Heather Brand of mccainblogette was the only official photographer allowed inside the gates at the McCain Sedona Memorial Day Bash, but even she couldn't provide us with photos of Mitt Romney, Bobby Jindal, or Charlie Crist (who are all getting the buzz about becoming veep candidates). What she did give us, though, is a great new photo of Bridget McCain, who looks like she at least was having a good time at the barbecue.
Meghan's blog today showed us photos of the "sweetest" Mary Anne Huntsman (one-time blogette herself), but no shots of Josh Romney, who was campaigning in Utah with his Dad for Meghan's Dad. The fun Five Brothers' blog is shut down now, but if McCain picks Josh's father as his running mate, we might get some new posts.
Josh, that is. The third and middle son of Mitt Romney, who got a rep for being funny and relaxed (surfing his Dad's campaign signs down the aisles of jet planes, for example), is thinking about running for Congress.
Photo Source: Brett Danley via Creative Commons
At Matt Romney's house in San Diego, brother Josh and their families are enjoying a last visit together before settling down to normal life.
As their Dad pulls out of the race today, Sparrow is sad to say goodbye to Josh, Matt, Tagg, Craig, and Ben. No matter what your politics, you have to admit that they're funny, smart, and great role models as sons, fathers, and husbands. We'll miss their blog, too. Blessings to you, Five Brothers!
Here's the word from their Papá:
"This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters... many of you right here in this room... have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country."
This long, exhausting campaign's getting stranger by the minute.
According to Peter Nicholas, Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston of the Los Angeles Times, Josh Romney's taken to surfing his dad's campaign signs down the aisles of jet planes.
Bridget McCain's Mom misses her, the dogs, and hiking so badly she's taking a day off and heading back to Arizona.
Hilary Clinton's addicted to big mugs of tea, Janet Huckabee's starting to rap, and Ann Romney's hugging Michelle Obama every time they see each other.
And it's not just the candidates and their families who are getting loopy; the journalists covering them can't see straight either. Think of the money Starbucks is making on double-shot ventis sold to these sleep-deprived people, and it's only February.
Happy Super Tuesday, America!
It's helpful when there's only one Mitt and 24 primaries on Super Tuesday. That's why Josh is racing up to Alaska, Tagg's riding to Maine, and Matt's running over to Montana. The Romney Brothers, coming soon to a primary near you.
Why The Candidates’ Kids Matter
First Kid wannabes have been in the public eye like never before. Josh Romney drove through all 99 counties of Iowa in an RV to stump for his Dad. His brother Craig used fluent Spanish to voiceover a campaign ad about “papa.” Cate Edwards hit the trail diligently even though she was a busy second year Harvard Law student. Meghan McCain blogs and vlogs to connect the younger generation to her seventy-something father. And even the famously private Chelsea Clinton is taking a break from her hedge fund job to stump for Mom.
Americans are fascinated with the offspring of candidates for several reasons. First, nobody knows a person better than his or her kids. We listen when Chelsea gets choked up over how proud she is of her Mom, or when Sarah Huckabee remembers those Friday morning breakfast dates with her Dad during high school. A heartfelt endorsement from an adult child isn’t something you can buy. It’s something you earn after years of loving service and commitment.
Second, this campaign is turning out to be more cyber intense than even the geekiest pundit could have predicted. The twenty-something children of candidates have managed to connect and engage a web-savvy generation of voters. We tuned into Romney’s five sons’ updates, watched videos of Sarah Huckabee bragging about her father at Youtube, tracked Chelsea’s visits to college campuses, and read Meghan McCain’s posts about the campaign whirlwind -- along with her makeup tips.
Third, we want a President who can laugh. Nothing reveals a candidate’s sense of humor better than the good-natured banter that goes on between the generations. When Cate Edwards, responding to a question about her father’s good looks, joked about how dorky he is, we got that John Edwards didn't take himself too seriously. Even Emma Claire teased her father at an event by slyly saying she was going to vote for another candidate. And when Matt Romney staged a call to his father from the governor of California, Americans watched the video and laughed along.
Did this yen for connection with a candidate’s children hinder Rudy Giuliani, whose kids played it cool? Will it affect those with children too young to stump, like Barack Obama? Judging from the buzz and hype surrounding the more vocal young adult First Kid wannabes, a public cheer -- or some friendly teasing -- from a son or daughter can give any candidate’s campaign a boost.
Several of the five Romney brothers slaved in the state for their Dad, only to see him lose. I wonder how it feels to be doubly disappointed -- as a full-time campaign worker and as a son. Meanwhile, Doug, Andy, Sidney, Jack, Jimmy, Meghan, and Bridget are partying tonight.
Matt tries to lighten things up for his father with a fake phone call from the Governor of California:
Thanks to a two-year mission stint in Santiago, Chile, the youngest Romney brother's accent is pretty darn good, if you ask me, and I lived in Mexico for three years.
The commercial ends with something like this: "Above all, Mitt Romney's a family man. How do I know? Because he's my papa."
Check out Maria Menounos' take on these two savvy Daddy's girls:
Campaigning for candidate dads
Menounos found out some fun facts about these First Daughter wannabes, like the emails that go back and forth between Sarah and the Romneys "where they congratulate each other or say stuff like 'Your dad did great tonight' or 'Tell your dad to be nicer to my dad…ha ha.'" And that Meghan intends to keep blogging from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue ... that is if her Dad wins, of course.
Bruce Reed of Slate can make fun of the Romney brothers all he wants, but the fact is that Tagg, Craig, Ben, Josh, and Matt love and respect their dad and are fighting hard for his campaign. That's impressive in this day and age, even if you disagree with his politics. You could take away his money and power, and the Governor would still be rich.
"Believe me, we'd love to have her," a Clinton aide admitted to the Houston Chronicle, but the Clintons have protected Chelsea's private life through the years as much as possible. Now, with Meghan McCain, Cate Edwards (needs a new blog post but she's busy at Harvard Law), Sarah Huckabee, and the Romney brothers outspokenly present on the web and the trail, and her mother's campaign in need of a boost, Chelsea's public silence seems more noticeable. It's going to be interesting to see when -- and if -- she gives a speech or an interview.
During the back-to-back Republican and Democrats debates on ABC tonight, the cameras found Meghan, Cate, and Chelsea, but where was Miss Sarah Huckabee? Not to mention Tagg, Josh, Ben, Craig, or Matt?
Her Dad won the Republican vote in the Iowa Caucus, beating out the Romney brothers' papa by ... well, a lot. Mike Huckabee even gave his daughter credit, saying "Sarah lived in Iowa so long…(she) probably should have an Iowa drivers’ license and should be paying high Iowa taxes." Malia and Sasha are happy tonight, too, because their Daddy won on the Democrat side.
Lots of First Kids in Waiting are campaigning like crazy in Iowa: Chelsea, the Edwards three, the Romney five, and check out how tall the Obama girls are getting. Meanwhile, Meghan McCain's got her eye on New Hampshire's January 8th primary.
Presenting the Amazing Romney Turkey Bowl:
My question is: where are the girls in the family? Are they off baking pumpkin pies or something? I LOVE flag football!
The Romney Five and Cate Edwards accept comments on their blog posts after some moderation, but Meghan Mccain and her buddies don't take any feedback at all. When you don't enable comments, doesn't a blog by definition morph into a column or a diary? Call it something else, I think, because the communal blogginess of a blog is sucked out when people can't respond to a post. (Fine for me to get all huffy about it 'cause I hardly get any comments at all ... sigh.)
The resemblance between the chip and the block is freaky, check it out.
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