John McCain is irritated that the Democrats are accusing the Republicans of waging a war on women. He made his displeasure known on the Senate floor while expressing his support for renewing the Violence Against Women Act. Of course, the context is that many of his Republican colleagues are opposed to renewing the Act. The following, too, is context:
Democrats have increasingly referred to the “War on Women” over the past several months to describe the GOP’s sustained legislative focus on issues that affect women’s health and rights. An amendment to a sweeping transportation bill pushed by Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) would have allowed employers to deny women contraception coverage for any moral reason. Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) vetoed funding for rape crisis centers last week, and several GOP governors supported legislation that mandates medically unnecessary ultrasound procedure for women who are seeking abortions. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), meanwhile, recently repealed the state’s equal pay law.
So, I don’t really know what there is to be irritated about. McCain’s remarks don’t make even a little sense.
“My friends, this supposed ‘War on Women’ or the use of similarly outlandish rhetoric by partisan operatives has two purposes, and both are purely political in their purpose and effect: The first is to distract citizens from real issues that really matter and the second is to give talking heads something to sputter about when they appear on cable television,” he said. “Neither purpose does anything to advance the well-being of any American.”
“To suggest that one group of us or one party speaks for all women or that one group has an agenda to harm women and another to help them is ridiculous,” he continued.
Now, McCain says that none of these issues really matter. And he says that none of these issues will advance the well-being of any American. But we’re talking about equal pay for equal work. We’re talking about getting treatment after being raped. We’re talking about access to birth control for poor women. We’re talking about interfering in the doctor/patient relationship and requiring physicians to deny needed care or to carry out pointless and unnecessary procedures on women. There is the status quo, and then there is this avalanche of legislation that will make things worse for women.
The more the Republicans stomp their feet and complain that they don’t have an agenda to harm women, the more we know it’s true.
