Let’s be clear: There is no war on women. And it’s time to tone down the rhetoric. Neither Democrats nor Republicans are actually attacking women. Calls for government-run, cradle-to-grave policies — from either the right or the left — are bad for women and their families; but they’re a far cry from an assault on women.
Ted Nugent’s (most recent) inflammatory comments, in which he referred to Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Nancy Pelosi as “varmints,” ought to be condemned — and forcefully. This kind of rhetoric — whether it’s from Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann or Rush Limbaugh — is not only repulsive, but also distracting.
The real debate we should be having this election season is not which party is at “war” with women, but what is the proper role of government. And Romney’s campaign should have said that. Romney skirted the issue of the Lilly Ledbetter Act last week; now he’s offered an anemic condemnation of Nugent’s attacks.
The fact is Romney’s problem throughout the entire primary season has been his inability to demonstrate his commitment to anything. Instead of being scared of offending women, Romney ought to have come out loudly and clearly against gender-protection legislation like Lilly Ledbetter and explain why it’s such bad policy for women. And, at the same time, he shouldn’t be afraid to come down hard on Nugent.