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The 51%
Author: BobR    Date: 04/13/2012 13:02:58

The 2008 presidential race was quite exciting. After two Bush terms, there was no incumbent for the Republican party. Traditionally, the vice-presidential candidate runs, but Cheney knew he would never be elected, and bowed out. That left both parties to find their presidential candidate for the general election.

What was interesting is that on the Democratic side, there was a serious contender in Hillary Clinton. Sure Geraldine Ferraro had run decades previous, but there was a sense this time that Hillary could actually win (not just the primary, but the general too). As the primaries came down to the wire, it was apparent to the Republicans that they too needed to court a woman. The Republicans ended up with Sarah Palin.

It seemed like that glass ceiling finally WAS getting cracks in it. America seemed ready for a female president or vice-president. Women were being taken seriously and considered equals. Considering that women make up over 51% of the U.S. population, it was a long overdue step forward. But like all steps forward, the Republicans follow it with 2 steps backwards.

After the 2010 election (marked by a backlash by Republicans to a Democrat in the White House, and ennui by the Democratic voters), the Republicans took the House and unleashed their idological id on the country. Despite the jobs numbers languishing, they produced bills redefining rape at the national level, rampaged against birth control, and launched anti-abortion bills in numerous states. It seems like political suicide to wage that kind of war against 51% of the electorate.

But like all things Republican, merely pointing out what they are doing results in a conflagration of rhetoric, accusing the Dems of being divisive (eg: pointing out the obvious racial overtones of a crime results in claims of playing the "race card", pointing out the widening gulf between the "haves" and the "have nots" results in claims of "class warfare", etc.). The Dems - to their credit - are not backing down on this one. Vice-president Joe Biden spoke out asserting that the WoW (War on Women) was real. Of course - he also threw CNN commentator Hillary Rosen under the bus.

She was the one that said Mitt Romney's wife Ann had "actually never worked a day in her life". Considering that my mother raised 4 kids, I understand the backlash from mothers everywhere - it's definitely hard work (especially if you have boys). Ann Romney's response, however, shows what Hillary Rosen was trying to get to - that Ann Romney has lived a very comfortable life:

“This goes back to the rich argument that has been leveled so much against you and your husband,” MacCallum noted. “Basically she’s saying Ann Romney could have chosen to do anything that she wanted and Ann Romney can’t relate to women who have no choice, who have to work and also raise their families.”

“Look, I know what it’s like to struggle,” Ann Romney insisted, possibly referring to her battle with multiple sclerosis. “And if maybe I haven’t struggled as much financially as some people have, I can tell you and promise you that I’ve had struggles in my life. And I would love to have people understand that Mitt and I have compassion for people that are struggling and that’s why we’re running. We care about those people that are struggling.”

Ann Romney said last month that she didn’t think of herself as wealthy even though she is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

“I don’t even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing,” she told Fox News host Neil Cavuto. “It can be here today and gone tomorrow. And how I measure riches is by the friends I have and the loved ones I have and the people that I care about in my life. And that’s where my values are and that where my riches are.”


Spoken like someone who has never had to choose between food and heat. On a state level the War on Women is sometimes overt, sometimes covert. A GOP ad in Wisconsin shows that the state GOP believes women belong in the kitchen (ostensibly barefoot and pregnant too). A law in NC that aims to outlaw gay marriage could invalidate domestic partner laws that protect unmarried women in relationships.

Why any woman would vote for a Republican in ANY contest is beyond me, considering the disdain for women that is so apparently endemic to that party. Perhaps they are getting the message - President Obama is WAY ahead of Romney in the poll numbers among women. If they show up to the polls in numbers commensurate with their majority in the population, it should be a shoe-in for another 4 years. One would hope that it would help with downstream candidates as well. Republicans lost the "black vote" because it was the Dems who stood up for them. One can hope that this will be the case with women too. If the Republicans want to be the party of white men, they will lose every time.

Getting back to this missive's opening though... Assuming that President Obama gets another 4 years, what happens in 2016? By then, Joe Biden will be 74. It seems likely that he would not be interested in the presidency. We will have a replay of 2008, with both parties conducting wide-open primaries. Who would the Dems have in the running?

Surely there will be some strong women, and some men that will be pro-woman, pro-equality, smart, and concientious. One person I would suggest is Newark, NJ mayor Cory Booker. His record of being receptive to his constituents is legendary (like personally handling Twitter tweets during a blizzard to ensure that people got their roads plowed). It's also completely unsurprising to hear that he rushed into a burning house to save a woman:
Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, N.J., rescued a woman trapped in a burning house Thursday night and carried her to safety.

Booker was treated for smoke inhalation at a local hospital and released. He also suffered second-degree burns on his hand.

The New York Times reports that Booker arrived at his Newark home after taping a television interview and found a neighbor's house ablaze. Before firefighters arrived on the scene, the mayor and two members of his security detail entered the house and helped the residents get out safely.

Booker then heard a woman screaming for help on the second floor and went back inside.

Sure firemen do that all the time. But Corey Booker is the mayor of a major city, not a fireman, and he was wearing street clothes, not firefighting gear.

I know we should focus on 2012. But it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. While Republicans are conducting a War on Women, democrats like Cory Booker are saving them, and more than just symbolically. It IS a war, and we are on the right side of it. Let's make sure women know who is looking out for their best interests, now and in the future.
 

36 comments (Latest Comment: 04/13/2012 22:50:25 by Raine)
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Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 13:12:37


Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 13:12:59
Morning

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 13:29:40
Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 13:44:56
Ann Romney is just as out of touch as Mitt, IMO.

Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 13:46:28
Quote by Raine:
Ann Romney is just as out of touch as Mitt, IMO.



Completely agree.

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 14:14:37
WOW!

Juanita, she was ann Romeny's help...

Comment by Scoopster on 04/13/2012 14:16:35
Mornin' all & Happy Fridee

Really looking forward to this weekend.. hockey playoffs, new Stooges movie, and here in Ri it's time for BEERFEST!!!

Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 14:22:29
geez I wish it would rain, there's so much pollen in the air!

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 14:25:05
See after that phone call I am even more irritated with Ann Romney -- She was raised with a nanny. She was raised with wealth -- she ALWAYS knew she would never HAVE to work.

Being a mother is indeed a job that I would not be able to handle -- but if you have a a nanny-- to clean diapers, cook, dust etc., it sure as hell makes like a lot easier.

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 14:25:30
Quote by wickedpam:
geez I wish it would rain, there's so much pollen in the air!
It's killing me the crap in the air.


Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 14:30:20
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
geez I wish it would rain, there's so much pollen in the air!
It's killing me the crap in the air.



I've never sneezed so much

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 14:30:56
I bet the Romney's have a trust fund for their Dressage horses.

Comment by Scoopster on 04/13/2012 14:42:32
This just in from Twitter..

@BorowitzReport: Charles Manson is denied parole, effectively ending his bid for the GOP presidential nomination

Comment by Mondobubba on 04/13/2012 14:44:10
Bobber, thanks for mentioning the awesomeness of Cory Booker. I was gonna link sumpin in

Comment by BobR on 04/13/2012 14:46:07
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all & Happy Fridee

Really looking forward to this weekend.. hockey playoffs, new Stooges movie, and here in Ri it's time for BEERFEST!!!

Beer Fest - awesome movie!

Comment by BobR on 04/13/2012 14:46:27
Quote by Scoopster:
This just in from Twitter..

@BorowitzReport: Charles Manson is denied parole, effectively ending his bid for the GOP presidential nomination



Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 14:50:29
Axelrod totally dresses down John King.
“Why so fast to trash, forgive me, my word, not yours, somebody who is a trusted ally of the White House who has been out there defending the President quite a bit?” King countered.


“I think we have an obligation in politics and public life, when someone, even friends, say things that are inappropriate to say so. In certain ways, when your friends say it, there is more of an obligation to do so. I think that’s true on both sides. I’ve been disappointed on the other side of the aisle just recently when Governor Romney and others were not willing to stand up and denounce speech they felt that most people would call inappropriate. I thought we had an obligation to speak and speak very, very quickly to make clear that this didn’t reflect our point of view and that we thought Hilary hould apologize. She did do that. The other thing that we should clear up is that she actually is your employee, not ours. She works for CNN. I think CNN would not allow her to be an operative for our campaign. She is not. She never has been. She is a supporter of the President. The Romney campaign has throughout the day portrayed her as an advisor to the president. That’s simply not true.”



Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 14:54:49
Nice Duran quote John

Comment by Mondobubba on 04/13/2012 14:55:47
Speaking of this whole out of touch thing. I know a guy from a trivia group on Facebook who seems to think that because Romney isn't a billionaire, he's not a member of the 1%. WTF???



Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 15:07:35
Mars Inc. has severed ties with ALEC

This is particularly good news because Mars makes







Skittles.

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 15:11:02
Rebekah is lovely!

Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 15:13:31
Quote by Raine:
Rebekah is lovely!


Did I miss you on the show?

Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 15:17:21
what IS up with these people signing pledges? Only pledge they should be taking is that to have allegiance to the USA and no other.

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 15:21:10
Quote by Mondobubba:
Speaking of this whole out of touch thing. I know a guy from a trivia group on Facebook who seems to think that because Romney isn't a billionaire, he's not a member of the 1%. WTF???

Wow.


Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 15:21:54
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Rebekah is lovely!


Did I miss you on the show?

Now I have Current TV on the TV. When I heard her on the stream I went upstairs and rewound so I could see her.

Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 15:34:40
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
Rebekah is lovely!


Did I miss you on the show?

Now I have Current TV on the TV. When I heard her on the stream I went upstairs and rewound so I could see her.



awww

Man I have to tell you I love that Bill Press and Steph are on current in the mornings. Now I have something to listen to while I get ready for work!

Comment by Mondobubba on 04/13/2012 15:36:29
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Mondobubba:
Speaking of this whole out of touch thing. I know a guy from a trivia group on Facebook who seems to think that because Romney isn't a billionaire, he's not a member of the 1%. WTF???

Wow.



Yeah, I know, right?

Comment by livingonli on 04/13/2012 17:40:10
Good day folks. Fox keeps raising the bar because apparently Roger Ailes has now said that Soledad O'Brien on CNN was named after a prison. It has really reached the point as to why I can't stand the GOP and its water carriers.

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 19:07:32
And Randi knocksit out of the park with 9-5 by Dolly!



Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 19:15:23
Quote by Raine:
And Randi knocks it out of the park with 9-5 by Dolly!




I love that song

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 19:16:50
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
And Randi knocks it out of the park with 9-5 by Dolly!




I love that song
I thought of you when it started!!!


Comment by wickedpam on 04/13/2012 19:20:08
Quote by Raine:
Quote by wickedpam:
Quote by Raine:
And Randi knocks it out of the park with 9-5 by Dolly!




I love that song
I thought of you when it started!!!


I remember when my mom and my aunt took me to see the movie

Comment by livingonli on 04/13/2012 20:01:53
The one time I am listening to Brunch with Bernie live

Comment by livingonli on 04/13/2012 20:59:11
Couldn't cross-post today's blog to Twitter again today.

Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 21:11:56
Quote by livingonli:
Couldn't cross-post today's blog to Twitter again today.

Safari can’t open the page “http://twitter.com/home?status=The+51%:+http://bit.ly/HCU9Fp+%23p2” because the server unexpectedly dropped the connection. This sometimes occurs when the server is busy. Wait for a few minutes, and then try again.


Comment by Raine on 04/13/2012 22:50:25
Bell Santorum is now lifetime NRA member.
Bella might have another year to live, and this is what her father is doing to her.