Let me preface this article by saying this: I have strong views about which candidate I believe should win this election. But I’m not someone who refuses to take others’ views into account, or ignores the candidate’s views that do not reflect their own. As a citizen, it’s my responsibility to make an informed decision when I cast my vote. As a journalist, it’s my duty to learn as much as I can about both sides of the issues so I can make sure I am representing this election in a fair and balanced way.
Tuesday’s debate was held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. 82 undecided voters selected by Gallup served as the audience for the town hall-style debate moderated by CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. The focus: domestic policy. Although issues discussed ranged from the economy to the military and education, one topic that was thrown into the foreground should be of high importance to us collegiettes: women’s issues; including equal pay, equal opportunity employment, advocacy for Planned Parenthood and more.
Both candidates tied their broad statements about women back to tenets of the platforms upon which they are running.
“In every walk of life, we do not tolerate discrimination. That’s been one of the hallmarks of my administration,” President Obama said. He continued to weave together a quilt of anecdotes about his grandmother, his mother, and the “glass ceiling” that halted their progress in life—threads we’ve seen running through his speeches both on the campaign trail and at the convention.
The President continued to adopt not a tone of separation, or difference, for women, but instead a tone of inclusion and assuredness that gender would become, legally, a non-issue in the workplace as much as was possible:
“We’ve expanded Pell Grants for millions of people, including millions of young women all across the country […] And as a consequence, we’ve seen millions of young people be able to afford college, and that’s going to make sure that young women are going to be able to compete in that marketplace.”
Meanwhile, Romney took the view that he too, as an individual, champions the causes of women and minorities. These ideas were reflected in the speeches he gave and listened to at the Republican National Convention. Yet he also inflamed many female voters with his history of including women and his promises to include women in his cabinet if he is elected:
“And […] we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a number of women’s groups and said, can you help us find folks? And I brought us whole binders full of—of women[…] I recognized that if you’re going to have women in the workforce, that sometimes they need to be more flexible.”
He continued by saying that in the economy his presidency will create, “employers […] are going to be so anxious to get good workers they’re going to be anxious to hire women.”
Debates are high-pressure situations, and it’s important to examine the history of the candidates instead of making snap judgments.
But the hard facts are this: President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a policy to help shrink the pay gap, but understands that wage and income equity have not yet been achieved. Romney has not taken a firm stance on economic policies supporting women, but has flip-flopped on matters of advocacy, healthcare, and equal pay as they relate to women in various facets.
Only time will tell if the rights and abilities of women will be championed in the United States from 2013 until 2016. Obama’s support for women will likely continue if he is elected for a second term, but Romney’s path of action is unclear. And so the most important lesson to be taken from this for us collegiettes is to remain aware. Keep watching the candidates, keep reading, and keep learning—from current and past speeches, from current and past action, and from current and past opinion. Make sure that whoever you vote for will be giving women what you believe we need and deserve.
If you’d like to watch the DEBATE.
Photo from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/thinktanked/wp/2012/10/17/presidential-debate-were-obama-and-romney-too-aggressive-am-briefing/