The Washington Monthly

October 8, 2009

ANOTHER SETBACK IN THE GOP'S OUTREACH TO WOMEN VOTERS.... Earlier this week, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) went after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, arguing that Gen. Stanley McChrystal should put Pelosi "in her place."

The Speaker responded this morning.

"It's really sad they don't understand how inappropriate that is," Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference. "I'm in my place. I'm the Speaker of the House, the first woman Speaker of the House. And I'm in my place because the House voted me there. That language is something I hadn't heard in decades."

For the record, as of this afternoon, not one of the 17 House Republican women representatives has been willing to criticize the NRCC's claim that Pelosi should be put "in her place."

This was not, by the way, the only pushback Republicans are facing on women's issues this week. Earlier today, nine Democratic senators "took to the floor on Thursday to highlight how they believe women would benefit from their health care legislation." There's also an effort to point to the larger trend.

Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida ... and Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan held a telephone conference call to highlight other situations they argue show that Republicans are "out of touch" with women's issues -- the consequences of the Republicans' white male majority, said Ms. Wasserman-Schultz.
As examples, they pointed to Chris Christie, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, Bob McDonnell, the G.O.P. gubernatorial choice in Virginia, as well as Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, one of the Republican leaders.

"This is an ongoing challenge we are having, bill after bill," said Ms. Stabenow, citing an exchange in which Mr. Kyl said that his plan should not be required to cover basic maternity care, because he doesn't need it.

Democrats argue that women tend to earn less and pay more for premiums and are rarely covered for basic maternity care. In some states women, can be denied coverage if they are pregnant or are victims of domestic violence.

I've also learned that every Democratic woman senator will be on CNN's "Larry King Live" this evening, talking about Kyl's remarks and pointing to discriminatory health practices against women.

And for added context, let's also note that just yesterday, 30 Senate Republicans -- all of them middle-aged white men -- representing three-fourths of the caucus, voted to keep rape victims working for defense contractors from having their day in court.

As a substantive matter, Democratic efforts this week bring much needed attention to an issue -- or, more accurately, multiple issues -- that often goes overlooked. As a political matter, highlighting recent, insulting Republican attitudes towards women helps put the GOP on the defensive.

—Steve Benen 4:35 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (15)

Comments

And then there's the 30 of 40 Senate Republicans who voted against the Franken amendment which enables women who have been raped and work for defense contractors to have their day in court.

Appalling!

Posted by: Amy on October 8, 2009 at 4:43 PM | PERMALINK

I beg to disagree. A lot of the republican white males truly love, cherish, and have a deep and abiding need for women. It's just that these women aren't the ones they're married to.

Posted by: Eeyore on October 8, 2009 at 4:49 PM | PERMALINK

So they've answered the election of the nation's first black President by enflaming racist passions in their base (so long african american vote). they've demonized hispanics and treated our new Supreme court justice like a cleaning lady (bye bye hispanic vote). They're voting against the defense bill because of the hate crime ammendment (see ya gay vote). They're insulting women at every chance they get (where are you going ladies?). 2010, how exactly are they going to make the huge gains we're hearing are bound to happen?

Posted by: SaintZak on October 8, 2009 at 4:51 PM | PERMALINK

2010, how exactly are they going to make the huge gains we're hearing are bound to happen? -SaintZak

Bitch about taxes and call Democrats socialists.

Posted by: doubtful on October 8, 2009 at 4:56 PM | PERMALINK

What does it matter? Most women are Democrats, and that's not going to change. When we're all little kids, and we get hurt, women get taken aside and taken care of and men are told to stop crying and suck it up.

Everything about the political gender divide is basically summed up in that bit of cultural hypocrisy. There's really no reason to bother wooing women, they will either stick to their socialization or they will reject it and become conservatives. They get about 40% while they act like rape-cheering cavemen. I doubt they will lose that many with this behavior.

Posted by: soullite on October 8, 2009 at 4:57 PM | PERMALINK

As we know well here in Jesusland, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell is on record as thinking working women are a detriment to the family -- he explicitly said so in his masters thesis for Regent University run by Pat Robertson.

Ahhh, family values.

Posted by: pj in jesusland on October 8, 2009 at 4:59 PM | PERMALINK

But, that Sarah Palin sure is a hottie.

She goes huntin' and fishin' and she don't innerupt when yer wathin' the football game.

She knows her place too, she ain't got no bidness bein the govner of no state. Heck no! Her place is given speeches in China.

Of course, after the speech there's a little "nailin Pailin" to cover some of that Chinese debt. Ahh, what a woman!

Posted by: Banana=Eating Jungle Monkey on October 8, 2009 at 5:00 PM | PERMALINK

too be fair, all 30 weren't middle aged white men, some of them were old white men.

Posted by: exhuming mccarthy on October 8, 2009 at 5:05 PM | PERMALINK

2010 happens because this is a zero-sum game. The only way to punish the party in power is to vote for the party out of power. How do you think we ended up with so many seats in obviously Republican territory? Because even most Republicans hated GWB.

We'll be over 10% Unemployment on election day. There is going to be a tremendous urge to punish Democrats. If we had more parties, it would be different. But we don't. Did you think Republicans just turned stupid and have been acting like babies for shits and giggles? No. They know full well that they just have to make things bad for normal people and those people will blame the Democrats for not stopping them.

Posted by: soullite on October 8, 2009 at 5:06 PM | PERMALINK

Any Democrat's "place" is to shut up and go with whatever the flavor of the month military guy is promoting... as long as its something the Republicans are for.

And when have Republicans ever turned down more war?

Posted by: Joshua on October 8, 2009 at 5:28 PM | PERMALINK

mccain lost women 57-43 last election...driven by suburban working women [with and without children]....and judging the obama approval numbers from kos, there's currently a 15 point gender gap among whites....with all woman, there is currently a 28 point difference in pelosi's approval numbers

Posted by: dj spellchecka on October 8, 2009 at 5:50 PM | PERMALINK

I'm in Virginia -- this has been pretty much the whole line of attack for Creigh Deeds against Bob McDonnell; and what's interesting is that McDonnell has a lot of ads with his adult daughter talking about his wonderfulness. So someone in the strategist world clearly believes that talking about the treatment of women is key to the VA-Gov election.

Posted by: FlipYrWhig on October 8, 2009 at 6:49 PM | PERMALINK

I'm a mite late to this bitchfest- been out with my sign, marching down Hollywood Boulevard, supporting the Pocket Pole, who had the stones to act out our middle aged fantasies.

FACT is, there's more wimmen than men in America-they drink less, drive slower, and think before they act- so they's in the majority.

AND they live longer, so they inherit the estates of the a-holes who Live Fast and Die Young: ergo, they got more money that us, too.

So why don't we have Universal Health Care, Free Education, and No More Wars?

Ladies,please; Git'Er Done. . .

Posted by: DAY on October 8, 2009 at 7:02 PM | PERMALINK

Maybe if the amendment dealt with Male Republicans being raped by other males... wait, that's called a GOParty!

Posted by: Breezeblock on October 8, 2009 at 8:28 PM | PERMALINK

2010, how exactly are they going to make the huge gains we're hearing are bound to happen? -SaintZak

Bitch about taxes and call Democrats socialists. -doubtful

Why not? It worked so well for the GOP in 2006 and 2008. Oh, wait...

Posted by: Gregory on October 9, 2009 at 8:16 AM | PERMALINK