War On Stay At Home Moms... I Think Not

Two days ago during a discussion on CNN about why the presumed Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney doesn't connect with women, Hilary Rosen made the following comments:

On the economy, I think that Mitt Romney's right that ultimately women care more about the economic well being of their family and the like. But he doesn't connect on that issue either. What you have is Mitt Romney running around the country saying, "well you know my wife tells me that what women really care about are economic issues and when I listen to my wife, that's what I'm hearing."

Guess what, his wife has actually never worked a day in her life. She's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing in terms of how do we feed our kids, how do we send them to school and why we worry about their future. So I think it's, yes it's about these positions and yes, I think there will be a war of words about the positions, but there's something much more fundamental about Mitt Romney. He seems so old fashioned when it comes to women and I think that comes across and I think that's going to hurt him over the long term. He just doesn't really see us as equal.

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Almost immediately after this piece aired, a firestorm of responses lit up, first on social media and then in TV, radio and print. People accused Hilary Rosen of attacking stay at home moms, that she doesn't think that raising children is work and that "liberals" and "progressives" hate the fact that some women make the choice to stay home and raise their kids.

Now before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I have the utmost respect for parents, mothers and fathers. Raising kids is not easy. I don't imagine it was easy for my parents and I know it isn't easy for my brother and his girlfriend who are raising a daughter and son. I don't have kids of my own, but am very involved with my niece and in the past worked at a childcare centre. So I know it is hard work. And worth it.

What got me so angry over this issue is the willful ignorance displayed by those attacking Hilary Rosen (who by the way has adopted twins). If you read or listen to what she said, she is in no way attacking stay at home moms. Any reasonable person would understand what she is saying in the context that she said it.

Unfortunately, in this insane partisan world and with the United States in campaign mode (when isn't it?), reasonable and intelligent people seem hard to find.

The attacks came fast and furious. Some of the first that I saw came from conservative blogger and political commentator, Michelle Malkin @michellemalkin . This woman spews the most vile hateful things at people she doesn't agree with. Here are a few of her tweets on the subject:

Wow @hilaryr doesn't know when to stop digging. Just put down the shovel. #waronconservativewomen

Funny, we never hear @hilaryr caviling about 1%ers @NancyPelosi @ariannahuff & THeinzKerry pretending to identify w/working moms' struggles

Just posted-- The Left’s war on conservative women: We’re damned if we do stay home, and damned if we don’t http://is.gd/rSg7cB

.@AnnDRomney joins Twitter to respond to radical feminist attack; @HilaryR digs in, @DavidAxelrod flees http://is.gd/NMXOoI

Her tirade continued for the next two days and likely beyond.

As you can see from the last tweet I posted, Ann Romney (wife of Mitt Romney) joined twitter that night to respond.

This is what she said:

 

 

I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.

And like I said, I agree, it is hard work. However, she is not responding to some radical feminist attack. There was no attack on the fact that she is a mother.

 

 

The point was clearly, that for Mitt to look to his wife to tell him what is important to the average American woman, that is ridiculous. Neither he nor Ann have ever had to worry about money. Ann says that she made the "choice" to stay home. Good for her. The problem is that most American women (or men for that matter) do not have the luxury of being able to make that choice. Most probably would if they could. Unfortunately they have to work just to make ends meet while at the same time raising their kids.

 

 

Hilary Rosen was also hit upon be people on the left. They were mostly just trying to distance themselves from any controversy. Those trying to distance themselves included both President Obama and Michelle Obama. The thing is, there should have been no controversy to distance ones self from!

 

 

A couple more points.

 

 

Hilary was criticised for implying that raising kids isn't work. She did not say that. She used the word "work" in the way that everybody typically does to describe being employed, running a business or any other thing that gives you an income. We all know and agree that raising kids is work but not in the sense that was meant in her comments.

 

 

Others have criticised Hilary for attacking the wife of a candidate. Family should be off limits they say. I whole heartedly agree, except if a family member is actively involved in such a campaign or used to justify a position that a candidate has. In that case they are fair game.

 

 

This whole thing is as others have put it, faux outrage. I am outraged at the deliberate way people have chosen to misrepresent Hilary's comments. It is a sad state for humanity when there is such ignorance and worse willful ignorance out there.

 

 

Hilary did apologize for her comments. This is what she said on twitter:

 

 

I deeply apologize again to work-in-home moms, Mrs Romney & the POTUS. Not going on #MTP this weekend. I'm going to be a mom who stays home

 

 

She shouldn't have. She said nothing wrong. Perhaps she is the bigger person for doing it.