by Ruth A. Sheets
Mitt Romney’s campaign is having trouble wooing women. The things he has declared as part of his platform are not exactly supportive of women. So, Romney is bringing out his wife Anne to improve his chances with “the fair sex.”
A Democratic aide made a comment that Ms. Romney had not worked a day in her life, and the responses came flooding in, predominantly screaming that this was an insult to stay-at-home moms.
It seems to me this is not an insult to stay-at-home moms, but an emphasis on the fact that most women cannot make the choice to stay at home, but must work, sometimes two or three jobs to support their kids. When Anne Romney “works,” it is by choice, not by necessity.
Ms. Romney raised five kids and of course, that is challenging. She also has MS, which provides daily struggles. Clearly she has worked over the years at both.
However, that is not what the aide, Ms. Rosen meant. Ms. Romney did not face these challenges without help to handle them. Her financial situation made the decision to stay home with her kids a no-brainer, a non-decision. She had sufficient health care and support that she could navigate the difficulties of MS far better than her non-financially gifted sisters.
One would think that someone who experienced real struggle would appreciate the struggles of others. She would want to see that her “neighbors” had the same level of support she was given. But, if her husband’s positions on current issues are any indication, there is little or no empathy for people who have less than she has.
We haven’t heard Ms. Romney’s positions on the important issues for women, but my guess is she would favor many of the bills moving through Republican-run state legislatures. None of this anti-woman push will directly touch her now since she is past child-bearing, and she has only sons.
She, like her husband, is attractive and she is even more articulate, but is that enough? Don’t we want someone in the White House with her president husband who can at least slightly relate to the needs of the majority of women? I hope so. Well, that would not be Anne Romney.
Ann Romney in responding to HIllary Rosen comments about never worked a day of her life, said she choose to be a stay at home mother and people should respect a woman's choice. While I agree with her that raising children is hard work and Hillary Rosen's choice of words to make her point about Mitt being out of touch was wrong, what struck me was the "respect women's a choice". It's a shame her husband doesn't respect a woman's choice about the decisions she makes about her body.
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