Sen. Rand Paul thinks talking about a GOP “war on women” is a bad idea – because based on what he’s seen in his own family, women are doing just fine.
Pointing to the doctors and veterinary students that dot his family tree, the Kentucky Republican said on Meet the Press, “if there was a war on women, I think they won.” Paul was responding to questions from host David Gregory about Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s comment Friday that the Democratic Party views women voters as no more than libido-crazed contraception addicts.
When asked if he thought the GOP should be weighing in on women’s health issues, Paul dodged. “I try never to have discussions about anatomy unless I’m at a medical conference,” he said. On Paul’s Senate website, he calls himself “100% pro-life.”
Paul, like Huckabee, blamed Democrats for over-hyping the national debate over gender equality. “We didn’t start this sort of I think glossy and sometimes dumbed-down debate about, you know, there being a war on women,” he said. “The women in my family are doing great, and that’s what I see in all the statistics coming out. I have, you know, young women in my office that are the leading intellectual lights of our office.”
One example of why Democrats aren’t genuine about their commitment to women? Bill Clinton’s behavior nearly 20 years ago. Paul brought up Clinton’s affair with intern Monica Lewinsky when Gergory asked about Hillary Clinton’s possible 2016 run for President. “Is it something that Hillary Clinton should be judged on if she were a candidate in 2016?” Gregory asked. “Yeah– no, I’m not saying that,” Paul said. “This is with regard to the Clintons, and sometimes it’s hard to separate one from the other. But I would say that, with regard to his place in history, that it certainly is a discussion.
Meredith Clark
Meredith Clark is a freelance writer and editor. She was previously a senior news producer for "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj," a reporter with MSNBC.com, the digital politics and culture editor at Glamour and a senior news and politics editor at Refinery29. She has written for Vulture, Rolling Stone, Self, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Beast and Bustle. Recommended
