Mitt Romney's problem with women is not Hilary Rosen, but Ann Romney

WASHINGTON -- Women who stay at home to raise their children should be given federal assistance for child care so that they can enter the job market and "have the dignity of work," Mitt Romney said in January, undercutting the sense of extreme umbrage he showed when Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen quipped last week that Ann Romney had not "worked a day in her life."


The remark, made to a Manchester, N.H., audience, was unearthed by MSNBC's "Up w/Chris Hayes," and will air during the 8 a.m. hour of his show Sunday.


Ann Romney and her husband's campaign fired back hard at Rosen following her remark. "I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work," Romney said on Twitter.


Mitt Romney, however, judging by his January remark, views stay-at-home moms who are supported by federal assistance much differently than those backed by hundreds of millions in private equity income. Poor women, he said, shouldn't be given a choice, but instead should be required to work outside the home to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. "[E]ven if you have a child 2 years of age, you need to go to work," Romney said of moms on TANF.


Recalling his effort as governor to increase the amount of time women on welfare in Massachusetts were required to work, Romney noted that some had considered his proposal "heartless," but he argued that the women would be better off having "the dignity of work" -- a suggestion Ann Romney would likely take issue with.


But is there anything in her background that implies that she truly understands the struggles facing the average American woman? Is there anything that implies that she understands that she is not the average American woman?


This country would be a very different place without First Ladies such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Abigail Adams, and, yes, Hillary Clinton. Thinking that a President will not be influenced by his spouse is naive. Thinking that one’s spouse can speak for the entire country by virtue of her gender is also naive.

A quick scan for other Romney advisors on women’s concerns comes up blank. It could be that Romney lumps men’s and women’s concerns together. It could also be that he is not concerned with women’s concerns. Perhaps he is not aware that while men and women have much in common, some of their concerns differ. Many women could not care less whether Viagra is covered by insurance.