Last week, democratic strategist Hilary Rosen interviewed with CNN about Mitt Romney’s campaign and stated Ann Romney “has actually never worked a day in her life” and “couldn’t relate to women.”
OK, one: Ann Romney doesn’t need a job if she doesn’t want one. Being a stay-at-home mom is a personal choice. Just because she doesn’t technically have a job doesn’t mean she can’t relate to women either. Ann Romney still works a lot. She’s an active member in her husband’s campaign and runs and works with multiple charities. So even though she is technically a stay-at-home mom, she still works. Stating that she has never worked a day in her life is just rude and made Rosen look ridiculous. Ann has also battled breast cancer and MS and has been involved with many children’s charities so it’s not like she’s just chillin’ on the couch or shopping all day and night without a care in the world.
Ann Romney was director of Best Friends, an organization which seeks to assist inner-city adolescent girls. She worked with the Ten Point Coalition in Boston, as well as countless other institutions. Ann Romney was also given the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from Salt Lake City-based Operation Kids.
The Romney’s have also gotten some flack about a comment Mitt Romney made about women on welfare and how they need jobs to have the dignity of work.
“I wanted to increase the work requirement,” Romney said in New Hampshire. “I said, for instance, that even if you have a child 2 years of age, you need to go to work. And people said, ‘Well that’s heartless.’ And I said, ‘No, no, I’m willing to spend more giving day care to allow those parents to go back to work. It’ll cost the state more providing that daycare, but I want the individuals to have the dignity of work.’”
Many people were upset by Romney saying women on welfare needed the dignity of work, but not his own wife. Yet, maybe these people don’t understand that if you’re on welfare you are taking money from the government so you should have a job or be trying to have a job to subsidize that.
I can see how people would be upset with him saying this but it is far from heartless. You should have the dignity of work. It builds character and puts things in perspective, makes things worthwhile. Especially when the parent can’t support themselves or their family and are taking money from the government. Just sitting around, not working, will not do anything for their situation.
It’s not being heartless to expect the parents to get a job, even if they do have a child so young, maybe even more so because they have a child so young which needs more attention and care.
So in conclusion, Mitt Romney is not heartless and I would love to have Ann Romney as first lady because I believe she would be an active member in the presidency and, like Michelle Obama, continue to participate in many charities and events.
