Those Binders Full of Women'

As of Sunday, October 21, 2012

It’s odd sometimes how the things you think are going to end up being a big deal aren’t, and the things that end up being a big deal are the ones you wouldn’t have suspected.

This was recently illustrated in the aftermath of the latest debate between President Barack Obama and Lord Mitt Romney, the Earl of Etch A Sketchington, and how a comment by His Lordship made “binders full of women” an Internet sensation.

When asked by a member of the audience how the candidates would deal with the issue of gender inequality in the workplace, in particular pay inequality between men and women, Obama noted that the first bill he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which increases the ability of women to seek recourse against discriminatory pay practices.

He mentioned education, particularly Pell grants, which allow both men and women better access to education. He promised enforcement of anti-discrimination laws.

When it was Lord Mitt’s turn, he began with a recollection of how he’d hired a bunch of women for Cabinet positions when he became governor of Massachusetts:

“Well, gosh,” he said, “can’t we — can’t we find some — some women that are also qualified?” He went on to relate: “I went to a number of women’s groups and said, ‘Can you help us find folks,’ and they brought us whole binders full of women.”

Now, I confess, I didn’t pay much attention to that phrase when Romney said it. It went right by me, probably because I was too busy griping that Romney hadn’t done squat to answer the actual question. But hoo-boy, did some people, mainly women, notice it.

“Minutes after” the fateful phrase was uttered, it was “lighting up Twitter and had already spawned a new website,” according to The L.A. Times. The

website (http://bindersfullof women.tumblr.com/) mocked Romney’s phrasing in typical online fashion, with references to various other Internet memes and sarcastic pictures.

It didn’t end there. Someone created a Facebook page that immediately garnered more than 200,000 positive votes (“Likes,” in Facebook parlance). USA Today dubbed “binders” its “Obama-Romney Word of the Day.” It seems a lot of people found the image of Mittens paging through “binders full of women” more than a little creepy.

You knew the phrase was really taking hold when conservative pundits started whining that the Obama campaign was “trivializing” the issue by bringing up the words their candidate actually used. Pro tip: When they’re whining, you’re winning.

Then people who were actually around in Massachusetts at the time Romney took office began to speak up, and — surprise! — it turns out that he was playing fast and loose with the truth. Again.

Romney’s former lieutenant governor noted that the “binders” were prepared by a group called the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, through a program they called MassGAP. In a statement from that group released Wednesday, spokesman Liz Levin noted that Romney hadn’t come to them after the election; they’d come to both him and his opponent, Shannon O’Brien, before the election even took place, and that “both campaigns made a commitment” to work with them on hiring more women.

And while they applauded Romney’s initial commitment, which resulted in women filling “42 percent of the new appointments made by the Romney administration,” they noted that “from 2004-2006 the percentage of newly appointed women in these senior appointed positions dropped to 25 percent.”

But the initial question, and the big issue, wasn’t about whether Romney’s a good guy for perusing “binders full of women” to find candidates for Cabinet posts. It was about gender inequality in the workplace. So what did Lord Romney or his campaign have to say about the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which, as noted above, increases the ability of women to seek redress for income discrimination in the workplace?

Well, according to Romney spokesman Ed Gillespie, Romney opposed the passage of the bill, but would not repeal it.

Then, the very next day, Gillespie performed one of the flip-flops that have become such a regular part of the Romney campaign that no one in the mainstream media even seems to comment on them anymore: Romney, Gillespie told the political blog Talking Points Memo, “never weighed in on [the Act]. As president, he would not seek to repeal it.”

Once again, Mittens displays the breathtaking ability to take up to three positions on a single issue within the space of 24 hours: He doesn’t support it, takes no position on it, but won’t repeal it.

Awkward, out-of-touch, and condescending remarks, lies and shameless flip-flops, followed by whining about what people are quoting what the candidate actually said. Just another day on the campaign trail for His Lordship.

Dusty Rhoades lives, writes and practices law in Carthage. Contact him at dustyr@nc.rr.com.

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moonchild7 7 months ago

As soon as he said it, Dusty, I repeated it as a question to my husband: "Binders full of women?" We wondered if it was a Mormon thing maybe. But no, it really was just another man in charge who apparently never had many or any women underlings. He's obviuosly not comforatble with women and is a really bad bully. That disqualifies him to be President. Afterall, he was a Governor in 2004? And he knew of no qualified women to hire? Sorry and sorryier.

CC85 7 months ago

Binders full of women....sounds a little kinky.

fugitiveguy 7 months ago

16T debt/growing by 1B daily in interest alone. Chronic high unemployment. Gas 4$/gal. Libya security lies. Fast and Furious scandal. Record numbers on food stamps. Yet, this is what the Moore County cheerleading team co captain's mind is occupied with.

fugitiveguy 7 months ago

The only question worth asking is did women have a significant place in Romneys cabinet during his term as governor. If the answer is yes then to any reasonble and fair minded person Romney would should be commended for it. But we are not dealing with a fair minded, reasonable person, are we?

dogboy 7 months ago

Well said fugitiveguy. This is much ado about nothing!!!

luvlife 7 months ago

Thank you, fugitiveguy!! It disgusts me that he calls him "Lord Romney"!! It's as if we're becoming a nation that hates successful people!! I admire the man! Look at his accomplishments! I saw a post on Facebook..."I'd rather be in a Binder Full of Women than in a List of Welfare Recipients".

dustyrhoades 7 months ago

Gotta love it when the wingnut right is whining because you're talking about what their candidate actually said.

dustyrhoades 7 months ago

It disgusts me that he calls him "Lord Romney"!!

Poor baby.

Point is, Lord Romney tried to duck the question, then he got caught lying. Again. Of course, none of you will address that.

fugitiveguy 7 months ago

DR/Jim Heim/Moonie/Clarabelle. How funny when these names are on your roster and you want to call the other team "wingnuts". You know what, that DR may soon be a recipient of a pulitzer in comedic political fiction. He IS that good!

packwilleat 7 months ago

Dusty ~ "the chosen one" has a track record of paying female staffers unequally. Thanks for the under hand pitch!

http://m.yahoo.com/w/legobpengine/news/obama-neither-pays-nor-treats-women-white-house-205600143.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=US&.lang=en-US

turntheothercheek 7 months ago

The simple point is women were offended by what Romney said, I was offended. But do we really expect any more from someone who thinks women shouldn't have control over their own bodies? Who knows, maybe he just thinks us poor little women just aren't smat enough to make up our own minds. As mad and for lack of a better word, grossed out as I was to hear "Binders full of Women", I can't say I was shocked, maybe shocked that he actually said it during the debate, when he knew he was on National TV, but from all of his other comments, this one is just par for the course. Also, I'm still waiting to hear what loop holes he's going to close. Saying over and over he has a 5-point plan does not answer the question. The only reason to spend so much time avoiding giving an answer, is you know that the general public won't like what you have to say. Or, he might just think we aren't smart enough to understand his plan.

GJohn 7 months ago

To luvlife, etc.: It's great that you admire the man. But, why? For being born rich? For growing up with advantages that others don't have, then castigating them because they don't have those advantages? For being a member of a religious sect that subverts women and declares themselves clean and non-members unclean? For pandering to the wealthy and kicking the poor?
No rich man has the right to speak for all Americans. He doesn't know anything about life for the 99%.

fugitiveguy 7 months ago

Wow, women in the Obama White House are paid less than men? Well, lets give him a pass on that too, right lefties?

luvlife 7 months ago

GJohn, being born rich does not guarantee success in life. His parents' bank account did not get his ass up every morning to perform in school, to begin his career and to build his businesses. It takes A LOT of effort. There are MANY available options for the less fortunate - they just have to PURSUE them. Unfortunately, we're raising generations of kids that would rather get in a welfare line, than work hard to support themselves. I don't have a problem with helping people. There are a lot of single Moms out there that need help, but can't we agree that welfare, etc is becoming a career choice for too many people! What happened to ambition, desire and hard work??

fatboy 7 months ago

Romney has accomplished more in one year than this current SPOTUS has accomplished in his entire lifetime. I'll vote for Roomney because we've been going backwards for the last four years, not "FORWARD". I prefer Capitalism over Socialism anytime.

The_AnonymusProfit 7 months ago

Its sad really......that this is all they have......so sad.....really

MikeNC 7 months ago

So much for the next President to fix and accomplish in our country and this is what we get day after day. This is the type column that disenfranchises women as well as men voters from your party and ideology. You must think that people are dumb. Once again...

by MikeNC