Why Ann and Mitt Romney Are Nothing Like the Rest of Us

     I can give Ann Romney credit-she tried, she really did. I mean, in fairness to her, it's probably an impossible job-to make Mitt likable.

    When she tried to argue that they went through the same problems the rest of us have, it just didn't ring true. I can understand that her Multiple Sclerosis is a tremendous trial,, but she has the kind of health coverage her husband has vowed to make sure the rest of us don't have access to.

     Tonight she made a big to do that Mitt took a risk in joining Bain Capital. However, the real story makes it clear there was no risk for him-absolutely no downside.

     "Ann Romney's story of struggle is similar to how Mitt Romney has described his adventure on the campaign trail. "I left a steady job to join with some friends to start a new business," Romney said when launching his campaign. "It had been a dream of mine to try and build a business from the ground-up. We started in a small office."

     "The tale the Romneys are telling, however, is not true. Romney only agreed to run Bain Capital after he had been promised that he could have his old job back if it failed, plus raises he would've missed. He was also promised that if it failed, a cover story would be crafted so that he took none of the professional blame.
For their book "The Real Romney," Boston Globe reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman interviewed Bill Bain, the founder of Bain & Co., who asked Romney to head Bain Capital. The story he tells couldn't be more different than Mitt and Ann Romney's."

      From "The Real Romney:"

He saw the opportunity, of course, but he also saw risks. First, he felt comfortable in his life. He already had a great job and had five young sons at home. Second, he and the partners in the new firm would be expected to contribute significantly to the investment fund, and thus, if deals went south, they could lose their own money. Romney explained to Bain that he didn't want to risk his position, earnings, and reputation on an experiment. He found the offer appealing but didn't want to make the decision in a 'light or flippant manner.' So Bain sweetened the pot. He guaranteed that if the experiment failed, Romney would get his old job and salary back, plus any raises he would have earned during his absence. Still, Romney worried about the impact on his reputation if he proved unable to do the job. Again the pot was sweetened. Bain promised that, if necessary, he would craft a cover story saying that Romney's return to Bain & Company was needed because of his value as a consultant. 'So,' Bain explained, 'there was no professional or financial risk.' This time Romney said yes.

     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/25/ann-romney-speech-_n_1838228.html

      Tonight after the convention, Chris Hayes made the good point that a lot of tonight's speeches were about nostalgia-for a time when real upward mobility was possible in this country. Yet, in reality, the Romney's have no firsthand experience of this. I found her speech largely contrived. She tries to say the right things or project the right emotions, but ultimatelyl, she's just writing creative fiction. She has no firsthand experience of any of this.