Comments on: Ann Romney Has Never Worked A Day In Her Life

By: AlisonYoung

AlisonYoung — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:54:29 +0000

Also, I hope this is not too off-topic, but I really loathe the subtle message the right seem to be saying about mothers who choose to in a profession they personally desire and not just to put food on the table.

They seem to be saying that those mothers are “less than” Stay-at-home moms, or is that just me?

It’s depressing to think that just because you’re married and had children, 100% of your identity is now for your husband and kids.

By: Wolverine

Wolverine — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:32:53 +0000

The other thing that bothers me is that the right wing is implying that you are actually not a good mother if you DON’T stay at home and raise kids. Like I said – I would love to be a SAHM but for many of us this is not even an option. However, at the same time, even if I was able to be a SAHM it can be scary for a woman to be 100% economically dependent on her husband. What if god forbid something happens to the marriage or worse if he gets sick/diabled/died? The mother is then left on her own to support her kids (without Ann Romney’s bank account)….therefore it is imperative that all women have some skills that they can use outside the home if for some horrible reason they suddenly find themselves as single mothers who need to support their family…Just something to think about

By: Renee Martin

Renee Martin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:18:13 +0000

I am so sick of this conversation and the way it has been twisted. Romney was not hope alone struggling to raise her children she had SERVANTS. That makes being a stay at home mom incredibly different. It’s all a crock of shit. Hearing these Republicans use this line of defense when they are more than happy to support things like workfare which drives stay at home moms to work just makes my head ache. They only support a certain kind of stay at home motherhood. You had better be rich, White, straight and cis gendered if not, you are a drain on society.

By: Wolverine

Wolverine — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:17:56 +0000

Thank you Marie for finally telling it as it is! I am a physician in my early 30s who is expecting my first child. I have a high 6 figure student loan to pay off and although my husband works (middle school teacher) being able to be a full time SAHM is not an option for us. I have a legion of patients who will be waiting for me to come back from my 5 week maternity leave. I have invested my entire life in my career and taking care of patients. However I am heartbroken that I won’t be able to spend my time exclusively with my baby the first few years of life. Luckily my family will be there to help with the baby but I know many don’t even have this option. Does the right wing think we love leaving our babies behind? No it’s heartbreaking for all of us. But don’t offend us by saying Ann Romney understands what we go through. She would not know how it is to work 10 hrs/day missing your baby, using your lunch or bathroom break to pump breast milk, come home and take care of the cooking/laundry, and spend time with the precious baby and stay up with it all night (along with answering the pager) then go back to work the following day with tears in the eyes b/c you are leaving behind your precious child in order to make a living. Ann Romney speaking or representing all moms is downright offensive… I guarantee you that if it was Michelle Obama in the same situation the right wing would be downright nasty. They should be ashamed of themselves.

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:20:37 +0000

Tell it, NN!

By: NefariousNewt

NefariousNewt — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 12:27:09 +0000

I believe that, ultimately, that was a trap, and Ann Romney fell for it. Her response on Fox News was just the kind of ammunition that her husband didn't need her handing to President Obama: "We should respect all the choices women make." So, Ann Romney just stuck a knife in her husband's back, because he just got through claiming he listens to his wife, and his wife is saying he should respect all women's choices. Like choosing to work and be paid the same as as men for it. Like choosing to use birth control. Like choosing whether or not to marry. Like choosing to have an abortion. I think, in the end, the Romney's are doomed, simply because they are so far out of touch with reality and each other. I don't think Ann Romney can stick to the script now. No matter what she says to support her husband, where that support goes against the rights of women, this quote will rear its ugly head. Where Mitt mentions things that go against the rights of women, this will rear its ugly head. They are so clueless, they don't realize that they are standing in quicksand of their own making, and no one in the Republican Party is going to throw them a rope.

By: blindirishpirate

blindirishpirate — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:17:50 +0000

I agree, Mischief. Also, thanks for addressing this Marie – you are very correct in calling it what it is: fodder to confuse the masses and blur the real issues at hand. I’ve been hearing a lot about how the the war on women is fake. Yeah, THIS is a stupid thing to argue about… but nothing is fake, here, guys.

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 01:34:58 +0000

I feel like we women fell into the trap the right set for us-yet again. This argument about whether parenting is work is a question based on an incorrect premise, i.e., that work is only work if it’s paid. And that premise comes from our male-dominated, capitalist culture, which measures everything by its monetary value. It’s time we women stopped playing. Work is work, whether you do it for money or not, whether you do it at home or in an office, whether you do it voluntarily or not.

I don’t disrepect Ann Romney because she doesn’t work for pay or because she’s married to a millionaire. I disrespect her because she has chosen to insulate herself in her privilege, and that to me shows contempt for most of humanity. You can be rich and still be socially aware and responsible. You can do valuable work without collecting a paycheck for it. The problem with Ms Romney is that she has no interest in or concern with those who don’t enjoy her kind of life, and her non-paid work on behalf of her husband means that she’s working directly against the interests of most women and families. And I don’t respect anyone who spends their time and resources working against women and families.