I've been waiting to see who the nuttiest GOP candidate running for Senator Tom Harkin's (D. IA) Senate seat was and I think we may have found him:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
Iowa Republican Senate candidate Mark Jacobs said the best way to connect with women is on an "emotional level."
Jacobs made the comments during an interview with Iowa's WHO-TV in Des Moines on Sunday.
"I think you have to connect with women on an emotional level," Jacobs said. "And with a wife of 25 years and an 18-year-old daughter, I've had a lot of coaching on that." - TPM, 12/9/13
And Jacobs words couldn't have come at a better time:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Last week, Politico reported that the National Republican Congressional Committee and House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) office are "meeting with top aides of sitting Republicans to teach them what to say -- or not to say -- on the trail, especially when their boss is running against a woman."
"[We're] trying to get them to be a little more sensitive," Boehner said of fellow Republicans at a press conference on Thursday. "You know, you look around the Congress, there are a lot more females in the Democratic caucus than there are in the Republican conference. And some of our members just aren't as sensitive as they ought to be." - Huffington Post, 12/9/13
And here's the response to Jacobs' remarks:
http://www.salon.com/...
Jennifer Lawless, the director of the Women and Politics Institute at American University, told The Huffington Post that like men, women voters want to know their candidates are “competent, can lead and have a sense of empathy and integrity.”
“Certainly, there can be gender gaps on issue salience — women, for example, might be more concerned than men about issues affecting women, families, and children,” she said. “But it’s the attention candidates spend on those issues and their ability to demonstrate that they understand challenges women face that matter.
“It’s not about talking to the female electorate as though you are their husband or father,” she added. “In fact, doing so plays into damaging stereotypes and reinforces the notion that women need to be treated in a way that is somehow less serious and cerebral.”
Neither Jacobs’ office nor the Republicans’ Senate campaign arm — the National Republican Senatorial Committee — returned a request for comment. - Salon, 12/9/13
Now I don't know if Jacobs is the front runner in his already crowded GOP primary but this is same old bull shit we'll be dealing with next year. Luckily for us we have a great candidate in Congressman Bruce Braley (D. IA-01) who has an excellent record on women's health and equality. If you would like to donate or get involved with Barley's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.brucebraley.com/