We haven’t heard any specific mention of the War on Women in the debates so far, but make no mistake it continues to be the elephant in the living room, the bedroom and the exam room.
This election offers a pretty clear choice, if you’re looking for someone consistently loyal to women. Women, being 51 percent of the population, 54 percent of the voting public. Bigger than a binder-ful.
Oh sure, the election will dramatically affect men, too, but as individuals, not the entire gender. Generally speaking, the male sex will be status quo. The female sex? Ah… could be in big trouble.
Here’s the deal that Republicans offer women. Vote for them and they’ll come up with a way (not sure how) to get America working again and fix the deficit (ask them how later). But they want women’s bodies back.
It’s surprising, shocking really, how women’s rights became a big factor in the election. With so many pressing concerns, you would have thought we’d be fully concentrating on moving America forward. But, nope. There are people bent on going backwards. And they will make their mark with women.
It is not men the ultra right obsesses over.
Nobody is lurking inside men’s health clinics to spy on a man’s exam. No one is thinking up ways to turn a legal urological procedure into something that is shameful, embarrassing, unnecessary and invasive. Or saying vasectomies should be illegal.
No one is saying an employer should get to grill male workers about why they want birth control. No one is fantasizing about what happens to a man’s body during a “legitimate rape.” No radio bully condemns sexually active male college students. Guys having sex? Well, boys will be boys. And the women? Simply sluts.
Of course the Republicans make war on women.
Republicans fought against the Lilly Ledbetter Act to protect women workers from wage discrimination. Republicans stood against extending the Violence Toward Women Act.
Republicans support person-hood amendments that would turn a woman into a felon if she couldn’t prove her miscarriage happened naturally.
Yet, they toy with us. Mitt Romney has been for choice, against choice and then, kind of, maybe, for. Paul Ryan, who’s voted 60 times against reproductive rights, mocks the War on Women. Lately he’s been saying he’d allow abortion in certain cases.
Haven’t women learned not to trust a man who won’t commit?
Romney and Ryan have played fast and loose with women, backing some of the wackiest and most punishing notions concerning abortion and birth control. They hope we will forget.
The Romney campaign this week said that equal pay and choice are “small things” and not important to voters. Real women, the GOP claims, don’t worry about women’s rights. Women care about jobs. Women care about going to war in Iran. Of course, we worry about the economy and Iran getting the bomb. But does that mean we have to give up our freedom?
The extremist religious and retro right and their candidates would turn us back to an America where our daughters and nieces and granddaughters have fewer rights than we women have now.
They don’t want to mess with men. They are not threatening a man’s choice. Or plotting what their Supreme Court might do to men.
They just want to take away a little bit of freedom from women, shave off just a little equality.
And were they to once taste victory, what thinking woman can imagine them not asking for a little more? And what thinking man wants that?
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Excellent piece. Thank you.
Yes, thank you.
When will the USA government really see women as viable human beings? Completely equal & worthy?
“The Romney campaign this week said that equal pay and choice are “small things” and not important to voters.”
Self-centered Idiots!
Very well put! I can’t understand why any woman in her right mind would buy Romney’s wanting to put women back 100 years. If he gets into the White House, will we lose our right to vote in 4 years time?
There is no war on woman. That hasn’t come up in the debates because even BO knows it is a non-substantive, theatrical term coined by Nancy Pelosi. And she is bat shit crazy—she sleeps hanging upside down.
The extremists on the right—Santorum for example—didn’t make it to be the republican nominee because he is as crazy as Nancy Pelosi. So he’s looniness isn’t relevant in this election.
Mitt Romney is against abortion. So am I. Its murder. But I differ from Romey because candidly I don’t think I should choose for other women. I stand by your right to murder unborn children, as abhorent as I find it.
And yes–I think you should buy your own birth control, and I dont think I should fund it.
Having said that, lets look at one of those pesky little facts. We elect presidents, not emporers. Roe vs Wade went into effect in 1973. Know who was president in 1973? Richard Nixon, a republican.
Abortion has been legal in the USA for almost 40 years. How many of those 40 years were under Republican presidents? ,21 years—5 republican presidents. Not a single one of them could do anything—or did anything—to take womens rights backwards. GWB in fact had more women advisors than ay president before or since then.
Name me one right any woman has lost in the last 40 years as a result of having a republican presiden. You simply cannot.
I’m in my right mind, and I will vote for Romney because Barack Obama is clueless and lost when it comes to the business, economy. His weak experience has showed in the last 4 years. Tough times call for real leaders. And he isn’t gettng the job done. The economy is tanked. He has done nothing but offer excuses and pointed blame everywhere else.
And I am not the only woman who feels this way.
You see as women—we are all unique. We may all have a vagina, but our interests and or opinions are as varied as our thumbprints.
You are all welcome to your own individual opinions but none of you speak for womankind. You sure dont speak for me, and I am surely capable of speaking and choosing for myself.
Dear Dallas Lady:
I am amazed that you still do not think there is a war on women. I think you are completely fooling yourself about what is happening in the world. If there is no war on women, please tell me why we have candidates who openly approve of putting restrictions on birth control? Why do we have candidates that do not want to sign the violence against women act? Why is there a bill being presented concerning the restriction of abortion based on hearing the heartbeat of a fetus? Why are their forced sonograms if you want to terminate a pregnancy? Who mostly sponsored and presented these ideas? Men, Men and Men.
I gave a big sigh of relief when the Romney/Ryan ticket was defeated. It was starting to look like we would need a woman’s army to defend us from slavery. They should keep their hands off my body! And I am not a one issue person but I don’t think I should have to give up my rights to make this country better. That’s CRAZY!!!
I agree with you April 100%.
Yes, there is most certainly a war against women. & we need better laws to protect them .
We need equal pay, equal charges for goods & services ,hair salons charge more for women than men, as well as dry cleaners, there are numerous over charges in healthcare for women. These are just 3 examples, so many more exist.
Equal rights for women still has a long way to go, in a mans world.
I too am glad romney lost.
Abortion isn’t the only issue, nor should it be “the deciding issue”. I’ve lived and worked in over 35 countries around the world and I’ve learned that in some cultures, abortions are the only mode of contraception and therefore it’s widely accepted. What gives Americans the right to dictate their” rigid Christian morals” that do not apply to everyone? Government should have no say in what a woman does with her body. That’s a very personal, as well as cultural, decision to be decided by the woman-not government.
“I went to a number of women’s groups,” said Romney, “and said, ‘Can you help us find folks?’ And they brought us whole binders full of women.” How on earth can a man in this day and age of women running entire countries make such a comment that is at least 30-40 years out of date? Didn’t he personally know or associate with any women? Couldn’t he open his eyes to the intelligent women who were probably surrounding him? Couldn’t he look at the incredible job that Hillary Clinton has done and ask himself if there’s others out there just as intelligent and worldly?
I am a dual citizen and currently living in the US so will vote but have no intention of staying here. The idea that the majority of Americans who have no knowledge of what goes on beyond their own little 20 mile radius and how the US is perceived abroad, plus the over righteous religious intolerance means that I’ll be moving abroad within 2-3 years. If Romney gets in, the consensus that America is a bully who tries to interfere with every country’s government will be even stronger than it is now. We don’t need a President who wants to increase military spending and is ready to invade a country at the drop of a hat.
I don’t get the “I don’t want to pay your your birth control argument”? People pay health insurance to cover the costs of their medical/prescription needs.
Anita-If you hav health insurance, then the great likelihood is yes–your insurance covers some or all of it. Under health reform, your insurance must cover 100% of it in 2013. Candidly I dont understand why its ok for your insurance to charge a 20% copay/coinsurancce for every other drug you take, but have a 0% coppay for contraceptives.
And Glenda–exactly what makes you think a President Romney will invade another country at a drop of a hat? Facts please. What did he say or do that has led you to that conclusion? Please quote him on foreign policy that suggests that.
By the way–I completely agree with you that his answer to that quetion in the debate–the reference to binders of women–was crap. However desite his crappy answer to the question, I dont believe that 1) Affirmative Action will be overturned (hell, his answer indicated a support for women, albeit one that was very inadequately worded); 2) he can or will do anything to change Roe vs Wade (face it ladies–its stood for 40 years and will stay for our lifetimes) ; 3) hes war mongering. Again–tell me why you think he is. Because he believes in a storng military? dammit that is one of the rasons why I’m voting for him. I have nothing against a strong military. Because IF we need it–be in the darn batle to win. But dont go there lightly.
But he hasnt said anything that makes me think he’s on his way to invading Lichtenstein on a whim.
And oh by the way; as far as the stupd binders answer Romney made……sorry, but BO didn’t exactly win Mensa points on his “I visited Irsrael as a presidential candidate” answer. Becuase presidential candidates are NOT representatives of US foregin policy. Talk about a duh moment….
Both presidential candidates are full of dumb answers. And so would each of us individally be under this scrutiny. So a single gaffe is hardly indicative of anything other than humaness.
yes, but YOU would not be paying for it, we would through our insurance plans, and even then it depends on what type of birth control. Not all pills or methods are going to be covered 100%. As for co-pays and the various plans people use, I don’t see that it is really a concern of anybody else. Health insurance plans differ in what they offer and some cover things others don’t etc.
PS–didnt BO once as a candidate famously say he had visited all 57 states?
I dont care if you do or dont share my political affiliations. I do care however that we all vote with facts and logic behind our choices. Not hyperbolic fear mongering (“war on women”……”lose our right to vote in 4 years time”).
Lets talk real facts instead of silliness and over dramatized soundbites worthy of reality TV.
Anita,I’m confused. If it is required to pay 100% of birth control….and you are part of any insured group ….then yes you are paying for others. The total cost — which includes 100% of birth control coverage……is spread across all members oc that group……whether they use BC or not. Why do you think otherwise? Maybe it would help if you described the source of your personal medical coverage?
I’m covered under an employer plan. 35k lives. Roughly 80/20 split between employer and emp,oyer. Self insured plan. And given that Obamacare requires 100% of birth control be covered…. I’m now paying for BC of all women in the plan ….despite the fact that my hormone replacement therapy isn’t covered at 100% by law. Much less my make counterparts high blood pressure meds,
So why should BC be covered at 100% by law but not the other meds, hhhmmmmm?
In case you don’t follow any news outside the very narrow US concentric area that US TV channels cover, every President since Reagan has suffered American casualties to terrorism but Obama has suffered far fewer than his predecessors. Probably because he has kept the terrorist groups off balance by relentlessly attacking them. He has largely eliminated Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan as an effective fighting force. His use of drones and special forces has been aggressive and successful, including in Yemen and Somalia.
Republicans, and Romney in particular, seem fixated on why Obama did not know sooner what went on during a terrorist attack in Libya. This is clearly the kind of question that comes from someone who has no experience dealing with terrorism crisis management or, indeed, combat. Romney said that Obama was using a political filter because Rice said “the investigation was on-going”. I have to ask – isn’t it politics to rush out a press release critical of Obama’s handling of a crisis while the crisis is still happening and while Americans are still at risk? Meanwhile the Romney campaign got so many details wrong about that incident-yet that they’ve never recanted! Most Americans don’t care because they don’t even know where Libya is. Ask them to point it out on a map!
Ask a soldier who patrols a middle-East village where you never know if a woman or child as young as 10 or 11 is concealing a bomb or if you are going to encounter an IED just walking your patrol what type of leader they prefer. Ask my son, who served 2 tours in Iraq and although wounded in the first, went back to serve again. The military isn’t asking for additional millions and would rather have a commander in chief who considers a level-headed, well thought out plan that includes thinking through all of the consequences rather than a knee-jerk reaction of sending in extra personnel.
I find it very interesting that Hillary Clinton requested additional funds for embassy security; yet House Republicans cut $128 million in 2011 and an additional $331 million in 2012. (you can verify the numbers if you want) So why is the attack on Bengahzi being talked about so much by the Republicans? Is it because they are afraid that voters believe that Obama has done a very good job fighting terrorists? And I’m sure that Hillary would rather that the extra millions that’s being proposed for military spending by Romney be spent on embassy security.
Check out the world news (oh-sorry, you are probably American and as you live in Texas, you get only Republican news – unless you’ve travelled extensively, as I have, you’ve probably never seen any “real world” news reports. Ever seen news reports in China, Boreno, Africa, Malaysia, Egypt, Israel or South America? It’s a real eye opener!!) I have friends and family in countries all over the world (from Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and most of the European countries-my friends in China, Korea and Russia have since moved back to Europe) and they are cringing at the thought that Romney actually has a chance at getting the election. As one UK family member recently told me-‘Romney couldn’t even compliment the British for their job well done on the Olympics! He had to make a snide remark and in no uncertain terms said that he had done it better. This is just so off-putting and makes Americans look arrogant and stupid!” Most people who live outside the US already had this impression (if only a little bit) but Romney just reinforced their opinion.
That was only one remark on Romney’s “world tour” that didn’t include the “world”. He managed to insult Russia and the Middle East. Do we really want a President who projects this “American image” that we have to be ‘the world power” to the rest of the world and bully our values on them? Because believe it or not-the world does not revolve around the small narrow-minded American viewpoints.
Glenda….just for the record: yes I’m in republican dominated Texas. However I am a liberterian. And yes I have traveled internationally multiple times and seen international news, but no i hawe never lived overseas. I’m quite happy and quite content and feel very blessed to be an American.
Your mileage may vary. And thats ok.
I do appreciate you havw a diferent world view than I (literally and figuratively). And I appreciate your reasoned while still passionate explanation of same. I’d rather see someone elses logc–even though i disagree with it — then hyperbolic dramatic statements that arent backed or founded in any facts.
Speaking of which: You never specifically adeessed the question of what romeny has said that makes you think he will invade Lichtenstein over a bad truffle? Being for a strong military presence is not the same as brokering war–its being prepared to win one if ncessary. Sorry if others think thats a bad thing. I simply do not.
You imply you know how the miliary will vote on the basis of your son. (Thank him for his service for me, by the way). Do you have any data or statistics involving active military personnel’s voting preference? vvI’m a bit of a data geek–I like statistics that back up claims, I have seen data that has military vetersans
supporting Romney over Obama by something like 64% vs 36%. Believe taht was Gallup.
And also — THe below link will take you to a website that polls active military personnel…….and this is their answrs to varous questions that suggest to me that active personnel are pretty divided, but skew toward NOT being in agreement with Obama’s handling of foreign affairs generally speaking:
http://militarytimes.com/projects/polls/2012/results/politics/
Inteested in your reaction to this data.
Notice the poll at the bottom of the page on the link. “President Obama has my best interests at heart’.
69% of activer military personnel polled either disagree or strongly disagree with that statement. 19% are neutral. 20% agree or strongly disagree.
Based on this data, I’m not at all convinced of the veracity of your statement that active military personnel will be preferring Obama over Romney.
and the poll has 51% of active military personnel disapproving of Mr Obama’s presidency with only 20 % approving
AMEN Susan…
The abortion issue is spurious. It is only there for emotive reasons. How many people do you know who are affected, and did they do it for fun? It is the last resort of the desperate, so it should at least be safe. Birth control is an unbelievably good investment compared with the cost of unwanted children. Seriously. A box of condoms plays a life of misery – several lives in fact. Women don’t want abortions, but occasionally they/we really need them. Are we too stupid to be allowed to decide what is the better thing?
You could float a boat on the amount of wasted sperm. Eggs are lost by millions. Nature’s abundance allows for some wastage in all areas of life. If a carelessly spent sperm cell meets an over-keen egg, must it be sacred? Boys will always press for sex, and girls will always want love, let’s at least protect them from risking their whole happiness, by giving them the tools to keep those eggs and sperm apart.
Well the women of America spoke!
Interesting to me how women define themselves through the culture and consider that their freedom is defined by birth control and abortion. The culture of death seems embraced. Faith in God and rejection of moral relativism is considered “extreme”.
I encourage people to read about Melissa Ohden who survived 5 days of saline solution in her mother’s womb, before birth. Listen to her words about how grateful she is that the nurse who heard her little squeaks (from her salt burned self) took it upon herself to give life saving measures. She is now a beautiful woman with her own husband and children and speaks for the unborn.
Now the fetus is dismembered so he or she cannot survive.
Life is sacred and awesome.
Another abortion survivor story
which might bring pause: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKrW7vP8W00
Dear Bethinbelgium,
How do you know that this story is true? Is may very well be true but how do you now that it is true? Please show some more information about this woman and her story.
I’ve been out of this loop because I’ve been abroad during the month of October and incredibly busy and I only returned just in time to vote. The past week I’ve been putting my home back in order after Sandy. Thank goodness I had access to Internet while abroad so I was able to keep abreast of what was happening with the weather as well as politics.
I was so pleased that Obama won that I was literally dancing around the room. It was facinated and heartened to hear while I was away that over 90% of the European plus other foreign leaders were supporting the re-election of Obama. They have to work with our US leader and they all realize that Obama understands global economy as well as global security. By the way – if you question these statistics– you can check BBC on-line, which reports global news – not US local (therefore very narrowly influenced) news. I’m not sure the stats are still there but there were in black and white as well as on line the week before the election. My family and friends have also been dancing around the room!
My family thinks the US has turned into an ineptocracy: system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
So we are cashing in our chips and hoarding them. Mr. Dallas Lady will close his business in 2013….it’s been increasingly non-viable and after he pays his employees. It’s about break even. He’s done fighting an uphill battle of keeping it open only for others and nothing for him. But next year, it’s over. He’s shutting the doors and selling the parts. They are out of work. And he’s out of business.
And next year I’ll likely quit too. I simply refuse to work that hard to pay that much in taxes. I’ll go be a Walmart greeter instead. And then file for food stamps, since so many people can apparently get them!