One Wisconsin Now

Tomorrow U.S. Senator John McCain will be coming to Wisconsin and holding a women-only town hall. John McCain’s record of rubber stamping Bush policies in the U.S. Senate has been a disaster for not only women but for entire country.

John McCain actually skipped the vote on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would have restored workers ability to pursue pay discrimination claims in court. When a 14-year-old girl asked him about this at a town hall meeting, he told her that protections for equal pay wouldn’t do “anything to help the rights of women.” On the same topic McCain has commented that women simply need “education and training” instead of equal pay protection.

John McCain also is a full supporter of unfair trade deals that has led to the loss of countless jobs. Obviously many of those jobs were held by women, they would probably not judge kindly McCain’s record on the economy.

John McCain’s votes on health care has also been abysmal. He mirrored Bush policies by opposing the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), which would have given more access to quality health care to poor children. He also voted against getting low-income women breast and cervical cancer screening. McCain’s long record of bad health care votes also includes a long and extreme opposition to things like family planning, sex education, funding for birth control for low-income women, and abortion services for women in the military.

Whether it is equality, health care, the housing crisis or record prices at the pump, John McCain has a record that is terrible for women and has been terrible for our economy. When he holds this town hall tomorrow, he should be asked to explain why such a record should not cause severe concern in the vast majority of working women.