The Battle Over Women Voters
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-03-12/battle-over-women-voters
Women cast nearly ten million more votes than men in the last presidential race. Their traditional preference for Democrats helped put President Obama in the White House. but the female vote swung to the GOP in 2010, giving Republicans congrol of the House. Now there are signs of another shift. Recent polls show Republicans have been hurt by the current focus on contraception, abortion and women’s health issues. This week the President’s re-election campaign plans to launch an intensified effort to mobilize female voters. Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post, Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women and Phyllis Schlafly, founder and president of the eagle forum, join Diane to discuss the battle for and about women.
Guests
Terry O'Neill
president, National Organization for Women.
Phyllis Schlafly
founder and president, Eagle Forum
Karen Tumulty
national political reporter, The Washington Post.
Comments
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Phyllis Schafly arguments are just so off the charts! It's no wonder we're in dire situation if we have women like her attacking other women interests and reproductive rights...
And why is she's so angry?
I am appaled Diane that you would have should a highly conservative extremist on your show. Someone should tirade against her duaghter the way that Rush tiraded against Sandra fluke. This reminds me of the conservative Bostonian women who were against the vote for women. They were ignorant and behind the times like your extremist guest. Women must stand up for equality- EQUALITY
I agree! thank you
Isn't health care in general the care of body systems: gastrointestinal, cardiac, endocrine, etc? Why the drive to deny coverage of only the reproductive system and only for women?
It seems that Phyllis Schlaffly is against contraception for women, or at least she does not want to pay for it, my question is what is her position on coverage of Viagra for men which, as far as I know, is covered by insurance companies? Should religious organizations pay for Viagra if they do not pay for contraception?
My comment is directed at Phyllis Schlafly.
To state that Obama is getting a majority of support from single women who a dependent on welfare and government handouts is completely wrong. I'm a single women voter and I support President Obama. I'm not receiving any type of "government handout". I work hard and I'm a taxpayer. Comments like this are the exact reason why single women tend to vote democratic.
I am a married, stay at home mom. But I also consider myself feminist minded and often democrat but often conservative as well. I can say almost everything that Phyllis Schlafly has said has been so close-minded and offensive to me. Has this woman even talked to modern day stay at home moms in the past decade? Listening to the show right now, I cant believe the words coming out of her mouth. Is she serious? I don't even know where to start. Perhaps this woman should spend less time criticizing feminists and actually take some time to get to know some. I certainly don't think of my home as a concentration camp for women. I don't know a single other feminist who does. Its about equality of the sexes, and that starts with the cessation of thinking in such black and white terms. My husband didn't say " You stay home because your the woman." We had a discussion as equals and decided financially it was better for our family as his job brings in a higher income.
Do you know any single mothers personally? Have you ever worked with a young pregnant woman who agonizes of the choice of carrying to term her pregnancy or terminate it? Your facile treatment of the issue and intimation that those who think that government has a role in reproductive health, (which is also public health) are pimping a party, is both outdated, wrongheaded and indicative that you do not know anybody who has gone through the issues of poverty and unintended pregnancy.
The game of saying that the democrats did it too when talking about Limbaugh's behavior reminds me of my older brother when we were children and he got caught doing something wrong and would tell my parents about something I did wrong to divert their anger at him. Diversion is a juvenile response. As for paying for something they do not believe in, in my 60 years I have paid for a lot of things I do not believe in with my tax money, take the Iraq war as an example. I always thought thought this was the price of living in a democracy. With their arguments are the Republicans saying I won't have to do this or are they saying only they should not have to pay for what they do not believe in? And, has Ms. Schlafly been explained the Code of Conduct or is that only for commenters?
DIANE!! PHYLISS, really??? I understand fair and balanced
but she is coming across as Rush with ovaries!!!
and I am a Christian Southern Woman who votes...
democrat
I'm in total agreement. Another weak interview on NPR. http://www.filthyliberal.com
The opponents of the entire health program, especially the "birth control" part, argue that they don't want to pay taxes for something they disapprove of. Well, I am paying taxes pay for a baseball stadium I didn't want, here in Dade County. To say nothing of a war in Iraq I found morally reprehensible.
I have to contribute to pay for wars that I oppose so this whole thing about whose going to pay is totally bonus
"Souls" have NO recognized rights, nor should they have any, under the Constitution!
"Souls" have NO recognized rights, nor should they have any, under the Constitution!
schluesm - Phyllis is a great example of the hate filled rightwing. Every time she speaks she distorts and lies about this issue. http://www.filthyliberal.com
You have commented on the single women vote vs. married women vote by party .
What is the data by age group and marietal status?
In my heart I am now fully Republican. For me that means you work for your survival! This means people must get involved and participate in the welfare of the community. Why would people, women do this if they are getting something for nothing! The current administration is enacting laws that give the $$ taxes of the hard working people of this country to the people including single mothers who take advantage of the state offered freebies. I was a single mom and worked the entire time. I paid for insurance and was completely empowered and had available birth control methods. At what point do we as a nation continue to pay for people to have babies on the state! Each person needs to pay or take care of themselves. Today you can no longer say it is ignorance or I can afford it with all the options available now.
The American economy cannot afford to pay an pay and pay for people who refuse to take care of themselves!
Beth
We are not talking about churches but health isurance coverge right? Also It was said it is not expspensive how much does an abortion cost? How much is the contreception pill?And what about the cost to a single mom?
Thanks Jeff
I'm a believer of equal rights for women and men. Phyliss S. would consider me a feminist and I love men. My father not only encouraged me to attend college but paid my tuition for college and graduate school. His mother raised four children alone after his father abandoned the family. My father told me 'you need to be able to support yourself because you might find yourself without a husband for any number of reasons'. The women in my life were all strong and independent. My Grandmother had to work beginning at age 13 in order to survive. When my mother was a teenager during the depression, her mother worked in order to help her husband pay the rent and pay for essential household needs. She would have loved to have stayed at home with her children but couldn't afford to do so. Why? There were multiple factors including the fact that our country's banking industry and corporate giants destroyed our economy which led to the Great Depression. It was government programs such as Aid to Dependent Children that stopped the orphan trains of the Great Depression and enabled mothers to care for their children. Women worked full-time until after WWII when their jobs were taken away from them to give them to returning veterans. It is a myth that women were housewives until the 1970s. As a feminist, I believe in equal rights for women and men. I'm glad that domestic violence is now recognized as a crime; I'm glad that married women are equal partners on home deeds; I'm glad that women and men are able to enter professions and occupations that previously closed to them (look at nurses now men can enter the profession); and many other changes in laws that discriminated against women and men.
First, I would like to know what Phyllis Schlafly's definition of a feminist is.
This entire conversation is about CHOICE. I have CHOSEN to be a full time mother and homemaker (for the past 15 years) who is an independent voter. I have many friends who are single parents, work full time and are raising amazing children. They don't ask for, nor accept, handouts from anyone. They are the hardest working people I know. they may not have chosen to be a single parent, but their children are the single most important thing in their lives.
As a former Catholic, it seems to me that a Catholic woman who has taken birth control in the past is the very definition of a free woman. Every responsible citizen of this country should be on the side of contraception. There should be no hungry children in the United States of America.
Regarding the contraceptive coverage issue, the people arguing against employers including it in health coverage have glossed over a major point in their stampede to trample on an individual's constitutional rights. They all act as if they were having to pay for my (or anyone else's) coverage when in fact there are very few employers who provide wholly employer-paid insurance. We who have group coverage are paying for all or part of it ourselves, irrespective of which employer is making group insurance available. We're not asking Phyllis Schafly or anyone else to pay.
I wish the conversation on women's birth control pills would embrace what Sandra Fluke was trying to iterate which is that those pills are used for serious health concerns as well, not just birth control. Perhaps we should change what we call these pills because the semantics keep getting in the way, don't you think?
Yay Terry O'Neill! An argument based on Constitutional Law--maybe Phyllis Schlafly might decide to do something similar, rather than simply making acerbic and inflammatory declarations.
I am a homemaker and a feminist. These two things are not mutually exclusive. I find comments made on today’s show offensive. I am raising two daughters to believe that woman have a voice in our political world and government.
Phyllis keeps arguing that it is about all of us having to pay for contraception -- yes, welcome to the concept of a "society." I pay for social security even though I doubt I will ever have it, I pay taxes that cover a wide variety of services to my community, regardless of if I think it is a priority -- we all pay for things that the majority need/want even if we as individuals do not believe in it. --- These are all shared goods.
Who ultimately pays for all the unwanted children? Mostly low income folks who do not have the means to pay for birth control or education end up in the emergency room and the tax payer pays for it for years.
Great Show
Thanks,
Stephen Hollis
Ms. Schlafly sounds like she is in the stone age! I can't believe she's still saying the same garbage from 40 years ago.
Phylis Schaffly's remarks this morning about unmarried woman looking to the government for a hand out are highly offensive and insulting. I was raised by a single mother. She got up and went to work every day. She did not take any government hand outs.
When I walk into a room with people like Ms. Shcaffley I fight the that feeling that they look at me and judge me, not by what I have said or done but by their own narrow views. When I hear these thoughts voiced she Ms Schaffley did, I feel like perhaps I am fighting a losing battle.
You voice a view that poor woman, single woman support a political candidate not because that candidate has an understanding of their lives and difficulties but they are lazy people looking for a hand out.
Diane, I was very excited to listen to your discussion, which was set up at the beginning of the show as addressing the gender gap in the upcoming election, which was such a swing factor in 2008. Now we are 45 minutes into the show and the discussion has been dominated by the reproductive rights issues. I thought your discussion would be about the larger issue of the gender gap in the upcoming election rather than continuing to advance the ridiculous idea that any gender swing is going to be driven by this single issue.