GOP, The WORK act and "War on Moms"

Well following the largely manufactured political drama concerning Hillary Rosens comments that Ann Romney didn't understand the economic struggles of women and had "never worked a day in her life"

And Mitt Romney's response..."All moms are working moms,"

Democrats in Congress are asking Republicans to put thier VOTE where thier MOUTH is.

WORK Act Would Give Low-Income Moms The Same Option As Ann Romney (For 3 Years)

Under current law, raising children does not count toward the required "work activity" that must be performed by recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

The Women's Option to Raise Kids (WORK) Act, a copy of which was provided to HuffPost in advance of its introduction, would allow mothers with children ages 3 and under to stay at home with their children and continue receiving benefits.

The act was inspired by the recent kerfuffle, in which the political establishment, from President Barack Obama to Mitt Romney, took great umbrage at the suggestion by Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen that Ann Romney had not "worked a day in her life."

"All moms are working moms," Mitt Romney responded.

If that's the case, then it's unfair to apply a different standard to low-income women, reasoned Rep. Pete Stark of California, a top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Interested in opinions....Is it only "Work" to be a mother when you have 6 nannies and over a quarter billion in the bank? Or is it also "Work" to be a mother if you are poor?

reply to post by Indigo5


Rep. Peter Stark

“I think we should take Mr. Romney at his most recent word and change our federal laws to recognize the importance and legitimacy of raising young children. That’s why I’ve introduced the WORK Act to provide low-income parents the option of staying home to raise young children without being pushed into poverty.”

Anyone? Where is the indignant right wing shouting about how raising children is "work"?...which I agree with BTW. Shouldn't the GOP be rushing to support this bill?

Again...is it only "work" for the 1% of the 1% like Ann Romney to raise kids?

Good idea...but it won't happen.

This entire "war on women" controversy is nothing but the GOP deflecting from their own anti-women stance. They are VERY actively trying to cut women's rights:

1) Reproductive rights
2) Equal pay rights (just introduced another bill for that recently!)
3) Workplace rights and choice of work

You'd have to be blind to not realize what's going on. I challenge any GOP followers to point out where exactly the Democrats have or are planning on cutting women's rights. I got 3 above and can get a lot more specific if you want.

This entire Rosen crap is blown out of proportion on purpose to distract people from what the GOP is really doing. If you listen to the entire interview instead of just her one sentence, you realize that she was replying in context. They said Mrs Romney is well placed to understand the struggle of average US women...and Rosen replied with the TRUTH.

Mrs Romney:

- had 5 (!!!!) nannies to take care of her children. That makes it pretty clear she didn't have to go through the same struggles as the average American woman.

- never had to work a single day next to raising her kids with 5 nannies!

- never had money problems.

So please enlighten us enraged GOP'ers, how exactly did she lie??? She never said anything about all women, she was talking about MRS ROMNEY, and by doing so, she also told the truth.

The hilarious part is, the Democratic leadership is so weak and afraid of confrontation in an election year, they chose the easy route (aka just caving in) instead of having a rational debate about what was actually said.

EVEN if you take her words in ill spirit, they are still just words. The GOP on the other hand is actively pushing through legislation to take away women's rights!

You'd have to be a complete fool to vote for the GOP if you're a woman...unless you really wanna go back to the 50s

No they won't do this, because while they like to cry about America's declining family values, they don't really mean it. If they did they wouldn't want to foster an environment of shrinking wages, which by their nature require mothers to go work outside the home.

reply to post by Indigo5


It's a great bill...has no chance of passing because Republicans are huge hypocrits.

Don't be surprised that the conservatives on ATS will avoid this thread like the plague...that is what they do. They don't talk about real issues...just the manufactured ones the GOP creates.

I doubt if you get one conservative in this thread responding to this...because they know damn well that the Republicans will never vote for this and it directly contradicts the propaganda they are trying to spread.

So I think it is our duty to keep replying to this thread to keep it in their faces.

reply to post by MrXYZ


They can't respond to you until Fox News or Rush Limbaugh tells them how to.


I listen to Rush, other conservative radio, and watch Fox News all day...it is hilarious to watch Fox News run a story with incredibly false information...and then watch the thread pop up on here.

It's painful to watch...but it also allows me to know what I will see on ATS later...and I can also look up the facts before seeing the thread so I know how to respond.

You should try it...even though it is cruel and unusual punishment for intelligent people.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


Just like they completely ignore Romney saying he wants stay at home moms to get a job outside for their "dignity". That's WAAAAAAAAAAY worse than anything Rosen said...not that she said anything untrue in the first place.

Bunch of hypocrites. Obama made a ton of mistakes during his presidency...but I really hope he hammers the GOP in the ground on the subject of women's rights, it's one the subjects the Democrats should EASILY win. Sadly Obama's a pretty horrible poker player, he will fold AA preflop because someone could be holding KK and hit a 3rd king on the flop. The way they threw Rosen under the bus even though she was right, just because it's campaign season is disgusting to be honest.

Originally posted by Indigo5
reply to post by Indigo5

 

Rep. Peter Stark

“I think we should take Mr. Romney at his most recent word and change our federal laws to recognize the importance and legitimacy of raising young children. That’s why I’ve introduced the WORK Act to provide low-income parents the option of staying home to raise young children without being pushed into poverty.”

Anyone? Where is the indignant right wing shouting about how raising children is "work"?...which I agree with BTW. Shouldn't the GOP be rushing to support this bill?

Again...is it only "work" for the 1% of the 1% like Ann Romney to raise kids?

Parenting is work for ANYONE WHO IS A PARENT DUH!

*the rest of my post is about the highlighed bill, not the poster I quoted from*

I'm so gonna catch hell for this but her I go!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't he pretty much discribing welfare?!

We can pretty it up all we want folks, but in a nut shell it is welfare..

Why focus on only the 'low income'? Seriously? no other segment of our socity worthy of staying home to raise children?

Why do they always wanna play the low income vs high income angle? To garner votes? To piss people off?
Meanwhile more money is thrown at the "low income' which already has head start, free healthcare, food ect..

Why the hell not make this for middle income down?! Why not give all children the same beneficial treatment?

oh yes... because those who happen to be middle income do not need our votes bought.

/end rant

reply to post by MrXYZ


He had no choice but to distance himself from Rosen's mess. She was right on the principle, but put it in the worst possible way. Smartest thing to do is disavow it and let the media discuss it to death and make the point that Ann Romney is just as out of touch with reality as her husband. He keeps his hands clean and the point gets made. It makes it harder for Fox to spin it when the only sound bite of him on the subject is him saying it was wrong for her to say that.

reply to post by MrXYZ


Unfortunately this is the campaign Obama will have to run...he was forced to distance himself from Rosen's comments...but I don't think he threw her under the bus. He said it was poorly worded.

The GOP and it's supporters are like a bunch of raging zombies...they feed on false propaganda and try to spread it to all corners of the earth. And just like zombies...there are some that will be caught up in their feeding frenzy and become a zombie themselves.

Some of us see this pack of raging disinformation and try to fight against it and run from it...and Obama is in that camp. He has to do what he can to fight the zombies of disinformation...even if it means having to make a public statement that he doesn't really want to make so the zombies don't have something else to spread.

Originally posted by Justaposter

Isn't he pretty much discribing welfare?!

We can pretty it up all we want folks, but in a nut shell it is welfare..

Yes. And eligability requirements for welfare demand "Work activity" outside the home and does not count stay at home moms as "working".

Originally posted by Justaposter
Why focus on only the 'low income'? Seriously? no other segment of our socity worthy of staying home to raise children?

Logic would demand that we focus on those working mothers that are most vulnerble to financial hardship and who can least afford to stay home.

Many other countries legislate expanded maternity.paternity leave, subsidize daycare etc.

But in a climate where the majority GOP is looking to eliminate basic safety nets like Social Security and Medicare, asking them to legislate thier loud, passionate and accurate opinion that motherhood is work, seems like a small and reasonable step.

reply to post by Justaposter


5 best and worst places for moms

Only 58% of U.S. kids go to preschool compared with 98% in Iceland, 95% in Norway and 82% in Australia.

Compared with other developed countries, U.S. scored dead last is in the issue of paid maternity leave, Powers said. In the U.S., the typical family leave is 12 weeks compared with six months to a year in Europe, where mothers can bond with their babies and establish good breast-feeding practices.

Top 5 places for mothers:

1. Norway
2. Australia
3. Iceland
4. Sweden
5. Denmark

thechart.blogs.cnn.com...

reply to post by MrXYZ


Unfortunately during a campaign season you have to speak to most Americans with Headlines. The GOP use this to thier advantage. They can spin a bogus story one day and get headlines, but when it is debunked as complete BS the next day...few actually pay attention.

For Obama to respond to the nonsense with a nuanced answer would just invite further spin. He had to respond with a simple statement.

"There is no tougher job than being a mom," Obama said. "I think this was an ill-advised statement by someone on television."

I have no doubt that Obama has an arsenal of punches to be thrown, but with punches, timing is everything and the hits won't involve family - even though Ann Romney is now her husbands Economic and Womens Issues spokesperson

ann romney staying home to raise her 5 kids= good mother, good family values, worked hard

single unemployed welfare mother staying home to raise her 5 kids=terrible parenting, bad moral values, lazy

republican hypocrites= priceless

reply to post by jimmyx


Being a mother is only dignified work when you employ 5 nannies.

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by Indigo5

 

Don't be surprised that the conservatives on ATS will avoid this thread like the plague...

Geez...you were not kidding.

As a mother the whole thing has really pissed me off. And I am not the only one in my circle that feels that way. We run the full circle of political standings and all of my female friends felt the same way.

Kids are expensive period.

I am curious though, how many here posting on this topic actually have kids? How many that do, does your wife or SO stay home? Do you?

And I really think that we are kind of looking at this the wrong way.. maybe this isn't a fight between the haves and have nots..maybe this is really a fight on parenting?

Thoughts?

Originally posted by Indigo5

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher
reply to post by Indigo5

 

Don't be surprised that the conservatives on ATS will avoid this thread like the plague...

Geez...you were not kidding.

I'm here

Under current law, raising children does not count toward the required "work activity" that must be performed by recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

How long has this been the "current" law ?

Is it Federal or do some States have different policies.

I wonder why it took Congress so long to look at the problem.
What's the reason for this language ?

Can someone find the current law language.

Originally posted by Justaposter

I am curious though, how many here posting on this topic actually have kids? How many that do, does your wife or SO stay home? Do you?

Yes and Yes.

Originally posted by Justaposter

And I really think that we are kind of looking at this the wrong way.. maybe this isn't a fight between the haves and have nots..maybe this is really a fight on parenting?

Thoughts?

The GOP has made it clear that Ann being extraordinarily wealthy with associated Nannies etc. should not be considered whilst defining her time at home as "work".

So...why would any of them oppose altering TANF (Welfare) to recognize that Mothers without those extraordinary resources that Ann has are also "Working"?

Cuz right now TANF does not recognize motherhood as "work activity" and denies benefits to mothers that are not "working" as they define it.