On Sunday's NBC Meet the Press, moderator David Gregory grilled Florida Senator Marco Rubio on Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" comment: "Can
you understand why some women have that reaction, that he seems sort of
out of touch with what modern women are going through?"
Gregory also seized on Romney's support of flexible work schedules for
women as more evidence of a supposed disconnect: "He talked about the –
the importance of flexibility so that, you know, women could get home
early to be with their kids and make dinner. And he's gotten some
criticism for that because it seems that there's a narrow view of what women's view – roles are, both at home and in the workplace."
Gregory
quoted liberal Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus attacking Romney
as a "fifties dad" who "speaks of 'the dignity of work' when talking
about welfare moms. But at heart, he seems convinced that children are
better off when mothers stay at home."
After Rubio explained the economy was the number one issue for women
and criticized President Obama for not outlining a second-term agenda,
Gregory quickly tried to get back to Democratic talking points: "But, my
– my question, Senator, has to do with again the – the perception, real
or not, about whether Mitt Romney gets it when it comes to what women
are dealing with in the workplace today and in their own choices that
they face today."
During the roundtable panel discussion later in the broadcast, Gregory
again pushed the "binders" comment: "Here was a picture on Tumblr,
actually. What is that, of course? That is binders full of women, which
refers, of course, to Mitt Romney’s reference to that."
Gregory then teed up former Bill Clinton Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers
to hit Romney: "...the debate after that, about understanding women's
choices today, pressures they face, about access to contraception, about
abortion, all of this seems to be an intense play right now as the
administration, the President wants to – to drive up that wedge and get
women to vote for him. What did you make of all of that?"
Not surprisingly, Myers ranted:
I think that the way that "binders of women" blew up was sig – indicative that – that women don't trust something about – about Romney and his position on women. It's – it's first of all, why does he need binders of women? He's been out in the – you know, 25 years in the private sector as – as a governor, I mean, as – as a candidate for governor, before that as a businessman, before that as – during that time at the Salt Lake City Olympic, why didn't he come with a network of women, right? So he doesn't have any relationships with women, which just makes women suspicious.
Gregory also invited New York Times White House correspondent Helene Cooper to expound on how "out of touch" Romney was. Cooper obliged:
He really comes across that way.... I think he has the tendency when he talks about women to some, maybe he's been watching Mad Men, but he does sound very 1950s. The whole idea of, you know, women rushing home to cook dinner is something that just didn't – I don't think that sounded quite the way he would want to appear, because that's – that's a battle I think that women feel that they fought years ago. We – women have gone so far – we've come so far now that – that the idea – that the whole idea of women, you know, should be able to go into the workplace and should be able to leave at a certain time. For us to be, for women to be litigating that now just seems like he – it makes him seem as – as if he's out of touch.
Here are portions of the October 21 program:
10:39AM ET
(...)
DAVID GREGORY: Let me talk more generally about how he relates to
women, again, because this has become such an issue on the campaign
trail, as our piece at the very top setup. You know, when he talked
about flexibility in schedules, he talked about the binders full of
women that he received from some women's groups when he was looking to
fill his cabinet with posts when he was governor of Massachusetts. He
talked about the – the importance of flexibility so that, you know,
women could get home early to be with their kids and make dinner. And
he's gotten some criticism for that because it seems that there's a
narrow view of what women's view – roles are, both at home and in the
workplace.
Ruth Marcus with the Washington Post wrote this in her column on
Friday, and I'd like your reaction to it. She writes, "Listen closely to
Romney, not just in the debate but in his comments about women
throughout the campaign, and you hear not only modern manager but
fifties dad. He speaks of 'the dignity of work' when talking about
welfare moms. But at heart, he seems convinced that children are better
off when mothers stay at home." Look, Senator, you're – you're
forty-two, you're of a different generation, as a – as a father and as a
husband, can you understand why some women have that reaction, that he
seems sort of out of touch with what modern women are going through?
MARCO RUBIO: Well, first of all, let me correct to you, I'm forty-one. I only feel forty-two.
GREGORY: You know, I thought we were the same age.
RUBIO: Let – let me – just couple things I want to say about that.
Number one, the number one issue in America, especially for women, but
for all Americans, is an economy that's growing and creating
opportunities. And that's why you just read a poll that the – the gender
gap is narrowing. The reason why is because Barack Obama is not
offering anything. What's he going to do over the next four years
economically so that women that are graduating from the universities can
find jobs in the professions that they're studying for? That's the
number one issue in America, it's the number two issue in America, it's
the overriding issue in America, and the President is failing to put
forward what is his plan for the next four years. What's his plan?
GREGORY: But, my – my question, Senator, has to do with again the – the
perception, real or not, about whether Mitt Romney gets it when it
comes to what women are dealing with in the workplace today and in their
own choices that they face today.
RUBIO: The – there are going to be columnists and folks on the left
that don't like Mitt Romney, do not support Mitt Romney. They're going
to come up with all sorts of interesting arguments between now and
Election Day. I think that's absurd. He has a record of placing
highly-qualified women both in his administration and his campaign and
throughout his life. And the debate, this is silly outrage. It's not –
it's not even real outrage. He was discussing a process that they went
through to identify qualified women for important positions in his
administration. I mean, I think his record speaks for itself on that in
terms of the way he's behaved himself in both private life and in his
campaign.
(...)
11:18AM ET
GREGORY:
We're back with our roundtable. Here was a picture on Tumblr, actually.
What is that, of course? That is binders full of women, which refers,
of course, to Mitt Romney’s reference to that. Dee Dee Myers, the debate
after that, about understanding women's choices today, pressures they
face, about access to contraception, about abortion, all of this seems
to be an intense play right now as the administration, the President
wants to – to drive up that wedge and get women to vote for him. What
did you make of all of that?
DEE DEE MYERS: Well, first of all, I – I think that the way that
"binders of women" blew up was sig – indicative that – that women don't
trust something about – about Romney and his position on women. It's –
it's first of all, why does he need binders of women? He's been out in
the – you know, 25 years in the private sector as – as a governor, I
mean, as – as a candidate for governor, before that as a businessman,
before that as – during that time at the Salt Lake City Olympic, why
didn't he come with a network of women, right? So he doesn't have any
relationships with women, which just makes women suspicious. Then it
came out that he made up his role in that, which – you know, took credit
for something that 25 groups of women had done in – in Massachusetts in
order to – in order to make sure that more women got into government.
And then it's his positions more broadly, right? He says he's – would –
is against abortion except in cases of rape, incest, and life of the
mother. Except he would support Supreme Court justices that would
overturn Roe. He supported a Personhood Amendment, which would make
abortion illegal under any circumstances and outlaw many forms of birth
control, even though he says he supports access to contraception for all
women. He's been all over the map on every issue that's important to
women in this election.
He doesn't have a plan to help narrow the pay gap, which is really
important to women. You know, women care about the economy, but in a
recent poll, 39 percent of women said abortion was the most important
issue, jobs was a second, and third was access to – equality in – in the
workforce and equal pay.
GREGORY: But the gender gap is closing…
MIKE MURPHY: Yeah, I was going to say we…
GREGORY: …among women. Mike.
MURPHY: ...we – we talked to 65 million American women today via that
poll, and the gender gap is definitely closing. So the women of America
are coming up with another definition. One, it's always amazed me how
the media assumes there's no such thing in the world as a pro-life
woman, it's the most under-represented, you know, group in the world, we
never talk about them. They're very comfortable with Romney. And a lot
of pro-choice women are because they know his priority is going to be
the economy.
You know, I listen to this, and this is the Democrat line. But I – I
close my eyes, because I worked for Romney when he was governor, and I
imagine all the women I knew then who ran the place, throwing stuff at
the TV. I think it's ludicrous people vilify Romney for being a leader
among all governors in appointing – I can't even remember any of the men
who worked there, frankly. When I think back, it's 10 years ago, I'm
getting old – but it's – it's – I think it's what I called a shiny
object attack. It's the whole problem with the Obama campaign. Push it
into small divisive things to make up for the lack of any big vision.
GREGORY: But I – but I – Helene, one of the things, and I talked about
it with my wife and talked about it with some of my, you know,
colleagues here at work. When the example he cites about more
flexibility for women had to do with so women could get home at five
o'clock, be with their kids and cook dinner. Now, look, there's a lot of
families who do make that choice, and there's absolutely nothing wrong
with that. My understanding from my wife about feminism is respecting
the choice. And yet, he talked about it in such a way that earned him
that criticism, "Well, he's just a little out of touch. That he doesn't
understand what's happening today."
HELENE COOPER [WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES]: He really
comes across that way, and I bet your wife wishes you cooked dinner
sometimes, David.
GREGORY: Yeah.
MYERS: Maybe not.
COOPER: But that's a different story. I think he has the tendency when
he talks about women to some, maybe he's been watching Mad Men, but he
does sound very 1950s. The whole idea of, you know, women rushing home
to cook dinner is something that just didn't – I don't think that
sounded quite the way he would want to appear, because that's – that's a
battle I think that women feel that they fought years ago. We – women
have gone so far – we've come so far now that – that the idea – that the
whole idea of women, you know, should be able to go into the workplace
and should be able to leave at a certain time. For us to be, for women
to be litigating that now just seems like he – it makes him seem as – as
if he's out of touch.
(...)