WAS HILARY ROSEN RIGHT? I joined Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer Thursday night to explain that of course being a full-time mother is work, referring to the recent comment by Hilary Rosen, a CNN contributor and Democratic political consultant, who told Anderson Cooper on Wednesday that Mitt Romney’s wife, a stay-at-home mother of five, “never worked a day in her life.” But as I explained, this should not distract or detract from the fundamental core issues that face women in this country, whether it’s sick pay leave, equal pay or issues of quality health care or access to contraception. “There’s no doubt that [she] made a gaffe in providing such a juicy sound bite. But her message—in context—was right on,” writes Jessica Valenti. Right or wrong, “Rosen was referring to the fact that Ann Romney—an incredibly rich and elite woman—likely does not understand the economic concerns of most American women,” explains Valenti. More importantly, Valenti points out that “focusing on this slip-up just brings more attention to the way in which a Romney presidency wouldn’t support mothers.”
VOTING RIGHTS WATCH 2012. We’re delighted to announce a new partnership with Colorlines.com that will offer in-depth coverage of voter suppression efforts nationwide throughout the 2012 election season. “Voting Rights Watch 2012” will focus on the racial impact and dimensions of restrictive Voter ID laws, barriers faced by voter registration organizations, and efforts to “police the vote” and other intimidation tactics on Election Day. The project, led by Nation.com executive editor Richard Kim and Colorlines.com editorial director Kai Wright, will consist of on-the-ground reporting by New Orleans–based investigative journalist and Colorlines.com Voting Rights Fellow Brenton Mock, and will be co-published at TheNation.com and Colorines.com. Read Brenton Mock’s recent post, “The War on Women Voting,” here.
PROGRAMMING NOTE. I’ll be joining ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos this Sunday, April 15 at 10 am ET, along with by ABC’s Cokie Roberts, the Wall Street Journal’s Paul Gigot, former Obama domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes and Romney campaign spokesman Kevin Madden to discuss all the week’s politics, including the state of the economy, the latest on the presidential election campaign, the larger issues involved in the Hilary Rosen and Ann Romney dust-up, and developments in the Trayvon Martin case. For more, and to check your local listings, click here.
‘THIS WEEK IN POVERTY’ HONORED FOR MEDIA AWARD. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) announced this week their 2012 NASW Media Award Winners, including “This Week in Poverty,” by Nation contributor Greg Kaufmann for ‘Single Topic Blog.’ The award recognizes Greg’s tireless coverage of poverty issues, including unemployment, children in poor households and Temporary Assistance to Need Famillies. Congratulations to Greg! Be sure to read his latest post, “Will Pennsylvania Rip Another Hole in the Safety Net?”
INSIDE THE ELIZABETH WARREN CAMPAIGN. Nation contributor E.J. Graff’s inside look at Elizabeth Warren’s high-stakes Senate campaign was the subject of a segment on MSNBC’s Up with Chris Hayes, including exclusive footage shot by Nation web editor Emily Douglas and producer Frank Reynolds. As Graff explains in the piece, progressives adore her, conservatives despise her, but it’s Massachusetts’ independents who’ll decide her high-stakes Senate seat showdown with Scott Brown in November. Read the piece here and be sure to check out the video here.
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