By CNN Political Unit
(CNN) — Democratic Strategist Hilary Rosen generated instant bipartisan criticism Wednesday night for her statement that Ann Romney has “actually never worked a day in her life.”
The reaction on Twitter from high level politicos was instant and virtually unanimous: Rosen had gone too far.
Rosen’s comment also prompted Ann Romney herself to make her twitter debut.
“I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys,” Romney tweeted. “Believe me, it was hard work.”
Rosen, also a CNN political contributor and a working mother, made her comments on CNN’s “AC360.”
“What you have is Mitt Romney running around the country, saying, ‘Well, you know, my wife tells me that what women really care about are economic issues, and when I listen to my wife, that’s what I’m hearing.’ Guess what? His wife has actually never worked a day in her life,” Rosen said.
“She’s never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority off the women in this country are facing, in terms of how do we feed our kids, how do we send them to school, and why do we worry about their future,” Rosen continued, adding that Romney “just seems so old fashioned when it comes to women.”
Her comments drew instant criticism on Twitter from campaign advisers on both sides of the aisle, as well as one of Romney’s sons.
Josh Romney posted that his mother “is one of the smartest, hardest working woman I know. Could have done anything with her life, chose to raise me.”
The senior adviser to President Barack Obama’s reelection bid also took to Twitter to distance the campaign from the comments.
“Also Disappointed in Hilary Rosen’s comments about Ann Romney,” David Axelrod wrote. “They were inappropriate and offensive.”
Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter posted, “Families must be off limits on campaigns, and I personally believe stay at home moms work harder than most of us do.”
Several press aides to Romney’s campaign — Andrea Saul, Ryan Williams, and Amanda Henneberg — posted links tying Obama to Rosen, such as her appointment as a DNC adviser and her appearance at a White House event.
Romney campaign strategist Eric Fehrnstrom wrote: “Obama adviser Hilary Rosen goes on #CNN to debut their new “kill Ann” strategy, and in the process insults hard-working moms.”
Eric Erickson, a CNN political contributor and editor of a conservative website, appeared on the same panel as Rosen, and tweeted, “If raising 5 sons through breast cancer and MS isn’t a real job, I’m not sure what is.”
The comment drew criticism from a Republican member of Congress, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, who posted, “Wrong. Being a mom is a full-time job.”
Rosen explained her comments in a post on the social networking site.
“When I said @AC360 Ann Romney never worked I meant she never had to care for her kids AND earn a paycheck like MOST American women! #Truth,” she wrote.
She later posted a direct comment to Romney.
“Please know, I admire you. But your husband shouldn’t say you are his expert on women and the economy.”
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