Wolf Blitzer pressed Florida's GOP attorney general on Monday about
the party platform's opposition to abortion in all cases, asking her if
it was the "problem" Republicans had with women.
"Is that the problem that he has – that Romney, and Republicans for
that matter, have with women?" Blitzer asked after reading the section
of the GOP platform supporting a human life amendment to the
Constitution.
"Why does Romney have such a problem across the country getting as much support among women as he has – as the President has?" Blitzer asked after citing a poll showing Romney lagging far behind President Obama among likely women voters. Blitzer then asked "Should the platform have put in the exceptions" for rape, incest, and life of the mother.
[Video below. Audio here [1].]
Blitzer's scrutiny echoes CNN anchor Ashleigh Banfield's remarks from last week that the platform was written by the "very far right-wing [2]" of the party and could have been "besmirched" by the controversy that was Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) rape remarks.
"[T]he platform, for the most part, was crafted by the very far-right
wing of the party and then if you combine that with the timing of all
this ugliness that's going on with Mr. Akin...does that besmirch this
platform that so many people agree with?" Banfield asked last Tuesday.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on August 27 on The Situation Room at , is as follows:
WOLF BLITZER: Why does Romney have such a
problem across the country getting as much support among women as he
has – as the President has?
(...)
BLITZER: No, this is likely women voters, all women voters. And a lot
of folks believe it's because of the abortion rights issue for women.
The Republican Party platform, I'll put it up on the screen, "We assert
the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a
fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We
support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse
legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections
apply to unborn children." Is that the problem that he has – that
Romney, and Republicans for that matter, have with women?
(...)
BLITZER: So why does he have a problem with women?
(...)
BLITZER: Should the platform have put in the exceptions – because
Romney does support exemptions for women who have been raped, incest,
life of the mother – that's not included in the platform.