21. She's worried... how nice.

Shouldn't he step aside, a la Thomas Eagleton, for someone more stable? Oh right, there is none.

[coalition_unwilling]

74. Huntsman was the only one who had a shot and you can see how the

Rape-publicans treated him. Wouldn't be surprised to see Huntmsan switch parties in 2013.

[xxqqqzme]

35. Yet another silver spooned,

trust funded, over pampered, adult frat boy, craving parental approval. From dimson's blowing up frogs and derisive nicknames to Rmoney's impromptu haircuts, dog caging and food in his families face, is there any one sane on the rabid right?

[tavalon]

49. They certainly have more than their fare share of sociopaths.

[nenagh]

37. Thanks for the link... In the link, after Ann says they call the rope line the 'advice line'...

Ann says 'so I feel like my best advice (to Mitt) is just to bring peace and calm to him and just trust in him and just say "I know you can do it" but not to give him any advice because it gets too overwhelming"

Hmmmmm....

[lillypaddle]

67. That's some incredible stuff there

and not in a good way.

[Iliyah]

22. At this point in time I don't care.

I don't "hate" them but I truly dislike them. There is no excuse for such hatred towards Pres O and Michelle, but I do have a long memory and the vitriol spewing from their base is unforgivable and it will never end. Now if it was the reversed and Michelle had said that the corporate media news cycle would be 24/7 claiming that O was UNSTABLE. I also remember the CNN commentator said that Ann never worked a day in her life. What Ann and her base did was un-called for. It even gotten to a point that her base was spewing their vitriol on the women's life style and her adopted children. It was 24/7 coverage all in favor of Ann who touted it. Money does not warrant respect, actions does.

[ailsagirl]

24. I have a long memory, too

And I agree with what you say.

[sulphurdunn]

23. I saw a video

of Mitt delivering a pitch to potential investors in Bain Capital back in 1982? He sounded like Gordon Gekko doing his "greed is good" speech. Thirty-two years later he's a guy who trips over his tongue every time he opens his mouth. Something has changed. He has the same simpleton look on his face that George Bush has, the anger issues John McCain has and the smiling vacuity that endeared Ronald Reagan to millions of credulous voters. We know that Reagan was suffering from onset or middle stage senile dementia by his second term if not sooner.

Could there be some reason why the masters of the universe would want demented rich guys as figurehead presidents? Just wondering.

[arcane1]

26. One thing changed: he was being honest in that Bain video n/t

[libodem]

28. They need a rich, demented simpleton

So some jerk like Cheney or Rove can run the strings on a puppet. I wish I could spell ka-boo-kee.....

[mentalsolstice]

32. 25th Amendment, Section 4

If, and that's a BIG IF, Mitt were to be elected, he'd only make it a few days after inauguration. The 25th Amendment would be invoked, he would be deemed unfit for office, and the republicans would get what they've wanted all along...Pres. Ryan.

[libodem]

41. Shiver

Think I just convulsed, a little bit, in my nervous system. Yeegads I know you are correct!!!!

[SammyWinstonJack]

66. Pres. Ryan...

[tavalon]

50. As in Kabuki Theater?

[Hamlette]

36. He is out of his element.

He obviously was good at making money so talking about it came naturally to him. Running for president in this environment does not come naturally. Not only is he not a natural politician (think Clinton) but he has to say things he might not believe to please the tea party base.

He seems baffled by the whole deal. When he was interviewed on Fox a few months ago and they asked him a tough question he was shocked. He actually asked the interviewer to start over. Like he did with Univision recently. But he didn't expect Fox to ask him hard questions. He expected Fox to act like his employees. Not do anything to make him look bad. But it was the primaries and Fox liked someone else.

It seems to be because he has had a sheltered existence. Beloved by his wife and 5 sons, beloved by the members of his church (or at least respected probably because he was rich and near famous, Mormons love that) and greatly admired in the business world because he made so much money.

Now he has to think about stuff he's never given a thought in the past, Libya, food stamps....well, just everything. Anyone on this site could do that better than he does because we are political junkies. That was not the focus of his life. His goal in life was to be more successful than his dad which included running for and winning the presidency.

Many of us have this thing that they are going to be better than their same sex parent. You may say you will be different from you mom/day, but what you really mean is better.

[WinkyDink]

55. MR was "good at" what the Mafia is "good at": taking over legit companies, ruining them by draining

their coffers, and leaving the dry husks.

But nobody makes his kind of money just through that; there's big-time money-laundering (Cayman Islands. Ties to Mexico.) going on with him and Bain.

That's spelled D.R.U.G.S.

[progree]

48. Goodness Gracious. So harsh

(but true, sigh)

[font color=blue]He has the same simpleton look on his face that George Bush has, the anger issues John McCain has and the smiling vacuity that endeared Ronald Reagan to millions of credulous voters. We know that Reagan was suffering from onset or middle stage senile dementia by his second term if not sooner.[/font]

"the smiling vacuity that endeared Ronald Reagan to millions of credulous voters." - LOL

About the senile dementia by his second term - yes, that was S C A R Y. When in his first debate with Mondale in 1984, he thought you could recall a ballistic missle attack after launch. But he won 49 states in that election (all except Mondale's home state of Minnesota) and went on to finish nearly triple the national debt (2.87 fold).

[TahitiNut]

29. Every ASS needs an ASSette ... the MittWit has Queen Ann.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

31. I see Ann as shakier than Mitt

She is not comfortable on the campaign trail. Mitt said himself we don't want people to get tired of her - we'll use her sparingly.

[progree]

47. "We use Ann sparingly right now so that people don't get tired of her." 9/17/12

Mitt: "we use Ann sparingly right now so that people don't get tired of her." 9/17/12
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021363046

I only supply the exact quote and the link, because it is in such stark, stunning contrast to Ann's mothering quotes in post #20 - such as (two of the three quotes) ...

"I think my biggest concern obviously would just be for his mental well-being,' she said. 'I have all the confidence in the world in his ability, in his decisiveness, in his leadership skills, in his understanding of the economy. ...So for me I think it would just be the emotional part of it."
...
"We call the rope line now the advice line because everyone cares and everyone wants to help and everyone wants to just give their piece, a little piece of advice. So I feel like my best advice is just to bring peace and calm to him and just trust in him and just say, 'I know you can do it', but not to give him any advice because it gets too overwhelming.”

[kurt_cagle]

57. Ann is a resource to Romney

That is all. Just another part of the marketing plan.

I have to wonder if there's another thing beginning to dawn in Ann Romney's head - that maybe she is simply a tool for Romney to use, and not the devoted husband that she thought he was. Seeking political office is a profound test of the strength of a marriage - you discover things about your partner that you didn't know before, and can see him or her not as you've known the person, but as the public perceives the candidate.

Sometimes that strengthens the bonds. Sometimes that changes the nature of the relationship, and sometimes it ends it altogether.

[progree]

75. I wonder what kind of resource he thinks she is...

Probably little more than a domestic prostitute, considering his attitude towards stay-at-home moms not having the "dignity of work". And an expensive one at that with the dancing horses and so on.

Ann Romney, working woman? by Katha Pollitt, The Nation 5/7/12:

When performed by married women in their own homes, domestic labor is work -- difficult, sacred, noble work. When performed for pay, however, this supremely important, difficult job becomes low-wage labor that almost anyone can do -- teenagers, elderly women, even despised illegal immigrants. And now here is the real magic: when performed by low-income single mothers in their own homes, those same exact tasks -- changing diapers, going to the playground and the store, making dinner, washing the dishes, giving a bath -- are not only not work; they are idleness itself.

Just ask Mitt Romney, [font color=purple]"85 percent of the people on a form of welfare assistance in my state had no work requirement. I wanted to increase the work requirement. I said, for instance, that even if you have a child two years of age, you need to go to work. And people said, ‘Well that’s heartless,’ and I said ‘No, no, I’m willing to spend more giving daycare to allow those parents to go back to work. It’ll cost the state more providing that daycare, but I want the individuals to have the dignity of work.’”[/font]

In 1994 he said, [font color = purple] "we will do everything in our power to make sure that people who are on welfare have an opportunity and an obligation to go to work, not after 2 years but from day one if we could"[/font].

We talk about employment or staying home as a matter of choice, which obscures what it takes to make that choice -- a mate with money.

Read more at: http://www.thenation.com/article/167456/ann-romney-working-woman

[SCVDem]

33. I don't want her representing America

on anything!

No how and NO WAY!

[madrchsod]

34. she`s old,sick,and tired of propping him up

she has had it with the whole dam thing. she wants to go back home and enjoy her life with her family and friends.

yup..i do`t really like her but at least she`s one of the few that has actually told the truth during his campaign.

[WinkyDink]

54. She's practically salivating at the thought of being First Lady. "It's OUR turn."

[Wellstone ruled]

39. This type of behavior and

verbal responses are not unusual with in the Mormon Theocracy of Udah. Here these types of responses accure almost on a daily basis. It seems that all the wives of prominent Mormons are required to be out front protecting their Hubby form the press. You talk about brainwashed,it's built in their culture. If some Bishop or top official of the Mormon is suspected of a crime,talk about the defense team from Temple Square making the calls to the press and news outlets,first story out is blame the victim or project some cockamamy bullshit story.

And you wonder where this Stepford wife is coming from?

[bhikkhu]

40. Behind every phony, insecure, puffed up all-out-of-proportion mormon male...

is a big suffering selfless (not in the good sense) prop of a wife, harried beyond reason like a mental health caseworker with way too many responsibilities and people to manage.

The whole edifice is a ridiculous way to build a culture, but when its based on the delusional lies of conmen, that's about what you get.

[mountain grammy]

43. Whenever she lowered her voice and said "it's our turn now."

or "you people" or "stop it, this is hard" I got the creepy feeling that she was a little unstable. I think this woman could sit through a beheading and not flinch. Queen Ann indeed.

[hrmjustin]

51. We are all human so don't worry.

[WinkyDink]

52. Sociopaths often have trouble realizing how their words come across to normals.

[Tx4obama]

59. Ann Romney said something the other day on Leno regarding the plane incident ...

... that made her sound like she must think that women are weak and helpless.

-snip-

She began the interview by recalling a scare Friday night when her plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver after smoke filled the cockpit and cabin.

"You never want to mix a fire with jet fuel and of course you think about how dangerous those things can be," she said.

But Romney told Leno that the incident happened so quickly that there was little time to panic.

"Of course there were mostly women on the plane, but we had our Secret Service guys there," she added. "They took charge and the pilot was great and we felt pretty comfortable."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ann-romney-leno-i-love-fact-african-american-president-article-1.1168538

As a woman myself, I think that even bringing up the fact that there were 'mostly women on the plane' is strange. In a situation where a plane has to make an emergency landing who would even think about what the gender of the other passengers are.

[polichick]

61. Yikes - I'll bet Rmoney isn't too happy about that comment.

[Tarheel_Dem]

63. K&R

[B Calm]

65. She hasn't a clue of what she's done

to Mitt's campaign.

[Lint Head]

76. Could she have a 'slight' case of the Stockholm Syndrome.

Considering they rid themselves of polygamy do female Mormons have obligations to their spouse that go beyond reasonable expectations of marriage? Mitt and Ann do not look comfortable together.