Binders Full of Problems with Women

One of the most memorable moments in recent debate history was when Mitt Romney famously pointed out his “binders full of women” in staffing his Massachusetts government. It was the gaffe that launched 1,000 memes — a moment that most clearly illustrated the Republicans’ problem with women, during a cycle with a number of them. Last night’s debate may not launch any Halloween costumes, but it offered some pretty scary views for women.

Rather than one gaffe hinting at the candidate’s agenda (see: Todd Akin and “legitimate” rape, Richard Mourdock on what God intended and, more recently, Jeb Bush and spending too much on women’s health), the Republican candidates’ extreme out-of-touch and out-of-date views were on full display last night, vehemently pushing back on any idea that they might actually value women, their rights or their votes.

In a piece entitled “They’re All Todd Akin Now” Salon’s Joan Walsh lays out the ways in which the Republican field addressed issues that matter to women — and how devastating those answers will be for both women and their electoral chances:

Debate “winner” Marco Rubio disavowed his own past support for abortion bans that included a rape and incest exception, and came out for personhood legislation. Gov. Scott Walker, who personally asked Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature to write a 20-week abortion ban without any exceptions, refused to squirm when Megyn Kelly asked “Would you really let a mother die rather than have an abortion?”

Mike Huckabee, who has refused to rule out using federal troops to stop abortion, insisted the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution actually mean abortion is illegal because “DNA schedules.” Or something.

Jeb Bush, squirming over a question about his association with a Michael Bloomberg charity that also funded Planned Parenthood, was forced to bring up his disgusting persecution of Michael Schiavo, the husband of braindead Florida woman Terri Schiavo, a decade ago — not a winning issue for Bush. He also bragged about defunding Planned Parenthood as Florida governor.

Donald Trump gave us a memorable Trumpism when asked why he changed his mind on abortion. Some friends “were going to have a child, and it was going to be aborted,” Trump shared. “And it wasn’t aborted. And that child today is a total superstar.” The moderators didn’t follow up to find out whether, had the child turned out to be merely mediocre, Trump would have remained pro-choice.

That’s right — it wasn’t an accident. No slip-ups or gaffes here. Over and over again, their candidates confirmed it: the Republican Party has moved the baseline on reproductive freedom to ensure that no exceptions are allowed for rape or incest.

None of this is a surprise, of course.

· Scott Walker just signed a 20-week abortion ban with no exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest and infamously said rape victims are “most concerned” about pregnancy “in the initial months.” As one of his first acts as Governor, Walker signed a 2011 state budget eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood, cutting off access to key health services for 12,000 women.

· Mike Huckabee once compared giving women control of their own medical decisions to slavery.

· Marco Rubio voted to defund Planned Parenthood in 2011 and is now pledging to continue the fight.

· As Governor, Jeb Bush vetoed $302,843 for family planning services for low-income women through Planned Parenthood, eliminating key state funding for women’s health services for more than 1,200 women.

These extreme views may win them support in the race for conservative primary voters, or the right-wing ideologues funding their party. But they are unacceptable to most of America — and to women who will vote in large numbers next fall.

· According to Gallup, more Americans now consider themselves pro-choice than pro-life.

· In fact, nearly two thirds of voters under the age of 30 and more than half of voters over the age of 30 believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

· And a survey of key battleground states in 2012 found that the most persuasive reason for key swing women voters to vote against Romney was that he supported outlawing a woman’s right to choose, even in cases of rape, incest, or when a women’s health is in danger.

Last night, 24 million viewers tuned into the debate. That’s a lot of women who watched the Republican frontrunners continue to shame and blame them and deny them their own health care choices. Even without a Todd Akin-level gaffe, their out-of-touch positions could be a deal-breaker next November.

— by Christina Reynolds, Director of Rapid Response, Hillary for America