Friday, April 13, 2012

Hilary Rosen's Attack Ann Romney is on Mormon and Everybody's Family Values

The mainstream press is painting Hilary Rosen's widely condemned attack on Ann Romney as merely being disrespectful of one woman's choices. But this has to be seen in the wider war between the gay rights community and Christians in general and Mormons in particular.

Hilary Rosen's wikipedia entry identifies her as as an " American lobbyist, Democratic pundit and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LBGT) activist" which says a lot about who is more qualified to talk about the values of the average american woman than Ann Romney. 

On the April 11, 2012 episode of Anderson Cooper 360, the politically correct explanation for the person ttack was that " Rosen commented on the difficulties faced by women in a slow economy, and Mitt Romney's campaign claims that Barack Obama's presidency was bad for women:"  Rosen unbelievably tried to blame Republicans for making an issue of the "War on Women" which was widely promoted by Democrats and the mainstream press but is now backfiring as many women object to the Democrats and the media putting all women's pegs into square liberal holes as extremists on generous spending programs and abortion rights.

"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 do we worry about their future. [...] He just seems so old-fashioned when it comes to women and I think that comes across and I think that that's going to hurt him over the long term. He just doesn't really see us as equal." ref

How badly this comment was received can be judged by the fact that it made the leading headlines that evening as it was Democrats who led the avalanche of condemnations. First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted "Every mother works hard, and every woman deserves to be respected". President Obama repudiated Rosen's comments saying "I don’t have a lot of patience for commentary about the spouses of political candidates.ref

This prompted Ann Romney to start a Twitter account to say campaign saying "I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work". ref

Nicolle Wallace, former adviser to John McCain declared Rosen's gaffe" a win in every regard for the GOP. She also criticized Democrats for having "been so willing and so quick to throw one of their own under the bus." The Christian Science Monitor called it a "campaign gift to Mitt Romney". Conservative Rush Limbaugh suggested that Obama administration had actually used  Rosen to fire a shot in the "War on Motherhood" and showed her real "hostility is for women who stay at home". Rush criticized Democrats who had "hammered Sarah Palin for daring to go to work when she had a Down syndrome child", while calling Ann Romney "a role model".ref Obama strategist David Axelrod and Obama campaign manager Jim Messina denied that Rosen ever worked for them, but Limbaugh noted that Rosen was a frequent White House visitor who had met with President Obama.

The Gay Star News of the LGBT press carried the headline "Lesbian CNN commentator apologizes to Mitt Romney's wife", noting that he statements fell so badly they "not only angered Republicans" but also earned "a rebuke from President Barack Obama's reelection campaign". Catholics crudely attacked Rosen's LGBT activism as the Catholic League sent out tweets such as "Unlike Rosen, who had to adopt kids, Ann raised 5 of her own." Even one self-proclaimed blogger who dubbed himself GayPatriot was critical of Rosen's activism tweeting: 'Hilary Rosen will never sincerely apologize. Radical left-wing lesbians are just too stubborn to admit when they are wrong.'

Rosen did finally backtrack and apologize: "I apologize to Ann Romney and anyone else who was offended, I apologize to Ann Romney and anyone else who was offended. As a pundit, I know my words on CNN last night were poorly chosen. Let's declare peace in this phony war and go back to focus on the substance."  But Rosen continued to stand on her position that some women don't  have the choice to stay at home "This is about the waitress in a diner someplace in Nevada who has two kids whose day care funding is being cut off because of the Romney-Ryan budget and she doesn't know what to do."

I believe that Rosen was really speaking in code about Mitt Romney's religion, the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints or "The Mormons". They have received a lot of criticism for promoting "traditional" family values and roles for women, and particularly for advocating against LGBT issues and legislation. When  Rosen stated that Mrs. Romney's husband's values were "old-fashioned when it comes to women" and "he just doesn't really see us as equal", she doesn't cite any evidence. All we have is that she must be talking about the Mormon church, even though it in its teaching lessons, it states "husbands and wives should value each other as equal partners" whether or not an outsider wants to believe that is a reality.

This is what I found on marriage and equality: 


Husbands and wives are to value each other as equal partners.


Explain that an important principle of unity in marriage is that husbands and wives should value each other as equal partners. While serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency, President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“Marriage, in its truest sense, is a partnership of equals, with neither exercising dominion over the other, but, rather, with each encouraging and assisting the other in whatever responsibilities and aspirations he or she might have” (“I Believe,” Ensign,
Clearly Mormons aren't the only ones who believe in the value of motherhood, or a positive relationship between a mother and father in a well-functioning family, so when somebody attacks Mormon family values, they're really after everybody's traditional values. Believe me, I disagree with a lot of Mormon doctrine as much as the next Catholic or Contemporary Christian. But I'm committed enough to diversity that I believe everyone needs to be treated as decently as possible no matter who or what they are. The New Testament taught that although Christians are to hold themselves up to a higher standard than everybody else, we all have to live with people who are free to believe in other beliefs.


But one criticism I have of the LGBT activists like Rosen is that it is fine to protest being on the receiving end of hatred. But it reflects just as badly when you return fire and engage in anti-mormonism and anti-Christianism and inflict hatred on your tormentors. We all need to act on a higher plane and reach out in love to truly make peace and not just war for a different cause. 
The CNN segment


Rosen's non-Apology



Comments for this CNN piece are not kind:

oh yes, hilary rosen is sorry. She's sorry she got caught with her panties down. Rosen would be perfect in the obama administration. Just another big government loud mouth left wing nut. Some people don't realize this broad has had issues before. Rosen doesn't know what work is. Rosen doesn't know what it's like to fight a war and have live ammo fired at you. When rosen talks she shouldn't use her mouth.
jayhawker53 1 hour ago

This is the quality of Obama's administration: Overweight dumptruck driving L that can't keep her socialist fat mouth shut.
fastlap48 5 hours ago

Justice79117 in reply to AdiosObama (Show the comment) 8 hours ago
I really hope DNC continues to employ Hillary Rosen. She will add to our chances of getting Obama out of office this year. What a flip-flopper.
"I have fought my whole life for women"... Ah, actually no. Google Hillary Rosen. Hillary got her big break working for the RIAA (Recoding Industry of America) lobbying for more laws to help the record industry. She looooves big companies. They paid her a lot money. This was during the Napster era about a decade ago. People have such short memories...

r1ght0n 12 hours ago 2
The bull-d stuck her hoof in her mouth, l guess. 

Sorry4DoublePosting 14 hours ago 2
Can anyone say bulls---t wow what will some do to demean the rest

lawtime52 14 hours ago
Right in your face, Obama had meeting just before this. This is tthe democratic whores in action, Obama will be doing this over and over. He sent Biden the clown out to try and slime Romney. Obama is already running scared, he knows he has already lost. See him for what hee is, a slimey little black boy, who has never do anything, and has always been a screw up..
AdiosObama 15 hours ago

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