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Political Hay
The Morning After the ‘War on Women’
A partial transcript from November 7.
ROBIN ROBERTS, Good Morning America Co-Anchor: Good morning and hello to you on this Wednesday, November 7th. I’m Robin Roberts, and for those of you who went to bed early last night, it appears that Mitt Romney has won the presidential election.
Romney’s victory is sending shock waves across the country. It certainly surprised many political analysts. What’s most interesting is that exit polls show the decisive votes were cast by women voters.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, Good Morning America Co-Anchor: That’s right, Robin, it seems hard to believe now. Back in 2008, Barack Obama captured 56 percent of female voters — more than any Democratic presidential candidate since 1996.
And by Inauguration Day, his approval rating stood at 71% among women.
But that support was nowhere to be found yesterday, as Mitt Romney narrowly won the female vote, and with it the election.
For a look at what went wrong for President Obama, here’s Jake Tapper in Washington.
JAKE TAPPER, ABC Senior White House Correspondent: Even as the election results continue to sink in, there seems to be an emerging consensus among political strategists that Democrats erred badly in their strategy with women.
Without the economy to run on, Democrats based their appeal to women voters on abortion and birth control, and it clearly backfired.
Throughout the campaign, abortion rights groups and the Democratic Party claimed that Republicans and the Catholic Church wanted to take away women’s birth control and that it constituted a “war on women.” A Planned Parenthood ad charged that “Mitt Romney would turn back the clock for women.”
At the height of the hysteria, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said, “I think the next act will be dragging women out of patient rooms into the streets and screaming over their bodies as they get dragged out of getting access to women’s health care.”
The Obama campaign also embraced the “war on women” theme. Health And Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius accused Republicans of wanting to “roll back the last 50 years in progress women have made in comprehensive health care in America.”
On its official Tumblr, the Obama campaign posted an electronic greeting card that said, “Vote like your lady parts depend on it. Because they kinda do.”
Another Obama ad showed a woman saying, “It’s a scary time to be a woman.”
Many of you remember Georgetown Law student and abortion activist Sandra Fluke, who complained at a congressional hearing that her Catholic school would not pay for her friends’ birth control. She became a central component of the Democrats’ campaign, even earning a prime speaking slot at September’s Democratic National Convention.
Democrats seemed not to notice that their allegations just didn’t ring true to many women or men, who don’t equate women’s health with abortion. And most voters understood that the real debate with the Obamacare mandate was about religious freedom, about whether religious institutions should be forced to pay for their employees’ birth control and abortion-inducing drugs.
About the Author
Daniel Allott is a writer in Washington, D.C.
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Appleby| 11.1.12 @ 6:43AM
I just heard that a woman who came in to vote wearing a shirt that said "Vote Bible" was told by the witch/wizard/demonic being at the door to either cover it up with her jacket or get out of the polling place. Every time one of these overreaching events occurs, another person says, "By God, Harry, I'm gonna go down and vote and sing 'em a chorus of VICTORY IN JESUS on the way out the door! Who the hades let those Russkies in anyway?"
Hardcard| 11.1.12 @ 8:41AM
beware of the lies and deception to come. these commieprogs will stop at nothing to get the moslem back in the catbird seat. they will use the disaster in the northeast to further their cause. stay strong and vote.
Bill8472| 11.1.12 @ 9:04AM
"MITT ROMNEY WINS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION - WOMEN AND BLACKS HURT MOST"
Pecos Pete| 11.1.12 @ 9:25AM
Prove it.
markenoff| 11.1.12 @ 10:29AM
Obviously this was sarcasm.
Alej| 11.1.12 @ 9:51AM
"MITT ROMNEY WINS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION - STUPID WOMEN AND 96 % OF BLACKS HURT MOST"
Fixed it for you.
DTOM| 11.1.12 @ 9:53AM
War on women? It is being waged by liberal Democrats. Its primary casualties? Half of the babies murdered in their mothers' wombs by abortionists would have been women.
THAT'S THE REAL WAR ON WOMEN!!!
DTOM
SUBVET| 11.1.12 @ 12:25PM
Margaret Sanger/Rockefeller III
It all started when Margaret Sanger under the name of the American Birth Control League. The name was changed for public relations reasons to Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942, Clinton signed into law (infanticide) on the first day of his presidency as a matter of great pride.
Planned Parrenthood....in NY City was established in 1971 and funded with a $200K pledge from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.......also a member of the CFR.
Connect the dots folkes...........Control by degrading womanhood.
markenoff| 11.1.12 @ 10:28AM
"Sandra Fluke, who complained at a congressional hearing"
It wasn't a Congressional hearing It was a glorified Democrat news conference. Some people alsothink she "testified". But she wasn't under oath.
Jimbobogie| 11.1.12 @ 12:22PM
Speaking purely impartially, isn't there an age-old proverb that says something about "counting chickens"? Do not underestimate the impact of Hurricane Sandy-or more importantly Romney's seeming disconnect from the issue. IMHO, he should have at least publically offered any possible assistance to Obama with crisis management instead of simply continuing the campaign with an "Oh by the way let's help the victims of the hurricane". Perhaps he could have offered something more to Chris Christie than a photo-op. Christie made the FOX Morning folks look, shall we say, uni-dimensional (that's about as mildly as I can put it) yesterday.
Appleby| 11.1.12 @ 2:23PM
Actually, there's nothing at all Romney could have done that would not have gotten him mocked and slammed by the press (and half of the people who post here) -- a "me too" like you suggest would have made him look silly.
Reality1| 11.2.12 @ 8:58AM
Hey Jim, do YOU know exactly how much Romney pulled out HIS pocket and donated to the relief effort? You do not so please refrain from hurling useless and baseless accusations around.
RCV| 11.1.12 @ 12:35PM
Dream on, Daniel!
Politically Incorrect | 11.1.12 @ 12:51PM
Im sorry, I find it hard to believe that ABC morning news anchors will run this story. I think they will be just agog that Romney beat there precious leader, that there to busy crying to come up with anything this sensible.
Michael| 11.1.12 @ 3:42PM
I just how many of the liberal media in NY and DC will say, "Oh, goodness, I just remembered I'm pro-life until the next election!! (Or I can claim to be to get the good interviews)
Rhoetus| 11.1.12 @ 11:16PM
The women in my household are voting for Romney.
Fluffy| 11.3.12 @ 1:28AM
I vote like my boy parts depend on it!