Republican Women Cringe as Men Lead Abortion Fight
WASHINGTON — If the rumors are true, Marco Rubio is about to become the latest guinea pig in an experiment that has thus far resulted in disaster for the GOP: Can Republican men talk about abortion without it blowing up in their face?
Many women in the GOP are not holding their breath.
Rubio is reportedly considering becoming the public face of a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, something many Republicans think is both the morally and politically correct thing to do. But it’s been a long time since an abortion debate hasn’t included a cringe-worthy gaffe that has diverted the focus away from the issue to a perceived GOP blindspot when it comes to communicating with the female electorate.
Women who serve the Republican cause in consultant, strategist, and staff roles grumble about what they see as an utter failure by their party’s male leadership to talk about topics related to women without making them embarrassed to mention where they work in polite company.