stuck in the mittle

Tagg Romney Wanted to Punch the President to Defend Dad’s Honor

Last night’s debate was tough and combative, but if Mitt Romney’s son Tagg had his druthers it would have involved a lot more actual combat. At least, that’s what he suggested in a radio interview with North Carolina host Bill LuMaye on Wednesday, saying he was ready to “jump out of [his] seat and … rush down to the debate stage and take a swing at” President Barack Obama for calling his dad a liar. Obviously, Tagg wasn’t really going to do that. Too much Secret Service!

Tagg told LuMaye why he showed restraint:

But you know you can’t do that because, well first because there’s a lot of Secret Service between you and him, but also because this is the nature of the process, they’re going to do everything they can do to try to make my dad into someone he’s not. We signed up for it. We’ve gotta kinda sit there and take our punches and then send them right back the other way.

Romney the junior also revealed Romney the senior gets pretty darned nervous just before one of these things, which sounds about right: “He’s terrified before he gets out there,” Tagg said at first, before scaling it back: “Terrified is too strong of a word, but he’s like anybody. He gets butterflies a little bit.” Eh, no judgment there. We’d be pretty terrified if we had to argue with the president on live television. Even more if there was a chance of fisticuffs.

Tagg Romney Wanted to ‘Take a Swing’ at Obama