Obama Singles Out Working Women

And this is a good thing. As any Democrat knows, "Working Families" are a staple of any good Dem's rhetoric. The trope "helping America's working families" is so often used, it loses its punch. But the "working women" campaign the Obamas are running brings new urgency to nearly universal battles. The title of Obama's theme "Change that Works for You," sounds a little like an HR policy at a mega-corporation, but I think that's a good thing.

This week at least, Barack Obama is standing up for working women. If this is what happens when a youngish man with young children and a professional wife runs for office, I'm all for it (I don't remember another young candidate with a working wife and young daughter talking about standing up for working women, but I think Bill Clinton was forbidden from talking about women, period).

Obama's remarks today were a real first. And you've got Michelle Obama talking about her experience as a working mother (and her husband's admission that when he was advancing in state politics, he was not there for his children). This is an issue that spans class, education and geography. True, hourly workers face different challenges than Wall Street professionals, but this is a universal American issue. It's not polarizing, and it actually seems solvable if government and business were to have a fire lit and then get together. Not to sound Pollyanna-ish, but this is my kind of politics of hope:

"As the son of a single mother, I also don't accept an America that makes women choose between their kids and their careers. It's not acceptable that women are denied jobs or promotions because they've got kids at home. It's not acceptable that forty percent of working women don't have a single paid sick day. That's wrong for working parents, it's wrong for America's children, and it's not who we are as a country."

For Obama's full remarks, click here.

Comments

[magen]

Obama should say this at every opportunity he gets-

My mother was a hard working single white woman who raised me by herself.

To all crazy die-hard Hillary supporters-

Hillary knows nothing about your problems-she only say she does-Barack grew up in your situation.

Come into the light.

[Morra Aarons-Mele - Huffpost Blogger]

For now, I think it's important that Obama is just talking about the challenges working women (and men face). I agree that bringing back ERA would be a great step, but it would have Obama pegged further as a liberal and I don't know how politically savvy it is.

I'm curious to know if there is a working woman's platform out there. I'd imagine it's something like this:
- support Equal Pay for Equal Work
- support paid family and medical leave
- provide companies and employers with incentives to develop family friendly work policies
- encourage public officials to talk about being working parents. Normalize the discussions.

Thoughts?

[Dianora]

Although, as usual, if you're a working woman who hasn't actually reproduced, you're still not worthy of anyone's political attention. Even though we vote just like mothers do.

[forworldpeace]

I need the women to vote for me.

[iambusto]

I am all for gender equality. Just as women working at same positions with same qualifications as a guy should be paid the same,
they must work the same number of hours a year as guys.

You cant have equality only going one way. You get paid the same, but work the same hours as what the guys work.

I dont think women should oppose this logic. do you ?

[granolagoddess]

Ok..I buy that...but are including all the work at home as well? Will men step up and take as mcuh or more care of the children and care of the household responsibilities as the woman? If all men did equal work at home, women would/could work as many hours as men. Women enable men to work 80 hours a week, because of all their free labor they put in at home. Understand?

[melpomene1]

Where is your evidence that women work fewer hours than men? Women in my workplace don't get a break on hours. If they do in yours, I'd like to know who your employer is so I can apply.

[demfriend]

Women's rights are a negative thing for McCainas he has voted againest women many more times than he would like to admit. We need more honest answers and approaches to how equal pay and positiions can be brought out. Also how many womn have what kind of jobs. The very idea that a woman can fly a helicopter in Iraq and ferry soldiers in and out of bad situations but a woman isn't allowed in infantry with a gun? Too many issues for some but as a female we should know why to each thing. The idea of also allowing gays to serve and be equal is a part of this too as the gay suffers many the same plight we women do. The number of congresswomen should be a number we all know..... glass ceilings are not just a presidential race thing.

[Rockerbabe]

So what is Senator Obama actually going to do to correct the pay imbalance between men and women? What about Lilly Ledbetter and her issues; is he going to correct the Supreme Court's denial of her grievance? The devil is in the detail. . .I want some details.

[elbzee]

"That's why I've been fighting to pass legislation in the Senate, so that employers don't get away with discriminating against hardworking women like Lilly Ledbetter. And that's why I'll continue to stand up for equal pay as President."

Must have missed it when you read the whole thing. Does that help?

[3Gs]

I hope he comes out with a comprehensive plan to advance our struggling school systems. I would also like to see politics, personal financial training, and sex education become mandatory study in public schools. This is yet another reminder that the man is not all talk, but full of ideas to move us in a positive direction.

[sufi66]

If Obama was real smart, he would resurrect the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as a political issue. Surely he and Hillary would win many votes on this alone. And as we know, it is the Republicans who don't believe in a woman's equality.