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Fiorina: Dems ‘hold women hostage’ to abortion issue |
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By Andy Barr
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Posted: 08/31/08 11:52 AM [ET] |
John McCain senior advisor Carly Fiorina dismissed suggestions Sunday that women supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (R-N.Y.) will turn away from Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) because of her anti-abortion rights views.
“The Democratic party has done a disservice to women by trying to hold women hostage to the issue of Roe v. Wade,” Fiorina said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “The truth is the most important issue to women, all the polls say this, is the economy. Women are not single issue voters.”
McCain’s choice of Palin as his vice presidential candidate electrified conservatives who like her views on abortion. Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) also hopes choosing the first woman to appear on a GOP ticket will attract women voters, but Democrats have insisted Palin’s views on abortion will keep Clinton supporters in the Democratic column.
Palin said abortion is a litmus test for some women, but not all women.
“But the truth is most women are not that way,” Palin said.
“I know lots of pro-choice women who are pro-McCain, I know pro-life women who are pro-McCain. But one of the things that I think women and men appreciate is authenticity and consistency, and Sarah Palin like John McCain is a person who has lived her values, she doesn’t talk about them, she lives them.”
Since Clinton exited the race in June, polls have consistently shown that roughly one-in-five of her supporters say they will vote for McCain in November.
The McCain campaign has made many efforts to reach out to those voters, especially given how close the Democratic primary battle was and how angered many Clinton voters still were at last week’s Democratic National Convention.
While Fiorina did not specifically call the pick a play for Clinton’s voters, the McCain adviser said she anticipates that Palin will “energize” women voters whom she says are “ecstatic” over the pick.
“I’ve been receiving message from a lot of those women ever since John McCain named Sarah Palin and they are ecstatic over this pick,” Fiorina said. “They are ecstatic because this is a person of great accomplishment.”
The McCain adviser added that Palin “is a person who can identify with the challenges they face as women in every conceivable way, as a mother, as a mother trying to balance her work life and family life, not to mention her incredible record of reform and taking on the good old boy network. So I’ve talked to many women and they are truly excited by this pick.”
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