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Equal Pay Is Obama's Women Card

Dem plays to economic issues, away from polarizing abortion

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 15, 2008 4:05 PM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama isn't talking about Roe v. Wade much before female audiences these days, Politico reports, focusing rather on a case seen to have undermined women's rights to equal pay. In highlighting Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tires rather than abortion, the Democrat is tapping into economic concerns while steering clear of an issue even pro-choice Americans can find distasteful.

"At a time when people are feeling economically squeezed between rising prices and stagnant income, [income inequality] really rankles both men and women," one Democratic strategist said. "It is not just a women's issue, it is a central part of an economic platform that talks about increasing income." Obama also points to an equal-pay bill he sponsored that died in the Senate—and which John McCain opposed.

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,applauds onstage with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., during a campaign stop Thursday, July 10, 2008 in New York.
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,applauds onstage with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., during a campaign stop Thursday, July 10, 2008 in New York.   (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Barack Obama talks with women during a round table discussion at the Flying Star Cafe facility in Albuquerque, N.M., Monday, June 23, 2008.
Barack Obama talks with women during a round table discussion at the Flying Star Cafe facility in Albuquerque, N.M., Monday, June 23, 2008.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., campaigns at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, Tuesday, July 15, 2008.
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., campaigns at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, Tuesday, July 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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