Binders Full of Women: A Meme to Defend Women’s Psyches
Throughout this election cycle, ever since that Halftime in America commercial during the Super Bowl, I have worried about how much people, especially women, want to vote for Obama despite their disappointment. They want to believe him. They want to have hope. And they certainly don’t want to be lumped in with those cruel-hearted women of the Right. Giving up on Obama is a potential political Dark Night of the Soul.
In their resistance, I’ve seen and heard much twisted reasoning in the past months. They look for any ray of light in Obama’s abstract musings. They recoil from any concrete good done by Romney. So it is with the “binders full of women” meme. They are punning to avoid a positive fact about Romney: he has a standout record of seeking and appointing women to his Massachusetts administration.
To illustrate: if Romney had said “stacks of applications from women,” there would be no meme. The press and defensive women, afraid of the polling data that women are breaking for Romney, have seized upon the omission of the word “application” and the connotations of “binder”—not just the plastic-ringed notebook but also the notion of restraining—to pretend that a Romney administration bodes ill for women in government.
In truth, the binder meme says the opposite. Romney’s choice of words illustrates a concrete memory. He remembers someone bringing him a binder full of applications from women. Romney went through that binder and appointed many of those women to office. It all happened. It is all part of his record. Not only does he remember the physical binder, but he also remembers the women, not merely the applications on paper. But for silly wordplay, we would be talking about Romney’s impressive record for women in government.
Of course, if we did that, then we might need to talk about Obama’s history of women in government, and that’s complicated. Obama answered Romney’s memory of appointing women to his administration with an abstract and off-point thought about his future hopes for his daughters: may they have the same opportunities as men. Obama often answers in abstracts because the facts are not in his favor. Obama’s record with women in his administration is dark and murky. Just this week, he threw Hillary Clinton under the bus as damage control for the debacle in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack. Last summer, in Ron Suskind’s book Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington and the Education of a President, Obama faced criticism that his administration was a hostile work environment for women. When the book came out, the women who were quoted accusing the administration claimed that they were misquoted, and women’s groups, usually quick to pounce upon any allegations of hostile work environment, refused to comment.
Another Democratic president with a murky history with women. There was certainly ample evidence that President Clinton might have meant "binders full of women" in a women-as-mere-objects sort of way, but there is nothing in Romney's past to suggest that he sees women as mere objects.
Women of the left are so well-trained by the conventional wisdom that they reflexively reject promising evidence on the right and prop up weak evidence on the left. They will believe what they want to believe, regardless of the evidence. Hopefully independent women are more astute.
Also read: Binder Politics: GOP Fires Back at Dem Push Against Romney Quote
Just look at how well “Usama died and GM survived” served them. This isn’t going to work out any better.
“Stacks” of women applicants would have been twisted into a meme about Romney’s chauvanisticly piggish habit of surronding himself with statuesque women.
Actually, in Massachusetts fashion, stacks of women would refer to one of Ted Kennedy’s “sandwiches”.
It sounded to me like Romney is in favor of affirmative action for women. So much for the meritocracy. The rest of the Romney message on the pay equity issue was pretty good though, a “rising tide lifts all boats” message that can really appeal to some women.
I take it you have evidence that Romney’s female appointees performed inadequately? The evidence seems to show he surrounds himself with smart accomplished people, without regard to their plumbing.
It does not matter. This is a form of affirmative action. He saw women underrepresented and asked for women to interview. Romney actually applied affirmative action as it was originally intended. Give women (or any ubderrepresented group) the chance to interview and then let the best candidate for the job rise to the top. I wish affirmative action were applied this way more widely. I believe he NFL has a similar program to increase opportunities for Black coaches.
And yes, I am a liberal chiming in here. So I expect to be demonized for my comments but please do not think me a troll. I’m just a centrist Dem taking part in a conversation.
Affirmative action involves quotas where a certain percentage of some victim group must be represented. That’s not what Romney was doing was it? He just set out to hire more women, not set in place some permanent quota system which is known as “affirmative action”.
You are not referring to the idea as it was originally intended; you are referring to the system of quotas that followed. Romney noticed that there were no women in his cabinet so asked for qualified women to interview. Affirmative action is taking positive steps to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded.
About the comment below on the NFL. White athletes do get the chance to compete. That is what affirmative action should accomplish, offer a chance to compete, not a gurantee the job to a person depite qualifications. Coaches are not picking black athletes because they are black; they pick the athletes who have the greatest impact on the field. That is the way it should be, the best player (or worker) gets the job. Unfortunately, many black people (for full disclosure, I am a black man) have inferior educations, less stable home lives, and undesirable social habits that preclude them from certain jobs or education institutions. Simply saying “Here, have a job you may not be qualified is not a solution.” But a system set up to actively seek out and in some cases train qualified, motivated minorities and women is a program I support. Unfortunately, the work force may never be representative of the populations they serve, butI can live with that if I have a chance to compete.
” I believe he NFL has a similar program to increase opportunities for Black coaches”
But why not white running backs? Compared to population demographics, white are horribly underepresented…
And, while we’re at it, whats the NBA’s “program” to “reflect the diversity” of our culture, hmmmm?
CC, you are greatly appreciated. Well done- please become a regular.
Too many people on the right don’t seem to remember Affirmative Action as it originally was supposed to be – searching for qualified applicants in places no one had bothered to look before (example: among minorities and women)and what it eventually became a quota system whereby people were chosen simply to fill pigeon holes.
Don’t worry Leslie. THE ONLY women he’ll retain are those for whom it’s abortion uber allas, and I’m not sure about those.
Oh. So that’s what the “binders full of women meme” website was all about: a bad Alinskyite joke, probably from some male chauvinist pig that never ran a project before in his life.
There are those who talk the talk; that would be our esteemed and revered prez. A guy who bullshits his way through life. And there are guys who walk the walk; actually deliver. The question is are women too stupid to see the difference??? Well, I’m not. Obama is a sexusl predator; he picks and chooses according to his political needs. Romney actually strives to break the barrier. So gals, a word of advice, dump the poseur, Obama-san, and vote for a sincere and legitimate woman’s advocate. Or don’t and be content with free contraceptives. Don’t you feel demeamed having been reduced to a sexual object by the Dmes?? I am.
I do not believe Romney is a women’s advocate. He is the epitome of the successful manager, putting the most talented in the job most suited to their talents.
Not “Obama-san” — “-san” is an honorific suffix meaning “honorable”, which Obama is not.
“Obama-baka” or “Obama-yarou” would be much more to the point.
If they were binders empty of women, they’d be mad, too.
“Women of the left are so well-trained by the conventional wisdom that they reflexively reject promising evidence on the right and prop up weak evidence on the left. They will believe what they want to believe, regardless of the evidence.” Isn’t that the case for all liberals, not just women? After all for them communism is still viable.
Liberals, in general, behave like women, liberal women, that’s it.
I think Obama is the one who is in a bind.
Insider information coming in Fast and Furious now.
Inside sources now say that Obama just called Bibi and begged him to attack Iran right now so that he can cancel the coming foriegn policy debate to play CIC.
The Ambassador of Kenya telling close friends that Obama has asked for asylum there as Obama is very concerned that the Chicago Boys, as well as George Soros, are very disappointed in his campaign.
David Axlerod now set to start telling friends that Barack Obama was just some guy from the neighborhood and he really doesn’t know him other than he said hi to him a couple of times.
I think Obama and Mooch ARE afraid of a Chicago mob hit.
So is Hillary. I think that’s why she threw herself under the bus.
Either that, or she has some terminal illness we don’t know about, and won’t be able to run in 2016 anyhow.
Democratic women make wonderful role models. We’ve recently seen Rice, Nuland and Clinton throw themselves under the bus for Obama. Hillary never met a man she would not allow to abuse her.
And they all detest Sarah Palin.
This reminds me of a classroom full of snickers when the teacher unintentionally uses a double entendre with sexual connotations. Well, high school students are immature to be sure. But what about obama’s disciples.
That’s how liberals operate – by twisting the English language to the left.
Thank you Ms. Loftis. My lib sister picked up on this as some slam and I didn’t hear or take it that way but I am insensitve to every woman, I guess. A comedy radio program broadcast out of Indianapolis had a comedian playing former President Clinton on saying the former Governor took his notebooks. It was a hilarious bit but I was so confused. My lib sister adored this former President. Thanks again for putting it in perspective.
Where can I get one of them binders full of women?
I’m a no-woe-is-me-man and I didn’t even hear it. I guess my “woe-dar” is on the blink.
It’s totally ridiculous. Big Bird actually looks like Iran compared to Binder-Gate.
Is it any wonder that Romney CRUSHED Obama on issues like the economy, the deficit, leadership, healthcare, and taxes in the snap polls?
Is it any wonder why he is up 6 in Gallup (BTW, no presidential candidate in the history of Gallup, who was at or above 50% in head-to-heads in mid-October has lost the election)?
The Left is so focused on Squirrels!!! that people, who are really hurting, think that they have gone batshit mad.
Is it any wonder that Romney CRUSHED Obama on issues like the economy, the deficit, leadership, healthcare, and taxes?
Is it any wonder why he is up 6 in Gallup (BTW, no presidential candidate in the history of Gallup, who was at or above 50% in head-to-heads in mid-October has lost the election)?
The Left is so focused on Squirrels!!! that people, who are really hurting, think that they have gone batshyt mad.
Obama has the retard vote all sown up already so I doubt this will affect anything.
Americans are tired of word games in place of solutions and results.
It’s a meme for left-wing political junkies. They’ll have a few much-needed laughs. Undecided women are not going to dwell on it because they understand that Romney misspoke (and who doesn’t misspeak occasionally?) and that he meant no harm.
The easiest slave to control is the slave that thinks they are free…
How do you get the womens vote?? Well, if you are an ideology driven monomaniacal narcissistic that can convince women that you are actually concerned with them it is not that hard.
It worked for getting the black vote. Look at the economic/employment condition obama has put them into. Women should take note of that.
A few baubles here and there…. an obamaphone here…. birth control there…. what’s the diff?
I don’t want my daughter to have the same opportunities as me; they are limited and most of the best ones involve getting shot at. This despite all the vaunted education and years of experience.
Mitt Romney’s ideological view of women’s involvement in his plutocratic world is by looking for a binder full of them. What if Mitt Romney never had the binder full of women? What if that binder was nowhere to be found? Would women then have any involvement in his world? Does it take a binder full of women to allow for their involvement into the business or political world?
For women, this should be a very concerning issue. Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential candidate, Paul Ryan, voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 to allow women equal pay for an equal day’s work. The next president will have the opportunity to nominate one or two justices to the Supreme Court. There is another legislation hanging in the balance. The Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court on the issue of abortion that was decided on January 22, 1973. This landmark legislation has stood for 39 years. The Supreme Court ruled that a right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman’s decision to have an abortion, but that right must be balanced against the state’s two legitimate interests in regulating abortions: protecting prenatal life and protecting women’s health. This landmark legislation is hanging in the balance depending on who the president will be in the next four years. It’s the difference between upholding it and repealing it, depending on who the one to two new justices will be in the Supreme Court.
Lilly Ledbetter us no more Lilly Ledbetters, troll-man (I’m a troll man: da da…DAH da ta da). Don’t you firmly believe deep down in your Demunist soul that there should be no time limits whatever in EO law suits? In fact don’t you believe that the right to sue should be handed down through the generations as is the cry for reparations?
Personally, I much prefer Leadbelly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46h56pidCiE&feature=related
Sounds like equal rights for unborn women to me, yeah?
Rob has been spamming PJ Media with posts containing the exact same second paragraph. And he doesn’t know the difference between a legislative bill and a court decision.
Hey Rob, what if the sky was green?
Anything to not talk about Libya and Fast & Furious. Guess what CNN was talking about this morning? Binders. As soon as Romney said it I winced a little, I knew that would be seized upon.
However, I loved the point he was making. He hit the nail on the head explaining why women, when you average across all jobs, don’t make as much as men, and how if companies become more flexible they can broaden the pool of talented people. I’m fortunate that my husband has the flexible schedule so I can make the big bucks. There are several women in my company who decided to only work part time, and who are leaders and talented workers. And yes, there are also women who chose to be on call all day every day in executive positions. My company is taking advantage of talent however they can, and they are benefitting from being flexible in getting it.
Well said Robert. I wish Mitt could find a way to work in Obama’s record with women in the next debate, but since it’s on foreign policy that would probably make him look desperate. He most likely will have to discuss Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and possibly women in combat. The MSM won’t talk about O’bama’s record. It’s not much, but I’m employing an undecided plant strategy. Without lying, I am writing letters to the editor in every nearby paper in my swing state with a squishy undecided tone expressing confusion on why CNN would fail to ask about obamacare when I have a friend whose hours are being cut back & she’s losing insurance. Then a different letter about another issue in the same confused undecided tone. Libya, gas prices, deficit. I don’t lie and say I am undecided, but I dont endorse mitt. I want to get the attention of voters who did trust the MSM and Obama without sounding accusatory. I don’t know how else to help so I hope the reverse plant strategy gets some people to question Obama.
Like!
If he was more IT-savvy, wouldn’t he have been crucified for saying he wanted more women under his Thumb-drive?
Give me a break, Lefties…The man has a proven record of recognizing, recruiting, and developing talent of either gender…or any gender. That’s the nature of business when done by someone with some kind of moral framework…
It would be foolish to do as Obama has done, and have a gender-hostile workplace in his inner staff, underpay and drive away several talented (albeit evil liberal) women, and turn DHS top office into a “male-free” zone.
The poor liberals grasping at straws .Obama
Any one not wearing binders knew he was referring to a binder with female resumes.
Obama lied about Libya and the biased liberal monitor interceded and backed Obama’s lie.
Obama lied about drilling on Federal lands say he allowed more and more permits but the fact it was far less than previous regimes.
He lied and when Romney tried to call Obama on them ,the liberal,biased monitor cut of Romney,When Obama talked over Romney to distract the audience,she allowed it
BTW, until I read the article, it had never occurred to me that binder was a pun on bind her. I hope that reflects well on me; but it’s probably due to the fact that I’m a retired accountant and since I worked in an office for thirty years, a binder was simply something you kept information of some kind in.
The “Binders of Women” brouhaha is more confirmation to me of this fact: never give women an inch. Nor a millimeter. Here we had Romney doing what you’d think an enlightened man ought to do. He noted a deficiency of female applicants. He directed staff to find some women. Then, he claimed, he asked those women what he could do to make things more women-centric. He came away advocating flex-time proposals and seeking to alter work-flow to accomodate the special needs of women.
And what did he get for this? Catty cries about his harmful, demeaning verbage. He’s held in contempt because he had to seek women out and get binders presented to him, why, a truly enlightened man would have no need of such things and, what? Have a bevy of willing women on his right arm?
Who knows what a man is supposed to do that won’t run afowl of female scolds. The smart policy is simply avoid them where possible. And, once cornered with them, do not give them an inch. Nor a millimeter.