CBS Host Bob Schieffer: ‘Are Republicans Against Equal Pay for Women?’
CBS Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer forwarded the liberal line that women get paid 77 percent of what their male counterparts earn as was evident during an interview with Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
Blackburn appeared with Schieffer on Sunday April 13 and was accused of being against equal pay: “Are Republicans against equal pay for women and is that going to be a good political issue in these coming midterm elections?”
For her part, Blackburn shot back and mocked Schieffer’s condescending question:
I find this war on women rhetoric just almost silly. It is Republicans that have led the fight for women's equality. Go back through history and look at who was the first woman to ever vote, elected to office, go to Congress.
The CBS host seemed shocked that Senate Republicans blocked a bill that did nothing to prevent pay discrimination, which is already illegal, presuming the specific law pushed by liberals is the only solution: “Why did the Senate Republicans then block blocked this?”
Unfortunately, Schieffer did not challenge his Democratic guest on the issue of equal pay the way he did with Ms. Blackburn. The CBS host asked Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) “Marsha Blackburn says Republicans are actually for equal pay for women. But yet, it was blocked in the Senate by Republicans…What is going on here?”
If Schieffer were an objective host, he would have challenged Cummings when he falsely claimed that “White women are making 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, African-American women and Hispanic women, 64 cents .54 respectfully. There is something absolutely wrong with that picture.” Instead of being an actual journalist, Schieffer eagerly accepted to liberal
See relevant transcript below from the April 13 Face the Nation on CBS:
BOB SCHEIFFER: Let me ask you about this debate over equal pay for women.
MARSHA BLACKBURN: Sure.
SCHIEFFER: There was a lot of debate on that last week, finally Republicans blocked it in the Senate. Are Republicans against equal pay for women and is that going to be a good political issue in these coming midterm elections?
BLACKBURN: You know, I find this war on women rhetoric just almost silly. It is Republicans that have led the fight for women's equality. Go back through history and look at who was the first woman to ever vote, elected to office, go to Congress.
SCHIEFFER: But why did the Senate Republicans then block blocked this?
BLACKBURN: Well, because the legislation was something that was going to be helpful for trial lawyers and what we would like to see happen is equal opportunity and clearing up some of the problems that exist that are not fair to women. We are all for equal pay. I would love for women to be focused on maximum wage and I have fought to be recognized with equality for a long time. A lot of us get tired of guys being condescending to us. But you know I got to tell you, one of the things that we need to do is look at access to capital. Small business owners that are female, that is their number one problem, is access to capital. We need to also look at regulations. How that is affecting them, ObamaCare has been very unfair to women. We hear a good bit about this. Women are the primary healthcare consumers in the country. 80 percent of all healthcare decisions are made by women. Whether they are for their family or elderly relatives they are caring for, so I think -- and by the way, the White House paying women 88 cents for every dollar that a guy earns in comparable positions and, you know, they need to go clean up their own act first.
SCHIEFFER: Alright we have to stop there. There’s so much news this morning congresswoman. We’ll get the other side of this from the Democrats, but thank you.
BLACKBURN: Thank you.
SCHIEFFER: And joining us now Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings who has come down from his district in Baltimore this morning. Congressman thank you for being here.
ELIJAH CUMMINGS: Good to be with you, Bob.
SCHIEFFER: What about this, Marsha Blackburn says Republicans are actually for equal pay for women. But yet, it was blocked in the Senate by Republicans.
CUMMINGS: Yes.
SCHIEFFER: What is going on here?
CUMMINGS: I respectfully disagree with my colleague. Keep in mind, Bob, that white women are making 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, African-American women and Hispanic women, 64 cents .54 respectfully. There is something absolutely wrong with that picture. I have not seen them leading, as a matter of fact they seem to be very much against it. And I for the life of me I can't understand why.
— Jeffrey Meyer is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Jeffrey Meyer on Twitter.
