Last week, while speaking at Rhode Island College, President Obama said something designed to p–s off every housewife in America: "Sometimes, someone, usually mom, leaves the workplace to stay home with the kids, which then leaves her earning a lower wage for the rest of her life as a result. And that's not a choice we want Americans to make. So let's make this happen: By the end of this decade, let's enroll 6 million children in high-quality preschool, and let's make sure that we are making America stronger." [Emphasis added.]
(Incidentally, it's worth noting that Obama inadvertently managed to explain any income disparity between men and women in one neat statement. But that's another column.)
From the hundreds of comments on WND, over 600 in the first 24 hours alone, it became clear there were three main theories about why Obama would say something so stupid. These are:
- Citizens are personal ATMs for the government. "You have to understand the liberal mindset," wrote one commenter. "It is NOT so much about what you can earn, it is about what you will PAY in taxes because you work. To the liberal, you exist for one purpose and one purpose only, and that purpose is to serve the state. The more you earn, the more you pay in taxes. THAT is what Obama is REALLY concerned about."
- Fulfilling the Communist Goals for America: "Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents." As another commenter wrote, "Sounds a lot like Nazi Germany. Hitler took control of all the German kids too. It seems BO only has two choices for American moms and their kids. Either kill them in or out of the womb, or give them to the government."
- Both of the above (this was the most common conclusion). Example: "We want you to put your children in indoctrination camps, so you can earn more, not have a say in your child's development and be taxed more to pay for this BS."
I'm not surprised at Tuesday's sweeping victory of Republicans in the House and Senate. Personally, I'm not a fan of Republicans – the next two years will doubtless prove they're merely the flip side of the same progressive Democrat coin – but in the absence of choice for many positions, a lot of Americans simply wanted to vote against the Democrats rather than for a specific Republican candidate.
I'd be willing to bet there were a significant number of party-changing housewives among those voting for Republicans. After all, if someone flat-out tells you your life choices are wrong, it's not an easy insult to forgive. I'm not saying Obama's stupid remarks caused the Republicans to win; but my goodness, it certainly didn't help the Democrats' cause.
My question to Mr. Obama is: On the eve of a critical election, why would you insult a huge demographic of people who have sacrificed their careers and ambitions in service to their families? Why would you dismiss their choices as unimportant and even un-American by implying being a housewife makes America weaker?
It defies belief. But let's make one thing clear: Obama didn't pull these remarks out of a hat. This was a prepared speech that merely echoed the beliefs expressed by progressives again and again when it comes to women making the shocking choice to raise their own children.
This past week yielded some comically stuttering attempts by the left to explain Tuesdays' Republican blitz. The Hill wrote, "The party suffered a long and painful night Tuesday as a GOP wave swept away its control of the Senate and carried Republicans toward their largest majority in the House in almost a century. Democratic leaders have blamed the results on a perfect storm of circumstances that conspired to make this a historically tough election cycle."
Well, here's a concept: Don't alienate a significant portion of your voter base by insulting people who have sacrificed career and ambition in service to their families.
The funny thing is, most (not all, but most) stay-at-home moms – even liberal ones – have figured out that the children they are rearing did not start out as soulless toss-away clumps of cells the pro-abortion feminists would have us believe. The birth of those cells into a miraculous human baby tosses that argument away.
Additionally, the mantra of "Republicans hate women – Republicans hate women – Republicans hate women" obviously didn't cut the mustard last Tuesday when women evidently questioned who is conducting a real war on women by telling them they should deny their human biology and not raise their own children.
If Democrats are wrong about babies being mere cellular aggregates and that Republicans hate women, where else are they wrong?
In the words of Phyllis Schlafly, feminists are failing in their efforts to convince women that rearing children is a waste of their time. "The number of women who are wanting to stay home, at least when their kids are young, is increasing," she said. "The percentage is getting bigger. This must befuddle the feminists quite a bit."
Since I'm always in favor of decreasing feminist ignorance, allow me to explain in a few short sentences why women are staying home to raise their children.
- Even an ignoramus can see what happens to children raised by the state and away from parents. (Communist goals: "Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents." "Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture – education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.")
- Current economic realities (high tax burden, poor employment prospects) are pushing women out of the workforce and back into the home, where they're discovering the joy of raising their children and realizing what the feminists told them about domesticity is all a big lie.
There are probably many other reasons more mothers are choosing to stay home with their kids, but whatever the cause … Ladies, welcome home. Your children will thank you. And maybe the Democrats will learn a thing or two about denying human biology.
Media wishing to interview Patrice Lewis, please contact [email protected].
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