GOP debate revives question: Are Republicans waging 'war on women?'
Republican candidates have learned that waging a 鈥渨ar on women" 鈥� more than half the electorate 鈥� is a label to avoid, especially as they may face a woman in the 2016 presidential race.
But you wouldn鈥檛 know that from Donald Trump鈥檚 answer to an early question in Thursday鈥檚 GOP presidential debate from Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e called women you don鈥檛 like 鈥榝at pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals,' " Ms. Kelly said during the debate, which set a cable record, with 24 million viewers tuning in. "How will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who [is] likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?鈥�
鈥淚 think the big problem this country has is being politically correct,鈥� Mr. Trump said, to some applause.
Then it got slightly ugly. 鈥淎nd honestly Megyn, if you don鈥檛 like it, I鈥檓 sorry. I鈥檝e been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn鈥檛 do that,鈥� Trump said.
Later that night, it got uglier, still. Trump opined from his Twitter account that the biggest loser of the night was @megynkelly, calling her "unprofessional" and saying she "really bombed tonight."
As a general rule, handing Democrats talking points in the general election to gin up turnout for their side is a bad idea. The exception to that rule is when it can boost turnout for a candidate in the GOP primary.
That may have been Trump鈥檚 calculation in swatting off a question he clearly hadn鈥檛 expected.
Conservative voters are angry about political correctness, too. So the dodge may work, despite the uproar in the Twitterverse, after the Trump exchange. Certainly, it wouldn鈥檛 be the first time GOP establishment, the news media, or Tweetland declared Trump dead, only to see polls give him another boost.
But with the GOP-controlled Congress threatening to cut funding for Planned Parenthood in the fall, the revival of claims that Republicans are waging a war on women clearly troubles some conservative commentators and GOP hopefuls wary of tarnishing the brand.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a fine line between political correctness and polite, and I鈥檓 not sure Trump knows where it is,鈥� says Jennifer Duffy, senior editor for the the Cook Political Report in Washington.
The controversy in Congress over defunding Planned Parenthood 鈥渉as opened the door鈥� to claims that Republicans don鈥檛 care about women鈥檚 health and are waging a war on women, she adds.
On Friday, the conservative website chided Kelly for legitimizing the 鈥渕eme used by the Democratic Party to attack Republicans鈥� by even asking the question.
鈥淜elly鈥檚 decision to omit 鈥榮o-called鈥� prior to 鈥榳ar on women鈥� is critical, as it suggests she legitimized the Democratic Party鈥檚 mantra, which it has been using for years against Republican challengers.鈥澛�
But the danger for Republicans in the revival of a "war on women" narrative runs deeper than an "inappropriate joke by Donald Trump," says Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University.
"It taps into a perception that's been around for decades now that the challenges that different groups of women face are not front and center for the GOP and that Democrats will take these concerns more seriously," he adds. "Republicans need a response to that."
Earlier this week, Jeb Bush, another front-runner, quickly walked back a remark he made during an interview at the Southern Baptist Forum in Nashville that appeared to suggest that he didn't value spending on women's health. Commenting on the Planned Parenthood dispute, he said: 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure we need a half-billion dollars for women鈥檚 health issues.鈥�
Democratic front-runner : 鈥淵ou are absolutely, unequivocally wrong.鈥�
Bush issued a clarification. The $500 million referred to 鈥榟ard-to-fathom鈥� federal funding to Planned Parenthood, he said in a statement Tuesday evening.
After Thursday鈥檚 debate, GOP Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who participated in an earlier debate for GOP candidates who did not make the Top 10, called Bush鈥檚 comments 鈥渇oolish."
鈥淚t鈥檚 really disappointing when a front-runner gives the Democrats an ad and a talking point before he鈥檚 even in the race,鈥�
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina, another candidate who did not make the cut for the prime-time debate, turned the question into an issue of war and peace abroad. Asked whether cutting funding to Planned Parenthood that people will say provides 鈥減ositive things for many women鈥� could be used against Republicans, he said: 鈥淟et's take the money that we would give to Planned Parenthood and put it in women's health care....鈥�
鈥淵ou want to see a war on women? Come with me to Iraq and Afghanistan, folks,鈥� he added. I鈥檝e been there 35 times. I will show you what they do to women.鈥�
