The Political Horse

How Horses Affect My Vote

Well, sort of.  In this case, let me warn you, I am going to be making a very political post here, so if you aren't interested, don't keep reading.

First, let me tell you, I am politically biased. I am a Democrat and rather liberal, so there is a definite slant to what I say.

But, in the interest of fairness, I did watch a good part of the Republican National Convention, where--for my non-US friends--Mitt Romney was nominated to run for the office of President of the United States. Mr. Romney has already made his less than impressive mark in Great Britain where he criticized the Olympics, so some of you may know of him.

Here in the USA, he has gained a reputation for being a kind of "wooden" figure with little human personality. He made his acceptance speech last night, and did his best to present himself as a warm, compassionate person. To a large extent he succeeded.

However....I am forced to question his sincerity mostly because of, get this....HORSES!

Ironically, the Olympics also figure into this.

As you may well know, Mitt Romney and his wife Ann, own the Olympic dressage horse, Rafalca. The mare competed in the 2012 Olympics under rider Jan Ebling and while she did not medal, they put in quite a solid, nice performance.

Regardless of what I think of Mr. Romney, I was quite excited and pleased about Rafalca, and was proud to know dressage had moved into the national spotlight because of its connection to the Presidential race.

Too bad Mr. Romney didn't feel that way too. In fact, the horse became quite a sore issue in the campaign. Many newscasters mocked out the Romney's for their "expensive, elite" lifestyle filled with dancing horses--"horse ballet."  OK, well enough. Add to it the $177,000 income tax deduction the Romney's took for the cost of their horses, and I suppose some of that criticism was valid. But, I didn't mind all of that too much. I was happy the Romney's had horses and happier still with their dressage connection and felt it did make them more "human."

Until...the crucial moments.  The week of the Olympics arrived and Mr. Romney was questioned about Rafalca's Olypmic debut.  What did he say?  In an interview with NBC news, here was his take:

"I have to tell you. This is Ann’s sport. I’m not even sure which day the sport goes on. She will get the chance to see it, I will not be watching the event. I hope her horse does well."

What?!  Mr. Romney brags about his saving the Salt Lake Olympics from bankruptcy, suggesting a strong commitment to the Olympic games, and he doesn't even know when his own horse will compete? Worse, he claims it's his wife's horse and he doesn't even have enough interest to support her passion?

My take. The political heat was too much for Mr. Romney. He simply did not have the courage to stand up to negative press and say, "This is a once in a lifetime experience for my wife and our family. I am proud of our horse and Jan Ebling, and delighted to be a part of representing the United States in the Olympic games."

Nope, instead, he ran away from the whole scene.

OK, political expediency perhaps excuses his behavior, but then, last night in his acceptance speech, he lauded his father for standing by his mother's side during her run for office by saying:

"When my mom ran for the Senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. I can still hear her saying in her beautiful voice, 'Why should women have any less say than men, about the great decisions facing our nation?"

He admired his father for that, yet somehow, he could not emulate his own hero.  Further, in the film introducing him to the convention, he said of his wife: 

"He recalls telling her that he would be a happy man 'as long as I’ve got my soul mate with me.' "
 Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2012/08/31/what-you-missed-while-not-watching-the-last-night-of-the-republican-convention/#ixzz258OhREHT

Well, he certainly didn't think enough of his "soul mate" to bother being at her side during one of the most exciting and important events of her equestrian life. 

"Hypocrisy" comes to mind and sticks there. 

And that's a prime reason I will not vote for Mr. Romney.