The Democrats War on Women

As we know, the Democrats are running against the Republican’s War on Women. Just as Republicans waved “The Bloody Shirt” for decades after the Civil War, the Democrats for 4 decades have waved a woman’s reproductive rights against the Republicans. The Administration’s mandate that providers, including the Catholic Church, offer free contraception to the insureds, is an example of a political gambit to fuel the gender gap.

This strategy is an insult to the intelligence of the American Woman.

The last Republican to win the female vote was George H. W. Bush in 1988 by 1%. The normal gap is 7% for the Democratic candidate; that is the difference between the female and male vote for the Democratic presidential candidate is 7%. Senator Obama won both the female and male vote three years ago, but is expected to lose the male vote this year. He must therefore maximize the gender gap.

Hilary Rosen’s statement about Ann Romney last Wednesday imperils this strategy.

Hilary essentially declared war, at least political war, against stay at home mothers. The backlash was fast and furious.

Not all Democrats parrot the rhetoric that Republicans are waging a War on Women. Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D. Mo.), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said “It’s wrong for Democrats to accuse Republicans of waging a “War on Women.” He also felt Republicans should similarly stop charging the President with waging a “War on Religion.”

A rhetorical cease fire during a presidential election year would be appreciated by the American people,but politicians know negative ads work.

A second issue arises with Hilary’s statement.

The American woman has options available to few women in the world. She is free to work, stay at home, or work part time. She may marry or not, have children or be childless. She may become a professional, politician, pilot, CEO, or university president. If she wants to work, she is no longer restricted to being a teacher, librarian, nurse, or secretary.

Society no longer consigns women to the traditional stay at home, Leave It to Beaver, Ozzie and Harriett role. On the off chance she became a lawyer five decades ago, she was probably practicing estate planning, taxation, or family law.

America has changed in many ways in fifty years, but one limitation still exists.

God help the modern American Woman though if she becomes a conservative Republican public figure. The calumnies dumped on Governor Sarah Palin were outrageous, including vitriolic attacks on her family. Congresswoman Michelle Bachman was treated almost as shabbily. Democratic women, such as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also receive vicious attacks, but these are generally limited to political rather than personal matters.

Hilary Rosen’s comments were repudiated by President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden, Democratic Chairwoman Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, David Axlerod, and a host of others, but she was not thrown under the bus.

Hilary Rosen is not a low level political strategist. She is managing director of SKDKnickerbocker, a political consulting firm, co-founded By President Obama’s
former Communications Director Anita Dunn. Ms. Dunn lost her position in the White House after being quoted at a high school graduation ceremony saying two of her favorite political philosophers were Chairman Mao and Mother Teresa.

Hilary has been in the White House 35 times since President Obama’s inauguration. She is also a commentator for CNN. Unlike the attempts to muzzle Rush Limbaugh after his awful verbal attack on Sandra Fluke, CNN has made no effort to terminate Hilary Rosen. Perhaps not a coincidence, Hilary Rosen’s firm represents Sandra Fluke.

Third, the real war against women is the economic war. Governor Romney argues that 92% of the Americans losing their jobs in the economic collapse are women. The Obama Administration has unsuccessfully looked for ways to refute this claim.

The question for November is if women will vote social issues or economic issues.