As the controversy over Mitt Romney’s secret fund-raiser video wears on, he’s encountering more minor, but irritating, consequences. In the video, Romney says there are several TV shows he won’t be appearing on in the final weeks of the campaign: SNL (“not presidential”), The View (“high-risk” because “four [of the five hosts] are sharp-tongued and not conservative”), and The Late Show with David Letterman (“Letterman hates me because I’ve been on Leno more than him. They’re very jealous of each other, as you know”). On Wednesday, Letterman and the ladies of The View objected to Romney’s unflattering (but probably accurate) assessment of their behind-the-scenes drama, and now it appears that he’ll be forced to go on a talk show apology tour.
Naturally, Romney’s remarks sent the ladies of The View into a tizzy this morning, with Sherri Shepherd quipping, “If you can’t handle four sharp-tongued women, how are you going to handle the country?” (Whoopi was absent, but we’ll assume she did an impression of Romney in her Valley girl voice upon hearing the news). Then lone conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck relayed a message from the Romney campaign: “The governor has been to The View and we’ve had a wonderful visit and his team confirms this morning that the Romneys would love to once more join the sharp-tongued chatter in October.”
Next Letterman, fresh off his interview with the president, said on Wednesday night that he’s invited Romney and “Mrs. Mitt” to appear on his show. “I certainly don’t hate Mitt because he’s done — because he’s been on Leno’s show more,” said Letterman. “I mean, why hate a guy who’s suffered through that?”
Romney has yet to respond, but if he snubs Letterman he runs the risk of this escalating into an Oprah-esque feud. On the bright side, Romney didn’t mention Ellen DeGeneres in his TV rant. The last thing he needs is to be pressured into chatting with a married lesbian who demands that her guests dance.
