Back in January, feminist magazine Ms. hailed Barack Obama as a super feminist. But the president's recent tepid response to protecting abortion rights might mean that the love affair with Obama is about to end for many women. Over at the Daily Beast, women's rights activist Amy Siskind argues that the Stupak amendment, which treats women's rights as a political bargaining chip that can be traded for healthcare reform, is just one more example of how Obama couldn't care less about women . . . except when he's trying to win their votes of course. She writes:
He appointed fewer women into his cabinet than President Bill Clinton. He surrounded himself with czars, more than 90 percent of whom are male. He appointed Larry Summers, of "girls are inferior in math and science" fame, to a key economic post. He played basketball, golfed and fished with men and men only. He had beers with Skip Gates, but ignored it when Rihanna was almost strangled to death. And so on.
Of course it's not all bad. Ms. released a report chronicling the giant strides Obama made for women during his first 100 days in office. These actions included: signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, instituting a new ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, establishing the White House Council on Women and Girls, and overturning the "global gag rule" in order to re-fund global family planning organizations.
Has the Obama administration let you down when it comes to women's rights?
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when Rihanna is almost strangled to death? Yah, the president should definitely have something about that?!
The Skip Gates thing was about police departments being racist and it was important that something be done to squash that situation. I don't even know if the president should have done something with that- but Rihanna, really?
1Give me a break. She neglects to mention the things he has done for women, such as appointing a woman to the Supreme Court, as well as the things mentioned by Ms. I do not expect him to appoint women to various positions solely for the sake of appointing a woman, so I see no need for him to specifically attempt to have as many female cabinet members as Bill Clinton. And finally, I did not expect him to get involved with Rihanna's ordeal any more that I expected George W. Bush to jump on a plane to LA when Britney Spears went crazy and shaved her head.
2I think that Obama needs to step in and fix Aerosmith. Steven Tyler leaving the band just isn't right. I'll even spring for the non-alcoholic beers.
3Oh, Fuzzles. I knew you'd come through!
4I wouldn't worry to much about his tepid response because tepid seems to be the norm for his reactions regardless of the issue. Doesn't mean he's not concerned or on your side though.
5if the president took time out of his schedule to address what happened to rihanna, i'd move. seriously? this is something to get upset about?
6Your so incredibly right Fuzzles. I'll spring for the eats. I can't drink without eating.
7how stupid. guys tend to hang out with guys in their free time. and just cus the guy's not a feminist doesn't mean he's not good at economics. p uh lease.
8He should have nothing to do with Rihanna. He's the President for God's sake, not an arm of TMZ. Honestly, this makes me respect the magazine much less.
9
I am not really a fan of Obama,but geez was he supposed to implant a chip in Rhianna at all
times to see where she was going or who she was with .give me a break
10Give it up, Ms. You never spoke for me and any women of color; so, please stop acting like you truly give a damn.
11yes, the Obama administration has let you down when it comes to women's' rights.
12Oh geez, she must learn to shut her trap in the future.
13The health reform bill has a component which would serve to end the discriminatory insurance practice of making women pay higher premiums than men... and Obama has been pushing this health reform bill since he took office. What a lousy, no-good misogynist he is!
I am a little concerned as to why Planned Parenthood no longer has ANY federal funding. And yes, that just recently happened... with Obama in office.
Don't get me wrong tho... I still support him. The other options were terrifying when it came to the future of women's rights.
14Way back on the campaign trail, it came out that for all his talk about equal pay, Obama's female staffers were paid 83 cents to their male counterparts' $1, while that other guy (you know, the one whose ticket actually, um, included a woman) paid women workers $1.04 to the men's dollar. Just sayin'.
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