Coopwood to MBJ: Gov. Bryant’s comments taken out of context
Let’s take a closer look at Gov. Phil Bryant’s comments he made a couple of weeks ago when he responded to the question, “How did America get so mediocre?” As we all know, Bryant has been demonized by the liberal press for his response… well, the part of his response on which they chose to focus because it served their purpose in being able to define him as “ the type of conservative who boxes women into a corner with mixed messages,” as one Jackson publication put it. Bryant said, “You know, I think both parents started working, and the mom is in the workplace.” That’s the fragment, which was extricated from the remainder of his response and started the firestorm. Bryant continued on with many clarifying statements, saying, “That’s not a bad thing….They’re pursuing their careers. It’s a great American story now, that women are certainly in the workplace.” And, ”I think there was that loving, nurturing opportunity – that both parents had a little more time.” He goes on to describe his own childhood and in an era when Bryant says both parents had more time, and compares that era to today, where he acknowledges, “In today’s society, parents are so challenged. Not just the mom, but the mom and dad. They’re working overtime. They’re trying to balance both of them in the workplace.”
Scott Coopwood is owner and publisher of the Delta Business Journal, Delta Magazine, and The Cleveland Current, based in Cleveland, Mississippi. He can be reached at scott@coopwood.net.
Magnolia Tribune
