14 Congresswomen Blast Obama in 'War on Women'

Democrats’ attempts to paint themselves as defenders of women and Republicans as insensitive to female concerns has no basis in reality, 14 GOP congresswomen write on Politico.

“Democrats have been accusing Republicans of waging a ‘war on women,’ as if some honest disagreements between the parties — over matters like how an Obamacare mandate should affect religious institutions or the proper scope of federal law on tribal land — constitute a deliberate GOP campaign to take away women’s rights,” the women say.

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“Nothing could be further from the truth, and Republican women have been at the forefront exposing these myths. Let’s face it: Republican women — like us — would never be part of a party that didn’t believe in women’s rights, equal pay for equal work, and strong laws against sexual violence. The Republican Party believes in all of those things.”

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state, vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, launched the campaign on Monday, with appearances on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews and CNN’s John King, USA.

“The Democrats are creating a controversy where it doesn’t exist,” McMorris Rodgers said on Hardball. “It’s a myth to say that we are waging this ‘War on Women.’ The Violence Against Women Act – I am confident that it will be reauthorized. There are women like me – Republican women – who are committed to it; it’s a very important program."

She said President Barack Obama was the one who sparked the issue of who pays for contraception funding, through the Department of Health and Human Services. "It wasn’t the Republicans, it was the president, McMorris Rodgers said.

"They’re creating distractions. They’re trying to divide America. And they’re really trying to distract women from the real issues that face this country. Women are concerned about the economy. They’re concerned about the debt.”

She told CNN's King, “What the Democrats recognize – and why they’ve calculated and put together this ‘War on Women’ is because they know it was the Republicans who won the women’s vote in 2010."  That year, Republicans earned a majority of female votes for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president.

In the letter, the congresswomen said that what women really want is empowerment, independence, and equal opportunities without special favors. And it’s Republican policies rather than Democrats’ big government that can fulfill those ideals.

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“When Republicans talk about freedom, entrepreneurship, patient-centered health care, and fiscal responsibility, most women respond positively,” the women write. Women support Republican efforts to cut taxes on small businesses, House Republicans’ plan to shrink the deficit, and repeal of Obamacare, they say.

Bottom line: “The Republican Party is the real party of American women,” the congresswomen write.

In addition to McMorris Rodgers, the letter's signers include  Sandy Adams, R-Fla.; Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Ann Marie Buerkle, R-N.Y.; Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif.; Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; Renee Ellmers, R-N.C.; Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo.; Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Candice Miller, R-Mich.; Sue Myrick, R-N.C.; and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.