Does anyone dispute that a major driver of poverty is fatherlessness? It seems clearly to contribute to poverty in childhood for those lacking a father and to make emergence from poverty less likely when those children turn into adults. (See here, here, here, and here for a start on the evidence.) And does anyone dispute that the prevalence of fatherlessness continues to grow? Unless there's some factual dispute about the extent and effect of fatherlessness of which I'm not aware, this seems like it should be a huge issue for anyone concerned about poverty. Yet it is virtually ignored by liberalism and the traditional "war on poverty." In fact, some would argue that the growing welfare state, far from addressing the problem, has exacerbated it.
Jonah Goldberg resurfaces the issue in a recent column and urges President Obama to challenge young men - especially young black men - to do something about this problem. At the very least, given his unique standing as (a) president, (b) a Democrat, (c) a black man, and (d) seemingly a devoted father, he could legitimize and depoliticize a national discussion of the issue. This seems like common sense to me.
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