On Labor Day, Working Women Need Straight Answers from John McCain

Most years, Labor Day means a long lazy weekend of barbecues, fishing trips, and picnics before school and fall weather overtake us. But this year, deep into a presidential election, with a slumping national economy putting the pinch on workers, Labor Day's traditional meaning spotlights questions about working women that we want to ask John McCain.

Why are we questioning McCain and not Obama? We've listened carefully to the two candidates and we've examined their voting histories. Obama's record and rhetoric reassure us that, when it comes to the challenges facing working women, he gets it. But we're downright alarmed by what we've learned about John McCain..

Barefoot and Pregnant?
We're an advocate and academic, respectively, with longstanding passions for economic and reproductive justice for women. We've come to understand the direct and profound interconnections between the two. There's good reason why the words "barefoot and pregnant" have been so frequently joined together historically.

We haven't heard anyone question McCain from that intersection of women's lives, so we are asking him these questions:

First, John McCain, do you think women belong in the paid labor force? This might seem facetious or rhetorical, but it's a very serious, core question. We know your wife, Cindy, chairs the board of her family's company. And we've noticed your most visible surrogate to women voters is Carly Fiorina, who was until recently one of the top corporate CEOs in the country.

But surely you realize the overwhelming majority of women don't have the resources of these two women. So if you accept most women will spend some of their lives in the labor force, do you believe women should earn the same as men, for the same jobs? You've opposed the equal pay measure stalled in Congress-the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act --because you say it would "open us up to lawsuits". Open who up? And if you support equal pay for equal work, what would you do to guarantee it?

McCain Record on Votes That Could Help Children
Families where both partners are working for low wages, and especially families headed by single moms, deserve various kinds of support from a compassionate government. These families need access to affordable and high quality childcare. Most of all, they need affordable healthcare-for themselves, but especially for their children.

But, Senator McCain, your voting history on children's issues is abysmal. Can you explain to us why you voted-twice-against a reauthorization of S-Chip, the immensely popular state children's health insurance program-a program supported by many in your own party? Can you explain why your record on children's issues generally is so bad that the nonpartisan Children's Defense Fund in its 2007 Congressional scorecard on children's issues
rated you the senator with the worst voting record?

To participate in the workplace, women must be able to plan and space their childbearing. A government study found that 98% of heterosexually active American women had used contraception at some point, and a Rand study found that over five out of six support insurance coverage for family planning services. Access to contraception, clearly, is a deeply shared American family value.

Your voting record reveals you've cast dozens of votes opposing contraceptive coverage for insured women and family planning funding for low income uninsured women. Yet when a reporter asked your position on contraception, you stammered you didn't remember and asked your aide to "find out how you had voted." On another occasion, you famously squirmed and mumbled "I'll get back to you" when asked to explain Carly Fiorina's perfectly logical statement that it's unfair for insurance companies to cover Viagra™ but not contraception. Did Ms. Fiorina fail to get your memo to that in order to curry favor with the Religious Right your campaign had to adopt a strict anti-birth control policy?

If the stakes weren't so serious, your consistent stumbles-whenever asked about family planning issues-would be amusing. But it's no laughing matter that you would deny birth control access and simultaneously outlaw abortion.

Who's Wearing the Flip-flops?
We've noticed your flip flops on abortion, by the way. You identify as "pro-life," as is your right. Still, why have you abandoned your once nuanced positions? In 1999, you were on record as not wanting Roe v Wade overturned, recognizing-correctly-that allowing criminalization of abortion would lead to many injuries, even deaths. Now you've even picked a running mate--Sarah Palin--who like you wants to see Roe overturned. Period.

In 2000, you challenged George W. Bush to justify how he could possibly support the Republican party platform that calls for outlawing abortion with no exceptions-not for rape, incest, health, even life of the mother!

You were incredulous then that Bush refused to repudiate such extremism. And we are incredulous now, that in 2008, you don't push back against the extremists in your party who show such callous disregard for the lives of women.

Interconnections Are Clear; Answers Are Not
Senator McCain, where do you stand on these intersecting challenges facing working women? Is it really your vision that women should be paid less than men, accept unsatisfactory childcare and healthcare for their children, yet have limited access to contraception that could reduce unintended pregnancy and abortion, and risk possible injury or death, when--if you are in a position to appoint Supreme Court justices--abortion becomes once more illegal?

We're waiting for answers. Because if that's McCain's plan for working women, he'd be taking "barefoot and pregnant" to a whole new level, and the women of America deserve to know that before they cast their votes.

Forget the barbecue. It's time for real straight talk on this Labor Day.

Carole Joffe Is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Davis [e-mail]. Gloria Feldt is author of The War on Choice and former president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She blogs at Heartfeldt Politics.
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Comments

[GloriaFeldt]

From these great comments. I can see that you all get the connection between barefoot and pregnant. Now we have to keep making the connection clear to voters. Pass it on!

[schatsie]

We need to relabel McCain from being a 'straight talker' to being RECKLESS..

This is the man who had real estate investments and traveled to Bermuda for vacations with Charles Keating who dumped 2.3 billion dollars on the American Taxpayer.

This is the man who voted for Savings and Loan Deregulation in the 80s and then again the Banking Deregulation resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars being dumped on the American Taxpayer.

This man supported Bush 90% of the time including the War in Iraq.

This man hired lobbyists for Georgia and supported the genocide in Georgia under Shakishvil­i...

This man supported Agitating Russia by putting missile systems in Poland...

This man is not safe, he is RECKLESS

[WorkingClass]

Happy Labor Day ladies. Your working class sisters know that it is their bosses and not their working class brothers who are "discriminating" against them. I suggest you make common cause with working men (even if you think we are pigs) against the modern robber barrens who seek to enslave us all.

Solidarity.

[Marcia G. Yerman - Huffpost Blogger]

Carly Fiorina as an advocate of the average working woman is a misnomer, if not a joke.

I covered her at an event where she spoke about supporting economic opportunities for
women in the "third world." One of her stated underlying reasons for that activity?
Because in the end it would be good for us, meaning the United States.

Since she was dismissed by HP, women in the world of business have considered her a role
model and a hero. Unfortunately, upon close examination, one will see that in many
ways Fiorina is really just one of the a"big boys."

[GloriaFeldt]

Marcia,
Fiorina represents the same paradox women like Palin do, though in the business world rather than politics or home. It's not unusual for oppressed people to identify with their oppressors as a way of achieving power.

My guess is that Fiorina 's perspective is indeed driven by the pragmatics of her business orientation rather than ideology. Not that it makes a difference in the final analysis but if it gets her to do something positive for women anywhere, that's a good thing.

[loril]

The Repub. stance on reproductive rights for women not only panders to the extremist evangelical sector...i­t also helps promote the weak economy the Right desires. The Republicans love a robust economy (for themselves -- meaning the top 5% of business tycoons, billionaires and trust funders). They enjoy a weak economy for the rest of us. Desperate people do not demand services, they do not complain about working conditions, they do not have time to keep up on issues, and they are easily manipulated by flowery statements about abstract concepts like religion, patriotism and the like. (Perhaps, because your life is hectic, exhausting, disappointing and stressful, you just find it easier to sit back and await the afterlife.­)

Women who are compelled to have more pregnancies and to interrupt their working lives more frequently are left in a weaker position economically, as are their spouses. Kids cost a lot of money to raise.

I should know. I am a stay at home mom right now. My salary was so modest that I would have spent almost all of it on childcare and the expenses of working and commuting. Either way, we lost a good chunk of income when our baby was born. Our strategy is to have only one child. The notion that contraception would no longer be readily available is almost incomprehensible. However, with this crew in place, anything is possible.

Women and men both have to make it clear that we demand birth control in the 21st century.

[GloriaFeldt]

loril, your personal story is powerful rebuttal to McCain's bad policies and bad votes. Thank you and keep sharing it.

[Lcubed]

Thanks for bringing up these very important issues. I suspect that the VP pick of Sarah Polin may trick some of the poplation into thinking that he supports working women. It is horrifying to me how people can hold the Neanderthal views that McCain and company do.

[hopefulinpa]

Why ask him.. depending on where he was and who was asking he would lie anyway. You have his record.. that is the truth of the man. He would stand and lie like he did in a Denver town hall meeting when a vet challenged his rhetoric on his voting record on veteran's issues. You can tell by what he thinks a vice president does.. goes to funerals and asks if the president is alright or whatever. By virtue of the fact that Palin is a woman, he is not going to give her any more duties than that.. thus regulating her to a "non job." The ego of the man is staggering especially when he cannot coherently answer a question, personal, health care, economy, foreign affairs, global warming etc unles it is scripted for him. There are big time Repulblicans that have come forward and said they will not vote for him.. I think there will be a lot more whether they come out and say it or just don't vote or vote dem. this year. McCain is just too big a risk to this country's well being to elect him.

[SimonNZ]

Ladies, Ladies. Fancy calling big John out for his stance on women's issues. He's just proved his feminist credentials by making a woman his VP pick. (LMAO!)

[OhioJan]

Thank you, Ladies, for finally bringing up these extremely important issues for us women with children that Johnny Mack refuses to address and explain! I've tried to expose these points on these blogs, but none of the women-commenters seemed interested. I hope they are soon; November 4th is fast approaching.

If we don't pay attention to these facts, American women could face losing MANY of our rights that we assume are secure - and end up at the same status as women had during the dark ages!!!!

[caroleincal]

Thank-you for your comment, Ohio Jan. I agree with you that Nov 4 is fast approaching. I think one of the great challenges facing all of us is how to get the message out to people who don't already agree with us. Happy Labor Day to you, OhioJan.

[Pupadup4oBama]

I think what needs to be said is that just because we are pro-choice doesn't mean we are FOR abortion..­..we are FOR women and children having adequate healthcare, we are FOR bringing DOWN the number of abortions and raising awareness on contracept­ion...beca­use let's face it as much as these men/republicans think women don't have sex...we are ALL having sex...and that INCLUDES men.
it's called being responsible.