While others may be focused on everything from swimming to gymnastics, my new favorite Olympic sport is dressage.
I thank Mitt Romney for opening my eyes to the elegant “sport” of horse ballet.
If you haven’t guessed, those two sentences are pure sarcasm, yet part of a juicy political story that has been brewing that ties Romney to the 2012 London Games.
I’ve doubted Romney’s political sense since the start, but flying to England for the Olympics four months before the election is just another confirmation. Yes, we all get that you were CEO of the 2002 Salt Lake City games, but you’re running for President of the United States now and we think that would take priority. Lest I jump the gun (lots of sport references today), this story only gets better.
Mitt’s wife, Ann Romney, happens to be one of three co-owners of a horse named “Rafalca,” which is competing on the U.S. team in dressage (YouTube it). Romney, plagued by a well-deserved image of a wealthy Republican out of touch with everyday working Americans now has to explain his wife’s love of and participation in horse ballet.
Making matters worse, Jan Ebeling, Rafalca’s rider and employee of the Romneys, had this to say about the sport in a recent press conference: “Money is not something that defines dressage. It’s something you can do with a normal budget.”
People have a misconception that you have to be wealthy to sail a big boat, drive a ultra-luxury car, or travel in private jets, when the reality is you don’t need that much money. All you have to do is become a crew member, chauffeur or flight attendant, and it becomes incredibly affordable. Such is the life of Mr. Ebeling, who rightly can defend the hand that feeds him, while not being part of the upper class.
Why criticize Romney or his staff for a horse?
Generally, this is the point where Republicans go on the attack by saying Democrats are trying to incite “class warfare” and negatively stigmatize successful people.
My response is simple: “get over yourself!” No one is attacking your wealth. What we are attacking is your lack of understanding that you are wealthy when many are struggling to make ends meet. George W. was famous for spending lots of vacation time at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. To his credit, he had many photo ops of him clearing brush and doing simple ranch jobs. Bush did this because he wanted the American people to see him as a “regular Joe” and someone who could relate to their lives.
Romney, on the other hand, is spending $100K on a horse — $77K a year on upkeep according to the tax returns we have seen — and can afford to fly Rafalca across the globe to compete in a dance competition. How a presidential candidate, in the midst of one of the worse recessions our countries has ever faced, can’t understand how horse ballet disconnects him from the average person just proves his lack of connection.
I wouldn’t ask Romney to give up Rafalca, only for him to acknowledge the fact that most young people in the Bronx and East L.A. don’t have access to the sport of horse ballet. We should want a president who has been successful and in no way demonize those who have achieved wealth.
However, if class warfare is asking the simple question “Does your horse have better health insurance than my child?” then I guess I’m guilty.
Jose Cruz is the editor of OurTiempo.com worked in the Clinton White House and on three Presidential campaigns. He is the founder of ImmigrationPAC a pro-comprehensive immigration reform Federal Political Action Committee and active political commentator.
About Being Latino Contributors
Because it gave us a funny skit from Colbert.
he owns it:) Who cares! Obama 2012
They look alike lol
Mitt Romney, A Rabbi, and a Horse walk into a bar…
LMFAO!!
What a stupid column!
What? This column is pretty far reaching lol.
They both have that long face lol
Good article
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/415194/june-12-2012/mitt-romney-s-blue-collar-equestrian-pastime .
And they criticize Michelle Obama for going to the Olympics. Last I looked she’s not running for President. And the tax payers are not paying for her “Junket”. The Obama’s have their own discretionary funds to do with as they see fit.
***YAWN*** Boring column.
The horse is also a therapeutic aid for Romney’s wife who has Multiple Sclerosis – its called therapeutic riding and she is a member of North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. Horse riding for people with MS is a viable and accepted form of rehab. And the Olympic sport of Dressage (what the horse does) is not wildly expensive. Thousands of ordinary kids compete every weekend. Dressage is just a fancy French word meaning the proper training of the horse. It begins with walk, trot, and canter…You people are sure a bunch of envious Latinos. Go pick on Michelle Obama and all the money she spends on vacations and tacky clothes and parties!
Mario: That’s why this column is so stupid on its face. Has no meaning, no rhyme or reason to be published, yet it was. I couldn’t stop SMFH at the stupidity of it. It’s so shallow! And to compare the healthcare of a horse to a human is reaching beyond the pale. Even animals have to get medical care via our humane laws. What nonsense of a column!
But if you criticizes Mooselle Obama then you are a racist! These envious Latinos get their talking points from the CPUSA style book!
Aww, sounds like you guys didn’t read the article. No one is criticizing Romney for having money. We are making fun of the fact that he doesn’t get how much he has. But don’t worry, I’ll head out to my local inner city Dressage arena this weekend. Gosh it must suck to be loosing, we felt this same way during Bush.
Jose: You think Romney is “loosing”? LOL I don’t think you’re reading the right political tea leaves. When you hear Obama saying in Florida that, for a birthday gift, he “wishes” to get Florida’s electoral votes in November, it tells you how desperate he has become and will become. You don’t see Obama saying he wishes to get NYs and NJs electoral votes, because he’s already got those two states in the bag. But Florida, which he won in 2008, is now a toss up, and THAT shows Obama has a problem. If you don’t see that, then you are ciego!!!
Never said it was in the bag, no election is, but Romney is a horrible candidate. Sure you think otherwise. Don’t worry it will be over soon enough.
Well, Obama ain’t nothing to get excited about either and even though he “wrote” these books and says that this is the most transparent administration ever, we still don’t know a lot about him and he won’t release a lot of his records.
And Obama is not a horrible candidate? LOL Hey, this election is going to be a referendum on Obama, and his tenure has been an abysmal failure. Just look at his record. The recession is almost four years old, and he said he’d get us out of it. He hasn’t. Because he doesn’t know how the economy runs. He blames businesses. LOL Sorry but Romney is a businessman, successful at it, and it’s THAT FACT that is going to pull him through to the White House.
Awww, you guys are fun. Please feel free to wager! I’m willing to write a public congratulations to Romney if he wins, wishing him all the best, are you willing to treat Obama with the same sense of respect if he wins? Don’t worry, we’re all still waiting for Rush to make good on his promise to leave the country now that Health care has passed.
This column show the author to have social resentment against those that achieve sucess. The “poor latinos” are better off than most middle class now.
they have benefits that are not using properly, spending food stamps on junk food , money on expensive sneakers and 14k gold chains.
enough with the complaints. i suggest the author to get areal job , this pity job of a colimn is a disgrace to all Latinos that have achieve success.