Today, President Obama will speak at a Women’s Issues Conference organized by his campaign in Washington, DC. Hopefully he will take the time to apologize to the women in attendance.
Despite Democrats’ talk of standing for women, the Obama economy has been especially unforgiving for women across the country.
Recently, RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day summed it up nicely:
“At kitchen tables and in the job market, it's clear that women are suffering. Gas, groceries, and healthcare are more expensive. Wives and mothers struggle to make ends meet and fear for their children's futures. Businesswomen wonder what regulations and taxes Obama will force on them next.”
A speech at a Washington conference will not erase the damage of the last three years.Try as he might, President Obama cannot hide the facts.
There are fewer women working today than when President Obama took office.
· Since his inauguration, the unemployment rate for women has increased from 7 percent to 8.1 percent.
· The number of female employees has decreased by 683,000. The job market is so bad, women are giving up looking for jobs altogether.
· The female labor force participation rate fell in March from 57.9 percent to 57.7 percent.
· The number of women not in the labor force increased in March from 52.8 million to 53.1 million.
· While male participation increased by 14,000, female participation fell by 177,000
The number of women living in poverty has skyrocketed.
· In 2011, the poverty rate rose to 14.5 percent—the highest rate in 17 years.
· Three of five women over the age of 65 cannot pay for their basic needs, according to census data.
· More women than men live in poverty. Mothers are worried about their children’s futures.
· The youth unemployment rate is three times the national average.
· One in two recent college graduates are jobless or underemployed.
· President Obama’s reckless spending has saddled future generations with massive debt.
It is unlikely President Obama will hold himself accountable for his record. Instead, he will attempt to distract from his record—creating diversions and division, while blaming others for his failures.
Democrats’ desperation is so great that they sunk to a new political low, accusing Republicans of waging a “war on women.” The facts, of course, tell a very different story. It’s President Obama’s tax-and-spend policies that have left the economy weak and families hurting.
The Obama presidency has not made life better. And every day, millions of Americans wake up to that harsh reality and wonder how much longer they can endure.
But as Governor Romney said on Tuesday night, “There was a time – not so long ago – when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. We were Americans. That meant something different to each of us but it meant something special to all of us. We knew it without question. And so did the world. Those days are coming back.”
Republicans are committed to delivering that better America. The Democrats’ agenda isn’t working for women. Their vision has produced big government and limited opportunity. Our vision is for limited government and opportunity for all.
Women deserve better than what President Obama has delivered. And they certainly deserve a president that is honest with them about the challenges they face.