Good Housekeeping has published interviews with Michelle Obama and Ann Romney. The editors call the interview with Romney “revealing,” and I’d have to agree–though probably for different reasons than theirs.
The headline revelation has to be that Ann Romney wants to “throw out the” education “system.”
GH: Can you tell me, what campaign issue is closest to your heart?
AR: I’ve been a First Lady of the State. I have seen what happens to people’s lives if they don’t get a proper education. And we know the answers to that. The charter schools have provided the answers. The teachers’ unions are preventing those things from happening, from bringing real change to our educational system. We need to throw out the system.
Romney doesn’t elaborate on what “answers” the charter schools have provided or which improvements teachers unions are preventing. But a number of studies have found problems with charter schools, and there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that students’ test scores are better overall in charter schools than public schools.
As for the teachers unions, I realize that Ann’s husband would like to eliminate all unions and reduce workers’ pay as much as possible. Certainly privatizing education through charter schools would be a good way to eliminate teachers unions.
Ann Romney was certainly a lot more explicit about the goal of ending public schools in this interview than her husband has been. Perhaps Mitt isn’t worried about the reactions of readers of Good Housekeeping. He probably thinks they’re just a bunch of silly airheads.
Ann gave several other answers that I found pretty stunning. In response to a question on why her husband should be president, Ann said:
I’d say because of his life experience, starting with the example [his father] George Romney set of being successful in his family and business and then serving in a political sphere. [He showed] what a difference being involved in politics makes. The formula from his perspective was, you never get involved in politics unless you’re financially secure and your children are raised. So when our children were older and Mitt had made a bit of money, there was his father’s example that you find ways to serve and give back.
So I guess anyone who isn’t a millionaire shouldn’t run for office? Or does “a bit of money” mean hundreds of millions to Ann? Clearly Obama shouldn’t have run with those two young daughters! Back to Ann’s pontificating:
That’s also what drew us to the Olympics. Mitt gave up everything, walked away from a very lucrative position [to lead the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympics]. It was just a little square inch of light that you walk into saying, “I think this is the right thing to do.” You get that confidence from intuition and prayer…all of those things where no one’s going to give you a blueprint of how life is going to turn out.
“Mitt gave up everything?” WTF?! At this point it should be clear to anyone who is paying attention that Mitt Romney never really left Bain Capital. The Boston Globe reported in July that Romney didn’t resign from Bain in 1999 as he has claimed, but instead took a leave of absence and only negotiated his severance package in 2002 when he decided to run for governor of Massachusetts. The severance package kept him earning money from current Bain investments for ten more years. Romney was even listed as CEO of Bain on the Olympics website and during public appearances at the time. Even now Romney is still profiting from the company he founded.
Ann Romney is every bit as full of shit as her husband is. She says that Mitt would help the economy by “getting rid of regulation,” and “using our natural resources,” (meaning open up national parks to oil drilling) but she acknowledges that in places like China where there is no environmental regulation,
the pollution and the air quality is just abysmal, and people are having to live in that. You understand how important it is, but you also have to recognize that we have to balance those things.
Right. We “have to balance” the rights of the rich to feed their endless greed with the rights of the 99.9% of Americans to clean air and water.
Ann says that as First Lady she would continue to work with at-risk young people. I didn’t realize she had done that, so I looked it up. According to Wikipedia,
Ann Romney has been involved in a number of children’s charities, including having been a director of the inner city-oriented Best Friends, which seeks to assist inner-city adolescent girls. She advocated a celibacy-based approach to the prevention of teen pregnancy. She worked extensively with the Ten Point Coalition in Boston and with other groups that promoted better safety and opportunities for urban youths. She was an honorary board member of Families First, a parent education program in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was a volunteer instructor of middle-school girls at the multicultural Mother Caroline Academy in Boston.
She has said her interest in helping underprivileged children dates back to when she and her five boys saw a vehicle carrying a group of boys to a Massachusetts Department of Youth Services detention center. She began volunteering for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay soon after that, and by 2002 was serving as one of that organization’s board members. She was on the Faith in Action Committee for the United Way, working with local religious establishments to assist at-risk children and helping to found United Way Faith and Action. Earlier, by 1996, she was a member of the Massachusetts Advisory Board of Stand for Children.
Please note that Stand for Children is an organization that has worked to reduce protections for teachers and undermine the power of teachers unions.
A couple more of Ann’s answers really bugged me. There was the one in which she praises Mitt for saying it was OK if Ann couldn’t cook all his meals for him when she was suffering from MS:
You have to find something that’ll pull you away from those scary places. And it was my husband telling me, “I don’t care if you’re in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. I don’t care whether you make dinner; I can eat cold cereal and toast. As long as we’re together, as long as you’re here, we’re going to be OK.”
Why couldn’t Mitt cook his own damn meals? How hard is it to open a cookbook and learn the basics? If he just couldn’t bring himself to do that, he could hire a cook–and other servants as well–to help his sick wife. They were hardly struggling to make ends meet!
But here’s the most annoying statement Ann made in the interview:
GH: Who are your heroes? Your role models? Don’t say your husband, even if it’s true. (Laughing)
AR: I would say Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa…and Hillary Clinton. She has been through so much; she just kept going. Now she’s doing a great job as Secretary of State.
Mother Theresa was a hypocrite just like Ann, I buy that one. But I don’t believe for one minute that she agrees with Eleanor Roosevelt or Hillary Clinton on anything.
Comments
83 responses to “Ann Romney’s “Revealing” Interview With Good Housekeeping Magazine”
I’ve been typing away downstairs on this same subject 🙂
The role model answer made my head hurt, but so did “a bit of money”.
Oh my word. It is imperative that we keep the Romneys out of the White House. Her number one agenda item as FLOTUS would be to dismantle public education!? And she’s singing the praises of charter schools?! Oy! I just can’t take it anymore!
Neither can I, a Romney presidency scares the shit outta me!
Like her vulture capitalist husband and his Ayn Rand worshipping running mate, Ann Romney is a dangerous radical determined to destroy the traditional American way of life. Don’t let her near our public education system.
Oh yes, charter schools are so good, except when they leave lower income and poor children whose families can’t workout transportation, work schedules, additional expense or after school care to rot in the inner city schools that will be decimated by Charter-for-profit. Ann Romney oozes pomposity and is almost as good at bullshitting as her husband. I can’t even imagine what sort of conversations Ann and Mitt must have. I imagine the expression “you’re shitting me” was coined with folks like Ann & Mitt in mind. I pity Trafalca Romney having to haul her pompous ass around, what a load.
They’re failing down here and Jindal’s transferring tons of money to them.
Georgia had charter schools on the ballot this year. Amendment 1: Bad for the state, devastating for rural Georgia | Opinion | Macon.com
It is very upsetting to me what the future may hold.
There is no evidence that charter school students perform better than public school students. It’s just a back door way to dismantle public education. Nothing more.
There’s another charter school motion here in Washington state. Voters have turned them down 3 times before. I hope this is rejected also, but Bill Gates and others with $$$ are behind this one.
I work for a small non-profit. Our Board members don’t do any of the work. Sometimes most of them can attend a Board meeting. They don’t help us raise funds. They barely read the reports presented to them at the meetings. In my experience being on the Board of Directors of a non-profit is that is looks good in print or on a resume. When I worked at the phone company, one of the upper management was on the Board of The United Way. His job was to use his contacts to recruit companies to participate in workplace giving…..of the employees. Bet she never tutored a child, or put food on a plate in a food kitchen. Well, at least Paul Ryan broke into a food kitchen & re-washed the already clean dishes.
Maybe Ann should spend a week or two in LA & see what a bang up job charter schools are doing there. I’m sure dak could clue her in .
I did find it interesting that Mitt “worked” as a security guard at a Chrysler plant. Since he didn’t sleep during the day, I wonder if he spent his time sleeping on the job.
“In my experience being on the Board of Directors of a non-profit is that is looks good in print or on a resume”
It brings the appearance of benevolence and how things appear is more important to the plutocrats than how things are. It’s a control mechanism. I’ve always wondered how a person who has 100’s of millions of dollars in the bank is viewed as generous because he/she donates a couple of million to a charity or sits on the board of a NFP. Generosity to me is when giving money or donating time requires some sort of personal sacrifice. Personal sacrifice from this class of people is rare.
ecocatwoman ha ha ha ha…………. into broke into a food kitchen & re-washed the already clean dishes.
I loved that one!
I would dearly love to see cossetted Ann Romney deal directly with youth gangs, runaway teenagers, or homeless children. I’m sure she’s never gotten her hands dirty in any of her volunteer work.
Romney registered as a lobbyist for the Salt Lake Olympics and then basically took the US government for 1.5 billion dollars for the “Olympics” which I would call I major waste of time, money, and US taxpayer dollars…
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/07/mitt-romney-expensive-olympics-federal-funding
Talk about boondoggles!!!
Perfect post bb – Ann clearly stated what her priorities are, what she and Mittens want to do. It’s enough to make one sick – but, as usual, the politician lives in their own ‘world’ and ‘innocently’ states what they really want – just like the real world wants that to – just for them and theirs. Seems she did not pick up on the failures in China that the interviewer mentioned – just that Mittens would do it with balance – lol. Frackin’ idgit – so shallow.
So shallow that I’m not sure they are real people. Maybe some cardboard cutouts come to life or the robotics meme may be true.
and I’m sorry, she needs to shut up about public education … what would she know about that anyway?
“and I’m sorry, she needs to shut up about public education …what would she know about that anyway?”
She rode by one, once.
“She rode by one, once” of course I meant Public Schools.
Sometimes I wonder if these people ever drive through the parts of town where things aren’t Roses,and Yacht Clubs? And if they do, I wonder if they look out the windows?
How is a teacher union busting organization “charity” work?
here is another plum, “I’ve been a First Lady of the State. I have seen what happens to people’s lives if they don’t get a proper education”.
Maybe Ann should look at her own life. Her education at BYU didn’t teach her much, apparently.
No doubt what her husband & his friends tell her. After all, I don’t think she’s ever had an original thought. I seem to remember that she & Mitt only argued once in their years together. Apparently she had an original thought & he set her straight. I’M THE BOSS, now STFU.
Exactly! This is another version of mansplaining. It’s moneysplaining where the rich tell the poor how their schools and lives should be run.
And another thing, the good housekeeping seal of approval is not a Gold Star. I wonder if she is aware their is Gold Star that other moms get?
She heard about it from Whoopie Goldberg.
I’m not a violent person but like to show her some stars! 🙂
LOL! I’d like to see her live on food stamps for a month.
BB, she could go back to eating on the ironing board!
PublicPolicyPolling @ppppolls
Our new Ohio poll finds Barack Obama leading Mitt Romney 51-47, up from 49-48 last week
If this is right, she’s going to be the problems of her California neighbors and not us.
Good for PPP. I found out what I imagine is the reason Mason-Dixon polls always show better results for Romney than the averages. They use the Rasmussen method of weighting their polls to what they imagine the Dem-Rep percents should be and not what people tell them when they are asked. That’s a nice way to put a thumb on the scales.
PD,
We should start a twitter campaign to send cans of tuna to Ann.
BB, since you are at your mom’s do I need to use the different email address?
BB, she probably only eats the tuna that kills dolphins.
JJ,
I can check my regular e-mail, but forget to do it. My mom’s is the same as mine but with an “a” at the beginning. I’ll be using my computer soon. I just have to buy my mom a new router. I’ll let you know about that.
Cool, cause I sent you some links that you may find interesting. lol
I didn’t watch MTP today, I never do, I mean Dancin’ Dave and a who’s who of the same lame people who never tell the truth. But Rachel Maddow got to be on today. since I didn’t see it, I wonder what the reaction was from the pastey old white bench.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/28/maddow-theres-been-a-truthfulness-problem-with-the-romney-campaign/
Neither do I. I forgot Rachel was on.
Note that Fiorina, even in the auto bailout discussion, jumped right into Benghazi. Obama admin needs to clear that up somehow cause there are tons of wingnut rumors all over the place and dumb ass people are gonna buy into them eventually.
Obama & his administration has made numerous attempts to put the truth out there. What more can he do? When Repugs think they have a fatal blow to deal to the president, no amount of evidence will cause them to stray from their lies. They operate on one rule only – if you say something enough times then it must be true. To them, that’s the definition of a fact.
I don’t know how he would do it because, as soon as he was done, the Republicans would just make up some more shit for Fox to air and spread to the other news media. All I know is that it is hurting among some segment of the population. How much, I have no idea.
Just watched the video. I’m glad I missed it – Brooks & Fiorino, both lying sacks of $hit. The one thing we can safely bet on where Republicans are concerned? They CANNOT tell the truth. If they open their mouths, nothing but twisted bull$hit will come out.
On that lying ad the twit put out on the auto bailout, a comment i agree with
Wouldn’t it be great if there were penalties, rather than rewards, for being a lying scumbag?
Josh Whedon endorsement …
OMG – I think I love you Ralph. I idolize Joss Whedon – he rocks my world.
That was the best endorsement I’ve seen yet. He’s just great!!!!!
Totally agree. Sarcasm – no one does it better than Joss.
That was fantastic!!
Okay, so I’m going to prove my ignorance … who is Josh Weldon?
I’ve never heard of him either.
You’ve spent too much time reading & teaching, my dear young lady. Joss Whedon is a screenwriter & director. First the movie Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (the studio messed up his original script & he didn’t work on the film). The TV series (best ever, IMHO), Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Then the TV series Angel. Then the TV series Firefly (Nathan Fillion as the captain of the spaceship Serenity). Then the film Serenity. Then the web series (during the writers’ strike), Dr. Horrible (starring Neil Patrick Harris). Then Dollhouse. Then The Avengers (amazing film). And next came Cabin in the Woods. And sometime soon, Much Ado About Nothing (set in modern times). Welcome to the Whedonverse.
Oh, he’s profession is to invent la la land and live there. Yup, that’s some one whose opinion on anything serious I’ll avoid … I haven’t seen any of those …
Not quite sure how to respond to that.
I’m obviously not in his demographics. I’m more of a consumer of documentaries than fantasies.
Not to delve too deeply what makes Joss tick, you might want to take a look at this dak: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/joss-whedon-hosts-equality-now-sexism-laura-linney-avengers-314557 & this: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2008/04/joss-whedon-male-feminist. He’s won an award from Equality Now & proudly considers himself a feminist. And one of his stars is Eliza Dushku. She was raised a Mormon, but has left the church. bb wrote about Eliza’s mother, Judith Dushku (http://skydancingblog.com/tag/judith-dushku/), and her confrontations with Mittens. Romney was her Bishop. Although Joss sets his works in pop culture, horror, a dystopian space adventure, or Marvel comic book heroes there is always a liberal/progressive, feminist message in them. His work isn’t to everyone’s taste, but along with Aaron Sorkin, Joss is my favorite screenwriter.
Interesting. I’m just not a fan of movies made recently. I usually can only make it through the first few minutes and then go flip to some thing on Turner Classic Movies that predates me. I had no idea who he was. Glad he didn’t write Dancing with Smurfs or something like that. The original Buffy movie had its moments.
I had no idea who he was too. lol
The Avengers was good. I loved the sarcastic video. I thought it was outstanding! But I love zombie movies.
Well, I’d say Mittens an Ann would fit right in Zombie Land.
is The Avengers that marvel comic movie? Cause that would be about the last movie in the world I’d got to see … I’m obviously in the minority on that.
Yes & the only reason I went to see it was because Joss wrote & directed it. I stopped reading comic books by the time Marvel Comics came on the scene. I was surprised at how much I loved the film – it was very funny in parts & edge of my seat exciting in others. Mark Rufalo (sp?) was wonderful as The Hulk. Robert Downey Jr had the best lines. It was fun.
that is funny…
That is terrific – I love the picture of Mitt at the end!
Oh dear. The stupidity, it burns.
The way to fix public education is easy. Simply give teachers a starting salary of $100,000, maybe $25,000 more for those who work in dangerous areas. If education is important, as Ann seems to be saying, then let’s pay for it. (It sure in hell is more important than running a hedge fund – and less toxic too.) In addition, stop funding schools by property taxes. All public schools should be equal. Each child should have a clean, bright, safe school, with his/her own personal computer. Finally, there should be arts and music and sports (or at least robust physical activity), along with an exciting and challenging and multi-faceted after-school program (since most parents work). All at no cost. To teachers, students, or parents.
Of course, the CIA wouldn’t approve, nor would the military-industrial complex, nor anti-union fanatics, nor most Dems unfortunately. The only ones who would approve are the people who actually CARE ABOUT CHILDREN.
As for state colleges, tuition should be no more than $2,000 per year, especially now that there are no jobs for recent graduates.
I hate it when people pretend to care about an issue and that includes not just Ann, but all our supposed reps in D.C. Charter schools are an absolute disaster, as stupid and counterproductive an idea as the idea that 401k plans would be better for retirees than defined pension plans. Right. Just another con to take our hard-earned dollars and hand them over to some schlock well-connected private entity. That’s all they want. Everything we have.
Ann is brazen about it (and so stupid). But they’re all pretty much the same in my book.
I agree with everything you said. Teachers’ salaries are a scandal especially when you consider the educational requirements for certification.
My rep, Ed Markey, has a very good record on public education. He’s nothing like Ann or Mitt Romney.
He also works very hard on environmental issues–he fought hard against the BP mess and still does, and he works to bring attention to global warming. I feel he is deserving of my vote.
Markey is one of the good guys in Congress. No doubt about that.
What mjames said!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhXyJeKaj8E&feature=player_embedded
from think progress
I was shocked when I saw that. I was talking to Dak about it today.
The Indy Star endorsed Joe Donnelly.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20121027/OPINION08/210270349/Our-Opinion-Joe-Donnelly-U-S-Senate?nclick_check=1
Wow, the Indianapolis Star endorsing a Democrat for the Senate! That may be a first. You know, the Indianapolis Star was founded by Dan Quayle’s mother’s family, the Pulliams.
I know. I’m excited.
Josh Marshall 🙂
He’s starting to sound like Donald Trump and his “It’s gonna be BIG, BIG, BIG”!
Here are the latest polls from the battleground states:
Florida: Romney 47%, Obama 47% (Pharos)
Florida: Obama 49%, Romney 48% (Public Policy Polling)
Ohio: Obama 51%, Romney 47% (Public Policy Polling)
Ohio: Obama 49%, Romney 49% (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Ohio: Obama 50%, Romney 49% (Gravis)
Minnesota: Obama 47%, Romney 44% (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
New Hampshire: Obama 49%, Romney 47% (Public Policy Polling)
Pennsylvania: Obama 50%, Romney 46% (Pharos)
Virginia: Obama 49%, Romney 46% (Priorities USA Action)
Ann Romney Face Cream is 47% tuna fish oil for you poor women. She loves you!!!
Well, somebody doesn’t want that video shown! It’s not working now.
It’s working for me.
I saw it … what a hoot!!!
That is great Beata.
I love you women!!!