Mitt Romney Central | Martha Maccallum

Ann Romney talks with FOX News' Martha Maccallum (Photo / FOX News)

America’s Newsroom co-anchor Martha MacCallum (FOX News) caught up with busy Ann Romney to talk about the presidential campaign. The two-part interview aired today:

While it’s presumed that Mitt Romney will be the GOP’s nominee for president, still up for debate is who he’ll pick for his running mate. Martha asked Ann whether they discuss the topic and who she would want to see get the spot on the ticket.

“It’s fun to talk about,” Ann disclosed. But, she wouldn’t say more than that. “I cannot come down and say [if there's someone I'm rooting for] … the wonderful thing right now is that there are wonderful people out there who are very qualified.”

MacCallum asked about Ann’s title given to her by campaign staffers – ‘Mitt-Stabilizer’:

“That is true. I think both of us enjoy each other’s company … and also I think when we get together we recognize what’s really important in life,” she said. “We’re able to laugh a lot and talk a lot about things that are not in the political realm.”

Ann was asked how she would feel if Governor Romney should lose the election:

Ann said she’s not too worried. “It will mean that we’ve given it our college try and done our very best,” she said. But in the end, she believes they’ll be taking up residence in the White House following the 2012 election.

(emphasis added)

Part 1:

MacCaullum mentioned the fact that Mrs. Romney could be celebrating Mother’s Day next year in the White House. Ann was asked about First Ladies she admired and issues she would promote as as America’s 47th First Lady:

. . . As for her mission as first lady if husband Mitt were to get elected, she said she would bring her own personality to the ‘job.’

“For me, of course, it’ll have something to do with the things I care about,” she said, mentioning her concern for breast cancer and MS research and awareneses. “I also worked for many years with at-risk youth, so I know I wouldn’t be able to give that up either.”

She has plenty of role models to pull from, as well. “I love Barbara Bush and her frankness … and yet her realness,” she said. “Laura Bush was so lady-like and just wonderful.

She also weighed in on the current first lady, Michelle Obama. “I think she’s lovely, and everyone can appreciate that it’s a very difficult position to be in, where your husband is under enormous scrutiny all the time and attacks from one side or the other, and to be able to keep your calm and composure – we appreciate that and see that in her.”

Ms. MacCallum brought up the topic of religion and also asked how Ann’s health challenges affected her and Mitt.

Part 2:

Needless to say, Ann Romney interviews are always a great pleasure to view. Not only does she possess the very qualities she admires in the First Ladies she commented on – the composure of Michelle Obama, the grace of Laura Bush, the realness of Barbara Bush – America will have the great pleasure of learning more of Ann’s humor, intelligence, compassion, wisdom, and tenacity.

Ann Romney is going to be an outstanding First Lady!

> Jayde Wyatt

► This incident has caused a media and Twittersphere firestorm! Click on link at the bottom of this article for updates.

Hilary Rosen

They don’t waste any time, do they?

A few months ago, a rancid Democrat plan to “kill Romney” reared its repulsive head. Now, after Governor Romney’s first full day of getting into general campaigning, we’re getting a stinky whiff of their plans for Ann Romney.

On Wednesday evening, Democrat operative/CNN political contributor Hilary Rosen spoke with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. She mockingly snarked about Ann Romney:

“Guess what? His wife [Ann Romney] has never actually worked a day in her life.”

Did you catch Rosen’s accusation that Mitt Romney is “old-fashioned when it comes to women. He just doesn’t see us as equals.” Did you also notice Paul Begala’s nod of approval and big grin when his cohort delivered the talking points? Really, I’m laughing so hard as I type this. What a sorry, ridiculous duo – spouting off ridiculous rhetoric to hide Obama’s sorry economy and ridiculous federal debt. See Vic’s article.

Setting her work record straight, Ann Romney, mother of FIVE boys, grandmother to 16 grandchildren, church, charity, and community volunteer, former Massachusetts First Lady, breast-cancer survivor, and valiant handler of Multiple Sclerosis, fired off her first campaign tweet:

I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.

— Ann Romney (@AnnDRomney) April 12, 2012

Good natured Ann is garnering high praise for her down-to-earth ability to connect with voters. Because he was losing ground with female voters, Obama operatives have been taking notes. Regarding Ann, think about it: Obama is leading a class war on successful Americans, combine that with a leftist faction that dislikes political Republican women, throw into the mix some Democrats’ disdain for working-at-home mothers and they see fresh meat to attack – on three fronts. Ann is a triple-threat.

Byron York, Chief Political Corespondent (Washington Examiner) and FOX News Contributor jumped on it:

After insult, Romney hits back with lightning speed

. . . Within seconds, Rosen’s statement that Ann Romney has “never worked a day in her life” began to burn up Twitter. Mrs. Romney, after all, had raised five children, as well as dealt with MS and cancer. That was work, no matter how much money her husband made.

The Romney campaign jumped on Rosen’s remarks with a speed that no Republican campaign has shown in the past. First, campaign staffers sent out tweets hitting Rosen. “Obama adviser Hilary Rosen goes on CNN to debut their new ‘kill Ann’ strategy, and in the process insults hard-working moms,” said top Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom. The campaign then sent out word that Rosen, who has worked for the Democratic National Committee and other Democratic organizations, is now part of the same firm, SKDKnickerbocker, as Anita Dunn, a prominent member of the Obama circle. And then came word that Rosen had visited the White House at least 35 times, according to publicly-available White House visitors logs. And then that Rosen attended last month’s state dinner at the White House.

Sensing an opportunity, the Romney campaign rolled out the big guns and had Ann Romney, who had never sent out a message on Twitter before, send out her first: “I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.” Mrs. Romney quickly had thousands of followers.

Obama machine scrambles:

The story really took off when Obama campaign officials scrambled to distance themselves from Rosen. Obama campaign manager Jim Messina tweeted: “I could not disagree with Hilary Rosen any more strongly. Her comments were wrong and family should be off limits. She should apologize.” Top Obama aide David Axelrod added, “Also disappointed in Hilary Rosen’s comments about Ann Romney. They were inappropriate and offensive.”

Rosen back-tracked but she didn’t back down. Of course not; she’s a messenger – with a dumb message.

York was impressed:

. . . Presented with an opening, Romney’s staff jumped on the controversy with impressive speed, forcing top Obama officials to respond before most people even knew there was a story. The fracas suggests that Team Romney is determined to aggressively — really aggressively — pursue any chance to press an advantage against Obama. If the president’s re-election team thought they were facing a slow-moving, not-up-to-the-task Republican rival, they learned differently Wednesday night.

See tweets here. Follow @AnnDRomney here. By the way, a new hashtag burning up twitter is #waronmoms.

Ann Responds on America’s Morning with FOX News’ Martha MacCallum – April 12, 2012:

Great interview!

VOTE in related polls posted here.

UPDATE - Since joining Twitter last night, around 10:19 AM PT Ann Romney reached 20,000 followers.

Excellent article from Townhall’s Carol Platt Liebau (hat tip to Hugh Hewitt):

Yes, yes, we know that the President is working hard to consolidate support among female voters — but Obama adviser Hilary Rosen’s remarks about Ann Romney “never work[ing] a day in her life” are cynical, shameful, appalling, divisive and above all . . . ignorant. They constitute the newest iteration of the long-running, ugly and gratuitous left-wing attack on women who have made the very important choice to stay home in order to raise their children themselves.

[article continues below fold]

Rosen has kicked off a political firestorm; click on link below for updates!

(more…)