Yes, FSM help us, the 2012 Presidential campaign has returned. Back from his “rollercoaster” election campaign, Mitt Romney has emerged from hiding to criticize President Obama’s handling of the sequester.
In his first public comments since Election Day, Romney slammed Obama for “berating Republicans” instead of leading the country, adding that the president’s habit of “blaming and pointing” has contributed to Congress’s inability to reach a deal. “That causes the Republicans to retrench and to put up a wall and to fight back,” he told Fox News’s Chris Wallace.
In a previously released clip, Romney compared the campaign to a roller coaster.
“It’s different. But it’s like, you know, riding on a roller coaster. We were on a roller coaster, exciting and thrilling, ups and downs. But the ride ends. And then you get off. And it’s not like, oh, can’t we be on a roller coaster the rest of our life? It’s like, no, the ride’s over,” Romney said, according to an excerpt provided by Fox News. This rather gives new meaning to that post-election trip to Disneyland.
Meanwhile, poor Not-A-First-Lady Ann Romney reflected on being a “nobody” in her post-election life.
“You know, it’s interesting; in our church, we’re used to serving and you know, you can be in a very high position, but you recognize you’re serving. And now all of a sudden, you’re released and you’re nobody,” she said. “And we’re used to that. It’s like we came and stepped forward to serve. And you know, the other part of it was an amazing thing, and it was really quite a lot of energy and a lot of passion and a lot of — a lot of people around us and all of a sudden, it was nothing.
In a preview, Wallace told Politico's Patrick Gavin that Ann feels the pain of the loss.
"I'd say he is in a better place than she is," Wallace said, reflecting on the interview. "Not to say she’s bitter — and she enjoys her life. Look, they live on the beach, north of San Diego and a bunch of their grandkids are around. You know, they’ve got a pretty great life. But I think she feels the pain and the "what-ifs" and the hurt more than he does. And that comes through in the interview. There’s a lot of emotion that comes through in the interview, and she’s more open about it — the "what might have been."
The Fox News host said that Romney "Obviously thinks he made some mistakes," but is "very defensive and very supportive of his campaign." He also said Romney pointed to a liberal media bias and a "long and expensive" primary battle as factors in the loss, but described the former candidate as "at ease" and "serene about it."
The full interview airs on Fox News Sunday this weekend.
