Just a month ago, an ad by Obama SuperPAC Priorities USA attempted to link Mitt Romney to a woman’s death by cancer. If that connection somehow made sense to you, Twitter chatter today might lead you to believe that Romney advocates wife beating as well, thanks to his connections to television evangelist Pat Robertson.
Video making the rounds today on sites like Gawker (which recently published an apologia for pedophiles) shows Robertson, on his 700 Club television program, responding to a letter from a viewer who says his wife “refuses to talk through our problems.” Robertson indelicately jokes, “Well, you could become a Muslim and you could beat her.”
Many who apparently didn’t watch the video took Robertson literally and assumed he promoted wife beating (or conversion to Islam).
https://twitter.com/CRedstone/status/245307760584048640
Pat Robertson Recommends Wife-Beating Because Divorce is Not an Option | RH Reality Check http://t.co/ypBExSbh // This just floors me.
— Edie Howe (@Edie_Howe) September 10, 2012
To paraphrase a defense so often used with the vice president, that’s just Pat being Pat. So why so much attention, and what’s the connection to Mitt Romney? Just two days before the broadcast, Robertson could be seen sitting behind Romney at a campaign appearance in Virginia Beach, Va. Suddenly, despite not speaking at the event, Robertson had become a Romney surrogate and ally.
https://twitter.com/TheXclass/status/245291460012945409
Romney's newest surrogate Pat Robertson recommends wife-beating since divorce isn't an option http://t.co/xyP9DOpc via @dailykos #waronwomen
— Yortal N. (@yortalnahtanoj) September 10, 2012
https://twitter.com/garrettmsawyer/status/245302704614825986
https://twitter.com/jonathanglick/status/245234165300211712
While many tweets refer to Romney and Robertson “campaigning together,” most reports go no further than acknowledging that Robertson appeared in the audience. Meanwhile, misogynist and million-dollar Obama SuperPAC donor Bill Maher continues to ride with a free pass.
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