Video: The Romneys interview

◼ link - Ed Morrissey/HotAir

...Romney’s right about the debates, too, but only to a certain point. The questions in the debates were intended to tear down the candidates, but Republicans will have to expect that as long as they continue to insist on pairing with media outlets for the debates. They can stage these debates themselves and narrowcast them on the Internet and invite C-SPAN to televise them, and then choose moderators that will focus on real issues rather than contraception and the latest TV ads. Until the GOP makes up its mind to do that, Republican candidates will have to endure the freak-show moderation and game-show formats imposed on them by the mainstream media.

Is Vogue's Anna Wintour pressuring designers to steer clear of Ann Romney?

◼ (T)he fashion world has remained particularly quiet on the Ann Romney fashion front, with many questioning whether or not outspoken Obama supporter Anna Wintour is keeping stylists and designers away, silently threatening their standing should they endeavor to promote their outfitting of the wife of a Republican presidential hopeful. - Hollie McKay/FOX

“Anna Wintour will have no power to block Ann if her husband is elected President, it will be a totally different ball game. I think then we will see the Carolina Herrera’s and Oscar de la Renta’s coming out. Let’s face it, regardless of whether you are a Republican or Democrat, everyone wants to dress the First Lady,” said celebrity stylist Amanda Reno.

Grace and Dignity

◼ link Beth Beatty on Twitter

Ann Romney…

◼ …appearing on the Jay Leno show: biker chic. - Neoneocon

Ann Romney on Tonight with Jay Leno

THE END OF DANGEROUS ILLUSIONS

◼ the true theme of the 2012 election, which Ann Romney and Chris Christie expressed equally well in different ways, is about the end of dangerous illusions. “You didn’t build that” is one of them, but there are others, and they’re all killing us. - John Hayward/Human Events @Doc_0

Ann Romney spoke at length about love, marriage, and children, but her message will prove most dangerous to Democrats when it rests in the ears of single women. That’s one of the demographics political strategists say Republicans have the most trouble reaching. That’s because single women have proven particularly vulnerable to the empty promises and illusions peddled by the Left. They were the target audience for Obama’s bizarre “Life of Julia” web video, which presented an imaginary woman whose entire life was lived in the shadow of government dependency. Nothing of consequence “Julia” did – from childhood through her adult career and the raising of her own son, without a single mention of the hypothetical boy’s father – happened without assistance from a Big Government program… all of which, the reader was assured, heartless Republicans couldn’t wait to cut.

But Republicans aren’t going to cut those programs; reality is. It’s telling that Obama had to invent an imaginary woman to tell his little fable. “Julia” was born in 2012, and every promise of Big Government assistance Obama made beyond her teenage years was an utter lie. On the course he has set, there won’t be money for any of those things. Before Julia enters the workforce, the entire federal budget would be consumed by entitlement spending and debt service. None of those entitlements could possibly survive long enough for Julia to take advantage of them in her old age.

Ann Romney addressed this in one of the most widely-quoted passages from her speech:

“I’m not sure if men really understand this, but I don’t think there’s a woman in America who really expects her life to be easy. In our own ways, we all know better!

“And that’s fine. We don’t want easy. But these last few years have been harder than they needed to be. It’s all the little things – that price at the pump you just can’t believe, the grocery bills that just get bigger; all those things that used to be free, like school sports, are now one more bill to pay. It’s all the little things that pile up to become big things. And the big things – the good jobs, the chance at college, that home you want to buy, just get harder. Everything has become harder.

“We’re too smart to know there aren’t easy answers. But we’re not dumb enough to accept that there aren’t better answers.”

The notion that men and women don’t need each other – that a healthy society and economy can thrive without strong family relationships – is another deadly illusion that must be discarded. Uncle Sam cannot afford to fill the role of either Mother or Father any more, and really, he was never a proper substitute for either. The virtues Ann Romney extolled in her husband – competence, modesty, and a commitment to personal charity that he rarely discusses in public, because he’s not doing it to win applause – are vastly preferable to a flashy boyfriend who makes a lot of big promises, then vanishes in a cloud of overdue credit card bills. Our voluntary union in marriage, friendship, partnership, and corporate endeavor is vastly superior to involuntary dependence and servitude, both morally and practically.

Ann Romney's Speech at the Convention

◼ Ann Romney offers the human side of Mitt Romney - Caroline May/Daily Caller
◼ Ann Romney at the RNC - Jennifer Rubin/Washington Post
◼ ANN ROMNEY: WOMEN NOT 'DUMB ENOUGH' TO ACCEPT OBAMA - Dana Loesch/Breitbart
◼ Ann Romney's home run - Brent Budowsky/The Hill

◼ Full Text: Ann Romney's Speech at the Republican National Convention:

Ann Romney today delivered remarks to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. The following remarks were prepared for delivery:

Hume lauds Ann Romney: ‘Single most effective political speech’ by politicians’ wife [VIDEO]

Ann Romney, Chris Christie Highlight 2012 Republican National Convention

Ann Romney: 'This Man Will Lift Up America!'

◼ “At every turn in his life, this man I met at a high school dance, has helped lift up others." - Daniel Halper/ Weekly Standard
◼ Sneek Peak at Ann Romney's Speech: "My Husband Is An Alien Robot Who Eats The Poor To Fuel His Radioactive Heart!" - Ace of Spades

Ann Romney reveals Mitt's tender side

◼ "Even when I was as sick as that he would curl up in the bed with me," Mrs Romney said, pausing to wipe away a tear during a weekend of interviews for CNN at the Romney's large lakeside home in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. - By Peter Foster in Tampa for The Telegraph

Mrs Romney will take to the convention's stage late on Tuesday night in the hope that she can convey to a prime-time US television audience that her husband is not the awkward, out-of-touch Bostonian banker that he is sometimes characterised as being.

This isn’t 2008 any more. The conservative movement, aware of the dire threat to America’s future, is unifying this time.

◼ REPUBLICAN CONVENTION SET TO ROCK LIKE A HURRICANE - William Bigelow/Breitbart

The RNC isn’t going to waste any time gunning their engine; the second night, the Convention features a screening of Bannon's The Hope & The Change, which features the personal stories of 40 Democrats and independents who supported President Obama in 2008, but now want nothing to do with him. (Monday night, Bannon and Citizens United are slated to show one of the late Andrew Breitbart's great passion projects, Occupy Unmasked, as well.)

Another salient fact to note is that Paul Ryan, who is garnering stunning positives in surveys being conducted, is still largely an unknown to the general citizenry. Just as Obama was a fresh face in 2008, Ryan has the glow of someone who hasn’t been diminished by excessive exposure to the public. And he’s a politician who grows on people with time.

A third factor to consider is the Ann Romney effect. Her story is a compelling one; her triumph over severe personal health will resonate with millions of mothers who have faced or fear such trials. The RNC’s decision to move Ann Romney’s slot at the convention into TV primetime is a wise one.

And don’t underestimate Mitt Romney himself. Voters may not have warmed up to him, but none will deny that he is a highly intelligent man. When was the last time the general perception was that both names on the Republican ticket were smarter than their counterparts on the Democratic side? As Bannon’s film makes abundantly clear, voters want someone who is smart enough to fix things, and they’re tired of someone whose agenda makes Americans more dependent, not less.

◼ NOTE: Due to the severe weather reports for the Tampa Bay area, the Republican National Convention will convene on Monday August 27th and immediately recess until Tuesday afternoon, August 28th, exact time to follow.

'She's my hero': A candid look at the Romneys, the 'most unusual couple in the world'

◼ ...and why Ann is embracing her image as a stay-at-home-mom - AP/Daily Mail

Ann Romney's Olympic horse: A guide

◼ In the lead-up to the little-understood event, questions have swirled over the horse's exact relation to the Romneys — not to mention what dressage actually is. - The Week

Ann Romney on CBS News

◼ link

“Lean Forward, bend over”

◼ Neil Cavuto rips MSNBC for questioning Ann Romney’s therapeutic horse riding - HotAir

Use Snopes to check internet/e-mail rumors

◼ Claim: Ann Romney said men "deserve to be paid at a higher rate" than women.

Did Ann Romney really say this:

"Why should women be paid equal to men? Men have been in the working world a lot longer and deserve to be paid at a higher rate. Heck, I'm a working mom and I've not paid a dime. I depend on my husband to provide for me and my family, as should most women ... and if a woman does work, she should be happy just to be out there in the working world and quit complaining that she's not making as much as her male counterparts. I mean really, all this wanting to be equal nonsense is going to be detrimental to the future of women everywhere. Who's going to want to hire a woman, or for that matter, even marry a woman who thinks she is the same, if not better than a man at any job. It's almost laughable. C'mon now ladies, are you with me on this?"

The article I read says this was a direct quote from a "Moms for Mitt" meeting in Philadelphia on April 17th.

Answer: NO. It's an unattributed excerpt from a spoof article published on 18 April 2012 by the satirical web site Free Wood Post, whose disclaimer notes that:

Free Wood Post is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within FreeWoodPost.com are fiction, and presumably fake news.

Also, you can check urbanlegends and hoax-slayer. You'll find both on our LINKS page.

Soul Mate

On World Multiple Sclerosis Day, Ann Romney and her family share their thoughts on her struggle with the disease. Ann and her sons also recount Mitt's undying support to the woman he calls his "soul mate."

TODAY'S MEDIA NARRATIVE: OBAMA THE ALL-AMERICAN HERO, ROMNEY THE ELITIST EXTREMIST

◼ After a fairly quiet Memorial Day weekend, the media obviously took a little time last night to get its Journolisting message together for this morning so it would be ready when America emerged on Tuesday. - John Nolte/Breitbart

The New York Times, which is the primary deliverer of White House talking points to the corrupt media, is leading the charge today with this story about ◼ what a brave and solid leader Obama has been in the War on Terror. As you can see this story has already been ◼ viralized into today's narrative.

On the flip-side is Mitt Romney will today face the obvious journolisted messaging that ties him to Donald Trump, who is still making noises about the discredited Birther conspiracy surrounding Obama's place of birth. CNN has already reported that Romney won't "back away from 'birther' Trump." As you can see much of the media are already running with the story.

...The First Lady and potential First Lady aren’t immune from the journolisting either. Sunday, the New York Times did a major spread on what a rich, wealthy, elitist cheater Ann Romney is -- a story that is just now making its way into the narrative. But… Today, on the front page of the USA Today, we read all about multi-millionaire Michelle Obama's garden, which includes ready-made, all-American photos -- and, naturally, this story is already a viral sensation.... More at Breitbart's BIG Journalism

Women wear many hats in their lives. Daughter, sister, student, breadwinner. But no matter where we are or what we're doing, one hat that moms never take off is the crown of motherhood.

◼ Three Seasons of Motherhood - Ann Romney