John McCain : No Choice for Women

On this day in 1920, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby ratified the 19th Amendment, finally giving American women the right to vote. After years of organizing, women achieved the right to cast their ballots in full participation in our democracy. On this momentous anniversary, it’s important to recognize the power of women voters, and to make clear the stakes in this year’s Presidential election. If John McCain is elected, he will restrict and roll back women’s rights, and work to prevent our achieving full equality in society.

John McCain Is No Choice for Women. John McCain has an alarming history of disrespecting women and their contributions to society. He’s violently opposed to womens’ reproductive freedom, has voted against women’s access to health care, and has repeatedly opposed women receiving equal pay for equal work. None of us can afford to vote for a person like John McCain, who shows such utter disrespect for women.

John McCain’s attitude towards women’s rights demonstrates that if elected, he will actively promote an anti-women agenda from the White House. Luckily, women have a great advocate in Barack Obama, whose history of support for women’s issues should reassure female voters that the Democratic Party will protect and expand women’s rights.

John McCain Opposes Fair Pay for Women

John McCain’s history of votes in the Senate demonstrates that he thinks sex discrimination in the workplace is just fine. He has repeatedly stated that there is no need to make sure that women are paid the same as their male colleagues for equal work. Barack Obama, on the other hand, was raised by a single, working mother, and a grandmother who worked on the World War II assembly lines, and later rose from the position of secretary to vice president of a bank. Barack Obama respects and wants to equally reward the efforts of hard-working women.

John McCain’s Record on Opposing Fair Pay for Women:

* John McCain opposes fair pay for women. He thinks it is fine for employers to pay women less than men for equal work. In 2008 he refused to vote for the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which allows women to receive equal pay for equal qualifications to a man. John McCain said that instead of fair pay for equal work, women need more “education and training.” Source: Huffington Post.

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In 1990, John McCain also voted against a bill that would have strengthened civil rights in the workplace and banned discrimination on the base of sex. Source: Senate.gov

Barack Obama’s Record on Supporting Pay Equality for Women:

* Barack Obama voted in favor of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and wants women to earn an equal wage for equal work. He also supports requiring employers to provide seven days of paid sick-leave per year. 40% of women currently have no paid sick days per year. Source: obama.senate.gov

* Barack Obama has a history of supporting fair pay for women. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed a law that helped 330,000 women prevent paycheck discrimination. Source: Real Clear Politics

* Obama’s website states that he “believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace.” Source: BarackObama.com

* Barack Obama wants to invest in women-owned businesses. He supports investing in women-owned businesses and reducing discrimination in business lending against female business owners. Source: BarackObama.com

John McCain : No Choice for Women -part 2

John McCain Makes Offensive and Derogatory Comments About Women
John McCain has a history of making offensive comments about women. He even thinks jokes about rape are funny, and spends time with other men who think the same way. On the other hand, Barack Obama praises the women in his life and credits them with enabling and empowering him to achieve what he is capable of.

John McCain’s History of Derogatory Comments About Women:

* John McCain told the following “joke” on the campaign trail in 1986: “Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?’” Source: Tucson Citizen, via JedReport

* At a Republican Senate fundraiser in 1998, McCain told following “joke”: “Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno.” Source: Salon.com

* One of McCain’s fundraisers, Clayton Williams, once told the following “joke” comparing rape to the weather: “As long as it’s inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it.” Source: The Independent

* After returning from Vietnam, John McCain cheated on his wife, Carol, who had been horribly disfigured in an accident. He eventually divorced her and one month later married his second wife, Cindy, the heir to an Arizona brewing fortune. Source: The Daily Mail

* In 1992, when Cindy McCain teased her husband about his thinning hair, he replied, “At least I don’t pile on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.” Source: Cliff Schechter, The Real McCain, PoliPoint Press 2008, via Raw Story

Barack Obama’s History of Immense Respect For Women:

* Barack Obama credits the women in his life with making his achievements possible. He states on his website, “My mother, Ann Dunham, was the kindest, most generous spirit I have ever known, and what is best in me, I owe to her. My grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, helped raise me, sacrificed again and again for me, and loves me as much as she loves anything in this world. And the mother of my daughters Sasha and Malia - my wife Michelle - is the rock of the Obama family and a woman who continues to make me a better person.” Source: BarackObama.com

* Barack was raised by a single mother who was a teenager when he was born. His mother worked hard to provide Barack with an education and opportunity to succeed. Source: Chicago Tribune

* Barack’s grandmother raised him during his high school years. His grandmother started as a secretary, and worked her way up to vice president of a bank, in an era when women were routinely denied promotions. Source: USA Today

* Barack married a strong working woman, Michelle. Michelle worked as a lawyer, and later a hospital administrator. Michelle says of her husband, “He is incredibly smart, and he is very able to deal with a strong woman, which is one of the reasons why he can be president—because he can deal with me.” Source: ABC News
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Barack repeatedly praises his wife, Michelle, introducing her at speeches as “my rock.” Source: Newsweek
* Barack’s two school-aged daughters, Malia and Sasha, motivate him to work hard to give all children a brighter future. He wants all of our daughters to have full equality in society, so that “that they’ll be able to dream without limit, achieve without constraint, and be free to seek their own happiness.” Source: National Women’s Law Center, via obama.senate.gov

John McCain Is No Choice for Women.

John McCain has a history of fighting against women’s rights, whether it is their right to receive equal pay for equal work, access to health care, or the ability to make their own reproductive decisions. He will continue this anti-woman agenda in the White House. Women cannot afford another President like George W. Bush, who actively tries to hurt Women’s Equality and Women’s Causes.

Barack Obama has a history of strong support for women’s issues, from our right to choose to our right to reliable medical care. As President he will work to protect these rights and expand women’s equality, not only for his own daughters but for all women in America.

On this anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, we need to remember: women have a choice. This November, our choice is clear: women should vote for the candidate that supports their rights, their issues, and their freedoms. This candidate is Barack Obama.