In a scene remenescent of Baghdad Bob saying no US soldiers were in Iraq, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) said Sunday that Republicans "don't have a problem with women."
Hutchison appeared on CNN's "State of the Union," and host Candy Crowley challenged the Texas senator on that statement, pointing out that there's a big polling gap between Republicans and Democrats among women voters. Crowley earlier referenced a CNN poll of likely voters of both genders that found President Obama with a 30-point lead -- 60 percent to 30 percent -- over presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on who is more in touch with women voters.
"I think that women are looking at the issues they care about, which are jobs and economic prosperity," Hutchison replied, disagreeing with the poll's findings.
One of the themes of the new warmer, more open, and upbeat Republican Party, that just beamed in from a parallel alternative reality, and which we will hear this week, is how inclusive, and friendly it is to women. The new GOP is open to a diversity of views on women's issues. The GOP is eager to make sure there or no lingering distractions left over from those unfortunate comments from that one "confused guy in the mid-west somewhere, from long ago" that we Democrats keep trying to come back to, in our compulsive negativity, despite that fact that Mitt Romney condemned him, and rejected him, and patiently reminded everyone that this distraction has nothing to do with him, Paul Ryan, the Republican Party, or anything really.
What were we talking about? Oh, yes, how wonderful and open the Republican Party is on women's issues.
This morning RNC Co-Chair Representative Marsha Blackburn, deflected a question about Representative Todd Akin's ugly remarks about "legitimate rape" and the endorsement of the Human Rights Amendment in the Republican platform, by saying what modern women are really interested in is the economy, and jobs, and then started listing all the wonderful things Republican women are ... like mothers, nurses, doctors, teachers, sisters, grandmothers, students, daughters, bus drivers, ... and I can't even remember it all.
But, coming back to Kay Baily Hutchison clarifying that abortion isn't really a defining issue for Republicans, that the party should be built around, she has been pro-choice in the past, but now is pro-life, but this abortion issue isn't really a party thing.
"We shouldn't put a party around an issue that is so personal and also religious-based," Hutchison said. "I think we need to say, 'Here are our principles and we welcome you as a Republican. We can disagree on any number of issues, but if you want to be a Republican, we welcome you.' And I think we do."
She said later that Romney and his wife, Ann, will be able to appeal to women voters in part by discussing their family life. ... "I think relating to the middle class ... this is a family who has raised five boys," Hutchison said. "They relate to what moms are facing all over this country. That's a hard job, and I think relating to the people, I think they're going to show that. Now that people are focused, I think Ann and Mitt Romney are exactly the kind of first family that we need."
I had to check to make sure this wasn't a satire piece in the Onion, or perhaps, a Saturday Night Live skit. But, this is a theme I've been seeing all morning.
CNN is running a documentary on Mitt Romney where Ann is gushing about how funny, spontaneous, fun, energetic, and upbeat Mitt is. I think I'm going to ill.