Republicans Have a Growing Women Problem

I would have never guessed. Via Taegan-

Politico notes that the "growing schism between the Republican Party's ascendant right wing and its shrinking moderate core has clear gender undertones" which "raises fresh questions about the GOP's ability to recruit, elect and even tolerate the sort of moderate women who used to be part of its ruling mainstream."

Key statistic: There are just 17 Republican women in the House today.

"And with less than a year to go before the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans have enlisted just 13 more to challenge Democratic incumbents. Even if all of them won, Republicans would have at most 30 women in the House -- about half the number Democrats now have."

Palin endorses Rick Perry in Texas

By GottaLaff

Sarah just loves that spotlight:

This endorsement will endear Palin to conservatives. But could it undermine a potential 2011/2012 message about women breaking barriers in politics? And what does it say about her trying to shore up her weaknesses with independents and the political middle?

Good questions. Those 18 million glass ceiling cracks could be a potential hazard:

"Palin, who electrified the GOP base as the party's vice presidential nominee last year, has strong support among the party's social conservatives. Her endorsement appeared aimed at undercutting Hutchison's appeal with GOP women. Both groups will be important in picking the party's nominee in next year's GOP primary."

I wish her success in her continuing efforts to shoot herself in the proverbial foot.. or in her case, feet.

Women's groups miffed at Obama

By GottaLaff

This is what happens when you're the Decider:

Obama is taking the big-tent approach to governing and wanted a Cabinet that stretches the tent wide. [...]

It might be diverse, but not everyone is happy. Some women's groups are disappointed. Among Obama's strongest backers during the election, they now say they don't have enough seats at the table.

That's because of Obama's 20 announced Cabinet-level posts, five went to women: Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary, Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, Rep. Hilda Solis as labor secretary, Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador and Lisa Jackson as Environmental Protection Agency chief. [...]

Amy Siskind, co-founder of the nonpartisan group New Agenda, accuses Obama of taking "shocking steps backward" and said "this constituency does not matter to the president-elect."

Obama has said he's picking people for their skills and not pandering to special interests.

The polls show that 3/4 of Americans think he's getting it right. Bill Clinton and President [sic] Bush each had a comparable number of women in their first Cabinets.

But it's not just women who are angry with Obama's choices. Other factions in the Democratic Party are, too.

Many gay and lesbian supporters are irate over Obama choosing Pastor Rick Warren to lead the invocation at the historic January 20 inauguration. [...]

Some progressives, meanwhile, are also disappointed that Obama has tapped moderates for key positions. [...]

Obama's team privately says wait and see. They feel it's too early to criticize his choices before they've even had a chance to be sworn in.

Today a local progressive talk show host agreed with Thom Hartmann (as noted in my post about Rev. Rick Warren): If liberal Dems aren't inclusive, then they're no better than the very people they've been at odds with over the past eight years. The GOP would have nothing to do with progressives, he went on to say, and asked why we should we become the lefty version of a group like that.

VIDEO-- Gramm-pa McCain:This Town Hall Is So Emotional Must Be All The Women

By GottaLaff


This should go over well, Gramm-pa. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take off my shoes, wiggle my naked toes, and hustle myself off to the kitchen.

(via)

Hillary sent me

By GottaLaff

Hillary is out there doing her Hillary thing:

...Clinton told her supporters Friday to get over it and pack their bags again.

"I want to invite you to take part in something that continues the historic journey that you have made with me," Clinton told about 1,000 supporters in a conference call Friday.

"I am asking all of you to hit the phones, hit the road and spread the word that we must elect Barack Obama," she said.

The Hillary Sent Me push will have the Clinton supporters traveling to seven battleground states, including Michigan, each weekend until the election to convince voters to support Democrats on Nov. 4.

The first state will be New Hampshire on Sept. 27 and Clinton will visit Michigan the same day. The other destinations will be Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia.

"Once you're in the states, you can connect with Obama offices to help with canvassing, phone banks or blogging efforts ... and just say Hillary sent you," Clinton said. [...]

Obama's campaign also is making an effort to reach out to women through phone banks and events in all 50 states today, including an Equal Pay Tour across Michigan.

She can be awfully persuasive. Between Hillz and the Fifty State Strategy, things look more promising every day.

Dishonorable McCain/Palin's economy: Spike in jobless rate for women is worst in more than 33 years

By GottaLaff

This is what our future looks like with Palin/Dishonorable Mccain:

A sharp monthly rise in unemployment for women could be a sign that the economic slowdown has begun to hit working women with a force not seen since the 2001 recession.

When the unemployment rate for women went from 4.6 percent in July to 5.3 percent in August, it was the largest one-month spike in the jobless rate for women in more than 33 years.

Black women were hit even harder, as their unemployment rate jumped 21 percent, from 7.5 percent in July to 9.1 percent in August.

Let's stop and think for a moment. Who would be the most hard hit here? Black women. Who would be the least likely to vote for Palin/McDishonorable? Black women. Who would be most likely to be disenfranchised...?

Among single mothers and women with families, unemployment climbed to 9.6 percent in August — the highest level in 15 years.

Barack Obama:

“John McCain doesn’t get it. He doesn’t know what’s going on in your lives. He is out-of-touch with the American people. Why else would he say the economy’s made great progress?” Obama asked.

Obama gets it.

Poll: Women and men don't see eye-to-eye on Palin

Last night I was channel surfing and came across Lou Dobbs' "Independent Convention". At one point Lou was railing about the "liberal media" with Ken Auletta who was trying to tamp down Dobbs's spittle frenzy. When Palin's name was brought up (in a not ready for prime time way) the audience broke out in spontaneous applause, and when it was re-iterated, the clapped even harder. Wish I could find the vid, but the point is that even Lou Dobbsian "Independent" voters don't think she's ready.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — When it comes to support for Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, a new national poll suggests men and women don’t see eye-to-eye.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out Tuesday morning indicates that 62 percent of men questioned have a favorable opinion of the Alaska governor, nine points higher than women. In the poll, conducted Friday through Sunday — entirely after then end of the Republican convention, 23 percent of men have an unfavorable view of John McCain’s running mate, seven points lower than women.

The gender gap is also apparent when it comes to whether Palin is qualified to serve as president if needed. Fifty-seven percent of male respondents in the poll said Palin was qualified, 14 points higher than women. A majority of females polled, 55 percent, said that Palin is not qualified to serve as president.

Half of all respondents think Palin is qualified to serve as president, twenty points lower than Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Hillary will go after McCain, not Palin

By GottaLaff

clipped from www.politico.com

Hillary Rodham Clinton has no intention of becoming a Sarah Palin attack dog.

Photo: Composite image by Politico.com

Leave Britney Sarah alone!!

Hillary Rodham Clinton has no intention of becoming a Sarah Palin attack dog — but has no qualms going after John McCain, people close to the former first lady say.

“She’s not the answer when it comes to winning conservative women — she never was — and we’re not going to be anybody’s attack dog against Sarah Palin,” said a Clinton insider. “To be fair to Obama’s people, they haven’t asked us to do that.”

Slamming Palin to win back women already hostile to Obama is pointless, the insider said, because Clinton’s most loyal base is working-class voters, not women in particular. “Attacking Palin is checkers, attacking McCain on the economy is chess.”

Then why was there such a fuss about Obama winning over Hillary's female voters? Anyone?

Clinton will continue to yoke McCain and Palin to President Bush on pocketbook issues. But sources say that Clinton, who supports abortion rights, isn’t likely to criticize the Alaska governor for her anti-abortion stance. She may, however, question Palin’s record on equal-pay issues.

So who will go after Palin's disturbing positions? Again, anyone? Biden? Sebelius? Napolitano?

New Obama radio ad slams McCain on abortion rights

By GottaLaff

Slam and slam and slam, by all means:

Barack Obama has launched a broadside against John McCain’s opposition to abortion rights and moved one of the most divisive issues in modern American politics to the airwaves on a large scale for the first time in this presidential campaign.

Obama’s new radio ad, airing widely in at least seven swing states, tells voters McCain “will make abortion illegal.” It’s airing as McCain courts female voters with the addition of the staunchly anti-abortion governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, to his ticket.

And what does the ad say?

“Let me tell you: If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the lives and health of women will be put at risk. That's why this election is so important,” says the nurse-practitioner who narrates Obama’s ad. “John McCain's out of touch with women today. McCain wants to take away our right to choose. That's what women need to understand. That's how high the stakes are.”

An announcer then claims that “as president, John McCain will make abortion illegal,” before playing an exchange on "Meet the Press" in which McCain told moderator Tim Russert that he favors “a constitutional amendment to ban all abortions.”

“We can't let John McCain take away our right to choose. We can't let him take us back,” says the ad.

And why and where is it playing, specifically? And how often? Answers:

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the ad about McCain was sent to stations last Thursday, before the choice of Palin was made public.

“This is a straightforward ad about the very well-documented fact that he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and supports a constitutional ban on abortions,” said Burton.

The campaign didn’t release further details of the ad buy, but Politico readers reported that it’s airing in Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Colorado.

One Colorado reader said he’d heard it about a dozen times Tuesday — signs of a large buy.

Buh-buy, Palin.

Poll-itics: Palin Not Helping McCain with Women Voters

By GottaLaff

We here at The Political Carnival pay no attention to polls. Ever. Honest:

A new survey conducted for EMILY's List suggests Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is not helping the Republican ticket with female voters. Among all women surveyed, Obama-Biden leads McCain-Palin, 53% to 35%.

When asked how the running mates were picked, half of those surveyed said Obama chose Biden based on his experience, while 29% said he was chosen for political reasons. Meanwhile, 20% said McCain chose Palin for experience and 59% said his pick was for political purposes.

Key finding: A 55% majority of women voters who backed Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary say that Palin's inclusion on the ticket makes them less likely to vote for McCain; just 9% say her presence on the ticket makes them more likely to support McCain.

Hopefully, this is indicative of things to come.

Quotes-O'-The-Moment: Early-twentysomethings on Palin

By GottaLaff

I "has got" very smart theatre alumni. Two just Facebooked me. First one:

"Mrs. Palin is only a symbolic 'appearance' of supporting women. However, she DOES NOT support women (as partially shown by her strong anti-choice stance) and instead only serves to reinforce the idea that women are incapable of running for president and must settle for the "helping" position of vice president. I think this was pretty low of McCain to turn this into some nasty pecking order. Then again, I'm not surprised. "

Second one:

I can't believe he picked her. It's obvious that he's insulting our intelligence by assuming we'll vote for him because she's a woman. Yeah right. He really needs to go to a rest home now and corrupt people during bingo.

Two more young female voters who sees through J Sid's purely political motives. I'm very proud of them.

Obama makes surprise visit at llinois Democratic Women lunch

By GottaLaff

BFCE*:

DENVER--Barack Obama paid a surprise visit on Thursday afternoon at the Illinois delegation hotel, electrifying, I am told the Illinois Democratic Women lunch. Obama promised the crowd, "I won't forget where I came from."

*Best F***ing CANDIDATE Ever

John Sidney McCain doesn't like women, and here's proof

By GottaLaff

Paddy sent me an e-mail, which is also posted here. Plus, I'm re-posting my "Grow Up, J Sid" video since it makes similar points. :

Don’t Like Women? That’s OK, Neither Does He

You ever get the feeling that some guys just really don’t like women at all, or care what they think, or respect them?

Seems John McCain is one of them.

He’s decided that a woman shouldn’t be able to end a pregnancy EVEN IF IT’S GOING TO KILL HER. The story is here:

(http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=4824779&page=1)

Yes, he’s going to let the right-wing radicals who run the Republican Party push for outlawing abortion even if a woman has been brutally raped.

Even if she’s a 14 year old violated by her own father.

Even if she might die if the pregnancy is brought to term.

And speaking of rape, McCain thinks a joke about a woman being beaten and raped is just hilarious:

(http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2008/07/infamous-mcjoke-about-rape.html)

And it’s not just McCain’s determination to overturn Roe v. Wade. On a whole host of issues, he’s against women’s rights:

(http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/07/mccain-and-womens-issues-its-more-than-just-roe/)

He voted against requiring health care plans to cover birth control (3/22/03).

He voted against comprehensive, medically accurate sex education (7/25/06).

He voted against international family planning funding (3/14/96).

He voted against funding to prevent teen and unintended pregnancies (3/17/05).

He voted against public education for emergency contraception (3/17/05).

And he voted against restoring Medicaid funding that could be used for family planning for low-income women (3/17/05)

Of course, McCain cheated on his loyal, devoted first wife and dumped her for someone with a lot more money. His first wife wasn’t attractive to him any more. But I guess being in a car wreck does cut down on your sex appeal.

(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html)

And this whole “equal pay for women” thing? McCain says he’s for it—but when the chips are down he votes against it:

(http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/24/by_juliet_eilperin_washington.html)

Yes, McCain thinks that women are basically 2nd rate people who can’t be allowed to make their own decisions. But there’s one way McCain puts his wife out front and center:

He said she should enter a topless beauty pageant.
(http://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2008/08/pour-some-sugar-on-cindy-mccain.html)

Wow. What a guy. Just what we need.

To go back to the 19th century.

Oh, and let's not forget that old chestnut, calling his wife the C-Word. He'd make some role model for our kids, huh?

Video: Obama on Iran; women and the economy; "shifting"

By GottaLaff

Obama talks to the hyperventilating Matt Lauer. Take note of Barack's vehement defense of women: What "benefits women benefits all American families". Oh, and Obama apparently allowed his kids to be on TV, which is his biggest flip-flop ever! O-m-g! Obama says that will never happen again. Thank the good lord, because that would make him unelectable:

Ten female senators try to prevent women's shift to McCain

By GottaLaff

It's reassuring that we have 10 pro-active female senators who are taking the initiative to move quickly on this:

With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) out of the presidential race, 10 female Democratic senators made an urgent appeal Tuesday to try to prevent women from flocking to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in November.

The only things that could possibly be flocking to John Sidney McDoubleTalk are the turkeys who believe he, of all people, represents change.

The senators unveiled a “checklist for change” that included ensuring that women receive equal pay; keeping jobs in America; making healthcare more affordable; providing benefits for military veterans; and protecting the environment.

They forgot "getting Republicans out of the White House". But wait a minute... where's Hillary Clinton been? This is a genuine push for momentum and Democratic unity. I'm sure she's all over this! Oh, Hillary-y-y! Yoo-hoo-o! Where a-a-are you?

::cricket cricket::

Clinton, who has not returned to Capitol Hill after she conceded the race to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) this month, was absent from Tuesday’s event. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), who supported Clinton’s presidential bid, said that the former first lady would return “later this summer” and supports the checklist.

Oh. Hm. I guess she needed a rest after all that leadershippy emphasis on women's rights and her support for Obama and stuff. I hope she enjoys her summer vacation. From my liveblog of her concession speech:

"So if you think, If only, or What if, please don't go there. Every moment looking back keeps us from moving forward. Life is too short, time too precious. We have to work together for what still can be. I will work my heart out to make sure Obama is our next president...join me in that effort."

Back to those 10 women who are actually doing something to make sure women will see the illogic of defecting:

Democrats said that their checklist would unite the party, and plan to repeat the agenda on the Senate floor, at campaign rallies and the Democratic National Convention in August.

I can't say for certain, but I'm relatively confident that the convention is something for which Hillary will interrupt her vacation to attend.

Women do not heart John Sidney McCain... and vice versa

By GottaLaff

Frank Rich has a good piece out in Sunday's New York Times. It's worth reading the whole thing, but here are some fun parts:

TEN years ago John McCain had to apologize for regaling a Republican audience with a crude sexual joke about Hillary and Chelsea Clinton and Janet Reno. Last year he had to explain why he didn’t so much as flinch when a supporter asked him on camera, “How do we beat the bitch?” But these days Mr. McCain just loves the women. [...]

How heartwarming. You’d never guess that Mr. McCain is a fierce foe of abortion rights or that he voted to terminate the federal family-planning program that provides breast-cancer screenings. You’d never know that his new campaign blogger, recruited from The Weekly Standard, had shown his genuine affection for Mrs. Clinton earlier this year by portraying her as a liar and whiner and by piling on with a locker-room jeer after she’d been called a monster. “Tell us something we don’t know,” he wrote.

But while the McCain campaign apparently believes that women are easy marks for its latent feminist cross-dressing, a reality check suggests that most women can instantly identify any man who’s hitting on them for selfish ends. New polls show Mr. Obama opening up a huge lead among female voters — beating Mr. McCain by 13 percentage points in the Gallup and Rasmussen polls and by 19 points in the latest Wall Street Journal-NBC News survey.

How huge is a 13- to 19-percentage-point lead? John Kerry won women by only 3 points, Al Gore by 11. [...]

The fictional scenario of mobs of crazed women defecting to Mr. McCain is just one subplot of the master narrative that has consumed our politics for months. The larger plot has it that the Democratic Party is hopelessly divided, and that only a ticket containing Mrs. Clinton in either slot could retain the loyalty of white male bowlers and other constituencies who tended to prefer her to Mr. Obama in the primaries.

This is reality turned upside down. It’s the Democrats who are largely united and the Republicans who are at one another’s throats. [...]

So far, despite all the chatter to the contrary, Mr. Obama is not only holding on to Mrs. Clinton’s Democratic constituencies but expanding others (like African-Americans). The same cannot be said of Mr. McCain and the G.O.P. base. [...]

The only figure in the McCain camp who has candidly acknowledged any glitches is his mother, the marvelous 96-year-old Roberta McCain. Back in January she said that she didn’t think her son had any support in the G.O.P. base and that those voters would only take him if “holding their nose.”

The ludicrous idea that votes from Clinton supporters would somehow make up for McCain defectors is merely the latest fairy tale brought to you by those same Washington soothsayers who said Fred Thompson was the man to beat and that young people don’t turn up to vote.

See you at my weekly Sunday morning TBPNTOTV!!! liveblog.

Obama gains among women, Part 2

By GottaLaff

Here ya go, Paddy.

Poll: Women are NOT shunning Obama; he has a 62% chance of winning

By GottaLaff
GObama!

Are women a big problem for Obama? Maybe not. At least one poll shows rapid recent movement to Obama overall among Democrats, including women.

Pollster Scott Rasmussen says that as of today, based on 3,000 automated telephone surveys over the past three nights, Obama gets support from 52% of the women in his national tracking poll compared with 40% for presumptive Republican nominee John McCain. He says that's better than Democrat John Kerry did with women against President Bush in 2004.

There are more details, but here's a peek:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows Barack Obama attracts 48% of the vote while John McCain earns 40%. When “leaners” are included, Obama leads 50% to 44%. Last Tuesday, just before Obama clinched the nomination, the candidates were tied at 46% (see recent daily results). Data from Rasmussen Markets gives Obama a 62.1 % chance of winning.

Women Threaten Obama Boycott

By Paddy


Brilliant, just f'ng brilliant. What is up with these women? Because their noses are out of joint they're going to "campaign against the Democratic nominee". Sounds like a desperate ploy at blackmail to me.

I've posted a few times in the last two days about female supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton who are angry -- at the Democratic Party, at the Obama campaign, or at the general situation that sees their candidate facing tough times, in their view, in part because of sexism.

Just talked to a 55-year-old Columbus, Ohio resident named Cynthia Ruccia, a spokesperson and organizer for a group calling itself "Clinton Supporters Count Too." She said the group -- numbering in the hundreds, and organized in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Michigan -- stands ready to boycott the Democratic Party if Clinton doesn't win the nomination, and will work against superdelegates who support Obama over Clinton as a means of registering their displeasure with the party.

"We have a plan to campaign against the Democratic nominee," the group said in a press release Thursday. "We have the (wo)manpower and the money to make our threat real. And there are millions of supporters who will back us up in the swing states. If you don’t listen to our voice now, you will hear from us later."