The Republican Party has lurched so far right on equal pay for women that each presidential contender tries to out-crazy each other on the rhetoric. (In that sense, you have to hand it to Jeb Bush, who didn’t even care enough to research the issue or he would have heard of the Paycheck Fairness Act.)
While working women continue to struggle and make about 77 cents for every dollar their male counterpart earns, it’s clear that the GOP field will not offer any solutions to close the wage gap 52 years after the Equal Pay Act was signed into law.
Here are the 2016 GOPers in their own, twisted words on equal pay:
Jeb Bush Asked “What Is The Paycheck Fairness Act?” “Voter: Do you think that Secretary Land should support the Paycheck Fairness Act? Jeb Bush: What is the Paycheck Fairness Act?” [Jeb Bush, American Polish Cultural Center, Troy, MI, 10/13/14; American Bridge Tracking Footage]
Rubio: “We’re Wasting Time” On Equal Pay Legislation In The Senate. “The proposals before the Senate now are really geared towards making it easier to sue an employer. Again, I understand the political benefit of highlighting that and why they’re doing it, but it isn’t going to solve the core of the problem and I just think we’re wasting time.” [“The Lead with Jake Tapper,” CNN, 4/8/14]
- Rubio Called The Lily Ledbetter Act “Nothing But An Effort To Help Trial Lawyers Collect Their Fees And File Lawsuits.” “I think that anyone who’s working out there and making a living, if you’re the most qualified person for the job, you should be able to get paid. You should get paid as much as your male counterpart, everyone agrees with that principle. But just because they call a piece of legislation an equal pay bill doesn’t make it so. In fact, much of this legislation is in many respects nothing but an effort to help trial lawyers collect their fees and file lawsuits, which may have nothing to do whatsoever to increasing pay equity in the workplace.” [“This Week,” ABC, 10/21/12]
Walker Said the Equal Pay Act Had Become “A Gravy Train” For Lawyers. “Reporter; Governor, can you comment quickly on Senate Bill 202 and your response on that with regard to repealing the Equal Pay Act of 2009? Scott Walker: Just so it’s clear, it didn’t repeal equal pay. The law in Wisconsin today still is that it’s illegal for anyone to discriminate against anyone based on race or sex or other conditions in terms of promotions, in terms of pay, in terms of appointment. The only change that was made last week was it keeps it out of the courtrooms. The Department of Workforce Development right now can enforce that. In the past it was kind of a gravy train for the trial bar out there and this ultimately changes that so the Department of Workforce Development, just like they could in the past, can now take action against someone who discriminates on a whole series of things. It goes beyond just race and sex. This was one where it can be done through an administrative process. The only change it really makes is it’s no longer included as the benefit that was in place before for lawyers.” [Wisconsin Radio Network, 4/10/12]
Rand Paul: “I Think Women Are Doing Very Well And I’m Proud Of How Well We’ve Come And How Far We’ve Come And I Think That Some Of The Victimology And All This Other Stuff Is Trumped Up.” “You know, the whole thing of the war on women. I sort of laughingly say, yes, there might have been, but the women are winning it. I’ve seen the women in my family and how well they’re doing. My niece is in Cornell Vet School and 85 percent of the people in vet school right now are women. Over half of the young people in medical school and dental school are women. Law school, the same way. I think women are doing very well and I’m proud of how well we’ve come and how far we’ve come and I think that some of the victimology and all this other stuff is trumped up. We don’t get to any good policy by, you know, playing some sort of charade that somehow one party doesn’t care about women or one party is not in favor of women advancing or other people advancing.” [“State Of The Union,” CNN, 1/26/14]
- Paul: “I Worry About Our Young Men Sometimes Because I Think The Women Really Are Out-Competing The Men In Our World.”“I have a niece at Cornell vet school, and 85% of the young people there are women. In law school, 60% are women; in med school, 55%. My younger sister’s an ob-gyn with six kids and doing great. You know, I don’t see so much that women are downtrodden; I see women rising up and doing great things. And, in fact, I worry about our young men sometimes because I think the women really are out-competing the men in our world.” [“Meet the Press, NBC, 1/26/14]
Cruz Called The Paycheck Fairness Act “A Political Show Vote” That “Has Nothing To Do With Actually Improving The Situation Of Women In The Workplace. “I think women face a very difficult circumstance in the workplace. I have certainly seen that. I have been blessed to work with a lot of strong women, but the answer is not to pass a trial lawyer bonanza. This has nothing to do with actually improving the situation of women in the workplace. This has everything to do with a political show vote for the Democrats and paying off the trial lawyers, who are among the biggest funders of the Democratic Party. And — and they are using women to hide what they are really trying to do.” [“Your World With Neil Cavuto,” Fox News,4/8/14]
Fiorina Said “The Single Greatest Impediment” To Equal Pay Was Union Seniority Systems. “Under Obama’s policies, women are losing access to opportunity. More women live in poverty than ever before. One in five households are on food stamps and a great many of those households are headed by single women. Unemployment is too high for young people, but it’s particularly high for young women trying to get started. And whether women choose to stay at home to homeschool their kids or to go work outside the home, women in and outside the home are taking a beating, but women in the labor force – just since May alone, 280,000 women have dropped out of the labor force. We have now reached a new record according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 55.3 million women are no longer in the workforce. They have stopped looking for a job. What’s Obama’s answer for this? Equal pay for equal work. Let’s pass a law. Well, actually there was one passed, in 1963, that guarantees equal pay for equal work, but when you hear that, in your communities and neighborhoods, remind your friends of this: What is the greatest single impediment to equal pay for equal work? It’s called the seniority system, where you are paid for time in grade, not performance. And who is it that supports seniority system? The unions and government bureaucracies. If you want equal pay for equal work then you pay for performance and you reward merit.” [Carly Fiorina, Americans for Prosperity Defending The American Dream Summit, Dallas, TX, 8/30/14; American Bridge Tracking Footage]
- Fiorina: Federal Bureaucrats “Can Watch Porn All Day Long And You’re Still Going to Get Paid The Same As Someone Next To You – Maybe A Woman – Who Is Working Hard To Make A Difference.” “Price: So the law is set up the way it needs to be set up? You have those protections? Fiorina: Yes, and if a woman is being discriminated against purely because of her gender she should use that law to her effect, but lets take on these seniority systems that exist, as I’ve said, in every union and every federal government bureaucracy. If you’re a federal government bureaucrat – we know this from IG reports – you can watch porn all day long and you’re still going to get paid the same as someone next to you, maybe a woman, who is working hard to make a difference. That’s not fair.” [“The Insiders,” WHO TV, 3/16/15]
Published: May 28, 2015