There are plenty of obstacles for presidential candidates to climb in today’s media society. Television and radio networks only play 8-10 second sound bites of policy, and bloggers across the country say whatever they want, whenever they want. Besides bloggers, the election of 2012 has to face the challenges of Twitter chatter by the clueless and the involved. Yesterday, Thursday, Hilary Rosen, a democratic strategist working with President Obama, attacked Ann Romney and said that she had “never worked a day in her life.” This attack sparked a discussion online and in the White House.
According to The New York Times, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Michelle Obama, and the president commented on the attack. President Obama said that there is “no tougher job than being a mom,” and that anyone who thinks otherwise “needs to rethink their statement.” Voters who are not supporters of the Romney campaign even thought these comments were unfair. The decision for Obama’s administration to stand up against what their own strategist spoke for also adds an interesting flare of bipartisanship to the presidential fight. If both parties can agree on the nature of this statement, imagine what else they can agree on.
This attack brings up the divide in women’s issues by the republican and Democrat campaigns. Issues of women’s health care, birth control, and abortion have been prominent in the election of 2012. Supporting families is one of the Republican party’s biggest focuses, and the assumption that a stay-at-home mother is not a job has the political world whirling with opinions.
College women everywhere are following these elections and weighing their thoughts with career choices. The marriage rate in the United States has decreased in the last 45 years, and women are weighing all of their options before tying the knot. This isn’t contributed to women becoming radically independent but simply giving themselves the space to decide what kind of life they want to live. Although there are many factors to consider when choosing a candidate to vote for, collegiettes should keep up with the women’s issues in the campaigns through all types of media attention. Women’s issues are important and becoming more prevalent as the election goes on, and it is important that we keep the direction of these campaigns positive for women of all ideologies.
Get more information: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/us/politics/hilary-rosens-ann-romney-comments-spark-campaign-debate.html?ref=us