Posted on 04/14/2012 5:42:28 AM PDT by Kaslin
As the White House scrambled Thursday to prevent "mommy wars" damage done by a Democratic advisor, one expert cautioned that politicians need to learn to communicate with women voters, who factor strongly in this presidential election.
"Most of the attention paid to them has been superficial, rather than substantive," Catherine Wilson, a Villanova University professor specializing in how women affect politics, said as Twitter chatter carried on the argument of whether a stay-at-home mother works as hard as a career woman.
Since 1980, more women have voted in presidential elections than men, said Sara Grove, another expert on women voters at Shippensburg University.
Democratic leaders backed away from consultant Hilary Rosen for disparaging Ann Romney, wife of presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, in a CNN interview as someone who "actually never worked a day in her life." Bowing to pressure midday, Rosen issued a statement of apology acknowledging "poorly chosen" words.
President Obama told an Iowa television station that families are off limits in campaigns.
"I don't have a lot of patience for commentary about the spouses of political candidates," Obama said. "Those of us who are in the public life, we're fair game. Our families are civilians."
Ann Romney in January told the Tribune-Review that raising five boys as a homemaker while her husband pursued his business and political careers was "a tough job."
"It is a tough job. There was nothing easy about it and those boys were always getting into some sort of mischief," she said in the interview with son Tag, daughter-in-law Jennifer, three grandchildren and her husband. "Having said that, I wouldn`t have changed one moment of it. It was remarkable."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its databook Women in the Labor Force, counted 32.6 million women with children under age 18 in March 2010, the latest statistics available. About 71 percent were either employed (65 percent) or actively looking for work (6 percent) and the remaining 29 percent were not in the labor force.
Sean Trende, a political analyst for Real Clear Politics, said Gallup polling finds women care more about health care, gas prices and unemployment than they do about issues such as government policies on birth control. Recent polls show Obama leading Romney among registered women voters, though Obama's job approval rating from women has fallen from 70 percent when he took office to 49 percent, Trende said.
"Politicians don't communicate well with woman voters," said Wilson. "They focus on trigger issues, like birth control or women not being allowed into men-only clubs. We are much more complicated than that. ... They should be talking about the things (women) care about, like getting food on the table, health care and if they have children, keeping them safe."
White House press secretary Jay Carney last week told reporters that Obama believes women should be admitted to the all-male Augusta National Golf Club, site of the Masters tournament.
Pelted yesterday with questions about Rosen, who the Romney campaign said has visited the White House 35 times, Carney said: "I think we can all agree, Democrats and Republicans, that raising children is an extremely difficult job."
Rosen suggested Wednesday night that Ann Romney is no economic expert because she did not have to work to pay bills and should not be her millionaire husband's surrogate on women and the economy. "She's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of women in this country are facing," Rosen said.
Her comments lit up social media sites and talk shows.
Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod tweeted that her attack was "inappropriate and offensive." First Lady Michelle Obama, a working mother of two, jumped in with this tweet: "Every mother works hard, and every woman deserves to be respected."
The Democratic National Committee's executive director, Patrick Gaspard, told MSNBC that Rosen is not a paid advisor to the DNC or the Obama campaign.
"What she said was absolutely out of bounds. Ann Romney is someone who obviously has worked hard to raise five good boys, and she's made some tough choices in her life, I'm certain," he said.
Rosen prompted Ann Romney to open a Twitter account to counter her, saying she chose to stay home and "believe me it was hard work."
"I am raising children, too," Rosen tweeted. "But most young American women HAVE to BOTH earn a living AND raise children. You know that don't u?"
Choosing to stay home rather than work outside the home while raising children isn't a partisan decision or an economic one, said Wilson. Plenty of mothers with varying incomes decide to stay home, despite potential economic hardship or career setbacks, she said.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told the Trib in a 2010 interview that her job as a stay-at-home mom was the best education she got for her role as then-House speaker.
"Never underestimate what happens in a home," Pelosi said. "All the discipline, diplomacy, sense of organization -- I learned it all there."
Carney asked reporters to "focus on what the issue here is -- when it comes to what this administration has done for women, it begins with the president's signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act." The law, the first legislation Obama signed, was designed to make it easier for women to challenge pay inequality.
Yet, recently released financial records show the White House practices unequal pay for its female employees, said Andrew Stiles of the online newspaper Free Beacon.
Stiles cited a 2011 annual report on White House staff showing females earned a median salary of $60,000, about 18 percent less than the $71,000 median for males, though he noted that his calculations for each gender "required some assumptions to be made based on the employee names."
> ‘some women don’t have the LUXURY to be stay at home moms’
Quoth the Rosen hag.
It ain’t luxury, Rosen, it’s SACRIFICE! Something that “endowed” and “affirmative-actioned” Leftists like you know NOTHING about.
There's that, too. The Dems are a coalition of the aggrieved and somehow not-normal. We can agree to disagree about what was uppermost in Hilary's mind. I don't think you or Rush are wrong, but I think that the current topic of Dem focus is money envy, and that was what Hilary was angling at when she shot her mouth off and hit some unwanted buttons.
Yes. Because I stay at home, my working friends often assume that I am free to do many things for their children.
I do not mind helping out in an emergency, or if I am not busy, but I have my own schedule.
One friend assumed I could actually watch her and her work friend’s children for 2 weeks without even asking. Why? B/c I ‘don’t have a job.’
I do feel sorry for kids in daycare 5-7 days a week. On holidays as well! With their mothers permission, I withdrew 2 kids from their daycare on Halloween and took them trick or treating. What an injustice! Stuck in a daycare on Halloween!
If Moms choose to work, or have to work, that’s life. But the disdain shown for Moms who stay home is unreal. We have one paycheck so I can stay home. We would like more money, but our kids are our kids. We had them to love them and raise them.
<< Since 1980, more women have voted in presidential elections than men >>>>>>>
No wonder so many terrible liberals get elected. Where are our men voters? What is wrong with them? Our drunken slacker adolescent men!
Yeah, university women professors really know how to communicate with “average” women
not.
I know, I work with layer upon layer of feminist university professors. Some of whom are, supposedly,men (but call themselves feminists). They are all out of touch with reality.
Feminism lives in fantasy.
“... my working friends often assume that I am free to do many things for their children”.
As a stay at home Mom for 16 years, I have encountered the same issue. My best and honest advice is this: be very careful about free babysitting etc... If it suits your time/schedule and your liking then fine. However, I have dealt with some neighbors who just “assume” that I would like nothing better to do than to watch their sick child so they don’t have to take a sick day from work. One single Mother literally showed up at my door with her daughter and a suitcase. She had a business trip and just assumed that I would adore taking care of another child for four days. My Grandmother had a saying... “Don’t start something you can’t stop”. I apply that saying very, very often.
If the democrat machine can get people to believe that the choice to stay home to raise your children is only based on money, the divide gets larger.
The mistake they are making is that the woman (I use the term loosely) that was chosen to present the narrative and test the waters is living in the bubble of liberal elitist's. They just don't understand that they are the ones who are out of touch with the average American.
I am a working mother, this has been both by necessity and choice during different periods of my life.
Agreed....
When Anne said she didn't see herself as wealthy AFTER Romney's 'wealth' was finally revealed..she went on and on about the other facets of life she sees as wealth...it was apparent the woman has some issues about reality.
' She should have been 'truthful that yes they are and then perhaps shared what she's been able to do for those without because of that position. Though I understand about 70% of their charitable giving goes back to LDS..which then invests a great deal of the money in various business ventures such as real-estate, companies and other large operations worldwide.
Makes ya wonder how much more wealth Anne needs before she does feel wealthy!
I doubt very much that working moms 'depended' on Anne Romney to shuttle their kids anywhere. Your speaking about the average moms....Anne lives her life in a different arena.
Today’s Feminism was founded by a Communist-—Betty Friedan. It is all to destroy the Natural Family—aka Karl Marx. The Family and Christianity is the opium of the masses because it is where individuality and independence from government occurs.
Ideas and Reality are inculcated naturally by a loving mother and father—necessary for modeling Virtue and learning responsibility. Without the examples of the Christian family structure, children will not grow up to be Virtuous and will have a warped view of man and woman—like Ancient Greece and Samurai or Aztecs. Without Judeo/Christian Values, there are no Absolute Rules-—all are arbitrary and can be man-made like by a Stalin or Hitler—and they will be “Good”.
A redefinition of Right and Wrong is what the Marxists are doing in our culture right now—to destroy the Christian Virtues-—the most perfect ideology on earth in the history of man—for both women and man—for individuality and freedom.
All ideology states that when there is no Virtue, there can be no Freedom-—Marxists know that-—the Cultural Marxists since Kinsey and Hefner and Freud (atheists) have been tearing down all morality in society—to destroy Christian virtue so they can replace it with Marxist ideology.
Without the Natural Family—Reality and Worldview can be shaped by the State and Evil can be normalized—anything can be when young children are exposed to homosexuality as “normal”. Then the government can make anything Good—when sodomy is “good”.
It totally transforms a generation from the Christian paradigm into a pagan/atheist/muslim one where it is good to kill others or euthanize them, etc. No longer Christian Virtue-—that which formed the Worldview of the USA will not be allowed.
The BF Skinner Conditioning in the Public Schools is making children not understand Good and Evil-—so that the Marxist Ideology becomes the Norm-—where man is god and declares Good and Evil.
When Anne said she didn’t see herself as wealthy AFTER Romney’s ‘wealth’ was finally revealed..she went on and on about the other facets of life she sees as wealth...it was apparent the woman has some issues about reality.
________________________________________________________
I am not sure what statements Anne made that you are referring to, but your summary is contradictory. Either she was emphasizing that she doesn’t see wealth in terms of money or she said that they weren’t wealthy, which is it?
I doubt very much that working moms ‘depended’ on Anne Romney to shuttle their kids anywhere. Your speaking about the average moms....Anne lives her life in a different arena.
You seem to be buying into the class envy narrative that the democrat party is shilling. If I am wrong, please clarify your statements.
I was going to say, if they are not fair game, then don’t let them use Air Force 1 to fly all over the place on extravagant vacations using tax payers’ dime.
Anne’s comments in context:
“The one thing this disease [multiple sclerosis] has been for me has been a wonderful teacher. And with that comes an ability for compassion for others that are suffering and for me, I just want to make my family bigger..... Those that are suffering from MS or from cancer or from any disease, I feel like I just want to throw my arms open and just say: welcome to my family and welcome to the place where I’ve been....
And - and, so, you know, we can be poor in spirit and I don’t - I don’t look - I don’t even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing. It can be here today and gone tomorrow.
And how I measure - how I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones that I have and the people that I care about in my life. And that’s where my values are and that’s - those are my riches.”
You can make your own assessment of why she felt compelled to scramble thru the idea she doesn’t consider herself wealthy....but there is no way that Romneys wealth will be gone tomorrow and she knows that.
Further her MS would be considered a Pre-existing condition if she had to seek Health Insurance...ponder that one for the average American who had to stop work because of their illness and lost their medical coverage for that. She lives a sheltered life far distant from most...and to make it appear otherwise is simply foolish.
The whole idea is Romneys need to stop talking about their wealth....because in ‘reality’ they cannot relate to the average American...and that’s just how it is....but to say she doesn’t feel wealthy then one must ask how much more til she does?
Most recognize there are various levels of income brackets throughout this nation....so it isn't about class envy....What it is about is Anne's inability to just recognize and not try to skirt the reality that Romneys ARE wealthy..... wealth brings with it a cushion from that which most Americans deal with on a daily.....Romneys cannot know the average Americans struggle...they have never been there. To try and make it seem otherwise is more than foolish and again just shows how out of touch they are with most Americans....because they are.
I've been on both sides of wealth.....Romneys are simply being evasive about their wealth as is typical for Romney...so too his wife. And trying to appear as if wealth makes no difference is beyond foolish ....otherwise nobody would be trying to improve their station in life.
Talking about permanent progressive disease like MS, "The average American who had to stop work because of their illness" can apply for Social Security Disability which makes them eligible for Medicare. I have worked with probably a dozen women in Romney's age range who had/have MS. Every one had Medicare and ample medical services.
So what is your point.
If you haven’t gotten the point yet you never will. You are attempting to paint a picture of Romneys that the average American knows otherwise.
As I said I’ve been on both sides of the wealth issue....there are many issues and things one has to adjust to and make work, or not work, that having wealth to the degree Romneys do , will never have to address nor can they understand.
As for SSD or Medicare.....Mrs. Romney wouldn’t be applying for those any time in the future, now would she....and many who have attempted to do so for being tmporaily disabled, lost their Insurance but would not qualify for SSD within the time frames it takes for that to be determined, not to mention having to go thru the maze required....which can take even up to a year.....so they are out of the qualifying stage...and left with a mountain of bills to pay.
The disdain for stay at home moms knows no political party. I was the recepient for same from several Republican women who could not believe I was a stay at home mom for my daughter. But they were more than willing to ask for my help with child care when they needed me. And I was more than happy to do so but I could have done without the attitude.
Not surprised that “career” women, including some Republicans, have a snobbish attitude toward working-at-home (better term than stay at home)mothers.
Never in my life have I had such contempt directed my way as I did when I was a stay at home mom. I refused to defend myself. It was my choice. And one I have never regretted. I was told by more than one woman what a disappointment I was to the women’s movement. And that was from a “conservative” Republican woman. She worked here at Data Point. I oft times kept her three children for her over night because she worked so late. And when she had to go out of town on business. At those times, she was glad I was a stay at home mother. To this day, I still refuse to defend my decision. As far as the women’s movement goes, it was about the freedom to make choices. I made mine. No one else’ business.
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