Posted on 06/19/2012 7:35:13 PM PDT by Qbert
With each passing day, the Obama-loving media stoop to new lows in attacking the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and his family.
On MSNBC's The Last Word Monday, host Lawrence O'Donnell mocked Ann Romney for having the nerve to combat her multiple sclerosis by riding horses (video follows with transcript and commentary):
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL, HOST: In tonight's Rewrite, Mitt Romney rewrites the definition of an Olympic athlete.(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST OF “FACE THE NATION”: I hear you've got an Olympic athlete in the family.
MITT ROMNEY: Isn't that something? Yeah, it's not me. It's my wife, of course. She's the athlete, but in this case, it's not her personally, but she along with two other people purchased a horse and have trained it up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O’DONNELL: She's the athlete. That's what Mitt Romney just said. She's the athlete.
Actually, that’s NOT what Romney just said. He said, “But in this case, it's not her personally, but she along with two other people purchased a horse and have trained it up.”
Exactly what about that clarification to Schieffer’s question wasn’t clear enough for O’Donnell to understand?
The host of Face the Nation said, “I hear you've got an Olympic athlete in the family,” and Romney replied, “But in this case, it's not her personally.”
Is the intellectual capacity of MSNBC anchors and commentators dropping as Romney rises in the polls, or is it just their professional integrity?
Or both?
Let’s continue:
O’DONNELL: So what will the athlete in the family be doing in the Olympics?(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: So she's quite thrilled and I'm sure she'll be watching. I have a campaign to attend to, so I won't be able to see it perform. But I'm very pleased for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O’DONNELL: That's right. The Romney family definition of an Olympic athlete is a person who participates in the purchase of an Olympic athlete, in this case, a horse that the Romneys own. Now, Mitt Romney has always told the story of the family's entry into the breathtakingly expensive so-called sport of dressage as a therapeutic option for Ann Romney’s multiple sclerosis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHIEFFER: Dressage?
ROMNEY: Yes, it’s the sport of dressage. Not many people are familiar with it, but something for which she has a passion, and frankly, her getting back on a horse after she was diagnosed with MS was able, she's convinced, to help her regenerate her strength and renew that vigor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O’DONNELL: Now, this is not in any way to make light of Ann Romney’s difficulty with MS, it's obviously a very difficult thing to bear. And there are a lot of things you can do to try to deal with MS. But, come on, dressage does not appear in any of the more traditional courses of treatment. And if it's true that dressage is how wildly rich people deal with this very difficult personal health problem, then why, why does the horse appear on Mitt Romney’s tax return as a business expense, that in 2010 produced a $77,000 business deduction. Not a healthcare deduction, a business deduction for the Romney Limited Liability Corporation that owns the horse as a business.
Mitt Romney was afraid to identify a single tax deduction that he would eliminate or reduce, but I think we can be sure that the Olympic athlete in the Romney family, the horse that masquerades as Ann’s horse, but that is never actually ridden by Ann, would continue to be a fake deductible business expense if Mitt and Ann ever get to watch their Olympic athlete on a TV in the White House.
This is so disgusting it's nauseating.
First off, what business is it of O'Donnell's how Ann Romney chose to deal with her illness?
If going for walks, going to the museum, watching television, or, heaven forbid, riding horses helped "regenerate her strength and renew [her] vigor," isn't that a good thing?
Why should that be the subject of scorn and derision, especially from a representative of a so-called "news network?"
As for Romney's taxes, it is safe to assume that their LLC purchases horses as an investment just as most people do. Income is derived from breeding and/or selling them. As such, expenses associated with their training and upkeep are deductible.
This has absolutely nothing to do with healthcare. But why should we expect an ignorant shill such as O'Donnell to understand that?
Furthermore, who is O'Donnell to ridicule anyone for his or her wealth? According to Celebrity Net Worth, his estate is valued at $8 million.
That makes him just another rich liberal castigating Romney for his wealth.
It never ends, does it?
(Embedded video and email updates in original article)
Liberals are sick.
Did any of these boobs ever castigate old Joe Kennedy for his fabulous (AND ILLEGALLY OBTAINED) wealth?
Didn’t think so/s
I do like like Ann or Mitt Romney however to mock Mrs. Romney for how she is dealing her MS, is vile.
Except, I am going to mock O’Donnell now by declaring him to be an idiot.
O”Donnell is a pig....heck why single him out....can’t think of anyone on NBC who isn’t. But this crap will not help their cause. It looks really bad and desperate. That’s just one reason their ratings are so horrible. More registered voters watch Sesame Street than MSNBC (and NBC news soon to follow).
I work on the largest charity bike ride in North America, the BPMS150 and have met a few folks with MS, they are awesome. Why anyone would pick on someone with this illness is beyond me, the MSM are scum.
Madame Defarge is knitting their names and one day we will come for all of them.
Almost forgot to add....
Ann Romeny TOTALLY ROCKS!!! She’ll be a huge asset on the campaign trail....as opposed the the Proud Angry [my boob belt has cut off the blood flow to my head] Michelle.
Extradordinary. He mocks her for what she does with her own money for health reasons, but doesn’t ask a single question about why Moochelle was squeezed out of the Illinois bar like the rotten contents of a malignant pustule after only four years of practice.
"Did any of these boobs ever castigate old Joe Kennedy for his fabulous (AND ILLEGALLY OBTAINED) wealth?"
Yep. And I would also bet that Lawrence O'Donnell- the 8 Million Dollar Man- took a few tax breaks here and there (and isn't itching to part with his wealth anytime soon).
I really like Ann Romney, she’s a class act and worlds different than that horrible Moochie! Same on Lawrence O’Donnell and his ilk!
O’Donnell is such a ass. A braindead ass.
I’d be willing to donate 5 bucks to buy this poor man a good laxative. He looks terribly constipated.
I love the smell of desperation in the morning.
Pray for America
Reminds me of the old riddle: how can there be more horses’ asses than horses?
Big difference between riding a horse and being married to a horse.
No need. From where I sit, he appears to have no difficulty whatsoever spewing excrement all over the place. What he really needs is Imodium.
a) The sport of Dressage is not wildly expensive. Thousands of ordinary kids and compete every weekend. I compete with an off the track thoroughbred I got for $500. Dressage is a fancy french word meaning the proper athletic training of the Horse. It begins with walk, trot and canter, then expands on these gates.
b) Theraputic Riding: The association was originally formed in 1969 as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) to promote equine-assisted activities for individuals with disabilities. The name was changed to PATH Intl. in July 2011. With more than 800 member centers, a total of more than 43,000 children and adults find a sense of independence through involvement with horses. These member centers range from small, one-person programs to large operations with several riding instructors. In addition to horseback riding, a center may offer any number of equine-assisted activities such as driving, vaulting, trail riding, competition, hippotherapy, equine-facilitated psychotherapy, ground work, or stable management. Through a wide variety of educational resources, the association helps individuals start and maintain successful programs. There are more than 29,000 volunteers, 1,900 instructors, 5,800 program equines, and thousands of contributors from all over the world making a difference in people’s lives at PATH Intl. centers.
My neighbors eldest daughter benefits greatly by a local program. Denigrating these programs is less than despicable.
c) Almost all top level riders do not have the money to own their own top level sport horse. They rely on sponsors patrons to acquire the top horses that will allow them to be competitive. Denigrating the Romneys for supporting our Olympic athletes is demented.
d) Owning a professional athlete such as this horse is business. Top level horses can win big money prizes which must be declared as income. Stud fees must also be counted as income. Taking the horse as a business deduction is hardly surprising. Do those buying racehorses neglect to deduct the cost of the horse they put in training? I think not.
A philanthropic organization I belong to donates to an organization in our area who's purpose is therapeutic riding. They receive no government support and subsist solely on donations and volunteers. Even the horses are donated. They are Pegasus Special Riders, and have been very successful in improving the health or lifestyle of people with any number of diseases.
We recently had the father of an 8 yo girl speak at our meeting. She suffers from Spina Bifida. For the past couple years, she's been riding with Pegasus and the improvement in her condition is almost miraculous.
People who have overblown and insipid opinions that go way beyond their insufficient education should shut up and fade away. Unfortunately, our society too often awards such idiots with a TV show.
They have to have their republican pinata. Doesn’t matter who it is as long as they have an (R) next to their name. MSNBC has totally destroyed the credibility of NBC as a “news” organization.
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