DNC Regrets Offending Ann Romney, No More Horse Videos

[Newsjock]

Source: ABC News

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now the Democratic National Committee is offering an apology of sorts to Ann Romney.

At issue is a DNC video featuring footage of Ann Romney’s dancing show horse. The DNC used the horse in mocking way to attack Mitt Romney for not releasing his tax returns (and dancing around the issue).

... Ann Romney, who trains with show horses as part of her therapy for multiple sclerosis, took offense in an interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America,” and now the DNC is saying it will put out no more horse videos, and is expressing regret for offending Ann Romney.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/dnc-regrets-offending-ann-romney-no-more-horse-ads/

[targetpractice]

1. Oh, spare me...

She wants us to believe dressage is medically necessary?

[renate]

35. love it!

Medically necessary dressage!

I wish you were the DNC spokesperson!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. Sure! The Pigman was cured from drugs by petting a pony.

And clap therapy.

[CoffeeCat]

41. Yes, and those bank accounts in the Caymans?

The Romneys only kept their money in the Cayman Islands because
all of the Romneys suffer from seasonal affective disorder--and counting
their hundreds of millions in a sunnier climate was therapeutic.

And strapping his dog to the roof of his car? That was a very controlled
systematic desensitization therapy, whereby the dog would gradually
become less fearful of wide-open spaces.

Oh, these crazy Romneys!!

[sadbear]

2. Man, fuck that shit!

No weakness. That horse doesn't represent Ann Rmoney's illness. It represents their membership in the .001%. I'd use that damn horse like they used Seamus. No prisoners!

[RedStateLiberal]

3. So if Michelle Obama does an interview to say she's offended

by all the unbelievable bullshit they are saying about her husband will they stop? HELL NO!

There is nothing offensive about the horse videos. They don't mention Ann Romney or her MS therapy. Stop backing down due to faux-outrage Dems!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

4. Funny, the RNC has yet to apologize to Michelle Obama for all the racist bullshit.

This is why Democrats always fucking lose!!

[alp227]

5. Look how the CONs treated Max Cleland and Tammy Duckworth.

The DNC should take the high road and stay away from attacking Ann Romney's medical conditions, as not everyone watching the ad on TV would know that Ann Romney was riding the horse as MS therapy.

[Sherman A1]

51. Agreed

Politics is a bit of rough & tumble. If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen.

[pa28]

6. They issued a Republican style "non-apology" apology.

Good.

When you take a 77k tax deduction from a dressage horse it's fair game. Mitt did that and nobody mentioned Ann or her condition.

[whathehell]

9. Yes, but they're taking the ad off the air....n/t

[pa28]

14. Too bad. We'll be outspent 2:1 and we don't have the luxury of being weak.

Old habits die hard I guess.

[whathehell]

18. Agreed...It is too bad. n/t

[radarluv]

20. And the DNC needs to grow a pair.....

I'm sick of the lack of leadership. Why are they so stinking wimpy. They need to to get Weiner over there,
he'll show 'em some balls.....really

[Sedona]

34. Um, I think he already did

[Ineeda]

50. Any coverage of this 'Republican style non-apology'

will get FREE airtime, showing the ad. And viewers will wonder what the big deal is. I kinda like it.

[dotymed]

59. I know no one who can afford or advocates "dressage"

as an MS therapy. I call bullshit.
I am rather curious how they train these horses to "dance." I would not be surprised if the horse had to endure pain to learn this behavior. Kind of like the dog being strapped to the roof of their car, the pain of animals (and poor people) has no impact on their wealthy, sociopathic asses..

[evilhime]

7. But she wasn't on the horse

and I really don't think the horse cares one way or the other... he just wants this thing off his back so he can run out in the pasture and have fun with the other horses. Give me a break!! And Dems are apologizing? Sheeesh there goes their tough attitude once again <sigh>.

[whathehell]

8. Oh please...I hope they're not "caving again"...This is bullshit, you can't even

see if it's Ann Romney on the horse.

[tularetom]

10. Where the fuck is Howard Dean when we need him?

We're on the offense for the first time since time immemorial and these spineless douchebags have go kill the momentum by apologizing for making fun of Ann Romney and her silly ass dancing horsie.

Don't think this isn't going be all over the liberal media tomorrow, reported by gloating media whores who will dutifully make it sound like the Dems have apologized for every anti Romney ad and therefore all the tax return controversy is all BS.

I don't know who is responsible for this dumb fucking decision but I have my suspicions and her initials are Debbie Wasserman Schultz. It really is time for her to go.

[Comrade_McKenzie]

11. I don't care that she uses it for therapy...

What about people with MS and living in poverty? Do they get such extravagant therapies?

If internal polling shows it hurts Dems to use it, then I agree with stopping... but if not, continue. Fuck it. It's fair game.

[Grassy Knoll]

12. Tooth Paste is out of the tube......

But DNC says, OOPS, Our BAD. LOL

[AsahinaKimi]

13. Republicans...sheesh.

Looks like some body's party is cranky, and needs a nap!

[pacalo]

15. She's using her illness as a reason for owning a horse that has a $70k-ish/year upkeep.

Having her pretentious dancing horse in the Olympics isn't a part of her physical therapy; she's going to France as a spectator.

[MADem]

37. Hell, strap her to the bullriding machine in any big Texas bar...she'd get a better workout,

and her lymph nodes would get even more of a jostle!

She could buy one of those bullriding machines for each one of her homes, and that would be a lot cheaper than seventy seven grand, too!

Yee haw!

[lillypaddle]

58. LOL

I love the imagery of that!

[pacalo]

77. A choppy jetski ride gives a pretty good workout, too...

[MADem]

80. Yep, and she puts that hammer down! nt

[maxrandb]

56. Don't forget that $70K

IS COMPLETELY TAX-DEDUCTABLE!!

This is the fucking world pricks like Rmoney live in. Prom dressage for your horse is "deductable"...Prom dresses for daughters of Middle-Class Americans are NOT!

[pacalo]

78. Isn't it disgusting? Charging us taxpayers for his horse's high-upkeep while he hides his money

to avoid paying taxes.

[treestar]

71. Amen, this is Bullshit

Lots of people have MS. They are using it for sympathy points. Just cynically using it. They are so rich that she has the best care and best life possible.

[pacalo]

82. Horseback riding is good therapy for MS, but choosing such an expensive, pompous sport as dressage

reveals a lot about the Romneys' attitude. They are ostentatious people who don't have a clue how she undermines other MS patients by using it to deflect justified criticism toward their cluelessness. It's not about the exercise; it's about flashing their wealth when most of the country are feeling the economic crunch. And they have the nerve to charge us with the expensive upkeep of their fancy, ornamental horse while hiding their wealth to avoid paying taxes themselves.

[Botany]

16. faux manufactured outrage

Last edited Thu Jul 19, 2012, 08:11 AM - Edit history (2)

please the video was funny, the Romney's took a $77 K tax write off the horse,
and at no time was Ann's illness mentioned

[Hassin Bin Sober]

17. Isn't Ann Romney the one who admitted, on tape, her outrage about the housewife fiasco was phony?

That it was ginned up and actually a "gift" to her?

Yes. That was Ann Romney. The phony outrage liar.

[kestrel91316]

19. Spineless chickenshit DNCers.

[nolabear]

21. Long as they keep hammering at Mitt they can use this to show how sensitive they are.

It's not like they asked her to release her tax documents or anything.

[SunSeeker]

22. Why apologize to Ann? It's not even about her.

It shows a MAN on a horse, and says MITT is dancing around on the issues. And Mitt DOES own dressage horses. The spinelessness of the DNC is infuriating.

[Jessy169]

23. Tongue in cheek "apology"

There are ways to apologize in which you make it clear that you're not really apologizing. The following "apology" by Brad Woodhouse just drips with sarcasm. True, most of the Republicans won't be smart enough to catch the sarcasm, but Romney and Ann no doubt "get it".

“Our use of the Romneys’ dressage horse was not meant to offend Mrs. Romney in any way, and we regret it if it did,” DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse told ABC News. “We were simply making a point about Governor Romney’s failure to give straight answers on a variety of issues in this race. We have no plans to invoke the horse any further to avoid misinterpretation.”

I don't see that as being "soft". It didn't say they were pulling the ad -- did it? Just an apology with a razor sharp point.

[tk2kewl]

24. this has to come back in a future ad...

we mockingly used a million dollar dancing horse as a metaphor for a rich candidate skirting the issues and they demanded we apologize to million-dollar-horse-owners

[SkatmanRoth]

47. Targeted spending by a Super PAC would be outside the control of the DNC

The video could live on throughout the election cycle.

If it aggravates a thorn in the Republicans' side, I say drive it in deeper.

[flamingdem]

25. At least it got out there for a while! Colbert will keep it going .. nt

[DBoon]

26. Ann needs no apology

now the horse is a different matter.

The DNC should have asked the equine in question about the ad.

If the answer was "neigh" they pull it.

If not it goes on.

A little horse sense can go a long way.

[RedStateLiberal]

29. ROFLMAO! (nt)

[alittlelark]

27. MS therapy to torment horses until they behave unnaturally?

REALLY? No, REALLY????


Oh - to HIRE ppl to torment horses until they act unlike horses..... and WATCH.


T H E R A P Y.

[RedStateLiberal]

28. Geesh, did you notice how ABC spins it with their final paragraph?

This is already a brutal campaign, but the Obamas have long said families are off limits. Apparently somebody high up reminded the DNC of that.

These ads did NOT attack Ann Romney in any way. Is showing the horse they own an attack? GET REAL ABC! And, FIGHT BACK DNC!

[DBoon]

32. I will not comment...

... on what must have happened to make a horse a family member

[karynnj]

79. I am quite surprised at all the claims that the wife that the wife is "off limits"

Yet, for some reason, I remember that this did not apply to Michelle Obama in 2008, Teresa Heinz Kerry in 2004, Tipper Gore in 2000 and certainly not Hillary Clinton when Bill ran and was President.

There is NO attack on Ann here -and compared to the worst said on each of the women listed, the Hillary Rosen comment that she never worked for a salary is not even an attack - and it is true.

[handmade34]

30. it was a stupid ad anyways

and they probably know it... I am glad they removed it... they have lots more that are brilliant

http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom?feature=watch

[Yeah Its Spin]

31. Don't worry as zimmerman said

it's all in God's plan

[bluedigger]

33. We don't need it.

The tax deduction is out there already and will be referred to plenty by third parties during the election.

Taking the high road isn't always capitulation.


And we'll always have Seamus.

[MADem]

36. That's OK--Dave Letterman will keep showing that stupid horse, day in, day out! nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

39. Okay, fine. Let a Superpac pick it up.

[aquart]

40. It wasn't about Ann. It was about $77,000 horse prom!

[Rhiannon12866]

42. Exactly!

I've known people with horses. How many of them have used them as a tax write-off?

[bigdarryl]

43. No fan of Debbie Wasserman Schultz as DNC Chairwoman

[Scuba]

44. Why doesn't the DNC just sit down and write concession speeches? No apology was necessary.

[Shankapotomus]

45. Yes, because one of the most

expensive hobbies to pursue is the obvious therapy for multiple sclerosis. I know if I had multiple sclerosis dressage is the first form of therapy I would choose. For one thing, it's so cost effective.



Give us a break, Ann.

[kooljerk666]

46. I live w/ someone w/ MS & she can not..

..take the heat we are going through here. in SE PA it is 90-100 Deg F by 9:30 AM. We went out yesterday & less than 500 yards from the house she had a nasty fall.

I don't know if it is the MS or meds for MS but if she gets hot her balance is severely compromised. 900 pound of horse would be the last thing she needs for 'therapy'. Extreme physical activity causes her problems quickly.

Ann RMoney, I am sure is incapable of saddling it, cleaning its hooves, mucking its stall. I doubt if she really does shit. How can watching employees or slaves doing your work be therapeutic??

I wonder if I can now write off all dog expenses so she can watch out the window, from a/c house, to watch me walk 2 dogs 4 miles every morning.

I am 51 yo & have broken more bones than most people & been in dozens of m/c accidents & had a TBI & was brain dead for 2-3 days in January. It hurts more to watch a 26 yo woman decline from MS than spending 1.5 hours walking 1 bad dog(her 1 yo bulldog/beagle) & one well behaved, mine! (7yo terrier-chow a TERRA-chow)

I will do anything & everything to assist my niece but sure as hell don't understand how watching a horse can be any better for you than watching Mr ED!

What is a real assbite, is both of us are so injured or ill we don't make enuff money to be able to write off anything.

[KurtNYC]

48. The day was Sununu, "taking the gloves off" and "act American" and WE apologize?

Romney lies about what Obama said, turns it into "an insult to small business" -- just a smear.

The horse ads had nothing to do with Ann Romney or MS.

[2pooped2pop]

49. don't start back tracking now

damn it. They finally found a spine. Don't soak it in vinegar and make it rubbery. THat ad said nothing about prune face and should not be pulled.

[pnwest]

52. the DNC can afford to appear contrite on this

manufactured issue, because there is SO. MUCH. MORE. Romney bullshit to hammer on! Why NOT back off, let them feel they've won a point, and just smile while picking and choosing from the treasure trove of issues that are "fair game"?

[Jessy169]

75. Far more people heard the "apology" than saw the ad

The "apology" -- which succeeded in making the point very clearly that the issue IS Romney dancing around the issues -- wasn't really an apology, it was a blast of sarcasm designed to look like an apology, and get the point across at the same time. That's my impression. One thing we know for sure, and that is, the ad got under Ann's skin really good -- in my book, that is Mission Accomplished!

[Enrique]

53. i am going to miss Rafalca

I was enjoying seeing him prance around

[daybranch]

54. disconnection

The DNC d was very off message. The real message should have been Mitt Romney can deduct $77000 on his taxes to play horse daddy, how about you? Do you really believe his entry into such an activity should be tax deductible?
Obama must continue to show Romney is from another planet which has nothing in common with us earthlings.

[zeemike]

55. It sounds ominous to me

To see the DNC who is supposed to be promoting democrats apologise for using a horse in a video...it is if the picked the least objectionable thing and apologized for it to bolster the argument of the GOP that Obama is running vicious attack adds against Romney...
WTF are they doing and why?
And the cynics could only ask one question....is the fix in and they are helping create the excuse to explain away why?

[randome]

57. I'm guessing there was a mandate to not go after family members.

This protects Michelle and their daughters, too. Someone violated that mandate and got called on the carpet for it.

It's just speculation. I don't see it as a very heart-felt apology, either. So I think this is much ado about nothing.

Relax, friends. Obama's got this.

[flamingdem]

62. Good point. They want wives safe from attack, so that was the correct thing to do

But I'm glad they got that ad out!

Prancy prancy

[zeemike]

66. And that expends to the horse and hobbies?

If Michell Obama had a hobby that her husband took a 77k tax deduction for do you thing the RNC would let that go to keep from offending Mechelle?....nope it is unilateral concession...something we seem to be good at.

[marsis]

60. The democrats

apologize, the Republicans double down.

[Kelvin Mace]

61. You know how my wife gets "therapy" for her MS?

By working a full-time job so she can keep her health insurance!

I don't give a rat's ass about Ann Romney's overly-entitled "feelings", and the DNC need to grow a goddamned spine.

[obamanut2012]

64. KNow how a friend gets "therapy" for her MS?

By working a full-time job so she can keep her health insurance.

[targetpractice]

65. Does your wife's insurance plan cover dressage therapy?

What's the co-pay for something like that?

Your wife's story (an many others) is a legitimate rebuttal to Ann Romney's entitled BS... No apology was ever necessary, the DNC shouldn't fall for a narcissist's "How dare you question me!?" defense.

[treestar]

72. Yes! The DNC should do an ad with your wife saying

exactly that!

[obamanut2012]

63. Her HORSE is going to the Olympics, not her

I firmly believe she does therapeutic riding, but it such as hell ain't on her Olympic-caliber dressage horses. Those are business and ego investments.

[Marrah_G]

67. Stop apologizing to these monsters

[Sanity Claws]

68. But Rmoney is a horse's ass

We have to be able to show videos of horses' asses.

[sarcasmo]

69. This is the problem with the DNC. The Right would never apologize and always goes for

the throat.

[TwilightGardener]

70. Therapy my ass.

[MADem]

81. Yeah, I have a bad case of PoorAssItis--a pricey horsie I could sell would cure me, too! nt

[MrModerate]

73. Producing the ad, and then backing away from it . . .

Is actually good politics, as I see it.

Yes, the ad is inoffensive on the face of it and doesn't genuinely cross the line into "family territory" -- but graciously declining to continue with the horse series puts the Obama campaign on the high road.

And this in the same week that Ann Romney has her bound-to-be-famous-forever "Marie Antoinette" moment. Priceless!

Besides, the ad fails the truth test, because -- given his tendency to trip over his own feet -- Romney is barely able to dance around the issues or much of anything else.

[frylock]

74. telling ann romney to shut her let-them-eat-cake hole is part of my therapy..

i mean, really?! is she going to continue to use her MS a shield against criticism like sarah plain used trigg, or tripp, or grift, or whatever that baby's name was?

[Gothmog]

76. I would prefer that the DNC did not back down

I have a button to the effect that Romney took more in tax deductions on his horse than most people make in a year. I am still going to wear that button