McCain and Obama and Women

Tomorrow, John McCain will be making another campaign stop in Wisconsin. He'll be participating in a women's town hall meeting.

Friday, July 11, 2008

HUDSON, WISCONSIN

WHO: John McCain

WHAT: Women's Town Hall Meeting

WHEN: Friday, July 11, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. CDT
*Please note: Doors open at 8:00 a.m. CDT.

WHERE: J&L Steel Erectors
2365 Willis Miller Drive
Hudson, Wisconsin 54016

By the way, have you seen McCain's new ad, "Love"? Take a look. It's not a "women's" ad, but it's good.
_________________

It seems this week on the campaign trail could be called, "It's the women, stupid."

While McCain will be addressing women in Wisconsin on Friday, Barack Obama is also targeting women this week.

In a sign Barack Obama is trying to win over female voters who may be frustrated after his bruising primary race with Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee announced an economic security plan to help working women today.

Obama's campaign claims his plan will give a tax cut to 71 million working women, guarantee seven days of paid sick leave for 22 million additional women, and make childcare more affordable for 7.5 million working mothers.

How much will this cost?

Who will pay?

In the end, I suppose at least some of the working women Obama claims to care about will have their pockets picked and be taxed to fund his promises.

...Obama will begin selling the plan tomorrow, appearing with Clinton at a "Women for Obama finance breakfast" fundraiser in Clinton's home state of New York. The event will begin around 8 a.m. After that, Obama will travel to Fairfax, Va., to discuss economic security plan with women at a town hall meeting.

Obama's wife, Michelle, is getting in on the act too. Michelle headlined an event with women voters in Saginaw, Mich., this afternoon, and will address another group in Kansas City, Mo., tomorrow -- both battleground states for November's election.

I really wonder what Obama has promised Hillary.

...Michelle Obama, speaking at the women's economic roundtable in Saginaw today, added a personal anecdote to the discussion about her husband's plan, saying she supported Barack's pursuit of the presidency for the sake of her daughters:

"I thought about the world I want my girls to grow up in: a world where they'll be paid fairly for their work. Where they won't have to choose between their kids and their careers. Where they can dream without limits and achieve without a glass ceiling ever standing in their way.

And then I realized that if that's the world I want for my girls, then I had to do my part to ensure that someone like Barack would be president."

Yes, Obama will be the savior of women.

Michelle is campaigning for her husband because of her children, the children that the Obamas allowed to be used as political props in the Access Hollywood interview, the ones that Barack Obama vowed to keep out of the limelight.

Women, vote for Obama for the sake of your daughters!

Only Obama can deliver a country where little girls can dream without limits. Yeah, right.

Women are so oppressed in America. Save me Obama!

The way Michelle talks you'd think this is Afghanistan and we're all wearing burkas.

It's odd for Michelle to be talking about dreaming big and no glass ceiling when she goes around encouraging women to stay out of corporate America, to not go after the power positions.

Michelle describes the choices she and Barack made and preaches to women:

“We left corporate America, which is a lot of what we’re asking young people to do,” she tells the women. “Don’t go into corporate America. You know, become teachers. Work for the community. Be social workers. Be a nurse. Those are the careers that we need, and we’re encouraging our young people to do that. But if you make that choice, as we did, to move out of the money-making industry into the helping industry, then your salaries respond.”

Michelle wants young women to stay out of the money-making industry. In short, dream, but with limits.

I really don't like this line from Michelle: "Where [women] won't have to choose between their kids and their careers."

Nothing any politician can do would take away the choices women must make in regard to their children and their careers. Men make choices about family and career commitments, too.

Obama can't add hours to the day. People have to choose how to spend their time. It's about priorities. They have to weigh fulfilling their material desires and the priceless, time with their children.

Having a dream career and unlimited financial rewards doesn't mean you can buy more time or control how quickly children grow up.

The Republican National Committee responded with a criticism of Obama and a summary of McCain's efforts to help working families.

"There is hardly anything more representative of old-style partisan politics than Barack Obama’s cynical attempts to gain the support of women," said Blair Latoff, RNC spokeswoman.

"As a son, husband and father of three daughters, John McCain has always recognized women’s unique issues and has worked during his years in the United States Congress to improve women’s health care options, make certain the work place is free from discrimination, ensure employers can provide parents flexibility in their work schedules to balance family needs, provide strong educational opportunities for parents to chose for their children, allow families to keep more money in their pockets to care for their families, and keep our families safe and secure from this uncertain world," the RNC said in a statement.

That's well said.