Let it not be said that Anne Romney is not a supportive political wife. Never has she a hair out of place; never speaks she a gaffe; no 'open mic' moments for HER; never during the campaign does blue so much as twinkle on finger, neck, or ear. In Tampa, during her spotlight solo moment, tastefully drenched in red Oscar de la Renta from nave to knees, she had to do something she seemed to find somewhat difficult and a bit distasteful to do.
She had to make shit up. And not only make shit up, but, as a braggart and a snob, she had to lie about how good she's got it and how well-off the Romneys are and always have been. But she did it. Breathlessly, lip-smacklingly badly, with the greased-up showgirl smile and the vacant over-your-left-shoulder gaze of an HR drone who would just as soon fire you as look at you; literally. But she did the job in what could be most kindly described as a workmanlike manner. Perhaps even soldierly, it could be said.
But I mustn't offend a wanna-be Empress.
I don't think lying comes naturally to her. She has nothing to lie about, after all, especially now that their kids are grown. People lie for a number of different reasons, but isn't one of the most common to KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES? Of course it is! Well, who's more Jones than Mitt and Anne Romney? They ARE THE JONESES! Not very many people can keep up with them, and in that position they are perfectly comfortable.
There is nothing wrong with that, until they try to be something they're not; i.e. less rich, which is to them as alien as being poor. Oddly, they think that in order to RELATE to those less well off, they have to pretend to BE less well off. Persons with a more developed sense of empathy do not have to pretend to be an 'other' to in order to understand a little of what it is like to be an other, to get a sense of someone else's lot in life.
This is a fence the Romneys haven't been able to climb, But someone in their campaign has told them they must try. And that is when when the hilarity ensues, if Mitt does it, or speeches are spoken that are squirmingly uncomfortable and it is obvious that neither of them understands that
1)there are gradients, levels of poorness, and
2)laughing about a group's difficulties when you, yourself do not share that group's difficulties comes across as cruel mockery. You are not 'in on the joke'. If you are not black, you don't get to make n****r references, regardless of how many black pals you think you have. If you aren't Polish, you don't get to make Polish jokes. If you are wearing a $2000. car coat (or someone is holding it for you), you don't get to make fun of people who bought their rain gear at a Dollar store. If you have not been raped, rape jokes are not and never will be funny. In other words, you mustn't sneer at the people who are coming to listen to you tell them why they should vote for you.
Dealing with people of whose wealth is on a scale anything less than Croesus-or-Midas-rich seems to have Mitt and Anne utterly baffled. Mitt shows his bafflement by his blatant contempt and impatience, and Anne by her scornful blowing off of questions she disapproves of, or insistence on 'women's issues', but only those gleaned from back issues of Woman's Day from 1957 and earlier, quaint powderpuffs from imaginary bygone days, in that imaginary newlyweds' basement. But she can talk parenting, by Golly. And she will.
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