Political Mommy Wars? Here We Go Again!

Ann Romney has never worked a day in her life.

Ouch. I'm counting the seconds until CNN commentator Hilary Rosen, who also is a DNC adviser, gets the boot from DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Not that I think Rosen should go, but that lone comment will be an ongoing distraction for weeks if the Democrats don't nip it in the bud.

The comment came as Rosen and others were discussing whether Mitt Romney really understands the economic issues facing women in general, and mothers in particular, in this country. And Rosen was trying to make a point questioning why Romney keeps saying he listens to his wife Ann when it comes to understanding the economic issues faced by women.

If Rosen had left out that one little sentence, the Twittersphere would not be abuzz and Rosen's name would never have been a trending topic. If she had stuck with her other comments -- that because the Romneys have had such a privileged life financially they can't understand the issues faced by millions of mothers who are worried about how they're going to care for their kids, put food on the table and hope they're living near good schools.

The Romneys can't deny they've never had to worry about whether they'd have to eat Ramen noodles for dinner or whether it was safe for their kids to walk to school. If the Romney campaign wants a representative it can rely on to dig deep into how to connect with women voters who are struggling in this economy, Ann Romney isn't that person.

Yes, she can be the secret weapon to make Mitt look more human. Yes, she can complete his political narrative and make him seem more relatable as she shares her personal story and experiences with Mitt. But as a millionaire mom who didn't have to choose between spending time with her kids and holding down a couple of jobs just to put food on the table, she is not the right person to be advising any campaign on what most women -- most moms -- are facing.

This isn't about an inartful comment made by a talking head on a cable news show. The real issue is whether the Romney campaign wants to understand what women want to focus on in this election year. If it does, he'll stop talking about how his wife is acting as the female voter go-between on the economy and start talking to real women himself. Oh, and he might want to brush up on the Lilly Ledbetter Act, too.

And if one more person says this is just an attack on stay-at-home moms, rather than a larger discussion of women voters, I'm going to send them to their room.

Joanne Bamberger is the author of the Amazon.com bestseller, Mothers of intention: How Women and Social Media are Revolutionizing Politics in America (Bright Sky Press). Joanne, a Washington, D.C.-based writer and political/media analyst, is the founder of the political blog, PunditMom, and is the 2012 Election Editor/Contributor for iVillage.

 

 

 

Follow Joanne Bamberger on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PunditMom

Comments

[Countess]

08:31 AM on 04/14/2012

Republican theocrats have passed over 1100 measures designed to limit the freedom of women over the last two years alone and all of these laws are aimed at making it more difficult for women to plan their families so they will not be able to compete with men in the work force. This is not a fictional war but a real attempt to keep women barefoot and pregnant in order to control them better. This philosophy comes directly from the southern evangelical and extreme right wing catholic religions that now dominate the GOP. We mustn't let these people take us back in time.

[inGODweTRUSTalways]

07:09 PM on 04/13/2012

How about all the Welfare Stay at Home Mothers, Hillary? Are they exempt? We have generations of them! Sperm donors/fathers too!

[RaleighMom]

09:51 PM on 04/12/2012

If your child has an apnea monitor, a Kangaroo pump and oxygen, you (Mom) will be awakened approximately every 20 mintues every single night, for years. During the day, you must not only do all the cleaning, shopping and cooking that every other Mom does, you must do it better because your child is vulnerable to germs. Carrying your child to the store means taking child, monitors, oxygen, etc. You get to push the equivalent of a moving PICU in one hand while you try to fill a grocery cart with the other. At moments you will feel jealous of prison inmates, because at night they get to sleep and during the day they get to exercise.

Stay-at-home Moms don't work.

[bruedi]

10:26 AM on 04/13/2012

News flash for you: Ann Romney would NOT have been woken up at night --- the nanny would have. A maid would have gone to the grocery store. The housekeeper would have cleaned the house. No kids (Ann either for that matter) would have had to go to the grocery story because the nanny would have watched them. THAT is Rosen's point --- the Romney's have zero clue about what it means to be an average American (SAHM or not!). They have 5 homes that are fully staffed. The Romney boys didn't even have to mow the lawn (any of the 5!) for God's sake. The comment was not about being a stay at home mom, it was about the fact that Ann Romney is not the person Mitt needs to talk to about the economic issues facing women because the truth is that she has no idea what those issues are. She has never had to deal with the economic realities the rest of us face every day. Deliberately miscontruing Rosen's comment will not change that simple fact. Mitt needs to talk to average American women and actually listen for a change.

[RaleighMom]

03:58 PM on 04/13/2012

I never claimed anything about Ann Romney. If you care about "winning over" independents, however, it might be worthwhile to examine what they are really saying. Why might millions of stay-at-home Moms feel misunderstood and attacked right now? What kind of personal experience have they had? Reading your description about the nannies & housekeepers is interesting. How many democratic career-women fit into this mold? How many stay-at-home Moms desperately need help with housekeeping and/or childcare, but have medical bills that make that impossible? I think you're perpetuating the problem by talking about what Ann Romney has, or hasn't, had to deal with. Neither of us knows that. Keep the focus on our political system (and away from personal attacks) and you might get women to agree with you and maybe even vote the same way you do.

[RaleighMom]

09:51 PM on 04/12/2012

If a woman has the misfortune to give birth to a handicapped child, she will find the life of Sisyphus is easier. She can attempt to "work," but when her child has a urologist, nephrologist, orthopedist, orthotist, pulmonologist, as well as a physical therapist she will find that just getting her child to doctor appointments (not to mention more-frequent illnesses and hospitalizations) will soon get her fired or cause her to quit. She might notice other mother's of handicapped children getting nursing care, "through the state." Upon inquiry, she will learn that those mothers learned that threatening to terminate their parental responsibilities to their child put them at the top of the list for receiving a "waiver," which resulted in unlimited full-time nursing care, as well as state coverage of all doctors, etc. All you have to do is divorce your husband and take necessary steps to throw your child into foster care. But if you love your husband and refuse to divorce, and love your child and refuse to abandon him, then the state throws you into a situation where no employer would ever hire you.

[Mollyannie]

06:19 PM on 04/12/2012

Everyone knows that there is no attack on SAHMs, but the Republicans are trying to distract people and direct the attention away from the fact that both Mitt and Ms Ann are really clueless about the lives of the average American.

Plus, MsObama has to get in there so nobody can say the Dems are attacking stay at home moms.

Needless drama.

[Allen Clark]

09:49 PM on 04/12/2012

Wow mollyannie, are you a hypocrit. OBAMA made a statement in his 2008 campaign. His wife and children were not to be touched. NOW that his election is at risk, he thinks its ok. That is by definition a hyprocrit in its purest sense. And you Mollyannie, are just as bad as he is. I hope you like your new hat and that you wear it with honor.

[bruedi]

10:31 AM on 04/13/2012

Obama did not make the remark about Ann. And he cannot be held responsible for the remarks of every Democrat out there. And besides all that Rosen was correct --- Ann Romney has no clue how the average American lives. She is not the person Mitt should rely on for info about the economic issues facing women. None of her choices ever HAD to be influenced by money (specifically the lack thereof). How many middle class moms can say the same?

[Maggie1945]

05:30 PM on 04/12/2012

I don't care if you are well off or just making it, one child or five, being a mother is hard work either way you call it.........

[wisemom3990]

10:13 PM on 04/12/2012

But according to Hilary Rosen, the DNC PR director and Obama's election advisor, if you are a stay-home Mom you are a dumb-bunny who has no clue. I have three Ivy League degrees and chose to stay home with my son. I will not be voting for Rosen's advisee in 2012.

[WordProcessor]

12:42 AM on 04/13/2012

Your other choice could have been a contraceptive.

[WassupUSA]

05:22 PM on 04/12/2012

how many articles does hp need to post to defend rosen aka defend another Obama trial balloon..??

the real issue is a gaffe by a democrat pundit and her inability to simply apologize..... the inability to admit one has miss-spoke is one lacking in the world of the progressive...

so very fun to watch the apologists for team obama come a runnin to save one of their own...
laughable

[psychguyben]

03:55 PM on 04/12/2012

This is an attack on stay at home moms, rather than a larger discussion of women voters.

[wisemom3990]

10:14 PM on 04/12/2012

Yes. An attack on women who make the choice to stay home with children. It's a very large discussion. Hope H prints this.

[WordProcessor]

12:43 AM on 04/13/2012

Keep your spawn at home.