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Politics | 08/19/2008 9:03 am

McCain Not a Ladies' Man?

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© AP

Barack Obama’s campaign is trying to convince Americans that John McCain won’t be successful in wooing women voters.

Dana Singiser, who oversees Barack Obama’s women’s outreach efforts, issued a memo Monday, arguing that the Republican presidential hopeful made a major effort to reach women voters in June because he’s so far behind his Democratic opponent in garnering the female vote.

"Despite his campaign’s outreach efforts, McCain’s attempt to bridge the gender gap has fallen flat," wrote Singiser. "He fares worse among women than any presidential candidate since Bob Dole in 1996."

Singiser, who is a former Hillary Clinton aide, noted that women have outvoted men in every election since 1964, and that during this year’s Democratic primaries, the women’s vote reached at least 59 percent in 14 states.

"During the Democratic National Convention next week we will mark Women’s Equality Day, the anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States,” she said. “Eighty-eight years after the right of American women to vote was written into our Constitution, the women’s vote will make the difference in this election."

CBS News and CNN note that McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds did not respond directly to the Singiser memo, but said: "Barack Obama is spinning this issue to disguise his support for higher taxes, and refusing to acknowledge that the legislation he’s promoting has more to do with paychecks for trial lawyers than the struggles of working women."

Bounds said the Equal Pay Legislation, which Obama supports, would benefit trial lawyers in part because it could lead to frivolous lawsuits.

Here are five reasons, according to the Obama campaign, that McCain can’t get the women vote:

1.) Women voters don’t trust McCain because of his extreme positions on the key issues important to them. Obama leads McCain by 10 points (42% vs. 32%) when it comes to which candidate women trust more. (The August 5 poll also found that 14% said they trust neither, and 5% trust both.)

2.) Women want change from the last eight years of neglect for America’s middle-class families and women’s economic security.

3.) Equal Pay: 77% of women believe the next president should address the issue of providing women with equal pay for equal work. McCain has opposed legislation to provide more effective remedies to victims of pay discrimination, and legislation to overturn the Ledbetter decision — a pay discrimination case filed by Lilly Ledbetter against Goodyear. The case was thrown out last year by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision delivered by conservative Justice Samuel Alito.

4.) Health Care Costs: McCain’s health-care plan "isn’t expected to make a major dent in the number of uninsured Americans," and he would – for the first time in our nation’s history – tax health-care benefits. Only 27% of women are very confident that they will be able to afford health care for themselves and their families. There is a disproportionate number of women who are uninsured or in danger of losing their coverage.

5.) Women’s Reproductive Rights: 62% of women believe that Roe v. Wade established a constitutional right, but McCain has bragged about consistently receiving a zero rating from pro-choice group NARAL during his 25-year voting career. McCain has repeatedly voted against federal funding for family planning, and accessibility of contraceptives for women. McCain’s support among Republican pro-choice women dropped by 9% after hearing his positions.

188 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Diana T
James, on my refrigerator I have two pieces of scripture that have been on it for so long, they are curled and yellow. The first one is Matthew 25: 31-46, you know the one, …if youdo not do for the least of these, you do not do for me”…. The other one—I had it read at my husband’s funeral—Philippians 4:4-9, Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.
By Diana T on 08/21/2008 2:05 pm
James the Game
That is sweet. You might want to photocopy those onto newer computer paper!
By James the Game on 08/21/2008 5:27 pm
Diana T
As long as they are there, I will be fine. I know them anyway. And the family knows to read Philadelphians(what my son called it when he was a little boy) at my funeral. To me, Matthew is the essence of Christ’s teachings, period. And Budda, and Ghandi. I am not an evangelistic born-again Christian, because I want to study the meaning as it was intended to be, not literal interpretation. So, over the years, I have evolved into cradle Episcopal with a Jewish-Buddist slant.
By Diana T on 08/21/2008 9:08 pm
DeBúrca obj
Diana, McCain’s deplorable voting record on women’s issues (though, they are really HUMAN issues) probably accounts a lot toward the fact that Obama is besting McCain 61 to 29 in the Unmarried Women vote. Those are the women with the most to lose from his votes, his views and his plan to stack the Supreme Court with yet MORE ultra-conservatives. As the mother of a daughter, the thought of McCain getting his hands on our Supreme Court absolutely terrifies me and inspires me to do all I can to get Obama into the White House and as many Democrats as possible into Congress!
By DeBúrca obj on 08/19/2008 8:44 pm
Diana T
Choosing not only the Supreme Court judges, but also the Court of Appeals and the Federal District judges all over the land, DeB, is one of the reasons I believe it is essential to investigate voting records of these guys. And, you are correct to my way of thinking. McCain intends to finish the job that Bush 43 started. On MSNBC or McNeil/Lehrer(I never stopped calling it the original name), I forget which, they had two represenitives from Republicans for Obama, and it was most interesting what they had to say. They are moderates, and were discussing the woman’s right to choose and the economy.
By Diana T on 08/19/2008 8:55 pm
DeBúrca obj
There are so many Republicans for Obama, they have a name… “Obamacans” ! I personally know several Republicans who never voted Democratic before who are big Obama supporters. The only Republicans I know who do not support Obama are the couple who are anti-choice voters who would vote for for a chimp if he were anti-choice. Most of the Republicans I know are not in that group, are disgusted with Bush, his war, the way he got us into war, the deficit, etc. and see McCain as more of the same and don’t think this country can take it.
By DeBúrca obj on 08/19/2008 9:58 pm
Diana T
I guess I was not aware that there are that many obamacans out there because I am in a republican stronghold. Mitch McConnell is one of our senators, for cryin’ out loud. I think I will google their website; they must have one.
By Diana T on 08/19/2008 11:29 pm
DeBúrca obj
I live in a very Republican stronghold myself, DuPage Co. Illinois… though it has been changing quite a bit in the past 8 yrs thanks to Bush. Most of the Republicans here tend to be more on the moderate, fiscal conservative side and nearly every one I know is backing Obama.
By DeBúrca obj on 08/19/2008 11:57 pm
James the Game
There certainly is going to be a lot more cross-over voting than ever before in this election, I predict. That’s why swing voters are so crucial, and partially the reason why the polls are still somewhat close. Especially if McCain selects pro-choice Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Then there will be even more “Obamacans”. Unfortunately, if Obama doesn’t select Hillary as his running mate, I’m afraid a fair percentage of Democratic swing voters may switch to McCain. I don’t know what they’re being called - “McCainaways”, or some words that can’t be printed in public?
By James the Game on 08/19/2008 11:33 pm
James the Game
O.I.C., after reading the link Diana provided. “McCainocrats”.
By James the Game on 08/19/2008 11:37 pm
Diana T
James, knowing what you know about McCains voting record in regards to choice, equal pay, etc…if You were a woman, could you see yourself crossing over just because you didn’t get Hillary? I mean, think about all the judges-supreme,appeals, federal—the president chooses. Isnt’ that just a very egotistical way to shoot oneself in the foot? I still think that the women doing that are the same type of persons that will show their spite by voting for Bob Barr and Ralph Nader. And, yes, it worries me because look how Nader screwed up the 2000 election. I just can’t imagine why a woman would do that, other than being a very ego driven person…
By Diana T on 08/20/2008 10:04 am
James the Game
Diana, I don’t get into hypotheticals, but your point is well-taken that Hillary Clinton supporters would be silly to cross over and pull the lever for John McCain, simply because Barack Obama’s campaign treated her, at times, with a lack of dignity. Unless some of those supporters are anti-abortion, etcetera. I agree that Ralph Nader - one of the truly great people of the 20th century - threw a major monkey wrench into the 21st century by running for election. It took just enough votes away from Al Gore to hand the election to Geore W. Bush. While people certainly have a right to vote their conscience, one would hope that factoring in the overall good of the people would weigh more heavily once they’re behind the booth curtain.
By James the Game on 08/20/2008 11:16 am
Diana T
Speaking of booth curtains, James, have you all had many discussions in regards to the voting machines in your state?
By Diana T on 08/20/2008 12:12 pm
James the Game
Greetings, Diana. Did you figure out if you had a pop-up blocker or some other problem with your computer that didn’t allow you to see my photo instead of the avatar icon for the past few weeks? Regarding the sanctity of the vote in Michigan, about 2/3rds of the state’s 5,500 voting precincts have used the optical-scan machines for a decade. State election leaders claim there are all kinds of checks and balances built into them, and there have been no problems. However, they’re similar to the optical-SCAM machines used in New Joisey, so nothing’s fail-proof, is it? The election results were definitely tampered with in Ft. Lauderdale and Cleveland in the past two presidential elections. I won’t say it cost Dems. a victory, but who knows? But check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5yH78elt7I
By James the Game on 08/20/2008 12:25 pm
Diana T
James, maybe I’m more dithery than I thought; I swear this is the first time I’ve notice your pic so large. Lordy, I gotta go to the eye doc.
By Diana T on 08/20/2008 12:55 pm