The flamboyant (some would say plain nutty) co-chair of President Obama's Fiscal Commission, Former Republican Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming, who became an instant You-Tube star earlier this summer with a rant against senior citizens, is at it again big-time.
Evidently smarting mightily -- and mighty belatedly -- from an April 27th Huffington Post blog by Ashley Carson, Executive Director of the Older Women's League (OWL), Simpson fired off an email Monday. He accused Carson of lying and "babbling into the vapors about disgusting attempts at ageism and sexism and all the rest of that crap." Piling on the sexist rhetoric, he then instructed her to read a graph which "I hope you are able to discern if you are any good at reading graphs."
Declining to address whether or not he accepts his own Social Security benefit (he's pushing 80), Simpson saves the best for last: "And yes, I've made some plenty smart cracks about people on Social Security who milk it to the last degree. You know 'em too. It's the same with any system in America. We've reached a point now where it's like a milk cow with 310 million tits! Call when you get honest work!" Signed incongruously "Al."
Wow.
After verifying that the email did indeed come from Simpson, Susan Scanlan, Chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations (representing over 200 women's groups), along with Carson and OWL President Donna Wagner, returned the fire with their own missive -- to President Obama.
Even though they acknowledge that he may indeed serve as a good foil in an election year, the groups are calling for Simpson's removal, either by his own actions or the President's. Correctly pointing out that women are the main recipients of Social Security and that cuts would sink more of them into poverty, the letter flatly tells Obama that this is his chance to show American workers that he means what he says about protecting Social Security.
And the women are right. The facts do speak for themselves when it comes to older women, the largest group of elderly who live in poverty. Not to mention that older women in low wage jobs which are often physically demanding, have actually seen a decrease in life expectancy. These are the folks who would find it hardest to continue working more years if the retirement age is raised.
In closing the groups tell the President that "Mr. Simpson suggests that anyone supporting people who most need help and who deserve benefits they paid for must be dishonest or stupid. Such open contempt . . . goes beyond the pale and cannot be tolerated from someone in such a position of authority."
Will Obama listen? Who knows -- after all, those women's groups who advocate for progressive policies might be considered part of the"professional left."
But Obama also knows that women are -- and will continue to be -- the lion's share of voters. The gender gap is here to stay. It's up to the President to prove he stands with the majority that elected him.