By NBC's Peter Alexander and Ronnie Polidoro
Rock Center
The Romney brothers could soon become America’s first sons. Ranging in age from 31 to 42, their names are Craig, Ben, Josh, Matt, and Tagg – but you may have seen them spoofed on Saturday Night Live as Taggart, Tanner, Tigit, Targalac, and Tic-Tac. Which one of them is the biggest mama’s boy? NBC’s Peter Alexander found out during an interview for an upcoming Rock Center story airing Thursday, July 19 at 10pm/9c.
Just like any group of brothers, they like to pick on each other, even during their first sit-down interview of the 2012 campaign. They say Josh, the middle son, is the mama’s boy.
“Thanks guys. Let’s take it easy here,” replied Josh, one of three Romney sons who works in real estate. Another son is a doctor. The eldest runs a private equity firm like their father once did.
They are all married and have a combined total of 18 children. If Romney wins, he’ll have more grandkids than any sitting president in U.S. history.
The Romney sons grew up in Belmont, Mass., an affluent suburb outside of Boston. All of the brothers attended the same private school and later the same college, Brigham Young University. Three of them went on and received their MBA’s from Harvard, just like their father.
The boys were raised in a Mormon household where Saturdays were devoted to service. And all five followed their father’s footsteps by going overseas on two-year missions to spread their Mormon beliefs.
They are campaign veterans, on the trail stumping for their father since he first ran for Senate 18 years ago. But when it came to Romney’s second run for the White House, four of his five boys didn’t want him to run.
“I didn’t want him to run again. I really didn’t,” Matt said, “I thought you know, you gave it your best shot in 2008, you felt like you had to do it, you had to go and give back to the country and you tried, and they didn’t take you, so let’s move on.”
Matt and the others eventually came around. And again the Romney 5 have joined in Mitt Romney’s march to the White House.
Along the way, they have heard about how their father has struggled at times to connect with the public. The campaign hopes the sons can help explain some of their father’s more idiosyncratic moments, for example, when Romney told an audience, “It just feels good being back in Michigan. You know, the trees are the right height.”
“He’s a little goofy,” said Tagg, “That’s part of his charm, I think.”
But the biggest criticism is that the wealthy Romney family can’t understand the economic challenges facing the average American family. The sons insist their family and their father are not out of touch.
“We've obviously been very blessed,” Craig said, “And because of that we feel a responsibility to make sure we can do everything we can to make this country as great as it can be.”
They say they are not put off by the accusations, even within the Republican Party, that their father is aloof and a flip-flopper.
“His true identity will come out and we know what a great father he is, we know how much he loves the country, we know how much he loves our kids,” Matt said, “It’s not ambition that’s driving him. It is really a desire to give back. and this is how he thinks he can give back. And we agree.”
Editor’s Note: NBC’s Peter Alexander’s full report ‘The Romney 5’ will air Thursday, July 19 at 10pm/9c on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams.
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Name one good thing obama has done thats the TRUTH AND NOT TWISTED, then i will leave you alone.
He Lies, He Lies....Remember Joe Wilson.....
Improved benefits for veterans. ref, ref, ref, ref
Ended the Iraq war. Ended Osama Bin Laden. neutered Alqaeda. Ended Muomar Gaddafy Libya. Ended the Bush/Cheney/GOP led economic collapse & impending depression. Saved the US auto and steel industries. Saved the US banking industry. Saved 10's of millions of US jobs that would have been lost if McCain/Palin had won. Passed the health care act that had been proposed by the overwhelming majority of past GOP led administrations (remember Romneycare/Nixoncare?).
If President Obama was a white republican, you would be canonizing him and chiseling his statue on Mt Rushmore right now! Which tells us a lot more about you than him.
A president with "goofy charm" would far exceed "The One" with plain goofiness.
It's both amusing and discouraging listening to all the Libs disparaging a good decent man and his family who has worked hard his whole life, has a breadth of experience, donates generously to those less fortunate and has a solid family. It is very discouraging that anywhere near 50% of America is actually considering voting for Obama over this truly qualified man. It's says alot about the sad state of this country.
i remember in 1980 when the liberals tried to paint a goffiness on ronald reagan too, it was the the only barb that jimmy carter could muster up, ronald reagan saved our economy from inflation, interest rates and the communist threat with firing a shot, now we have a president in office that is desperatly try to reverse those trends. i really like mitt romney as a name, his smiling personaly, his total background as a people person whom dones not talk down to the american people like they have done something wrong in our 230 years, each and all of you may have friends or family that secified so much in war for our country just to throw it away on what we have been through in the past four years-drive through some of our largest cities and look real good at the honeless-the people that have alrealy lost their minds-they can't vote any longer-we have to vote for them-a first family that nearly reminds me of the fdr era with a loving family in the white house
Goofiness from a Goof, Mitt sure will increase the status of the office of the president and America's stature in ways I think will not be positive.
What is he going to give me for free?? Obama is gonna give us all kind of stuff. He promise Hope and Change. Mitt is going to give us quirky? We want more free stuff. I don't care who pays as long as it ain't me. I say a vote for Obama is a vote for "free". Stuff that is!!
....jak pot sound like crak pot.
No...he sounds like an Obama supporter
ZHOVTI they call them crackheads
I'm sure all of his millions doesn't hurt either...
I have no doubt R.Money wants to give back....more tax cuts for the rich, more money to those who secretly finance his aspirations, and more grief for the middle class.
How much more grief can the middle class put up with?? Obama has just about finished them off.
You got it wrong Romney will try to make sure everyone that WANTS a job will be able to get a job. Under Obummers policies none of the business's I know of will do any hiring till they know whats going on with the tax laws.
Why hire new people then find out they are going to tax you at a higher rate than anyone else pays. Even on small business's.
This is what it all comes down to. What the pathetic, psychotic, braindead, facist leaders of the repukenoid party really think and have stated many times about lyin Willardo, the Mexican Mormon Moron tax evader, bankrupter and Etch A Sketch Champion. He will destroy our country, can't be trusted and is the worst person in history to run for president of the U.S.
Can't wait to see ads about this for the rest of the year.
Foolish comments
You will nevr see an add with that STUPID $hit in it. Get that clown out of the white house this year and maybe just maybe there will be a christmas next year.
If obummers lips are moving he is lying. Obummer gave more to his rich buddies than Romney ever has. If Obummer did NOT buy his votes he would get just a few hundred.
Rmoney is not charming in the least. Goofy, maybe. Still, he is a vulture capital crook who hopefully will soon be brought up on SEC perjury charges. He can try to charm the judge.
Foolish comments
There are no laws that were broken. So the only way to bring him up on charges would be the same carges they could bring up on Obummer and yourself.
Matt said it best... "let's move on."
Any senior or anyone else on medicare who votes for a pathetic, psychotic, facist repuke for president is cutting their own throat. Your medicare costs will go up about $6,000 a year, and your secondary insurance will skyrocket. This is according to the CBO. The National Council of Bishops who support the lying repukes only because of abortion, have highly criticized the Ryan voucher plan as being cruel and harsh and can't support it. It gives an average $250,000 tax cut to millionaires while cutting medicare.
There is a group of nuns travelling around the country who call themeselves "Nuns on a Bus". Their goal is to correct all the false information and lies spread by Paul Ryan that his plan is going help anyone but the wealthiest 2%. They also claim the the Ryan plan is a disaster for the poor and needy people in this country and that you should vote against the republicans.
Once the medicare funds get into the hands of the repukes corporate criminal backers, it will be destroyed.
Repukes are typical right wing dunces that listen to Fox Lies with Eric Bowleggs, David Asswipes and The Sludge. Even Miss Piggy has more brains than these braindead repukes, as she knows that Faux News is only a pretend news channel and is only a poor excuse for a comedy channel.
There had to be a reason that Rick the Dick Sanitarium and Nut Gingerhead, the criminal lobbyist both agreed that lyin Willardo is the worst person to ever run for president in U.S. history, that he can't be trusted and will destroy our country.
They both brought Etch A Sketch boards to their news conferences to prove their points.
Any of you listen to this FOOL (Life2) you are cutting your own throat along with your kids and grandkids throats.
This Idiot in charge no is trying to bankrupt the whole country.
Some of us smart one listen to all the news media's and we know how to separate the lies on MSNBC and the lies on FOX news. For those of you that believe MSNBC is gospel you got to get your heads out of the sand.
Well when matched against an incompetent dope-smoking/dealing goon who can't tell the difference between a <a href="">paramedic and a paralegal</a> Romney is a breath of fresh air.
Jack, you must be misinformed. Rushbo Limbo isn't running for President.
You shouldn't talk about GWB being an incompetent dope-smoking/dealing goon like that, he couldn't help it.
You are correct DEE it is the Crackhead OBUMMER that he is referring to.
Sorry starbuck GWB is not in the race. It is your guy BAROKE OBUMMER.
We had a President with some goofy charm. His name was George W. Bush. The worst President in U.S. history.
Not sure he was the worst President in American history. But, I am sure that hundreds of thousands of human beings, American citizens and Foreign citizens died fighting in useless, senseless wars.
Caroline you are correct a lot of people lost there lives in a senceless war that DEMORATS and REPUBLICANS Voted to get into. The president at that time happened to be G. Bush.
The worst president by far is in office right now.
You people must not remember Carter. I was pretty young then and not really into politics, but I remember seeing the long gas lines and hostages on TV. I remember that being a rough time. But carry on, selective memory serves you well.
Westbury64:
What a bunch of BS you are spewing. The ONLY thing the Dems have on Romney is that "he's out of touch and not a regular guy". . . You try to make the "correct" arguments but all we will hear is bank accounts...investments..tax returns..etc.
Maybe because that is all we know about Romney.
You didn't know that he decreased the MA unemployment rate a full % in 4 years?..... that he saved the Salt Lake City Olympics?....that he ran a hugely successful private firm for two decades?...that even Dems say is one of the moast respected firms in the country?...that he helped start Sports Authority and Staples among others? You don't know any of that? The only thing you are interested in is seeing his tax returns???
Wait in the lobby on election day, the bus will pick you up and show you how to work the voting booth. Don't forget your ID>
Why do you think the President of the United States is calling on Mr. Romney to reveal his tax history. Hint: The President of the United States is very much aware of what is in Mr. Romney's tax returns. He know what Mr. Romney reported. Mr. Romney's own party is calling for him to release his tax returns. Both parties are on the same page with this issue. So, what's it going to be Mr. Romney -- must the American public take your word or are you going to follow suit -- just like other Presidential hopefuls did..
Caroline,
How does seeing Romney's tax returns help people get jobs. HE'S A RICH GUY!!!! We get it. If there was anything illegal in there the IRS will handle it. Move on already.
Mr Romney is only required to release 2 yrs of tax returns. He said he will release 2 yrs. I think it would be nice to see the last 4 yrs of OBUMMERS tax returns. I would like to see how much MORE he has made off the INSIDER info he has gotten in the last 4 yrs. Might as well have Broke ass Bidens returns to since he is just one of us poor guys. (lying pukes)
0h blay mah is "GOOFY" - tall with dog like characteristics as created by Walt Disney. While Romney may act goofy with his children what father or grandfather doesn't make a fool of themselves playing with his children. My grandchildren know me as a "Cookie Monster" in search of all the cookies even at their expense - and they say I am a "Funny Man" - This makes us all warm and fuzzy all over. I am not warm and fuzzy with el presidente 0h blay mah but could feel warm and fuzzy - safe - and comfy with Romney as president. Romney is human - down to earth with voters and family.
no wonder our country is going to sh it. people like you put a man like this in office to transform america and it doesnt bother you. the man has a worse record than bush after three years and you cant even put your pride aside to do whats right. when this country turns in to greese and theirs riots in the streets we will have you to blame and obama will go down in history as not the first african american president but be shadowed by the president who destroyed the most powerful nation on earth.
AMEN!!!!!
It is too bad that Harold Camping did not succeed in taking away the base of the repuke dunce party.
Harold Camping, the evangelical king, got 500,000 of these pathetic radical right wing braindead evangelical Children of the Corn zombies to give up all of their worldly possessions to go meet and stay with the man in the sky. They are so easily brainwashed.
Camping, considered the evangelical king by many because of his 50 year history of bible study, promised to take away these right wing bible nuts on the last Rapture Day on Oct 21, 2011. All of his calculations were based on "biblical facts" When it did not work, he then realized that the bible in most part is "pulp fiction".
Yet these braindead fools continue to believe that there are men and boys with wings on flying around blowing horns.
The only thing to do to cure these zombies is to send them all back to the Garden of Eden on Noah's Ark to start over again, unless of course, they fall off the end of the flat earth.
These braindead idiots would still be believing in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, if their parents did not tell them otherwise. It is unfortunate that they don't believe their leaders, when they tell them how worthless repuke lyin Willardo, trhe Mexican Mormon Moron tax evader, bankrupter, draft dodger, job outsourcer and Etch A Sketch Champion is.
Many of them still believe that the earth is flat and that dinosaurs never existed. It is all a liberal conspiracy.
WOW can NOT even get passed the first sentence without your insulting people. Your mama must be proud of you. I bet you were the bully on the playground a few years back. With all the name calling I would have to say you are around 13.
You act like a juvenile I am giving you the benefit of the doubt and say you are a teenager. Not saying you are 6-8 like you are acting. GROW UP KID.
I just love the marxist when he talks about private business owners and says they did not build their businesses by themselves.... Sort of makes me wonder about how he feels about his brothers and sisters collecting off the government for generation after generation, shooting the @!$%# out of each other and doing crack, etc...... I will bet you anything that is the people he wants us to look up to..... How can a person in their right mind vote for someone that is totally disfunctional??
I know the business I work for was started by 1 man and his wife. He does not want to pay higher taxes on his return as he invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into this company, now that he is retired he only collects the intrest on his investment, he would hate to have to pay a higher rate, for the government to WASTE it on giving it to those that REFUSE to work. A honest day pay for an honest days work. Lets get back to that motto.
Sadly enough, the democrat party has always pandered to the slugs of society that for generation after generation do nothing but produce babies by multiple fathers and expect taxpayers to support them. That is dead wrong, and id let them do that one time, and stearlize them the next and put them on the road crews picking up trash, like they should be doing anyway, until they get off their asses and get a job
R.Money is going to create jobs? How? four years of R.Money and the middle class Americans will be flocking to Mexico to escape.
The same way he has his whole life.
What vast experiences in job creation are you basing your support for Obama?
Look at OBUMMERS job creation. negative how many thousand.
Get a grip people. 4 more years of OBUMMER and there will NOT be an America left.
George Bush was goofy too and was a beer drinking buddy and look where that got us.
then you elected the token..... and thats why we are in the toilet now
"and thats why we are in the toilet now" No, we are in the toilet because of what Bush did & left for his successor to unscrew! GOT IT?
You trolls need to check out what you get when you look up OBAMA VS Citibank.
You will learn how the housing crisis started. It had NOTHING to do with G. Bush.
The communist State Controlled Media covers that up..... Yup, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank were the wrecking crew that created the housing crisis in spite of Bushs warnings about them going bankrupt, but what did the dems say to republicans that wanted this to stop???? Yup, we are racists.... ha ha.... And these liberals get on here like they know something and spout what Obama tells them to spout, and they respond like little communist puppets with whatever their nappy headed Marxist tells them to say
Romney is NOT my first choice, however, i'll take a goofy flip flopping successful business man over a socialist dictator community organizer ANY day. Our country has officially hit Barrock bottom.
Charm my A55! His goofiness is his way to avoid answering questions honestly.
Well that fits my description of the ARROGANT SON OF A BITCH !!!
"ROMPPY THE CLOWN" and his family of JOKERS !!!!
The whole family SMELLS of ROTTEN FISH ! Having a so called dad like that!!!!!
Sounds like SOMEBODY grew up in a less-than-ideal fatherless home. Hmmm?
I guess we don't need goofiness or charm if it's anything like the so-called "charm" the socialist democrats see in barack hussein obama.
It doesn't look like it at the moment, but President Romney will win in a landslide and I will be glad. I will think of all of the socialist democrats in this country whose thoughts and reasoning is so incredibly incorrect, and I will gloat .... and I will hold a "Good Bye barack hussein obama Party" at the park. On second thought, there probably won't be enough room for everybody at the park, so I might have to schedule an ARENA to hold all the PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO ATTEND THE PARTY!!!! :-) HA HA HA HAAA! I can't wait. I really really can't wait.
Where are you getting your drugs from Limpballs.
no, Rev Wright..... obamas anti white anti American preacher who raised the Antichrist into the position he is in today
I just hope Romney wins and cuts welfare, food stamps, and social security disab ility for these fakers, and makes these libs get a job...... soon soon soon i can see a new day arising.... no more welfare, no more food stamps.... and people made to work, or throw them out of the country!!! ha ha yeah!!!
Stan, Stan, the wuss man. Ironic statement you made. No real man would ever consider voting for a democrat, especially not a marxist democrat like barack hussein obama. Helpless, hopeless, can't work to provide for yourself - must rely on other people to do everything FOR you. C'mon dude. Grow a pair. The entire platform of the democrat/socialist party is a philosophy of wusses and helpless do-nothing leeches.
I seen you put FAKERS in there. I do agree with that, there are some people out there that do really need help, I have no problem with helping them, giving them a hand up, FORGET the handouts that these people want.
See thousands of dollars wasted each and every month on those losers. The people that really have a problem know we are not talking about them they see the people we are talking about though, some of those are disgusted also. those that have to be on assistance hate being on assistance. It is those that love the system so they get FREE stuff are the problem people.