Keep talking Rush, please, keep talking....
Limbaugh’s comments come on the heels of an extended back and forth in the Republican presidential race — a debate driven by Santorum — about contraception and women’s rights. Even before Limbaugh made his remarks about Fluke, the amount of discussion on birth control had many senior GOP strategists nervously wringing their hands and wishing privately that the presidential candidates would get back to talking about the economy.
Polling, too, bears out Republicans struggles with women — particularly those who identify themselves as independents. Among that critical voting bloc, just 25 percent had a favorable opinion of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in a Washington Post-ABC News poll released earlier this week. Just 30 percent of female independents saw Santorum in a favorable light. By contrast, 53 percent of independent women viewed President Obama favorably.
Any erosion among women is dangerous for Republicans as they look to take back the White House and Senate — and hold onto the House — in November. In the 2008 presidential race, women made up 53 percent of the overall electorate and voted for President Obama by a 13-point margin over Arizona Sen. John McCain. (Men went 49 percent for Obama and 48 percent for McCain.) Four years earlier, then president George W. Bush fought Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (D) to a virtual draw among women, a key element of his re-election victory.
Is Rush Limbaugh hurting Republicans? - The Washington Post