Ann Romney You People Gaffe Gives Conservative Women a Bad Name

Impact

In an interview on Wednesday with ABC News, Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, stated, “we’ve given all you people need to know.”

Romney’s word choice “you people” was a poor one; the phrase has racist undertones and it seems to make the assumption that Romney and her husband are different from the rest of America. Although Romney was only trying to come to her husband’s defense, supporting his decision to keep his tax statements private, it seems that she has only done more damage.

This political gaffe comes on the heels of the Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) debacle. The congresswoman and chairwoman of the Tea Party caucus, was publicly admonished by Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) for her accusations against Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s top aide, Huma Abedin who also happens to be Muslim American.  Rep. Bachmann alleged that Abedin was influencing U.S. policy to be pro pan-Arab Islamic group The Muslim Brotherhood. McCain refuted this claim, calling Bachmann’s accusations “sinister.” Now with Ann Romney in the news and a #youpeople hashtag trending on Twitter, this is not a good week for Republican females. However, many are saying that all this press isn’t warranted for either woman’s actions.

After Romney’s interview gained attention, many jumped to her defense saying that he words were being misconstrued in the media. The same is true for Bachmann supporters, believing this is just another case of the liberal media making fun of a misunderstanding for attention. However, this isn’t the first time either woman has been in the news for something they’ve said. Bachmann is known for her bold public statements, which have at times even gone against Romney and her own party, while Romney caused a little stir herself when she made a classicist comment about women.

Nonetheless, Romney’s statement could be seen as proof of how out of touch she and her husband are with the American people they are trying to win over. With his offshore accounts and unknown income, Romney has been struggling to fight the image of him as a wealthy snob. But with all the uproar surrounding Romney’s association with Bain, this is not helping his argument that he understands the people –– rich and poor. 

Aside from that one remark, the ABC interview seemed to be drama-free. She continued to expound on the virtues of her husband and imploring the people to “fire the head coach.”  Moreover, Bachmann has stood behind her proposed investigation, saying she only wanted to express her serious concerns for security.

In any case, both women have received their fair share of attention and even they would agree that it’s time to turn back to the real issues.