U.S. Representative Mary Bono Mack

THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 15 April 2012 07:07 PM

Democrats and Republicans have spent recent days trading accusations that the other party has engaged in a so-called war on women.

First came the Democratic talking points: the GOP’s support for anti-abortion laws and opposition to the 2009 equal-pay legislation shows that probable presidential nominee Mitt Romney and Republicans are waging a war on women.

Romney’s camp fired back, enlisting his female surrogates — including Inland Rep. Mary Bono Mack — to discredit the accusations.

In a statement issued by the Romney campaign, the Palm Springs Republican said the facts don’t back up President Barack Obama’s assertions that his economic policies are helping women.

“Women in the Obama economy are facing hardships of historical proportions,” she said.

Female workers account for the vast majority of job losses during the economic downturn, Bono Mack said. “Unemployment among women is at record levels, and the number of women in poverty has risen to a near-two decade high.”

Obama’s supporters countered that Bono Mack was a flawed messenger on the subject, since she opposed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Indeed, nearly all Republicans voted against the measure, which expanded the ability of workers to file pay-discrimination lawsuits.

SPIN FOLLOWS RULING

The political spin cycle kicked into high gear following last Monday’s ruling in the legal tussle between Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster and Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, who is running for Buster’s seat in the June 5 primary.

Buster had asked the Superior Court to strike language on the ballot that described Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore, as a “small business owner” and “the only candidate to OPPOSE raising your vehicle tax, income tax and sales tax, saving families nearly $1,000 a year!”

Both statements were misleading, Buster’s attorney said. A court commissioner ruled that, while Jeffries could describe himself as a small business owner, the tax statement as written had to go.

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