There's ample evidence that the Republican policy campaign known as the "war on women" has taken a toll on the GOP's standing with more than half the electorate. Republican leaders, however, still seem unsure how to talk about their problem.
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The leaders of the two political parties clashed over the role of gender in U.S. elections, with the Democrat saying her opponents have been "shockingly out of touch" on women's issues and the Republican saying Democrats and the media have created a phony conflict.
"If the Democrats said we had a war on caterpillars and every mainstream media outlet talked about the fact that Republicans have a war on caterpillars, then we'd have problems with caterpillars," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's "Political Capital with Al Hunt" airing this weekend. "It's a fiction."
This is becoming a popular defense -- denial. War on women? What war on women? Democrats and the media just made this whole story up. It's what South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) argued this week, and it's the line Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), the only woman in the Republican leadership in either chamber, adopted two weeks ago.
It's also wrong.
As we've reported on the show many times, the effort on the part of GOP policymakers at the federal and state level to undermine women's health care is as severe as anything we've seen from a major party in many years. Unlike the war on caterpillars, Republican efforts are real.
I'll spare you the full list of every bill in every state, but the policy offensive is, well, offensive. Restricting contraception; cutting off Planned Parenthood; state-mandated, medically-unnecessary transvaginal ultrasounds; forcing physicians to lie to patients about abortion and breast cancer; abortion taxes; abortion waiting periods; forcing women to tell their employers why they want birth control, going after prenatal care, possible abortion permission slips ... this is no minor policy initiative.
For the chairman of the Republican National Committee to dismiss concerns as "fiction" only adds insult to injury.
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OK...all you need to know is that the GOP is sending out people like Priebus to tell women 'there is no war on women'. Honestly. This weasel is the worst spokesman the RNC has picked yet. I have seen more men (as well as the unholy THREE...Ayotte, Haley and McMorris Rodgers) tell me WHAT I care about than I can count.
He and Scott Walker, who are from the same area, remind me of Frankenstein-ish creations. Both of them give me the same slimy impression. I don't know how anyone could see past that to vote for these guys (Preibus lost a state Senate race before being voted state then national GOP chairman), let alone buy a used car from them.
Don't forget Paul Ryan...he's from there to. Must be something in the GOP water...
Yes! I meant to put him in, too, but somehow forgot. These guys are influential only because someone said they were. They have no thoughts of their own, and their entire platform rests on selfishness and lying about their opponents. Whenever they are confronted with facts, they deflect the question or just make crap up. As a Chicagoan, I have to say that my Wisconsinite neighbors aren't doing anything to dissipate the "cheesehead" stereotype.
Let it also be said that not a single 'conservative' has an original idea or ever has had. All they are is reactionary. The react against, they rail against, they try to turn criticisms of them around to throw at the other guy, but in the long run, to be a conservative means never having to think for yourself.
Follow doctrine, talking points, etc. But there's not a single new idea in the entire lot.
We've always been at war w/ women...whaddya talking about
RE: 1984
Earth to GOP: "Dubya Tee Eff???"
This sounds a little like bait the bitch Or skate and twitch or Oops, I didn't think anybody would notice the legislature being adopted in almost evey state just so The Rich Health Insurance Companies can start denying coverage to women because they will soon no longer be able to increase our rates to be more than that of men. That's all it is. Momma didn't raise no dummy. As far as I know there is still a separation of Church and state. The United States of America is better than this. They should be ashamed of themselves for trying to trample on the rights of others.
The 2,000 recent coincidental attempts to legislate away women's freedoms are a figment of the imagination of the leftist press. The pro-life right wing hypocrisy of decrying abortion while their anti-contraceptive agenda supported by the Catholic Church contributes mightily to the 15,000,000 children who die yearly due to starvation and disease, if noted, is portrayed as an attack on religious freedom. Damn us liberals for promoting quality of life and choice.
I am a woman - 70 years old - and THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS DECLARED A WAR ON WOMEN - and I and hundreds of thousands of women and men are opposing it and we are up for the fight against it. Their neanderthal thinking is beyond moronic. They somehow believe that if you say something enough times, people will buy it. We are NOT buying their insistence that they have not started this. They need to wake up and realize that we intend to finish it. Women make up more than half of the US population. We are in the majority. We and the men who are courageous enough to stand with us will promote, defend, and protect women's rights forever. We will remember in November. We will vote them out. Reince-Priebus and all GOP neanderthals: Prepare for battle!
YES!!! I love you! I am working to re-elect Obama and a huge majority of our group are older women that are SOME HACKED OFF at the Republicans. AND they all cite contraception. The younger women are often bemused as we regale them with the contraception fights of the 60's. We keep telling them to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT or it will all go away.
I applaud you Tosa. But there are quite a few women that voted for Sanitarium because he "values life from conception". These are the women that like Duggar and the Octomom - like being barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen and figure that the rest of working women belong right with them. These are the women & men that need to be awakened.
Add this to the discussion, please.
Nebraska’s new abortion law forced Danielle Deaver to live through ten excruciating days, waiting to give birth to a baby that she and her doctors knew would die minutes later, fighting for breath that would not come.
http://nebraska.statepaper.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/03/07/4d746bd70eb25
Being put through this should be enough to convince the GOP that they are dead wrong. I pray for this woman, this heartbreaking pain could have been lessened if it weren't for this law. What right do men have in bringing forth such legislature against women. They have not walked in our shoes. May God have mercy on their souls.
the republicans have miss read, the constitution and the bible,the constitution provides protection from religious persecution by the government and anyone who would trample on them,and in the bible it will tell you that god has given us the protection with the trinity God,Son and the holy ghost,which is our conscience,and God him self has said, not to judge anyone, that is going to be his job, when we meet him face to face,but the republicans are all over the country dening us, these fundemal freedoms,by passing laws to vertually rape, our women with those probes,I'm not for abortions but ,I think, we all have a mind and should be able to live our lives, with out any judgements from anyone ,this country was founded on religious principles ,but with the freedom to make our own choices,and there are laws that can be inacted to take care of those who are a menace to our society,we are all responsible to god for what we do,not a bunch of old wanna be billionaires we call the congress!
Here, here! I wish every Christian could read your words.
Shumu, nope. They read it as "well, the baby is going to die, anyway. Better the child has fifteen minutes for the mother to treasure than cutting up a baby inside the uterus." I saw an article on it where the commenters were mostly pro-life, and that was their actual view.
I have a test that I seriously suggest every woman give any man who thinks this sort of legislature is good for us.. First have the man lower his pants and bend over..then while gently probing his anal canal..take his balls. put a rubber band around them and watch the fun! Oh sure, he'll jump and scream but at least you won't need birth control around him anymore. (jk..but do not try suggesting this gentlemen...)
I'm sure this should be sent to MYTH BUSTERS to have them try...it would make for some GREAT TV.
Besides we've obviously let too many stupid people breed already..the guy in this article being a perfect example.
The movie "Idiocracy" is all about that.
The GOP leadership seems to think women are pretty stupid and will fall for whatever they say and not their actions. I doubt that.
They just haven't met the right women yet. They're all on the left.
It has a classic, pat-on-the-head, "don't be hysterical nor worry your pretty little head about it" vibe, doesn't it?
There is a lot of gaslighting on this subject, isn't there?
Of course there's no "war on women," in their view. You only make war on people, and if you haven't noticed, their definition of "person," while it may include zygotes and corporations, does not include women (or minorities). Women are livestock or (it seems) caterpillars or worse -- simply things. You don't make war on livestock or things, you merely exert your authority and control over them. Isn't that the proper divinely ordered way -- white male millionaires in charge of everyone else's lives, money, and health care choices? Who could *possibly* have a problem with that? Forbid women to control their own reproduction and enact enough poll taxes, and pretty soon the whole 20th-21st century nightmare of non-people wanting to be people just goes away...
Yup, having an African American as President sure has made them kind of jumpy.Politics not as usual. It sure is great to finally be alive again after years and years of suppression.
Brilliant comment.
Calling it The War on Women a "fiction" is an insult to everyone's intelligence. Comparing Women to Caterpillars is just insulting to women. The first legislation that Obama passed when he became President was about women getting equal pay for equal work. You know, women, jobs and the economy. The things Republicans think Women should be most concerned about. The FIRST thing Republicans tried to pass after regaining control of the House in 2010 was more legislation limiting abortions! It wasn't about JOBS! It was about limiting Women's reproductive healthcare. Republicans made it clear that their first priority was going to be social issues (specifically women't health and choice) and NOT jobs and economic recovery. It's been a mounting War on Women and a mounting insult to everyone with their rhetoric and lies.
Guess what caterpillars turn into beautiful bitchy butterflies.
I watched the rnc chairman this morning ,and he was rude to Carol Costello on CNN and never did answer her question about Romney and his comments,she even brought up what Newt said about, romney,but he never did answer her ,You could tell she was ,irritated but she was very calm and collected,well I guess the next thing you hear, on Fox will be that the, demos are declaring war on catterpillars?
if it quacks like a war.... Wouldn't it be more effective showing support for women, with economic and healthcare issues that were positive? Instead, they focus on restrictions and denials. how stupid do they think we are?
They are the ones doing the appeasing. And it's all to the Large Corporations and Religious Zealots.
they think we are very stupid,and we shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion,and they think they will be able to cover their actions over the past few months on, Fox by lieing and will get fox to work with them and deny all of it!
doubt it just watch and see!
Like abortion or hate abortion that is your choice. Love contraception or hate contraception that is your choice. Telling me that I don't know what I am really doing when I have an abortion or telling me I don't know the long term effects of contraception when you're not a doctor is a war on women. Making doctors lie to patients just to get them to change their minds oversomething that is their right to do but you don't like is a war on women. Telling me that your morals are better than mine we'll that's a war on all free thinking people who can read and make up their own minds. Are women so stupid that we can't think for ourselves and need to be protected from ourselves? This is 2012 people 20 freakin 12 and there and there are still people out there that don't understand that women can think and more importantly vote. I'm a first time voter this year and a registered independant I really wanted to look at both sides and really vote for who I thought would be the best president for this country. I want to thank the GOP for making that really easy. Obama/Biden for 2012 should be the bumber sticker on every free thinking woman's car.
It is more than just anti-choice, it is becoming negate my existence.
This is a frequent tactic: don't address the issue, attack the person making the criticism. The irony is that the particular comment further belittles women, as though they don't know when their rights are being limited and their privacy invaded. I understand that the "caterpillar" reference is designed to be hyperbole, but it reflects how insensitive this commentator is to the issue of women's rights.
Da Nile is the longest river in the world, and these Republicans keep thinking they can swim it without being eaten by the crocs, drowning in their efforts, or escaping archived video and audio recordings!
What folly these fools are offering up to our dear sisters, wives, mothers and grandmothers! What prevents them from realizing they're all wet and and their approach to democracy is exhausted? Why do they keep shoving their Shiavo-mentality upon the rest of us? -Kevo
It was a bunch of guys who allegedly wrote the scriptures and another bunch of guys that gave all the religious power to men by carefully editing out anything that smacked of women's equality. A bunch of guys wrote the constitution carefully only allowing men to vote. There are times I wonder why women tolerate us except for needing us to kill the occasional spider or drop off a little sperm. The party of family values is driving a potentially huge wedge between women and men. If men have any respect for those they profess to love, they need to show it in a major way in this election.
Just what are those caterpillars doing in those cocoons when we can't see them? #waroncaterpillars
Good one! Thanks for my morning chuckle.
thats because it is none of your business! lol just like it's no ones,business what you do in your home, whether or not you use everyroom ,of your house or just your BEDROOM,
They are "Hoping" we forget about all this and be willing to vote for them because they tell us to, or our husbands tell us to. Remember to vote for yourself in November. And if they think they have not created a War on Women, just wait until they see the results in November. In Tulsa Ok, last Tuesday a DEMOCRAT was elected to the state senate. Oklahoma is redder than red, but we are hoping to fix that very soon!!!
Remember until November!!!!!
The Republicans are hoping women voters have amnesia. They don't and this upcoming election is going to be bad for Republicans even on the state level elections. I predict that 2014 and 2016 will see a lot more women running for elective office. Women who run as Dems in conservative areas could get elected and diminish the Republican majority. These women may be the first crack in the ice of safe Republican areas and may provide the necessary support for a Hillary Clinton run for the presidency.
I could buy "War on Women" as political spin if they weren't actually legislating one across the country. Actions count...denial won't undo the legislative onslaught from the right since 2010 that undermines women's health in an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade and make access to contraception more difficult. As a Christian I believe in religious freedom, but my freedom does not give me the right to oppress others with my beliefs either. That's actually counter-Christian.
Call it what you want..it is a targeted attack on one demographic...women.
You know what to do about this. We all do. We just need to do it, and in greater numbers than we have in previous elections. I don't care if someone hates politics or hates both parties. You cannot sit on the sidelines and let personal semantics allow this to go on. Here's the news; we ALL hate politics. However, until we get these distractions, these dividing ruses out of the way by demanding it in the voting booth we can never build a better government, small or large. Those driving you not to vote live under the illusion that salting the earth will lead to a social revolution thru disgust for the current mess.
We already have too few people who are disgusted, voting. You can't change a thing by sitting on your hands. This country does not own us. We ARE the country and we own those representing us. It's time we acted like it.
I'm stunned. But perhaps I'm over thinking things, which is something liberals do. Republicans, on the other hand, never seem to think anything through.
This guy is from a town near my area, and I can tell you he's just as dumb as he sounds here, in fact maybe worse, the problem is that he, Ryan and Walker (all good buddies, by the way) think they've got the world on a string right now. The fact that any of them have national standing in the GOP just shows how pathetic things are for the right at this point. We need to get up and drive these weasels back to Union Grove Wisconsin to work at the hardware store or the grain elevator where they belong.
I quit referring to it as republican "leadership" a long time ago.
Karen has made a simplle, brilliant comment. This guy is worse than Michael Steel who by the way seems to have returned to commonsense, it must be something about that particular job that turns them into blithering idiots. I assure you I rarely agree but at least Steel is talking commonsense nowadays.
Until Republican candidates stop saying they will do away with Planned Parenthood it is a war and will continue to be one. Men don't go to PP for health issues, women do. I could go on and on about why it is only women who want to plan when they become parents and are left with the gut wrenching decisions that have to be made concerning an unwanted pregnancy but I won't. I do not understand why the Republicans started this war in the first place, much like I did not understand why Bush went to Iraq but they should at least man up and admit they made a mistake, that of course will never happen because the right is never wrong.
Men can go to PP for healthcare, and do. It's beside the point, but should be mentioned for accuracy's sake.