MSNBC's O'Donnell Rips Ann Romney for Ignoring 'Struggling' Women Who Rely on Government
MSNBC 's immediate reaction to Ann Romney's Tuesday night speech at the
Republican National Convention was to stick by the left-wing talking
point that she can't relate to ordinary Americans, especially women.
Lawrence O'Donnell seconded Rachel Maddow's claim that Mrs. Romney "has not had most women's economic experiences," and went further: "She began her speech...by talking about women's struggles in this economy and in life that she, actually, in her life, doesn't know anything about."
O'Donnell then blasted the Republican presidential candidate's wife for
supposedly disregarding women who have taken government assistance in
their lives: "The one population that was specifically excluded
from her discussion of women's struggles in this society was any woman
who needed, at any point in her life, to rely on any form of government
assistance - be it food stamps; be it temporary welfare
assistance; be it any form of support whatsoever that any government has
ever provided for a struggling woman at any time in her life. That population was completely ignored in this speech." [audio available here; video below]
Earlier, the MSNBC host claimed that the crowd didn't react to Mrs.
Romney like they had to Sarah Palin four years earlier: "I've seen
emotional reactions to speeches. This wasn't one of them. This was the
mandatory reaction they were cheering. It was nothing like – nothing like this very same crowd's reaction to Sarah Palin's speech,
for example, four years ago, and nothing like reactions we've seen –
emotional reactions we've seen in many other convention halls."
The transcript of Lawrence O'Donnell's segment from MSNBC's Tuesday night coverage of the Republican National Convention:
O'DONNELL:
I've been in these halls for over 20 years now. I've seen emotional
reactions to speeches. This wasn't one of them. This was the mandatory
reaction they were cheering. It was nothing like – nothing like this
very same crowd's reaction to Sarah Palin's speech, for example, four
years ago, and nothing like reactions we've seen – emotional reactions
we've seen in many other convention halls.
I was struck, as you were, Rachel, as she began her speech, trying to
relate to women, by talking about women's struggles in this economy and
in life, that she actually, in her life, doesn't know anything about.
The one population that was specifically excluded from her discussion of
women's struggles in this society was any woman who needed, at any
point in her life, to rely on any form of government assistance - be it
food stamps; be it temporary welfare assistance; be it any form of
support whatsoever that any government has ever provided for a
struggling woman at any time in her life. That population was completely
ignored in this speech.
