Joe Biden: 'War On Women Is Real'

Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday the Republican Party's "war on women" is real and will "intensify" with appointments to the Supreme Court in the next presidential term.

"I think the war on women is real," Biden said in an interview with MSNBC's Ed Schultz. "And look, I tell you where it's going to intensify. The next president of the United States is going to get to name one and possibly two or more members of the Supreme Court."

Biden, interviewed during a visit to New Hampshire to promote President Barack Obama's proposed Buffett rule for the wealthy, defended the administration's jobs record. Presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney in the last two days has claimed the war on women's real antagonist is Obama, because of an economy that has taken a toll on female jobs.

When asked by Schultz about Romney's claim that 92 percent of people who lost jobs during Obama's presidency were female, Biden criticized Romney and his party for their attitudes toward women.

"This guy had -- these guys had the social policy on contraception that takes you back to the '50s," Biden said. "I mean, when asked the question, do you think this legislation passed mandating that your son and daughter doing the same work will have to get the exact same pay, the Lilly Ledbetter law, they couldn't answer."

Biden's Ledbetter reference was to a question HuffPost's Sam Stein asked during a Romney campaign phone conference Wednesday on whether Romney supported the equal pay act. Romney's campaign later confirmed the former Massachusetts governor wouldn't repeal the law if elected.

Biden also touched on the controversy surrounding Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen's comments that Ann Romney "never worked a day in her life." Biden said it was "an outrageous assertion" to criticize Ann Romney for not having a career outside of raising her family.

"My daughter happens to have a master’s degree," Biden said. "She’s a social worker. She’s getting married. If my daughter wants to be able to say, 'I’m staying home and raising my kids,' no one should question that."

Biden wouldn't predict whether women would vote overwhelmingly for Obama, as recent polls have suggested. But he said the president's record indicates how women may vote in November.

"Look at the record of who's promoted women’s health, who’s promoted women opportunity, who’s promoted the opportunity to have people in the Supreme Court that recognize that women are absolutely, thoroughly, totally equal in every way as men," Biden said.

He continued: "All I’m saying is I think the case that we can make, Barack’s policies are past our expectations. Our dreams for women, contrasted with the Republican agenda as it has been and continues to be, relative to women, I don’t think it’s a close call."

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[TomDi]

06:29 PM on 05/09/2012

Progressives have it all wrong. It's Obama and the Democrats War on Women. 324,000 women dropped out of the nation’s civilian labor force in March and April as the number of women not in the labor force hit an all-time historical high of 53,321,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Obama had a shot to make it good but he blew it on Obamacare. what a waste of political capital.

[Njeanous]

05:19 PM on 05/01/2012

Republicans believe that Joan of Arc and Susan B. Anthony and Lily Ledbetter are mythical characters. There is one mythical character we should revisit: Lysistrata by Aristophanes, she had the cure for what ails Republican men. Clue: rations!

[INDIVIDUALTERRY]

11:45 AM on 04/16/2012

More importantly , we have a President who never had an honest job. Community organizers live on OPM.
Other Peoples Money.

[Njeanous]

05:21 PM on 05/01/2012

This guy, however, was so smart Wall Street wanted to hire him right out of his Presidency of the Harvard Law Review, but instead he wanted to help people too powerless to help themselves or in your case too obtuse: not quick or alert.

[WTH 2012]

11:37 PM on 04/14/2012

Biden didn't deny that 92% of people who lost jobs during Obama's presidency were female, mainly because he is the VP to the CIC of the Dem War on Women.

[Njeanous]

05:24 PM on 05/01/2012

Just saying that the other guy does it TOO!!!!!!, is not really a defense. It’s a lame attempt at deflecting one’s guilt. Two wrongs don’t make a right even if it were true.

[spud3]

07:15 AM on 04/14/2012

The barbarians are at the gate Joe.......and they look like you and Obama

[Njeanous]

05:26 PM on 05/01/2012

If these mild mannered, easy going fellows with the million dollar smiles are barbarians OMG what are those red eyed, race baiting, women hating, senior killing, soldier wasting, clowns you run with?

[mike1215]

10:05 PM on 04/13/2012

No doubt in my mind that the Republicans' War on Women is very much a reality. Having seen behind the curtain, what do we find? There really IS a war on women; and it's out of control. From blocking the renewal of the laws against domestic violence, to weakening the laws against rape in many of the States, the Republicans have shown that many of them believe -- as their Terry England argued in the Georgia Legislature -- that women are livestock and should be treated accordingly.

Re-electing the President, and comprehensively defeating Republican candidates for Congress and the State legislatures, is the only way to stop this Taliban-ization of America -- for women, and for the fathers, brothers, husbands and sons who respect them and do not want their legal rights to be shredded, or to see them vilified or brutalized.

[INDIVIDUALTERRY]

11:43 AM on 04/16/2012

Baaaaaaaa. Did you require help with this post?
War on women is a dem diversion from their incompetence.

[westcoastbum]

08:02 PM on 04/13/2012

Ed and Joe on tv together. The true definition of Boob Tube.

[yeti7]

07:49 PM on 04/13/2012

But Hilary Rosen said on CNN yesterday that the obama campaign isn't even using this term ??

[m gri phi]

07:16 PM on 04/13/2012

Dear Mr. Biden, there is no such thing as a "War on Women". Take your head out of your butt and give your grey cells some oxygen!

[Njeanous]

05:33 PM on 05/01/2012

No War on women? Why not? Is it cause its a one sided affront? Unequal pay, violence against them, denial of the same rights as men is acceptable to you, right? Your mother, sisters and aunts are second class citizens where you live? And your are from some 3rd world country where its okay to waste a mind because of its gender. Mom should have gone bowling the night she conceived you.

[dem68]

06:58 PM on 04/13/2012

Interesting that conservatives don't know what to make of a decent man,who respects and likes women. But then we know what conservatives think of women just read rush's opinion who claims to be the party head. Too bad conservatives are afraid of intelligent women.

[INDIVIDUALTERRY]

11:46 AM on 04/16/2012

Yea....like John Edwards...

[Njeanous]

05:35 PM on 05/01/2012

No like Foster Freeze.

[dem68]

06:54 PM on 04/13/2012

You have to admit conservatives are equal offenders, they don't like anyone, excuse me , anyone that doesn't pay huge campaign donations that is.

[dem68]

05:58 PM on 04/13/2012

A poster insinuated that the dems were the first party to borrow from the Social Security Trust Fund however upon research I am finding it was good ole george bush. He had to offset the tax cuts for the wealthy and fund his war fun.
We all need to work for the betterment of a society, it is not communism it is to leave a good earth for our children and grandchildren. Two wars and tax cuts left a nation with major maintenance problems which need to be fixed.

[tazscanner]

06:13 PM on 04/13/2012

That's some "research" you have going there, The trust fund was gone by the 70's, when the Gov. began issuing IOU's. Long before Bush was around. Sorry, try some other form of distortion pumpkin.

[dem68]

06:43 PM on 04/13/2012

Obviously you don't know how to find information on google, try again and you will find that Clinton and Gore wanted hands off, georgie was the one dipping in to fund his war friends. Senator Don Reigle, try looking there and not at your rightwing half truths. And we have funds good through 2030 and with no changes and if Wall Street keeps their hands off we still will have enough to pay at 78%. Pretty damn good I would say, and by the way for terrible government you people claim, those checks come in on time every month.

[dem68]

06:48 PM on 04/13/2012

Guess you don't believe in factual figures, a true conservative. Check your google several sites back up my numbers. And SS is good through 2030 if Wall Street keeps their hands off.

[dem68]

05:35 PM on 04/13/2012

All women need to know how to make a living, divorce, death, illness, a job loss all can make a stay at home mom become the bread winner and she needs to have the skills to do it. Some of us have had to work more than one job and care for our children. Not all can be high earning professionals.

[mike1215]

02:22 PM on 04/15/2012

And not every mom can be a "lady of leisure" with army of servants (some of them formerly illegal immigrants) like Ann Romney.

[ZombieSM]

05:34 PM on 04/13/2012

Good point Joe ! The war on women is real !!

Hell...how many women and children has this administration droned bombed now ? What ?

We're not talking about Muslim women and children in other countries ? Oh...guess they don't count because they aren't American women and children.

[dem68]

06:50 PM on 04/13/2012

So, would that include the women and children killed and left homeless in the bush Iraq war as well ? Women that the Taliban make beg for their children's food now that the husband is dead ? Guess you don't see much news outside of fox.

[sarabono]

04:20 PM on 04/13/2012

There is a rumor that Obama might replace Biden on this Falls ticket.
Has anyone else picked up on this?