WASHINGTON — In the debate on Tuesday night, Mitt Romney said that he made every effort to find qualified women for Cabinet positions when he was governor of Massachusetts.
“Well, gosh,” he said he told his staff who had an abundance of male applicants, “can’t we find some — some women that are also qualified?”
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Governor Romney playing fast and loose with the truth? Shocking.
If Mitt thought women were so critical in his administration, why did he relegate Kerry Healy to what amounted to a figurehead role? If I remember correctly, the very few women in his administration were sidelined by him and had to make do with being, well, empty suits. Very disappointed with him then and based on his comments at the debate, he has not redeemed himself, yet.
Kerry Healy was treated with respect and had much responsibility. The fact that Kerry Healy is campaigning on behalf of Gov. Romney speaks volumes about their relationship. Also, Kerry Healy led the women staff members onto the stage at the Republican Convention. Gov. Mitt Romney also had a team of employees who admired him and spoke highly of him. Too bad you don't know the Gov., nor do you have a good memory.
Cantabrigian01: Thank you for reminding me, I do indeed have an excellent memory! If you do too, you know well and good that Kerry Healy's duties paled in comparison to our other Lt Governors. Mitt didn't even campaign for her during her election bid for Governor! His unwillingness to support her efforts to become Governor says much about his mindset.
So what is the inaccuracy? He went to women's groups (the coalition that had formed the MassGAP project) to invite suggestions for qualified women in senior positions and received binders full of resumes from such women. As Governor, Romney had the highest percentage of women in senior positions of ANY state in the US at the time. Facts can be so inconvenient.
Romney didn't go the women's group. They had prepared this "binder" before Romney was elected. After an initial flurry of hiring women, Romney's administration had fewer women in it than before he was elected. Don't forget how he went back on his word not to run for Governor to Jane Swift (not that she was great) and got her pushed out without even a primary. He did that to the female running for senator before. He also wasn't very active in support of Kerry Healey either in office or when she ran for governor (because he wouldn't risk running for a second term and getting defeated therefore hurting his presidential ambitions). Bottom line is that Romney lied about being proactive in hiring women last night. By the way isn't what he claimed to do a form of affirmative action. I thought Republicans were against that! I could go on about how bad a Republican administration would be for women on economics not even bringing freedom of choice. But they aren't in favor of equal pay, the elimination of Obamacare and cutting funding for Planned Parenthood will not only put women's lives in jeopardy but will end up costing women (and their families) more money.
caryann: You are absolutely correct!!
Really? "Isn't entirely accurate." Is this the same Globe Staff that are insisting Prof.Warren is a native American Indian?
Cantabrigian01: Thank you for reminding me, I do indeed have an excellent memory! If you do too, you know well and good that Kerry Healy's duties paled in comparison to our other Lt Governors. Mitt didn't even campaign for her during her election bid for Governor! His unwillingness to support her efforts to become Governor says much about his mindset.
You've read in the Globe that Elizabeth Warren is positively a Native American? Interesting.
No point hanging around folks move along. Women will be all over this, the right will say it isn't true. So as usual Mitt will remove foot from mouth and say "I meant what I said when I said it but I don't remember what I said." How anyone votes for this guy escapes me. Obama fine I can deal with it I don't like everything but Mitt is either the worlds biggest BS'er or he doesn't know what he did when he did it.
You have to admit, Mitt usually gives far better sound bite than Obama. I certainly hope the right wing howling will also include a notarized declaration that Republicans are too dignified to start a social media storm if Obama coughs up something as quotable.
What's story behind the fact that Mitt Romney didn't even answer the question. The question was about equal pay for equal work, not about increasing the number women in the workplace. Did Mr. Romney misunderstand the question or was there another reason why he couldn't address the issue of women already in the workplace being paid less than men for doing the same jobs?
He also did not answer the woman's question regarding his intent around elimination of the mortgage and charity deductions and college tuition credit. I suspect that Governor Romney would have been comfortable answering the question with a lie, but when he swung into his pivot, he didn't have time to recover.
These binders had been assembled by women's advocacy groups before Romney took office, and were a compilation of resumes. When presented with them, Romney responded with the token hiring of a few women to less important jobs, and continued to give the most important jobs to men. The question that has gone unanswered is: did these women who he claims to have hired get paid the same salary as a man doing the same job?
I have to agree with Michael Graham on the equal pay baloney. If women truly make 20% less than men, then every company in this country would only hire women and would save 20% on payroll and related costs! If women truly make only 80% of men, then women would have 100% employment and men would have nearly 100% unemployment. Thus, it is easy to conclude that any woman who is actually falling for this same old lie that Democrats roll-out every four years is too easily manipulated in general and should seek a refund from the liberal arts college they wasted their money on. It isn't your gender...
I used to have binders full of women when I was a teenager!
When Romney said he went looking for MassGAP, which he did not mention by name, he was LYING. Why can't we call a lie a lie?