Commentary: What I Mean By 'We Want to See More Families Like Obama's'

by Jim Daly, president, Focus on the Family

The president's policies leave a lot to be desired, but we need more men to follow his commitment to being a husband and father.

Several months ago, during the news conference at which Dr. James Dobson announced he was stepping down as chairman of the board of Focus on the Family, the media were on hand in full force. I was there to honor and support him in that watershed moment. After Dr. Dobson finished his remarks, I had a few minutes to speak with the reporters who had come to our campus.

The first question I received was this: "How does this move change the future of Focus?" I said that the media is often critical over our efforts in the public square which can, at times, overshadow our core mission — namely, strengthening marriage and families. I added that what Focus is actually looking for — and wants to help create — are more families like that of President Barack Obama: a married man and a woman raising their kids.

As we know, the key to a strong country is the family, the basic building block of a strong civilization. But, as you might have guessed, the journalists listening to my response collectively dropped their jaws. One of them raised his hand and said, "I can't believe you're actually saying something nice about President Obama."