Let me do all the talking, wife tells reeling Romney
Ann Romney, left, speaking at a weekend rally with her husband Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the Kettering University Recreation Centre, in Flint, Michigan
Mitt Romney has long been ridiculed by his political enemies for robotically failing to connect with ordinary people.
But a fresh string of gaffes by the Republican presidential frontrunner has brought ribbing from his most loyal supporter.
"Maybe I should just do all the talking and let him just stand here and watch me," Mr Romney's wife Ann said at a campaign rally in Troy, Michigan, over the weekend. As the audience laughed, Mr Romney wore his usual rictus grin.
Mrs Romney (62) was joking, but only up to a point. If her husband wins a crucial primary election tomorrow in Michigan, it will only be by the narrowest of margins and her remark exposed Republican nerves made raw by the fact that Mr Romney has failed to inspire enthusiasm even in the state where the couple was born and raised.
He leads Rick Santorum, a right-wing former senator, by just two percentage points, according to an average of opinion polls. Despite his father having been a popular governor of the state in the 1960s, Mr Romney has not convinced Michiganders that he is their favourite son.
Days after her husband gave an unimpressive performance in the 20th televised debate of the contest to pick an opponent for US President Barack Obama, Mrs Romney also declared: "No more debates. If we're going to do another debate, he's going to sit in the audience and watch me. And that'll be it."
Her easy, plain-speaking manner highlighted the awkward ways in which Mr Romney has attempted to express his affection for the midwestern state.
Unsubtle
He has repeatedly declared that "the trees are just the right height" and, in an unsubtle appeal to Detroit's most famous industry, said: "I love cars."
By contrast, Mrs Romney evoked a much-loved local brand of ginger ale and favourite sporting team to persuade voters that despite their $250m (€186m), the couple were really just like them.
"I like to tell people, 'if you cut us open and we bleed, we bleed Vernor's'," she said. "When you grow up in Michigan, you drink Vernor's, and the other thing you do is listen to Tiger baseball."
Former Massachusetts governor Mr Romney (64), was candid yesterday when asked about his mis-steps, such as mentioning his wife drove "a couple of Cadillacs". "You know, I can't be perfect," he told Fox News. "I just am who I am. That's just the way it is."
However, he could not resist adding that he owned the cars as he had been "extraordinarily successful", saying: "I want to use that success and that know-how to help the American people."
Mr Romney yesterday received the endorsement of Jan Brewer, the Governor of Arizona, which also votes tomorrow. He leads Mr Santorum there by an average of 10 percentage points. "I'm planning on winning here in Michigan and also in Arizona," Mr Romney said. "Obviously it will be huge for us if we're able to do that."
Mr Santorum over the weekend made his own play for Michigan's blue-collar vote, telling supporters "I don't come from the elite", as he fiercely criticised Mr Romney.
He also accused Mr Obama of being "a snob" for saying everyone should go to university, and attacked him for apologising over the burning of the Koran in Afghanistan.
Mr Santorum added that Afghanistan should apologise for the deaths of four US soldiers. (© Daily Telegraph, London)
- Jon Swaine in Washington
Irish Independent
