Politics

Romney’s awkward ‘senior’ moment

Amanda Carey Contributor
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Sometimes even the most suave politicians stumble in front of tough crowds, creating their own awkward moments.

Wednesday at a town hall event at the Lebanon Senior Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Mitt Romney had one such moment in front of an audience of senior citizens.

The former Massachusetts governor asked the New Hampshirites if there were any centenarians in the room. It went downhill from there.

“Anybody here over 100 years old?” Romney asked.

Crickets.

“Not yet, but we’re getting there, right? We’re on our way,” continued Romney.

“We’re hopefully going to get there soon.”

“Well, not so soon. We hope to get there safe and sound.”

Romney’s visible discomfort was compounded by the confused looks of his audience.

His awkward opening set the tone for the rest of the event. According to press reports, Romney spent much of his visit sparring with independent-minded seniors about issues like global warming, social security, and taxes.