For their part, Republicans argued that ensuring equal pay for women was a “job-killing burden” on business. Good luck with that one.

Indeed, the Dems couldn’t have scripted it better: there is now another arrow in their “war on women” quiver. Unlike some of the recent skirmishes, this one may really matter. The economy is the No. 1 issue among all voters, and women are more likely to be economically vulnerable and rely on the government to provide a safety net. Arguing, as Sen. Mitch McConnell did Tuesday, against the pay-equity bill because there is too much litigation in the country, is pretty weak tea. Maybe if employers stopped discriminating against women, women would stop suing them for discrimination. Just a thought.

“One of the things we saw among independents is they see the Republican Party as much more extreme as they used to,” said Erickson of Third Way’s polling. “To the extent Obama can link Romney to congressional Republicans, those independent women will be with Obama. Romney needs to distance himself from some of the things that make the GOP seem so extreme” if he wants to win over these voters.