Mitt Romney Sings Better Than I Do

I am an unabashed Anglophile.  While three of my grandparents are immigrants (two from Norway, one from Germany) my Grandfather Blaisdell is part of a long line of Englishmen who came from the Lancashire, England area in 1635.  Whether because of Ralph Blaisdell’s heroic journey to this country, an affinity for a country which was pivotal in creating the American character, or simple good taste I have spent a lifetime loving all things British.  Our tradition of representative government comes from England.  Great Britain used its hard won world prominence to advance science and society.  Several of my favorite authors are British.  You can’t get better nonfiction writing than Simon Winchester; Edward Rutherfurd writes great epic fiction; Ken Follett, J. K. Rowling, J. R. R. Tolkein, Agatha Christie, Jane Austin and all of the Brontes, have all brightened hours of my life.   The list is endless and we haven’t even started on Shakespeare yet.  So, between history and heritage I have been eagerly anticipating watching the London Olympics. 

            Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the Olympics is going to be periodically interrupted by political advertisements from the Obama camp that I must immediately mute.  Quite beyond the fact that while the Republican ads all are dealing with issues, while the Democrats are focused on character assassination, the current ad from the Dems has chosen to cruelly bully all of us who simply can’t sing.  The ad starts with President Obama saying he approves the ad and then goes to Mitt Romney singing America the Beautiful.  While Romney sings there is a series of statements attacking Romney for, evidently, being a successful, wealthy and law-abiding citizen.  But the real purpose of the ad is to brow-beat Romney because he is, at best, a mediocre singer.  We are suppose to laugh at him, marginalize him, see him less as a Presidential candidate and more as a punch line.  Okay, I get it.  Bullying is a terrible thing, unless you are a Democrat and the target is a Republican.

            Now if I actually was so vacuous a person as to select my Presidential candidate on the basis of singing ability I would be voting for Barrack Obama.  The man has a lovely singing voice—though I have never heard him try America the Beautiful.  But, frankly, I don’t care a single fig about whether my candidates can sing.  I do want them to have a sound understanding of economics, a realistic foreign policy and a sense of social justice.  I would also like them to practice what they preach.  When Obama says he endorses this ad, he is saying he wants to poke fun at a man’s attempt to sing a beautiful patriotic American song. 

Maybe my umbrage at this ad is because I have a terrible singing voice, myself.  I love music, wish I could sing in church, in a group, and, yes, I really wish I could sing America the Beautiful.  I love every single verse of that amazing hymn to our better angels.  But I can’t.  In the past few years I have been surrounded by people who have encouraged me to sing.  They only comment on what I do right and politely ignore the notes I fall flat on.  As a result, I have started—tentatively—singing aloud the music I used to only listen to.  It is not a joyful noise, but it is mine.  I am, however, glad I have never opened my mouth around a Democrat with a video cam and a YouTube account.  These bullies go right for the throat. 

“America, America God mend they every flaw…”, and keep the faith.