Romney's Focus On Benefits Of Marriage Misses More Important Point For Women

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Mitt Romney: Getting Married Decreases Violence In America

9:30 am, October 17th | by Sarah Devlin

 

Many people had a good laugh about Mitt Romney's 'binders full of women' analogy in last night's debate, which was mostly harmless but also pretty silly. There was something else the governor said during the debate last night, however, something he mentioned only briefly but that gave me great pause.

It was during his response to a question asked by a town hall attendee about gun control (one of the few points last night where Obama and Romney found some common ground, both agreeing that assault weapons have no place on the streets). But Romney also had this to say about the 'culture of violence' in America (italics are mine):

We need moms and dads helping to raise kids. Whenever possible, the benefit of two parents in the home ' and that's not always possible. [There are] a lot of great single moms, single dads. But gosh, [we need] to tell our kids that before they have babies, they ought to think about getting married to someone. That's a great idea. Because if it's a two-parent family, the prospect of living in poverty goes down dramatically. The opportunitites that the child will be able to achieve increase dramatically. So we can make changes to the way our culture works to help bring people away from violence and give them opportunity [in order] to bring them in the American system.

Certainly, Governor Romney's recognition of the positive impact of committed single parents is admirable, and I'd be willing to bet very few people grow up dreaming of being single fathers or mothers. I can appreciate the sentiment.

However. In a country where the most recent Bureau of Justice statistics have 636,770 women being abused by intimate partners per year (that's 1744 per day, and if you factor in violence against men from intimate partners you get 2118 every day), perhaps the suggestion that ending the culture of violence starts by making young people think that marriage is the only option if they are going to have children is the wrong call. It was a brief moment, but a very bothersome one for me. What did you think? What did you like and dislike about last night's debate? If you missed, it, you can see the whole thing via Mediaite.

TAGS: Debate 2012 | domestic violence | Election 2012 | mitt romney

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• Yeah that just made me think how miserable my home life would have been if my parents actually HAD gotten married. But whatever, Romney Knows Best.

• If you can't comprehend what he was talking about, why write a stupid article.
  The breakdown of the family structure, especially in urban communities, is the cause of all the 'gangs'. That is a fact. If kids don't have a family structure, they find one and in urban communities, it is usually a gang.

• 'one of the few points last night where Obama and Romney found some
  common ground, both agreeing that assault weapons have no place on the
  streets'

  Can we agree that sex has no place on the streets? I don't see much happening on these mysterious 'streets' other than driving that SHOULD be going on. Should doctors practice medicine 'on the streets'? NO! Ban doctors. What's with this hysteria? And what's with this hysteria about guns ' usually by those who know nothing about them. There are no 'assault rifles' ' it is a made-up category by know-nothing journalists who think everything is an AYYY-KAY 47 or a 'glock' because they think it sounds cool to say.

• 'Certainly, Governor Romney's recognition of the positive impact of
  committed single parents is admirable, and I'd be willing to bet very
  few people grow up dreaming of being single fathers or mothers. I can
  appreciate the sentiment. '

  People don't dream of being fat, either. But people with poor habits become that even when they hate it. What is so hard to understand the same thing happens in other areas of life?

• 'However. In a country where the most recent Bureau of Justice statistics have 636,770 women being abused by intimate partners per year'

  Since the 90's when gun control advocates made up figures like '10 children a day die by gunfire' I am very dubious of figures that don't pass the smell test.

• I don't think it's quite as simple as that, just like I don't think that 'get married' is a great solution for everyone across the board. What if your partner is abusive? Does that seem like the kind of home environment conducive to success?

• I embedded a link to the stats in the post; feel free to check them out!

• Well, of course not. Good Lord, does every statement have to be blanketed with 'now I don't mean in every instance, but . . . ' Of course he doesn't mean that. But to ignore what is happening to families is putting heads in the sand. Watch one episode of Intervention and 9 times out of 10, the kid / parent starts their downward spiral after a divorce. It's just a fact.

  I have seen personally friends' families go through divorce and watch the kids literally swirl down the drain. (NOT IN ALL INSTANCES, BUT 99%).

• 'I don't see a huge distinction between 'all instances' and '99% of instances.' You're still not allowing for a ton of nuance there. The fact is, a child growing up in a family in which he's not wanted and/or in which his parents should not be together is not being set up for a great life. To pretend otherwise is pretty irresponsible. I do agree with you that a stable family life is hugely beneficial to development; I think we just disagree on the particulars.

• i SAID 99% OF MY FRIENDS.

  You're right, a broken family is a better family. Or better yet, just have kids with whoever the fluke you want and as many as you want. Who cares. The kids will get over it. Daddy Who?

• I agree with Sarah Devlin'

  Someone punch me in the face,now.

• You know, keeping fluke in the headlines is GOOD for Obama.

• I guess that's another thing we'll have to disagree on; I don't believe that single parent or divorced families are by nature 'broken.'

• And, I would add, neither does Mitt!

• Glad we could find some common ground, Benny! :)

• Hey she's a sharp cookie!

• Meaning figures that don't immediately confirm your previously held belief.

• If more Women would learn to simmer down when told , just like Candy did when Mitt set her straight last evening we wouldn't have all this domestic violence.
  ROMNEY/RYAN 2012
  Sarah Palin Sec of State !

• Since my sister was murdered by her conservative white republican husband when she made it clear she was leaving him I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT GETTING MARRIED IS NOT DECREASING VIOLENCE and it is the stupidest conservative thing to claim that marriage decreases violence in our society.

  It is time for republicans to MAN UP and reauthorize the VAWA and drop the partisan misogynist games they are playing with this issue.

• Speaking of domestic violence, did you see how Candy Crowley b*tch-slapped Noah Rothman?

• 'literally swirl down the drain.'

  All of LMC's potential kids literally swirl down the drain after he spends 10 seconds with a photo of Michele Bachmann.

  Literally.

• :)

• Here we go :)
  Are we talking about legitimite domestic violence ? Like my ol lady forced me to swell both her eyes shut for not simmering down when told ?
  she was asken fo it , you know
  ROMNEY/RYAN 2012

• Sorry to hear bout your sister.

• Everybody loves a cookie.