Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
President Obama at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Monday.
President Obama pressed lawmakers on Monday to back the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would toughen up current equal pay laws for women.
Amping up the message for female voters, Obama formally backed the bill and reiterated his support during a conference call.
"Congress needs to step up and do its job," said the president as part of a Democratic mega media blitz. "If Congress passes the Paycheck Fairness Act, women are going to have access to more tools to claim equal pay for equal work. If they don't, if Congress doesn't act, then women are still going to have difficulty enforcing and pressing for this basic principle."
Republican nominee Mitt Romney's position is a little more unclear. When asked about the proposal, his team issued more of a non-answer answer. "Of course Governor Romney supports pay equity for women. In order to have pay equity, women need to have jobs, and they have been getting crushed in this anemic Obama economy, losing far more jobs than men. As president, Mitt Romney will create a pro-jobs business climate that will put all Americans back to work."
The White House says American women make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.
The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on Tuesday. Though, Dems aren't expected to get enough of the 60 votes needed to debate the bill. The short version: these efforts are more about getting on the record with voters over the issue.
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Romney will only be for or against something depending on what republicans tell him to do. Can you see "dummy and ventrilaquist"?
Romney and Obama have their jobs to do...campaign for the office of President of the United States. The Congress will do their jobs of considering this legislation: lets hope they do a thorough job of it, with full debate, and with transparency so the American people know not only what the legislation will or won't do, but also the process on how the law is formulated in its final form.
What a waste of the taxpayer's money..even discussing this. In a market economy, nobody gets any more or any less than they are worth...nobody. This is something that Liberals never understand.
Of course don't get the concept of a Market Economy...take NYC for example. Mayor Bloomberg is seeking have municipal government decriminalize marijauana and allow its use (especially in Central Park and other outdoor locations around the city, such as by the drug addicted homeless under the bridges and in the back alleys), while previously banning the smoking of tobacco punishable by arrest and fines.
Then he follows with executive fiat to restrict the selling of surgery drinks to 16 0z containers (of course they are half ice if not more) while the next day he signs and proudly announces doughnut day in NYC!
Go figure the lack of sanity in that series of events.
Um, exactly this is a market economy. The bill is about women who do the same work as men should be compensated equally unless given a legitimate reason. I am not sure how this is considered bad...?
Who said it was bad? But the devil is always in the details of the legislation. If its not written carefully, there is the issue that always comes of which is are all the job functions performed equally. Its noted that women with children often look for the opportunity to hold jobs that don't require them to travel, or work overtime hours when asked, or to even leave the workforce for periods of time and then once the children are suitably raised return. Does that disqualify say, a middle management married with children female indiviudal in a retail sales chain of stores, say, from receiving the same levels of pay from an unmarried childless woman who takes on the assignments and overtime when requested, or worse yet, a male that does so? Hmmm! Now the issue needs some clarification before we are off to sue to the employer, no?
Once again, Keith shows his "stellar" comprehension skills ... it's called equal pay for equal work ... meaning, women make $.77 for every $1.00 a man makes doing the same exact work. The legislation is geared to make women's pay equal to that of men doing the same exact work. Duh.
That 77% is, of course, a myth! vfeinstein. As i pointed out, all jobs and all job holders aren't created equal. Have commissdions and bonuses being taken into consideration, say, in arriving at that number? Merit pay increases? Is the figure arrived at measuring hours worked for hourly wage holders, or is the figure based on isolated measures of job classifications only? Does a middle manager in an upscale men's clothing store franchise equate with one at discount clothing chain stores in the apparel sales jobs, for example?
You see, the Devil is really in the Details!
Has Larry told everyone today....."He is a Socialist!" I want to hear it every day....and so should every other sheep & mouth breather who relies on MSNBC.
Show your true colors....stop trying to wrap it fancy packaging....lean forward, progressive, etc.
Expand your mind and expand your knowledge. There are still jobs out there. Go after a degree in the field of your choice and on demand. Find your field at High Speed Universities websites to know which are on demand and suitable for you.
Romney once again demonstrates political cowardice. He runs political ads featuring his wife touting how much he cares about his family. That's great, but John Dillinger cared about his family too; he just wasn't nice to anyone else. That brings me back to Romney, the sociopath; it is his caring for others that concerns me. Does this guy give one hoot about my family; the answer is no, a thousand time no!
I have lots of company. His wife told the nation of his unequivocal support as she battled severe medical issues. Romney told the wives of the rest of the nation up yours when he said, "Planned Parenthood, we'll get rid of that!" Mitt has told so many groups up yours; Latinos-self deport no method to citizenship. A purported bully of a gay man. Equal pay rights for women, up theirs. College tuition for our kids- up theirs, while he gives his own kids ten million big ones each. Romney has told so many of our wives and children up yours, that as President he would be known as the Proctologist and Chief of the United States!
It has been rumored that the artificial rigid smile on his face is a direct result of botox injections.
Michael, your homophobic anal rape fixation seems to show through with your constant references to "Up Yours", you know? What a sorry adolescent like post that was you offered above. Take a page from the former Democrat President Bill Clinton, and get off the attack dog eat dog foolishness on Romneys former successes, and discuss soberly his plan for a turnaround in the economic fortunes for all vs. Obama's. The character assaults are exactly what the large percentage of the electorate simply say they are sick of, including Mayor Cory Booker who first broke with the Obama attacks ordhestrated by that Chicago hood Axelrod in desperation over the slumping ecomomic news 3&1/2 years into the President's failed term of office.
Nice post, Michael. Short and to the point - Romney doesn't give a sh*t about anyone but himself and his fellow 1%.
What I find sad is that Magic Underwear Mitt's defenders get all "fake outraged" over negative ads against Magic Underwear Mitt yet conveniently forget that over 70% of the ads put out by Magic Underwear Mitt's and his super PAC buddies are negative ... but, it is well-known that conservitards have a severe aversion to facts ... they muddle their fantasies ...
Ah the anti-Mormanreligious bigoty again. Judging by your name, vfeistein, I would think that you would be above that! Foolish me!
So EVERY Republican has voted NO on this bill today!!! So far the Republicans have voted no to equal pay for women, cut funding to womens health care clinics, oh and lets not forget they want to make women pay for their own birth control pills......... you remember...... just put an aspirin between your legs I think was was their solution. What's next...... take away their voting rights???
I can see how you got your monikor here, Mad Dog. Stark raving Mad, that is! LOL!
By the way, if you know any women that don't have access to birthcontrol, either conventional or prescription drug related, I'd be willing to listen to them. This game of couching legislation in a manner that assures it won't pass by the Democrats in Congress so that they can carry our their specious claims of a Republican War on Women is already falling on deaf ears, as the percentage of women supporting Obama in the polls has already slipped to an amazing low...you see, they would rather have job opportunities first, and foremost, and the married ones also wish their husbands had the same too. That is how their health insurance gets paid you know?
The free charitable clinics like Planned Parenthood that provide abortions and refer out all other women's health services like pap smears and mastectomys still will have the funds to provide for free contraceptives, Plan B prescriptions, and 1st trimester abortions to their clients, but they will not get the federal funds from borrowed Chinese dollars to carry on with their abortion activities under a Romney Presidency and Republican control of both houses of Congress with budgets in place, and deficit reduction underway.
Watch Wisconsin's returns tonight, and get your first clue as to what is coming in November!