Young Romney Talks About His Mother [Updated - New Video]
By Bronwyn on April 10, 2012 at 3:34 PM in Current Affairs
“Why should women have less say than men about the great decisions facing our nation?” Women “represent a reservoir of public service which has hardly been tapped.” – Mitt Romney’s mother, Lenore Romney, 1966
Time’s Swampland blog features this archival video of 23-year-old Mitt Romney promoting his mother’s run for the U.S. Senate. And, below the fold, you can watch a video of Lenore Romney discussing her life and Senate run in 1970.
The back story reveals Mitt’s respect for women born in examples set by George and Lenore Romney at a time when most young women were advised to find a husband with a good job. Lenore Romney surely had a powerful effect with her ambitions, her intelligence, her talents as a politician. As the above quote shows, Lenore Romney was at the vanguard of the burgeoning women’s movement.
Mom Lenore’s Senate Run in 1970
As I read about Mitt’s relationship with his mother, I realized … that it’s no wonder that his wife, Ann Romney, comes across as a vibrant, confident woman. Her husband Mitt grew up influenced by a father who also was the special kind of husband who encouraged his wife to run for the U.S. Senate. And it was a given that Lenore Romney got active campaign support from her entire family, as you see Mitt doing in the video.
From the Washington Post’s in-depth investigative report on Mitt Romney and his parents:
In early 1970, Michigan GOP leaders tried to recruit George Romney to run for the U.S. Senate in an effort to unseat Hart, a popular incumbent. Romney had resigned as the state’s governor the previous year [after three terms in office] to serve as President Richard Nixon’s secretary of housing and urban development, but he remained beloved back home.
He turned down the overtures, but soon encouraged Lenore Romney, then 61, to run for the seat, even gathering family members at their Bloomfield Hills home to mull the possibility.
She had grown up in Utah, graduated from George Washington University and given up a promising Hollywood film career to raise four children and hitch her fortunes to her husband’s rising star.
Waiflike at 110 pounds, with hazel eyes, brown hair and size 7AAA shoes, she had become a well-known and eloquent speaker during her years as Michigan’s first lady. She campaigned tirelessly for her husband throughout the state, often with Mitt by her side. She spoke frequently to civic groups and did not shy from encouraging women to take a more active role in government. …
UPDATE: The Washington Post video code didn’t work correctly, so I went hunting and found an excellent video at The New York Times. The accompanying article also features several photos.
If you are still interested in the Post video, click here to view it at their site.
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