Some of these so called political strategists really need to stop over thinking things.
This article about Romney and his wife’s Olympic horse is just so silly. I have trouble believing Americans care one bit that Romney is wealthy and that he has an expensive hobby. Congress is packed full of millionaires from both parties. So what?? Some guy or gal working pay check to pay check doesn’t have the resources to run for political office. Politics has always been a wealthy persons job.
I knew a lady with advanced MS and her future was pretty bleak. If Ann Romney can have a bit of fun while she’s still ok then more power to her. She’s got enough dark days in her future. Let the woman enjoy life while she can.
I just wish the political strategists would stop over thinking things. Not every moment in a politicians life has to be looked at with a microscope.
Presidential races do tend to center around a lot of trivial things. To me, the most damaging story on Mitt Romney that we’ve seen since the campaign started just came out and isn’t getting front page coverage: his tax plan. It got exposed as completely senseless by a non-partisan think tank specializing in tax issues.
So on some level, the focus on such trivialities might benefit the candidate. If we’re talking about Ann’s horse, we’re not talking about Mitt’s tax plan. If we’re talking about “You didn’t build that”, then we’re not talking about Obama’s budget.
Winning an election is a different thing than convincing a few eggheads you have a clue about what you are doing. Those trivialities most likely matter more than a workable tax plan, I mean has it ever mattered in the past?
In the individual dressage, Rafalca is pretty much sucking wind, so he won’t have to worry about that. She’s at 21 after 35 riders (there’s still about 20 to go) and only the top 11 progress to the next competition.
There are 9 teams and only the top 7 progress. Last night the USA was in slot 7 and so far today, they’re still in slot 7. It really doesn’t look like the US team has the talent to rise much farther than slot 5.
So, baring any accidents or injuries, I’d say that Rafalca doesn’t have to worry about any medals. Having made the team, she’s managed to increase her value and the value of her foals. So the Romney’s will make a profit off their dancing horse business and that is pretty much what Mittens is all about anyway.
Rafalca (score 70.2) got pulled through to the next level as part of the US team. Her rank right now is 27th and the lowest ranked horse moving forward at this point.
GB’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro are in the first spot with an amazing score of 83.6 (to compare, breaking 80 was almost never heard of until recently and two judges gave them 85+ scores). Dujardin is only 27 and has only been competing at this level since last year (2011) and Valegro is only a 10yo.
It’s a story because the horse was taken as a business for the purposes of a tax deduction. In that sense, it is a completely legitimate political story of how the rich manage to avoid taxes on their hobbies.
Yet again, Romney’s problem isn’t that he’s rich. Most politicians, as you point out, are. Romney’s problem is that he has no conception of anything other than being rich. He seems to not even realize that there exist people who are not rich.
It’s not about Romney’s horse. It’s about whether or not Romney puts the interests of wealthy people like himself ahead of the interests of more typical Americans. And beyond Romney, it’s about whether or not other millionaires in Congress have been putting the interests of wealthy people like themselves ahead of the interests of more typical Americans. I think this issue is why some conservatives are so concerned about the Romney campaign. They worried that Romney might not just lose his own Presidential bid but might also act as a tipping point that will see support for the trickle down/class warfare/job creators ideology overturned.
Team USA moves forward in the 5th slot. Rafalca ranked 30th of 49 horses. Her only hope for a medal is as a team member. GB and Germany will likely take 1st and 2nd. It would be really hard to knock the Netherlands out of the top three teams if no one gets sick or injured. GB, Germany and Netherlands each had horses score 80+ (WOW!).
To me, the interesting angle that hasn’t been ‘played’ yet is that Rafalca is an imported German horse being trained/ridden by a German immigrant. This is sort of along the lines of his off-shore holdings.
Romney is clearly not an “America First!” type of guy. He’s willing to make or spend his money anywhere that suits his needs. Now, imagine how well that would play with the ‘Buy American First’ and anti-NAFTA crowds. It will be interesting to see if this angle doesn’t come up once the Olympics are over and in the rear-view mirror.
A lot of people make their voting decisions based on wether they think the candidate can empathize with their weekly grind and relate to what challenges they face on a daily basis. They know the candidates from both sides of the aisle are millionaires but which one has something in common with ME?
The guy who owns a $50K horse with his wife and gets excited about things like Takt,Schwung, and Losgelassenheit?
Or the guy who gets enjoys filling out his March Madness brackets every year?
There is the problem. Romney, a multimillionaire, only spends $77K a year on this mediocre horse, yet it gets sent to represent America. He could easily afford to send a better horse.
Remember when Bush stood in that grocery store and was amazed at the bar code scanner or the senator who couldn’t understand why some wanted a law to control debit card fees because, in his understanding, nobody ever used debit card machines anyway.
Rafalca is probably worth $150k-$200k (if not more) at this point. The Romneys have a stable of at least five horses, all in the low six figure range. Their injured, cast off was sold on for $75k and he ended up a useless lawn ornament once the buyer understood the extent of his injuries.
These are not the sort of people who have ever had to debate about buying a new car or making the existing one last another year. They’ve never had to even consider how much unemployment might pay IF they were laid off. They probably pay more than an average weekly unemployment check on a single dinner out with friends.
Actually, when you look at the top three horses… wow. Genuine talent like that isn’t usually for sale. And, when it is for sale, they are usually only available to people with very deep connections into the dressage world. So, it is unlikely that the Romneys could actually acquire that level of trainer (even if they did spend the money for that level of a horse).
Now, Rafalca is a tremendous horse and her trainer is well above the average Joe. But, in my mind, they’re about the best a “rich guy pursuing a hobby” is going to get. I’m sure, had the Romney’s been more serious about seeking an Olympic gold medal, they could have found better connections. But, if their goal was to turn Ann’s interest into a money making business/tax write-off, then they’ve done as well as, if not better than most wealthy horse owners.
But I don’thave any issue at all with the idea that he and his wife have fancy horses and one of them is entered into the Olympics. More power to them! Go Romneys!
but a hot dressage prospect, or racing prospect is a business. You can sell their offspring and every win you get increases how much you can charge for the offspring [or a tube of sperm]
Hell, back in the day my horse cost me $30K, and probably if I was charging for the training I was doing, another $25-30K in training. Even with the cost of maintenance and vetting, a good horse can make a fair profit at the end of the year if they are a proven champion.
Great. So, since every horse, dog, car, case of wine, baseball card, or Star Wars figurine MIGHT go up in value, we get to classify all of them as business expenses? Why should horses be any more deductible than any other hobby?