Ann Romney Jumps into the Ring in Support of Her Husband

Mitt Romney has always presented his wife as his “secret weapon,” and now that the polls show an uphill battle for the Republican candidate, it is time to unleash her. Without losing her warm tone and natural demeanor, Ann Romney has sharpened her tongue. “For all those kids who voted for Obama and are now unemployed, I’m saying this: Wake up. It’s time to fire the coach,” she said at a recent rally.

Mrs. Romney has intensified her political tone, not limiting herself to her role as “humanizer” of her husband, who is perceived as rather distant and cold. She does not only talk about family anecdotes or about the happiness of being with the presidential hopeful. Rather, she has also begun to fire directly at her enemies. “Stop it. This is hard. You want to try it? Get in the ring,” she said in a radio interview, directing the comment toward some voices from the right of the Republican Party who were criticizing her husband’s campaign.

The mother of the candidate’s five children has already jumped in on previous occasions when criticism of her judgment has been unjustly produced. In April, for example, members of the Democratic Party accused her of having “never worked a day in her life,” because the wealth of her marriage never required it. Ann Romney passionately defended the work of the many mothers who do not work outside of the house; the accusation had to be retracted.

Now Romney’s wife is stepping into her public role, with more appearances and participation in election events, some of which she attends alone. The election agenda is also full of public appearances by Michelle Obama, who is highly effective at reaching the people. Last Monday, Obama and his wife participated in a television talk show, in which Michelle Obama revealed details of her marriage. “I can drive him crazy… in many ways,” she joked.* The president responded, “When she’s being thoroughly unreasonable.”

Ann Romney’s growing role is not forced. When her husband decided to run for election, she “made a decision to enjoy herself and not allow the criticism that comes with politics to bother her.” “Entering into controversies entertains her and does not hold her back,” assured two of her friends in statements to the Wall Street Journal.*

As she has already shown in her speech during the Republican Convention at the end of August, Ann Romney tries to focus especially on women and the middle class, two groups with which the Republican candidate has difficulty.

* Editor’s Note: This quote could not be verified.