It Didn’t Work

-By Frank Hyland

A number of times, you’ve entered an antique store or another type of store that carries items that need to be handled tenderly if at all. The sign says, “You break it, you bought it.” In the neighborhood in which I was raised, the operative saying was, “There are talkers and there are doers.” In another neighborhood, you’d hear, “You can’t just talk the talk; you’ve got to walk the walk.” In Texas, the saying is, referring to a loud-mouthed Cattleman-wanna-be, “He’s all hat and no cattle.” We’ve been cautioned for centuries that, “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” These sayings are all variations on the Words-Deeds dichotomy. This week, which the White House and the DNC are referring to as “This weak,” saw an attempt to throw a major stone at the Romney camp, followed by a series of denials, U-Turns, and “Oops-ies.”

In the context of “You break it, you bought it,” and living in a glass house, the last thing that the Obamanation should have done is take on Ann Romney by name by accusing her of never having worked a day in her life. First of all, Ann Romney is not – I repeat, NOT – running for office. Secondly, if you’ve decided that it is time for your life to end, head over to the nearest preschool or playground where exhausted Moms take their youngsters to expend a bit of energy while they chat with their counterparts. Once there, begin shouting at the Moms that they don’t “work.” That should do the trick – Rest in peace. Typically, the Lame Stream Media has devoted a good deal of time and space to the misstep. And typically, the coverage has been hardly worth your time reading/watching/listening, which explains why you are now tuned in here. That the initial DNC attack is a sign of desperation – with less than six months left until the election – is not being discussed. In addition, that the attack is a symptom of organizational ineptitude and sheer stupidity has received even less coverage. The attacker, DNC staffer Hilary Rosen, is a self-described “pundit.” Among other definitions of the word, pundits are described as being a “learned person” and an “expert.” Leaving aside for a moment how incorrect it is to say that mothers don’t work, there obviously is either no editorial review process at the DNC or the Editors’ seats are filled with others as brain-dead as Hilary Rosen.

The sheer hypocrisy of the White House is highlighted by no better example than the Teleprompter-in-Chief, who warned the GOP opposition in 2008 to stop criticizing his wife, saying that it was “detestable” and “low class.” Apparently, though, his campaign is free to do the same thing. Further, last year’s Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff suggests strongly that female staffers took in a median salary of $60,000, almost 20% less than the $71,000 received by their male counterparts. Speaking for the Obamanation, Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the putative president believes it is “long past time” for women to be admitted to the traditionally all-male Augusta National Golf Club, another Words-Deeds dichotomy — The Obamanation played almost two dozen rounds of all-male golf between January and October, 2009, before even one woman was invited to participate. And in terms of taxes, it appears so far that the Obamanation paid a lower tax rate this year than his Secretary. Remind you of anyone?

Other reactions from within the Obamanation Campaign have been all over the map, again demonstrating that the campaign is no smarter, no better at handling election issues than the White House has been at handling the economy or Iran or North Korea. Hilary Rosen, herself, issued a non-apology, seeking to put the faux “war against stay-at-home Moms” to rest once and for all. Rosen went on to say “let’s declare peace in this phony war” – a war that she and her boss, DNC head Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, began. A final comment on Rosen’s IQ: She’s quoted as saying, “As a partner in a firm full of women who work outside of the home as well as stay-at-home mothers…..” Huh? Say what? Her law firm is full of stay-at-home mothers as well as with women who work outside of the home? While the former group may be telecommuting I rather doubt it.

The true nature of Chicago-style campaign “ethics” – the oxymoron of the month – was shown in Campaign Advisor David Axelrod’s comment: He said he was “disappointed in Rosen’s comments about Ann Romney, that they were inappropriate and offensive.” If Axelrod will throw Hilary Rosen under the bus, just imagine what he’ll do to you, Mom…..
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Frank Hyland is a long-time Writer/Editor who has written for The New Media Alliance, and also for The Reality Check and has appeared weekly on Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Conservatism on Sunday evenings on Blog Talk Radio, along with Babe Huggett and Warner Todd Huston.


Copyright Publius Forum 2001