Obama Takes Dig at 'Binders' Comment

Romney fires back as women's issues emerge in campaign
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 17, 2012 7:07 PM CDT
Obama Takes Dig at 'Binders' Comment
President Obama speaks at a campaign rally Wednesday at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

You didn't think Mitt Romney's "binders full of women" comment at the debate was going to just disappear, right? President Obama couldn't resist taking a dig today in Iowa, reports Politico:

  • “I tell you what,” said the president. “We don’t have to collect a bunch of binders to find qualified, talented, driven young women ready to work and teach in these fields right now.”
But the Romney camp responded that the White House is simply trying to distract from the fact that women have been hit hard in the recession.
  • “Why is it that there are 3.6 million more women in poverty today than when the president took office?” Romney himself asked in Virginia. “This president has failed America’s women.”

Even if the "binders" line manages to fade away, the debate made clear that the push for the women's vote is on, report the New York Times, the Guardian, and the Washington Post in similar stories. Expect to hear a lot in coming days about issues such as women's health services, equal pay, and flexible work hours for working moms. A Gallup poll after the first debate suggested that Romney had all but wiped out Obama's lead among women, leading in part to the new emphasis. It will take a few days to get a better sense on whether Obama bounced back on that front. (More Election 2012 stories.)

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