Ann Romney to critics: "Stop it. This is hard"

(CBS News) Amid ongoing criticism over the management of her husband's presidential campaign, Ann Romney on Thursday responded to the critics in an interview on Radio Iowa: "Stop it. This is hard. You want to try it? Get in the ring," she said.

"This is hard and, you know, it's an important thing that we're doing right now and it's an important election and it is time for all Americans to realize how significant this election is and how lucky we are to have someone with Mitt's qualifications and experience and know-how to be able to have the opportunity to run this country," Romney said.

Even as conservative detractors escalate their critiques of how Mitt Romney has operated his bid for the presidency -- conservative journalist Peggy Noonan on Thursday called it a "rolling calamity" -- Ann Romney dismissed the negative appraisals.

"It's nonsense and the chattering class...you hear it and then you just let it go right by," she said. "Honestly, at this point, I'm not surprised by anything."

Amid recent controversies over Romney's response to violence in Libya and comments he made about 47 percent of Americans thinking of themselves as "victims," the Republican presidential nominee has seen an apparent slip in both national and battleground polls.

Ann Romney said Thursday that amid the onslaught of unsolicited advice that has resulted, she opts to offer "peace and calm" to her husband.

"We call the rope line now the advice line," she said. "...because everyone cares and everyone wants to help and everyone wants to just give their peace -- a little piece of advice -- so I feel like my best advice is just to bring peace and calm to him and just trust in him and just say, 'I know you can do it,' but not to give him any advice because it gets too overwhelming."

[EyesStationZebra]

No, Ann, COMEDY is hard.

[TeresaSlyblue]

Sorry sweetie, THIS American already realizes how significant this election is. I don't need you to remind me of this just as a woman I don't need to be told to "wake up". Both of your remarks are condescending and presumptuous. President Obama has my vote.

[Blusguitarist]

The most telling four words Ann Romney spoke in this article were, "to run this country."

Mrs. Romney has confused what one does when one owns a major corporation and what one does when one is President of the United States. In capitalism, to follow its remorseless equation to its conclusion, you maximize profit to investors by giving your employees just enough to keep them working.

Being president, though, does not mean your first imperative to reward those who have given you the most money and promise them greater and greater rewards so that their gigantic casino gambling game-- the stock market-- continues indefinitely to be a cash cow to milk as often as possible.

Unlike a major corporation, the United States is not a FOR-PROFIT enterprise. Mrs. Romney does not understand the concept of something run not for profit, she's been around a predatory profit-taker so long.

Obama doesn't "run" the country any more than George Bush did. Well, maybe a little bit more since Dick Cheney was running George W. Bush.

This is not a woman who would make a first-rate First Lady. Boca Moments at the White House? Sure would get tedious after awhile, all them CEOs and bankers and junk traders and derivatives salesmen arriving in all them Cadillacs.

Michelle Obama has been one of the great ones.

The Obamas are simply the most functional family ever to inhabit the White House. Obama is not going to allow the world to be turned into glassified rubble by nuclear war, he's got school-age daughters.

She has handled the job-- for though it is not an elected position, First Lady is sure nuff a job-- with aplomb.

Mrs. Romney is feeling the pressure of a losing campaign. Hey, at least she and her husband are riotously rich, so they can go buy a big ol' island somewhere wa-a-ay down south and sustain their lifestyle with their books about their campaign in vain.

The bluesman Watermelon Slim

[nygurl1]

Very good comment!

[davcor2]

If Ann Romney thinks campaigning is hard, did she think being the President's wife was going to be a cake walk ? She is clueless on what is expected of her not to mention her inability to be up for the task. There are doers and people who have things done for them.
First impressions of Mrs Romney are with the latter

[nygurl1]

Well I doubt she has any say in her home life so she is used to being useless.

[mountainstates1]

Lady, go back to your country club! Man, you and Willard suck!

[nygurl1]

Your comment is accurate but please, we can't stoop to their level of nastiness. Just makes more reps come out of the woodwork.

[mlcvernon]

Totally agree!! Can you see Ann Romney trying to speak with the first lady from a country? Guess she will speak of her husband's earings for 2011 and her horses. She should not speak in public. What a piece of work - can you see her in the White House??

[daffy64]

Boo hoo hooooo. Somebody call the wahhhh-mbulance. A rich lady's hubby is having a tough go of it. Yesterday he tripped over a pile of cash while heading for his tanning machine and a hair fell out of place.

I can't stop crying.

[Lindag20]

by JV1970 September 23, 2012 7:30 PM EDT
Lindag20 Do you realize how RIDICULOUS you and LastGirl2009 and joes_pi all sound? You're always telling me how much more intelligent you are than me and here you are advocating maiming people!

I'm a Christian and I believe in living according to the teachings of the Bible but there are parts of the Bible that are not for people of today. This particular scripture is one of them!

In reading the Bible you have to do as many of the old-time ministers taught and "rightly divide the Word of Truth". That means you have to use a little common sense and know that the scriptures that encourage maiming and killing don't apply to the people of today!
.... -----------------
HAHAHA. Typical Cafeteria Christian. YOU get to decide which parts of the Bible you follow, so when the parts you don't WANT to follow are pointed out you make excuses why you don't follow it. I never said I would be party to such a thing as maiming someone, but YOU sure bit on that bait. LOL

[JV1970]

I will also remind you that there are LAWS against maiming and killing now and one of those laws is based on another Bible scripture. You may have heard of it. It's the one that says "Thou shalt not kill!"

Most of us, even we Christians, have evolved past being barbarians. We no longer maim or kill people. We try to follow the other scriptures that teach "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and that teach us to follow the laws of the land.

[Lindag20]

So once again I'll remind you that you pick and choose what parts of your Bible you follow, then you insist this gives you some sort of moral authority over others and if anyone disagrees with you, you claim they're going to "rot in hell". And you can't see the irony of that. P.S. I didn't know Christians believed in evolution, thought you were all about divine creation.

[Lindag20]

by JV1970 September 22, 2012 11:34 PM EDT
KPeters_from_UK DO NOT tell me to shut up! Since you're from the United Kingdom and likely not an American citizen and, therefore, not covered by our US Constitution, YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO TELL ME TO SHUT UP! Neither do I have the right to tell you to shut up since I'm an American and not covered by your Magna Carta. If I do you are free to ignore me just as I'm free to ignore you and that's exactly what I'm going to do! I'm going to continue to comment in these boards whether you like it or not
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Classic JV. LMAO. At least Ann has ONE admirer.

[LastGirl2009]

"This is hard"

Well yeah. This is a presidential campaign. What made her think it would be easy?

[John_Swift]

If she thinks the campaign is hard, it's nothing compared to how it'll be if Mr. Romney actually gets the job. It's not as though the First Lady can go around telling members of Congress or world leaders to "stop it" when things get tough for the POTUS.