Rosengate: une déclaration maladroite lourde de retombées

Hillary Rosen, une démocrate qu'on peut voir et entendre régulièrement sur CNN, a reproché hier à l'épouse de Mitt Romney de n'avoir jamais travaillé de sa vie... Ann Romney a plutôt fait le choix de demeurer à la maison pour voir à l'éducation des cinq enfants du couple. Une déclaration malheureuse, mais elle occupe aujourd'hui tout l'espace médiatique de la campagne électorale. Ce n'est pas nouveau, un sujet mineur qui supplante les enjeux nationaux. Et les deux camps, démocrates comme républicains, se prêtent trop souvent à ce petit jeu.

 "Welcome to the next seven months.

Plenty of substantive issues were circulating Thursday, including the sixth anniversary of “Romneycare,” a signature issue from Mitt Romney’s past that’s going to play a big role in how he sells his candidacy, and a big speech by Vice President Biden about the Buffett Rule.

But you’d never know it. The day began with Democrats on their heels, rushing to condemn a Democratic CNN contributor, and ended with Republicans calling out their allies in the Catholic League. Even in a political culture that counts psuedo outrage as a large chunk of its diet, the conversation careened out of control quickly.

Thanks in part to Twitter — and in part to a Republican Party desperate to take back the high ground in the battle for the female electorate they alienated with abortion-restricting laws and opposition to contraception access — the campaign went off the rails with Hilary Rosen-gate.

On CNN Wednesday night, Rosen claimed Ann Romney “never worked a day in her life” as part of a criticism of Romney’s claim to know what average American women want from their president. The Obama campaign immediately condemned the comments and the DNC chair called them “disappointing.”

 That was all the red meat conservatives, who in general are not thrilled with Romney, needed — an attack on mothers, let alone the universally adored Ann Romney — became a rallying cry.

 A media circus ensued, and included a conference call on which women supporters of Romney’s insisted Rosen’s gaffe represented the official opinion of the White House, and a kiss-off of the “Hilary whatserface” incident from Barbara Bush, who liberally tossed around the word “whatever.”

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/04/is-this-all-there-is-war-on-moms-adoptive-parents-define-campaign-news-day-1.php?ref=fpa