Patricia Heaton, Meat Loaf bring humor to Romney-Ryan rallies

Singer Meat Loaf performs during a rally by US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney at Defiance High School, in Defiance, Ohio, October 25, 2012. / EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images

NORTH CANTON, Ohio President Obama has rubbed elbows at his campaign events with the likes of singers Katy Perry and Beyonce and actor George Clooney. For GOP nominee Mitt Romney, the celebrity endorsers might be a bit more dated - but they've made up for it, at least this week, with humor.

Take actress Patricia Heaton, an Ohio native who starred on the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond." As she introduced Paul Ryan on Friday, she alluded to the amount of interest that the vice presidential candidate's abs have drawn.

"I have to tell you backstage I didn't recognize him with his shirt on," the actress said in front of an 8,000-person crowd here.

"And I did wear orange not only because I'm a [Cleveland] Browns fan, but I was afraid Paul would have his shotgun," she quipped, a reference to Ryan's oft-stated fondness for hunting deer. "I just wanted to make sure he knew I was here and where I was standing. Didn't want to get any buckshot."

Heaton also made the rare public reference to Romney's faith, in the form of a joke. "I come from a big Irish-Catholic family. My mom was one of 15 kids, I have over a hundred first cousins on my mom's side, so we're giving those Mormons a run for their money," she said.

During a rally in Defiance, Ohio, on Thursday night, rock musician Meat Loaf of 1970s "Bat Out of Hell" fame made light of an old Democratic ad that portrayed a Ryan lookalike pushing an old lady off a cliff. "I want you to know at 65 that Paul Ryan has not pushed me off the cliff in a wheelchair," the musician said.

The rest of his message was a bit more serious, as he warned of "storm clouds" over the United States and bashed the president for saying that the Cold War is over.

[Verascity]

Oh, yes, Patricia Heaton, who heard Rush Limbaugh's rant against a college student who was speaking up for women's rights...and jumped on Twitter to savage the girl herself.

Heaton backed down and apologized when fans turned on her, which makes her sound like both a bully and a coward.

So naturally I'm impressed that she's backing Mitt Romney.

[hilario3]

The party of non-science and non-humor. This is not the Party of Lincolin
or Reagan, it is something much more dark,uncivil,unjust. When was the
last time a Republican spoke about something unhateful? There are many
'seeds' coming up from the 8 years of 'drought', let these growths take
shape,if it is not satisfactory in 4 years then ask for a change.

[nirak2-2009]

Meatloaf brought humor to the race?
I have news for you. I would be ashamed to have Meatloaf as a supporter.

[ongelooflijk-2009]

Romney is a slime-ball who will say anything to get elected with a lot of former George W. Bush associates as advisors and he's talking about real change? C'mon people!
Vote Obama / Biden 2012. If Romney wins there are those who are salivating for another opportunity to rape and pillage for the almighty dollar and think about little else other than their own position, that Romney's policies will unleash and permit to exploit again!

My rape, pillage allusion refers to the actions and resulting condition our economy was left in after George W's run in office! You know, where tens and hundreds of millions were made by a relatively small percentage of folks while a 'vastly larger number' lost their pensions, saw life savings shrivel-up and home values plummet; all while having to dance to the tune of the reckless, greedy Wall Street, Bain Capital, Uber-Capitalist types and their allies in Congress!
It is this unmitigated morass and mess that President Obama has been trying to navigate and rectify with zero, I repeat, zero Republican support throughout his entire term in office. For those in the 99% voting for Romney, it will be the 2nd greatest mistake middle-class America has made since voting George W. Bush in for another term in office in 2004, should Romney be elected.

[royalstar05]

They can have Heaton and Fat Loaf. Right wing nut jobs just like Kelsey Grammertard.

[JV1970]

I don't know about Meat Loaf. I haven't heard anything about him in years until yesterday but Heaton and Grammer are both very successful actors. Heaton has her own top ranked sitcom called The Middle on ABC now and she was on Everyone Loves Raymond for years and Kelsey Grammer was on Cheers and then also had his own sitcom Frazier for years. They worked their way up, earned their way, and are now richer than you'll ever be! You know it and you're jealous! You'd think they were the greatest, though, if they were Democrats and were supporting Obama!

[RetiredArmy_Nurse]

I used to be Patricia Heaton fan, but once she said meanspirited things about Sandra Fluke I and my family stopped watching the shows she appears in. Looking at all the venomous posts preceeding mine, I see a lot of repugs think these neocons will be elected. I do not think the women of America will allow that to happen. Obama also leads in the electoral college, something that has remained constant since the beginning. I hate to think America might give these neocons the popular vote, but the electoral college is solid for the President and I think the popular vote will follow.

[JV1970]

According to the polls Obama's lead in the electoral votes isn't as solid as RetiredArmy_Nurse thinks. There's a good possibility that Romney will win the electoral college too!

[MGM57]

P Heaton and Meatloaf have officially joined the ranks of the right wing wackos!

[Entitlementnation]

Obama just ran an add showing a young WHITE woman talking about how it's like losing your virginity to vote for this BLACK president. How demeaning to women can you get!!! These adds are constructed very carefully. I wonder how black women feel knowing that the add wasn't done with a black girl because the campaign decided that would be a turn off to voters. Can you imagine how they sat around a conference table and decided that women in general are so shallow that they would be "taken" by the sexual allure of "losing their virginity to this virile BLACK man! PATHETIC and DISGRACEFUL!!!!!!!!

[sueb45]

Oh, for Heaven sake, it was a very funny and cute commercial...to bring race into it is sick and the only thing demeaning about it is your warped version of it.

[catmomtx]

Oh for goodness sakes! Did you even see the ad? I doubt it because it was nothing you described and exactly what the whiny right wing want you to think the ad was about. It was a great ad by the way.

[hawkeye2012]

In ten days barry will be unemployed...God Bless America!

[hypnotoad72]

Spare us the false religion. God was not blessing our country last decade... he was taking a leak on it. Look up history and read details and then you know what the rest of us do.

If God blessed America, he wouldn't have given money to corporations that offshored, which in turn worsens the US deficit and leaves more people losing out on opportunities, developing 'skill rot', and other problems.

[lassie0412]

First of all, while celebrities are used to draw crowds to the rallies, most do NOT move the vote to a certain candidate. I know that because if it did, I would be voting for Obama since I am a huge Yankee fan and Derek Jeter is supporting him.

Why does it always have to come back to incivility with you libs? For example someone has lost all respect for Patricia Heaton since she made a comment about Sandra Fluke, who really is, at very least promiscuous, her proclamation that she was sleeping with multiple persons on campus. You cannot really have it both ways? And so, we should attack the hosts of MSNBC for calling Sarah Palin the C word and Michele Malkin the B word and on it goes or is it more that they have it coming to them because they have the audacity (to quote the President's book) of being a conservative?

When there are important things going on, such as a HUGE Libya cover up where the President doesn't give a d x x x about four people, is more worried about winning his election as evidenced by going onto his campaign fundraiser, when the unemployment is over 10, including those that aren't looking and over 8, anyway, when the California supporter remembers to send California's numbers in, gas isn't 1.69 anymore it is almost 4, and yes, it has gone down a bit, but that is his Middle East pals helping him, he is on record saying we should pay what others are paying, the groceries are sky high, and on it goes. And we are putting dunce caps on Mitt Romney on our website, we are using clever zingers at debates that we lose, and worried about Binders and Big Bird instead of Bengazi.

For my money, I would rather not have a President (Obama) who spends every waking hour protecting Big Bird, but a President (Romney) who protects OUR bird (the Eagle)

[lassie0412]

and wake up folks...more important than Big Bird, Binders and even Birth Control is this Libya cover up thing 'cause IF the President really did cover it up for his own neck, then he doesn't care about anyone in this country and a second term might be h e double toothpicks for every American in this country, whether you are democrat or republican. Instead of thinking with your body parts, you'd best think with your brains, because once it is done, if some of the saner heads turn out to be right there will be NO turning back....I harken back to his live mic with Medvedev..."Tell Vladimir I'll speak to him after the election" Oh yea? What more do you have planned for AFTER the election "off mic"

[gabe97]

OMG, someone has not taken his Prozac today huh? ok now LASSIE just as patricia heaton go watch reruns, no worries this panic crisis will pass, just breath...unfortunately being an idiot will stay with you...you are such an IDIOT!!