Obama Decides What is Important to Women, and Attacks McCain Hypocritically

While fair pay has already been addressed in Equal Pay for Women Promised by Obama Practiced by McCain and Obama's Unrealistic Promise of Equal Pay; it is an issue that needs to be revisited as Senator Obama's has decided to attack Senator McCain on not supporting equal pay for women. The main problem with this attack is that CNS News reported in the article Obama's for Equal Pay, Yet Pays Female Staffers Less Than Males, that not only does Obama pay his female staff less than his male staff, but Senator McCain pays his female staff MORE than his male staff.

The second problem is the Obama campaign's tack. In addressing Clinton's female supporters right after the primaries the NYT reports Senator Obama said, "If women take a moment to realize that on every issue important to women, John McCain is not in their corner, that would help them get over it." 'Every issue important to women' apparently is fair pay and abortion rights. It's hard not to see this as an incredibly condesending remark. Foreign policy, anti-torture legislation, campaign finance reform, immigration, national security, political courage and decency, apparently not of interest to women according to the Obama philosophy. Yet lets address these 'two issues' that Obama believes are important to women. First equal pay; Senator McCain is not taking a stand against fair pay, he's taking a stand for small government. Politically it would be easier to take the simplistic view that promoting lawsuits will actually result in fair pay for women. This is fair pay lip service, the actual number of women in any position to sue their employer is minimal to non-existant. This is just election year politicking. As for choice, this is the issue that the Obama campaign is clinging to in hopes of winning female voters. Senator McCain is pro-life, and the article Yes I'm Female, Pro-Choice and Pro-McCain gives a more detailed rationale for voting McCain.

Again the trouble is how the Obama campaign uses this issue. The Obama camp is quick to point out the politics of fear used by the Bush administration, but a similar strategy is being used to threaten women with the repeal of Roe v Wade if McCain is elected. Supreme court appointments matter, but they aren't guarantees that the court will side one way or another on any particular issue. Since 1975 the presidency has been held by Republicans for 21 years and Roe v. Wade still stands. A woman's vote shouldn't be taken for granted just because a candidate pays lip service to the 'two women's issues.'