海角大神

With all the challenges facing our nation 鈥� from the millions of Americans still unemployed to terrorist threats abroad 鈥� is the presidential election really coming down to a fight over Planned Parenthood and Mitt Romney鈥檚 鈥渂inders full of women鈥�?

That last phrase, of course, was the unfortunate choice of words Mr. Romney used in Tuesday night鈥檚 debate in explaining how, as a governor, he had made an explicit effort to appoint women to his Massachusetts cabinet.聽Upon discovering that most applicants for the posts were men, Romney said he asked his staff: 鈥淲ell, gosh, can't we 鈥� can't we find some 鈥� some women that are also qualified?" He went on: "And 鈥� and so we 鈥� 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: 鈥楥an you help us find folks?鈥� and they brought us whole binders full of women.鈥澛�

Let鈥檚 put aside the fact that the accuracy of Romney鈥檚 remarks has already come into question. (The Massachusetts Women鈥檚 Political Caucus reportedly prepared the 鈥渂inder鈥� in question well before the election, and had presented it to both Romney and his opponent.) Or that the substance of his response was, in essence, a dodge of the question posed, which had been about equal pay for women.

The larger point is, in a feisty and serious debate that ranged from energy policy to tax policy to the attack in Libya, it鈥檚 telling that the most memorable phrase to emerge from the whole evening was 鈥渂inders full of women.鈥� It was, as many commentators have pointed out, this debate鈥檚 Big Bird.

Apparently, that鈥檚 just how the Obama team wants it. With an economic record that鈥檚 still far short of where he hoped it would be 鈥� and with critics accusing the president of failing to offer a concrete, overarching vision for the next four years 鈥� Obama has run a campaign that often seems to focus instead on narrower appeals to specific segments of the electorate, just as George W. Bush did in 2004.

Which is why, throughout this election cycle, we鈥檝e heard so much about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and whether insurers should have to cover contraception. And why the Democrats gave former Georgetown Law student (and Rush Limbaugh b锚te noire) Sandra Fluke a prime speaking slot at their convention. And why swing states are currently being pummeled with ads by the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Eva Longoria, talking about how Romney wants to overturn Roe v. Wade.

This is not to say that these issues aren鈥檛 important 鈥� or that women (and men) shouldn鈥檛 take them into account when they head into the voting booth. Certainly, women, like all voters, want a president who shares their values 鈥� including their views on gender and equality 鈥� and for many, Romney鈥檚 remarks may have presented an important window into his character.

But it still feels, for lack of a better word, like a bit of a sideshow. A distraction from the main event.

Of course, the Romney campaign has at times played the same game 鈥� remember the ridiculous brouhaha over lobbyist Hilary Rosen鈥檚 comment about Ann Romney never having worked a day in her life? Or Mrs. Romney鈥檚 heavy-handed 鈥淚 love you, women!鈥� shout-out at the Republican National Convention?

The pandering on both sides reflects just how crucial women voters will be to this election.聽Independent women are seen as a critical swing voting bloc, and they make up many of the 鈥渦ndecided鈥� voters still remaining out there.聽In 2008, Obama won women by 13 percentage points, and he has maintained a double-digit lead among women voters throughout much of this campaign. But a recent much-publicized Gallup Poll (which the Obama campaign called an outlier) showed Romney tied with Obama among women. Other recent polls have shown Obama still ahead, but by less than his 2008 margin. 聽

There鈥檚 no question Romney helped Obama out Tuesday night with his awkward choice of words. Immediately after he uttered the phrase, Twitter was flooded with quips, most of which were along the lines of 鈥淚鈥檝e seen those binders (heh, heh).鈥� It was all made even funnier by Romney鈥檚 squeaky-clean, 1950s technocrat image (he loves those three-ring binders!).聽Within minutes, 鈥渂inders full of women鈥� had inspired a mocking Facebook page and Tumblr filled with joking pictures of women and binders (sample caption: 鈥淭rap Her Keep Her!鈥�). 聽聽

But given the urgent challenges the country is facing right now 鈥� including the looming "fiscal cliff," which economists warn could lead to another recession if Washington fails to act, and which has nevertheless not come up in any presidential or vice-presidential debate 鈥� well, it all seems oddly off-point.聽The recent Gallup poll showed the top issues for women right now are health care and the deficit and national debt. In the final days of the presidential campaign, maybe that鈥檚 what we should be talking about.