Don’t believe the ‘war on women’

Published 7:48 am Monday, September 15, 2014

The Democrats are worried. That’s evident in the rhetoric being used in these weeks leading up to the Nov. 4 election.

Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz had “walked back” her claims about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker “grabbing us (women) by our hair and pulling us back,” but others in her party are keeping up that cry.

The truth, of course, is that there’s no “war on women.” That’s a figment of the Democratic imagination.

“A warning to the women of America: If Republicans win control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections this fall, it will be a powerful victory for the war on women, with consequences that will be severe and long-term,” warned Democrat Brent Budowsky for The Hill newspaper. “A large majority of women know this. The question is, will they vote in November?”

There’s the real point of the exercise — to fire up the Democratic base.

Still, it’s important to address Budowsky’s specific claims.

“Who is hurt if Republicans win?” he asked. “Women who use contraceptives. Poor women who are hungry. Senior women who benefit from Social Security and Medicare. Women served by Medicaid. Jobless women who need unemployment benefits. Working women seeking fair pay and benefits. Single moms. Sons and daughters crushed by student debt.”

Let’s take those one-by-one. There’s no party line on the use of contraception. What Budowsky is really talking about is the Affordable Care Act, which said that women must receive free contraception, at the expense of their employers. What’s more, employers must cover all kinds of contraception, even the few kinds they find morally repugnant.

The fact is that there are a number of government and non-governmental organization programs that already provide free contraception. Few women need or want the abortifacients that the owners of Hobby Lobby famously objected to.

So that’s really a non-issue. Nothing in a Republican win in November stands between a woman and her birth control.

Budowsky contends “women who are hungry” should fear the GOP. That’s ridiculous. The Farm Bill, which included the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Progam (food stamps), passed in July with just 12 Republicans voting against it.

The Farm Bill included some reforms to SNAP, but this is an important point — reforming a program isn’t the same as “slashing” a program.

In fact, that’s why the GOP can honestly claim that their approach to Budowsky’s other items – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — is a far better approach. We know that without reform, none of these programs is sustainable.

As NBC reported, “Depletion of the reserves in the giant trust funds would not end the benefit programs but would trigger sharp reductions in benefits.”

Reform, therefore, is the only way to preserve these programs.

As for sons and daughters “crushed by student debt,” the Democrats have one answer: lowering the costs of loans. But interest rates aren’t the problem — college costs are the problem. The GOP is ready to address those.

The “war on women” theme is getting old. Thankfully, November is near.