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Instead, Romney's camp orchestrated a conference call with women Romney supporters, assailing Obama's record.
"This administration would do well to stop disrespecting stay-at-home moms," said Penny Nance, president and CEO of Concerned Women for America, suggesting Rosen's remarks were "indicative of a larger problem within the administration."
Stephanie Nielson, a mother of five who spoke on the behalf of the Romney campaign, said she was bothered that Rosen has suggested Romney was "old fashioned. The things we have in our society, goals for fathers and mothers in the home, is not old fashioned. He's empowering them by supporting our desire to be a mother."
Republicans even turned the flap into an opportunity to raise money, with the Republican National Committee offering $15 travel mugs embossed with the words, "Moms Do Work! Vote GOP."
"I believe that Moms do work and can't stand liberals who think that Moms don't," the order form reads, adding that "to help defeat elitists (sic) liberals like Barack Obama, I would like to purchase a 'Moms Do Work' travel mug."
But several political science professors who study women in politics noted a longstanding gender gap between Republicans and Democrats and suggested the flap won't have staying power.
"The candidates and the media might think it's an interesting issue, but I don't know that it's going to create a real dynamic in the race," said Jill Greenlee, a Brandeis University politics professor who said there's little connection between a woman's choice of political party and a decision to stay home raising children.
"The debates over actual policy issues have more staying power," she said. "It would be one thing if they were talking about addressing child care or other needs of women, that might have some traction, but this to me seems like a dustup."
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