Obama Policy: Women

2008 Presidential Candidate Platform Discussion

"From the first moment a woman dared to speak that hope - dared to believe that the American Dream was meant for her too - ordinary women have taken on extraordinary odds to give their daughters the chance for something else; for a life more equal, more free, and filled with more opportunity than they ever had. In so many ways we have succeeded, but in so many areas we have much work left to do." - Barack Obama, Speech in Washington, DC, 11/10/05

my.barackobama.com...


Presented for critical discussion and analysis by ATS members under the spirit of the new guidelines announced in This Thread.

Obama always seems to have the right topics to stir interest in the people but never any real solutions or answers to go with those topics. Topics like these will likely take a back seat to what the aristocrats want once he gets into office like every president.

Here is where Obama is all talk in regard to equal pay for women;

But here’s one fact Steinem and NOW and other women’s rights groups shouldn’t ignore: On Obama’s Senate staff, men have higher-ranking positions and are paid more – on average $6,000 more – than women (and BTW the only intern on his staff who was paid is male). But McCain hired more women than men for the senior positions with higher pay on his Senate staff. That’s as good an indication as any that McCain values women’s talents and contributions more than Obama – and he puts his money where his mouth is.

www.bloggernews.net...

McCain pays his female staff, on average, $3000.00 more than his male staff.

reply to post by Narnia


I didn't see where the numbers came from and how I could verify the "on average $3000 more then men" quote. Can you provide more direct information to your claim please?

Women represent more than 1/2 the population

Women are still above and beyond any group, earning less pay for equal job time

If equality is an issue in this election (which it is) and The Presedential position is also not just a job title but a leadership representation that inspires and motivates portions of the American population (which it is)

McCain has Sarah Palin a Working Mother of five representing him, a fantastic role model for young women, Young, Attractive Intelligent and the kind of person young girls can look up to. A person who can inspire more than 1/2 of the population of America

Obama has, No women representing him.

Obama claims to represent women but when push comes to shove his wife stays home and supports his campaign where as Sarah Palins Husband supports her campaign.

Sufferage happened at the turn of the Century, and the Civil Rights Movement in the 60's... Yet Women still have never been in a position to occupy the White House McCain is potentially giving Sarah Plain that opportunity, from multiple directions either after his term or during it if he becomes ill. While Women represent over 1/2 the population African American males represent only 1/15th the population. McCain Making a woman a priority in the Oval office is by far the more relevant and needed message in terms of helping America become a more equal and less divisive society.

Obamas stance on Islam has never truely been clarified, but it is known that dialouge with, peace with and relations with Islam are part of his agenda. The Islamic movement in America is no supporter of Womens rights, lack of clarity on this subject could prove disasterous for Women in America

Obama supports increased African Immigration, a Continent and group of people not known for it's support of Womens rights, in fact womens deaths in africa and rape are outstandingly in excessive numbers the highest in the world and he encourages both immigration and a 5% increase in aid, with no conditions that the condition of Black women be addressed by those nations... nor does he offer talks with Islam on any condition of tolerance for womens rights being addressed

This is a forebodeing thing given the horrible treatment of women in these cultures and stands directly in the face of American values and respect for women.

The majority of McCains staff is represented by Women

He by far has shown in action that he is willing to suport progress for Women in America, he chose a woman as his potential successor where as Obama simply refused Hillary despite knowing it would damage his support group and chose a far less qualified person as his running mate to avoid that choice.

Obama has also demonstrated a very old fashioned attitude to women imho opinion, sending his wife home and declaring that "she was to be left alone" during the campaign as if She could not defend her self from politiical attacks

imho, I see nothing from Obama that says the status quo for women will change or be uplifted in anyway, no action to make... what may be one of the most important stands in American history by makeing this issue of importance in dealing with Africa or the middle East, 2 regions that offer NO Civil rights for Women at all in 90% of the regions resepctively

there are today 2.5 Billion Women living as second class citizens at best or with no rights what so ever, literally still enslaved

McCain offers the example or potential for a woman to lead the most powerful nation in the world, Obama offers unconditional talks with nations that allow women to be excecuted at the whim of a husband

Imho opinion, Obama is a boderline threat to rights for woemn while McCain is a clear and by action, solid supporter of Womens rights to be free, not just in the USA, but by his foreign policy as well.

Originally posted by infinityoreilly
reply to post by Narnia

 

I didn't see where the numbers came from and how I could verify the "on average $3000 more then men" quote. Can you provide more direct information to your claim please?

See the following for my source.

McCain pays women on average 1.04 to the dollar vs. males, and Obama only pays women .83c to the dollar vs. males. What I have seen of Obama and his comments, eg. "sweetie," sticking his middle finger by his nose while speaking about HRC, his record of paying women less, and snubbing HRC in the vetting process for the VP slot, I am not so sure Obama's policy of women is progressive and equal. Why the media is not reporting this is even more startling.

Based on these calculations, Obama's 28 male staffers divided among themselves total payroll expenditures of $1,523,120. Thus, Obama's average male employee earned $54,397.

Obama's 30 female employees split $1,354,580 among themselves, or $45,152, on average.

McCain's 17 male staffers split $916,914, thus averaging $53,936. His 25 female employees divided $1,396,958 and averaged $55,878.

On average, according to these data, women in John McCain's office make $1.04 for every dollar a man makes. In fact, all other things being equal, a typical female staffer could earn 21 cents more per dollar paid to her male counterpart -- while adding $10,726 to her annual income -- by leaving Barack Obama's office and going to work for John McCain.

seattlepi.nwsource.com...

news.aol.com...

Originally posted by AboveTopSecret.com
2008 Presidential Candidate Platform Discussion

"From the first moment a woman dared to speak that hope - dared to believe that the American Dream was meant for her too - ordinary women have taken on extraordinary odds to give their daughters the chance for something else; for a life more equal, more free, and filled with more opportunity than they ever had. In so many ways we have succeeded, but in so many areas we have much work left to do." - Barack Obama, Speech in Washington, DC, 11/10/05

my.barackobama.com...


Presented for critical discussion and analysis by ATS members under the spirit of the new guidelines announced in This Thread.

All I know is that as a woman and a small business owner, Obama isn't exactly a favorable choice.

He didn't get Hillary and didn't pick a woman as VP.

He had a pretty dominant male campaign till people started complaining about it.

These two things should speak for itself.

After taking primary season criticism over the number of women in its upper ranks, the campaign of Barack Obama has significantly ramped up its hiring of women in senior staff positions.

The move appeared aimed, in part, at reversing what one top aide said was a "bit of a bad rap" for running a male-dominated campaign organization.

source

Geez. Some reaching going on here without a lot of facts.

Lets start with something recent.

EQUAL PAY LEGISLATION...JUST THIS SUMMER!

thinkprogress.org...

After Voting Against Equal Pay Legislation, McCain Claims He’s ‘Committed To Equal Pay For Equal Work’»

In fact, McCain seems committed to just the opposite. In April, he skipped the vote on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would have rectified the Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear “that made it much harder for women and other workers to pursue pay discrimination claims.”

In fact, on that very same day, McCain said that if he had been in the Senate, he would have voted against it because the bill “opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems.” He also dismissed the importance of equal pay, saying that women simply need “education and training“:

“They need the education and training, particularly since more and more women are heads of their households, as much or more than anybody else,” McCain said. “And it’s hard for them to leave their families when they don’t have somebody to take care of them.

The issue is not “education and training.” When denied equal pay by her supervisor, Lilly Ledbetter was doing the exact same job as her male counterparts and received numerous performance-based awards.

As the Wonk Room notes, in 2000, McCain also opposed an amendment aimed at providing “more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex.” In 1985, McCain voted against a study to investigate pay differences among federal employees and determine whether they were the result of discrimination.

In May, McCain told a 14-year-old girl that equal pay and legislation such as Ledbetter bill don’t do “anything to help the rights of women.” McCain, however, is no expert on women’s issues. He has earned a 0 percent rating from NARAL ProChoice America six years in a row, from 2001-2007.

Faced with Palin, Women's Groups to Turn to Obama
voices.washingtonpost.com...

And today in Washington, a number of high profile unions and groups representing millions of women joined together to throw their support to Obama. Ellie Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, and Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women -- both of whose organizations supported Clinton in the primaries -- held a press conference here announcing the support of ten groups for Obama.

NOW's endorsement represented the first time in 24 years the group has endorsed a general election presidential candidate -- the last being Walter Mondale in 1984, who ran on the first ticket to feature a woman as a vice presidential running mate.

The largest organization for women's rights, NOW says it is stepping into the contest to educate women about Palin's positions and highlight Obama and Biden's long-time commitment to policies that support women personally and economically.

"For us its a red alert," said Gandy. "Palin is so out of touch with women. I don't think people fully understand her positions."

"They are stark differences between these two candidates," said Smeal. "John McCain has a 26 year record of voting against issues important to women."

Originally posted by Narnia

McCain's 17 male staffers split $916,914, thus averaging $53,936. His 25 female employees divided $1,396,958 and averaged $55,878.

On average, according to these data, women in John McCain's office make $1.04 for every dollar a man makes. In fact, all other things being equal, a typical female staffer could earn 21 cents more per dollar paid to her male counterpart -- while adding $10,726 to her annual income -- by leaving Barack Obama's office and going to work for John McCain.

seattlepi.nwsource.com...

news.aol.com...

Thanks for the detail. Unfortunately this kind of math doesn't tell us anything useful. Such a small differential could be the result of McCain paying a single female staffer a large sum and the rest less than what Obama pays most of his staff...AVERAGES..It's a poor measure for such a small sample. It could be as simple that McCain had to pay his female staffers more to work on his campaign given his record of opposing equal pay. Also...what are the specific job responsibilities of each woman in this sample? Job descriptions? Titles? The data falls apart quickly and these numbers are loose and fast for political purposes.

I appreciate McCain trying to spin pay averages with regards to campaign staff though, what else can he do?

[edit on 22-9-2008 by maybereal11]

[edit on 22-9-2008 by maybereal11]

Originally posted by jam321
He didn't get Hillary and didn't pick a woman as VP.

He had a pretty dominant male campaign till people started complaining about it.

These two things should speak for itself.

After taking primary season criticism over the number of women in its upper ranks, the campaign of Barack Obama has significantly ramped up its hiring of women in senior staff positions.

The move appeared aimed, in part, at reversing what one top aide said was a "bit of a bad rap" for running a male-dominated campaign organization.

source

Geez, you must be joking.

That's the problem with this EOE crap. More qualified, smarter people get turned down for jobs because a company is, not only obligated, but REQUIRED to hire a certain variety of people. What a joke.

And was it really necessary to pick a woman as VP? I mean really? That would only tell the people that Obama cared more about votes or this new feminist crowd more so than getting a better qualified, more experienced person in the White House. Joe Biden was a good pick, and you are focusing on what type of genitalia the VP has? Come on!

But of course, many feminists only see things in black and white, oops, I mean male and female.

Here are some great items detailing Obama's Stances on Womens issues

www.now.org...
STATEMENT OF KIM GANDY
Chair, National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC)

On pay equity. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation to end wage discrimination against women.

On reproductive rights. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, to strengthen access to contraception and reproductive health care, and prevent unwanted pregnancies. He strongly supports Roe v. Wade and will oppose any efforts to overturn it.

On violence against women. Sen. Obama supports the continued reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act -- of which Sen. Joe Biden is the chief sponsor -- as well as the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act, which is legislation to provide legal, medical and financial support to victims of domestic violence.

On the Supreme Court. Sen. Obama opposed the nominations of George Bush's extreme right-wing nominees to the Supreme Court, who have consistently ruled against women's rights,

For more than a decade, Barack Obama has said "yes" to women's rights, while John McCain has consistently said "no" - NO to pay equity, NO to contraceptive access and reproductive rights, NO to appointing Supreme Court judges who will uphold women's rights and civil rights, NO to funding shelters and other anti-violence programs, and NO to supporting working moms and dads with policies that support work/life balance.

Originally posted by mopusvindictus

McCain has Sarah Palin a Working Mother of five representing him, a fantastic role model for young women, Young, Attractive Intelligent and the kind of person young girls can look up to. A person who can inspire more than 1/2 of the population of America

Simply picking "a" woman for VP is not in my opinion an indication of ones valuing women in general.

In fact, the things you outline as her attributes, "young, attractive, and intelligent" and a "mother of five" are NOT the things I consider important in a Vice President. Or in a female leader of any kind.

What would have been wrong with selecting a woman who is older, seasoned, experienced and intelligent, without young children or any children at all?

You see the belief that "any woman" is good for the position, is in itself sexist. That shows that one is unable to see women as individuals, with varying degrees of talent and ability. It is selecting a "token" woman rather than the best woman for the job.

The fact that her major qualifications, "attractive, young, and a mother" are important to you does not say to me that you are for women determining their own destiny, and having inherent value. It does not indicate to me that you are looking at women in their own right as valuable, it says to me that women are valuable to you if men find them sexually appealing, and reproductively viable. Or, in short, able to do the things a man wants them to do.

The whole idea of equality for women means that women are valued for their own sake. That rather than being looked at in a clump of "women" they are recognized as individuals, with individual dreams, goals, talents, and abilities. Not that any women who is pleasing to men is a good woman. That is exactly what the whole female empowerment movement sought to escape from, the trap of women being looked upon as valuable only if men said they were.

I do not think that Obama chose not to have Hillary Clinton as VP because he is sexist. (though I do think sexism played into the decision) It was a strategic move. In my opinion he and his staff determined it was too risky to run a woman and an ethnic minority on the same ticket. It was too big a risk for alienating the white male voter. AND Hillary was too independent and outspoken for the religious right. In my opinion, it was deemed just too much "change" for America to swallow all at once. He chose a white older male with a long history of service to balance his ticket, and to make up for his lack of a long history of service.

I do not think McCain chose Palin because of her qualifications for Vice President. Essentially, no matter how it is spun, she has little qualifications for the job. Even though Obama is young, and has not had a long service, he was still impressive enough to win for himself the nomination to represent his party. Sarah Palin not only is inexperienced, but she was NOT impressive enough to win the support of her party by popular vote as a leader. She was chosen by McCain and his campaign as a strategic move against Obama. She was young, attractive and a mother, (read, non threatening and appealing to men and traditional women alike) she was unexpected, (read press coverage) and there was hope that the mere fact of her femaleness would appeal to disenfranchised and disappointed supporters of Hillary Clinton.

This election will show which party made the best strategic decision. Neither party, however, is demonstrating their real acceptance of women being valuable for their own sake. Both sides, the one that chose a woman, and chose against a woman, used the "femaleness" of the woman as the determining factor in their decision, rather than the skill, ability, merit and experience of the woman in question.

In my opinion, that is the definition of sexism.

Edit to clarify my position on Obama.

[edit on 22-9-2008 by Illusionsaregrander]

reply to post by bigbert81

That's the problem with this EOE crap.

I understand where your coming from but I don't see Hillary as this. Compare how many vote she got to Biden and then tell me she isn't qualified.Almost 18 million people felt she was.

As far as his campaign which was predominantly male in the get go, I don't buy that there weren't better qualified women that could have helped him out. After people started complaining it was then that he did it to get pressure off himself. He should have stuck to his guns and said the men were the best qualified if that was the case.

I believe the best qualified should get the job not quotas. In my view Hillary was the best VP choice.

reply to post by jam321


If you're talking votes, then maybe; however, Biden fills all the holes Obama had, PLUS is super-experienced.

Hillary might have been a better choice for the campaign (due to the votes she had already racked up), but Biden is a much better choice to be in the White House.

BRAVE!!! This gentleman has EQUALITY IN SEXES!!
Congratulations for being SO INTELLIGENT and knowing that all kinds of persons forms(trains) the people(village)... EXCELLENT!!

I'm sure "President" Barack Hussein Obama will make it his number one priority to get woman equal pay once in the white house.

This American Opportunity Tax Credit, is it voluntary or is every one forced to take it. This is quite important since you are required to perform 100 hours of public service. I know in Australia some universities are looking to force students to perform X hours of public service in order to earn a degree, some even demand you take art courses to "expand yourself"


Any forced learnings or forced public is conscription of the lowest order. If you agree to this, aren't you just allowing the government to control an aspect of your life?

Math & Science - What is the percentage of Science degrees held by women, if it is less than 3% then there an over-representation of women in those fields. You should expect a one to one comparison of degree to participation rates. Half the information is hidden so you are left to wonder whether the representation is a true under or over.

Poverty - only 39.45% of poverty is in the land of women. That leaves only a small 60.55% of poverty held by men. Funding should be distribution on the gender split (or better yet fielded as a human problem).

Expand Retirement Savings Incentives for Working Families - Thank John Howard for that idea (or whoever he stole it from LOL).