Subject: [big campaign] Wasserman Schultz: Women "Repulsed" By GOP; Kilroy: GOP Sat. Stunt "Sexist"
From: Adam Jentleson <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]'" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:50:50 -0500
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Nov 10, 2009 11:05 am US/Eastern
Wasserman-Schultz Says Women "Repulsed" By GOP
Tim Kephart

WASHINGTON (CBS4) -- As the House version of the health care bill was making its way through parliamentary procedures on Saturday, a strange scene unfolded between a group of female Democratic members and some GOP members. Representative Tom Price (R-Ga.) repeatedly shouted "I object!" as the female Democratic members offered items for unanimous consent. This cause a contentious few minutes and angered Democratic members, including Representative Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

The Florida Democrat gave a statement saying, "This is a party (GOP) that doesn't respect women, a party that doesn't believe women are equal to men. I don't think they attract women to their party. I think they repulse women." She later said on a Monday conference call that the GOP's tactics on Saturday amounted giving women "back of the hand treatment," according to the Huffington Post.

The repeated objections from Republicans on Saturday came as members of the Democratic Women's Caucus tried to offer into the record ways how the health care reform bill would help women. "We already had a clear sense that Republicans were opposed to our efforts to advance women's health. Now we know they're opposed to letting women voice their opinions on health care as well," Wasserman-Schultz said.

When asked about the statement on MSNBC on Monday that Republicans repulse women, Wasserman-Schultz said<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/11/09/dem_congresswoman_schultz_gop_repulsed_by_women.html>, "We have a caucus in the House that is literally made up of 17 Republican women. I mean, they are literally virtually 90 percent male, 100 percent out of touch with the issues that matter to women."

Wasserman-Schultz continued, "The overwhelming majority of Republicans voted against the equal pay act, the Lily Ledbetter Act, which was the first bill President Obama signed into law when he became President. It's very clear that the Republican's attitude towards women in this country is one of indifference. It's a talk to the hand type of approach and I think that's why they don't get very many women when it comes to elections, in terms of voters and they don't really have a lot of women interested in running with their party label."

It's not likely that the rhetoric between Republicans and Democrats will be toned down on the final health care bill that is sent to the President anytime soon. The final version of the bill that ultimately passed the House included a contentious provision called the Stupak Amendment that would impose limits on elective abortions by prohibiting public and private insurers involved in the new health care exchange from covering the procedure.

Tuesday morning, Senator Barbara Boxer announced she had the support of enough members in the Senate to kill the Stupak Amendment from the Senate version of the bill. The question will then become can a compromised bill be put together in committee that can win enough support from conservative and liberal Democrats that can win final approval and be sent to the President.

http://cbs4.com/local/wasserman.schultz.women.2.1303118.html

Rep. Kilroy: GOP Shouting Down Democratic Women Was A 'Sexist' Attempt To Put Us 'In Our Place'<http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/10/kilroy-gop-sexist/>

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/10/kilroy-gop-sexist/

 Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH)<http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/kilroyhouse.gif>On Saturday, several Republican went wild<http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/07/gop-gone-wild/> and shouted down members of theDemocratic Women's Caucus<http://www.democraticwomenscaucus.org/> on the House floor. As each woman stepped up to the microphone to give a brief statement about how the House health care legislation would benefit women, Republicans - led by Rep. Tom Price (GA) - repeatedly talked over them, screamed, and shouted screeds like "I object, I object, I object, I object, I object."

Yesterday, ThinkProgress interviewed Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (OH), one of the Democratic women who faced this treatment. Kilroy said unequivocally that the GOP's actions were "sexist" and it would be "nice" if they apologized. She pointed to recent GOP comments about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) - that it's time to "put her in her place<http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/06/nrcc-pelosi/>" - and said that's exactly what Price and the other Republicans were doing on Saturday:

KILROY: [T]hree male members of Congress got up and started shouting down - trying to shout down the Democratic women. I thought it was loud, I thought it was rude, I thought it was disrespectful, and I thought it was sexist. [...]

Well, when you engage in loud, rude, and boorish behavior, my mother would have said they should apologize. I don't expect an apology, but that would be nice to have that. But you know, you're seeing this sexist behavior going on.

You heard recently comments - from the Republican side of the aisle, some of my Republican colleagues over there - saying Speaker Pelosi should be put in her place, and I think that's what they thought they were doing with the Democratic women. And it's simply outrageous to me to have women being treated like that on the floor of the House.

Listen here:

Yesterday on a Center for American Progress Action Fund conference call, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said that Republicans have been essentially giving a "back-of-the-hand treatment to women<http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/09/pregnant-women-smokers-comparison/>," pointing out that on Friday, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) "actually compared women to smokers and suggested women, like smokers, have to pay more for insurance just by the accident of our ability to get pregnant."

Transcript:

KILROY: It wasn't just me they were shouting down; it was every Democratic woman that got up to speak, to ask for unanimous consent to extend and revise the remarks in support of the Democratic health care bill. And each woman was giving a very short, one-sentence statement about why it was important for women - all the different aspects of the bill, why it was important for the women.

Apparently that message was too hard for Republican members of Congress to take because three male members of Congress got up and started shouting down - trying to shout down the Democratic women. I thought it was loud, I thought it was rude, I thought it was disrespectful, and I thought it was sexist.

TP: Why do you think they're doing that? What were they so afraid of, that you were saying?

KILROY: Apparently since there's a lack of a viable alternative coming from the other side of the aisle, they wanted to delay the Democratic bill from being voted on. They were engaged in a stalling tactic. But in particular, they were wanting to change the dialogue from how this bill helps women to a discussion on Republican tactics and parliamentary procedure and how long there is for debate and various points of order, or just shouting, "I object! I object! I object! I object!" to drown out the message that this bill - House bill 3962 - substantially will benefit the women of this country.

And instead of a celebratory moment by all of this who were lined up to speak - as women, to women, about why this bill would help them, but not give a long speech, just give a one-sentence statement as is permitted under House rules and then ask permission to revise and extend your remarks - to turn that into a contentious moment. So instead of talking about health care for women, we're talking about the Republican tactics.

TP: So, did any of them come up to you afterward and apologize? Or do you think any of them should apologize?

KILROY: Well, when you engage in loud, rude, and boorish behavior, my mother would have said they should apologize. I don't expect an apology, but that would be nice to have that. But you know, you're seeing this sexist behavior going on.

You heard recently comments - from the Republican side of the aisle, some of my Republican colleagues over there - saying Speaker Pelosi should be put in her place, and I think that's what they thought they were doing with the Democratic women. And it's simply outrageous to me to have women being treated like that on the floor of the House. And the rules clearly say we can get up, give a simple sentence about why we're supporting the bill, and ask to revise and extend. They were simply shouting that down.

-----
Adam Jentleson
Communications Director, Progressive Media
Center for American Progress Action Fund
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
ajentleson (AIM)
202-247-8614 (cell)

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