The Akin controversy and the ongoing debate over abortion are especially regrettable given the fact that Romney had made inroads with female voters. The most recent three-week average of polls from Gallup — taken before the controversy — showed him down only eight points to President Obama among women. That was a marked improvement from earlier margins; he was down 20 points in the spring.
At the convention, Romney must work to overcome what others in our party have done to undermine our standing with women, and he must restore the image of who we are as Republicans.
The convention affords him the first unfettered opportunity to reset the debate. When he takes center stage, he can restate who he is and what he hopes to accomplish as president. First and foremost, Romney should vigorously, not timidly, disassociate himself from the extremes within our party by reiterating to the national audience that the overly rigid language on abortion in the GOP platform — which includes no explicit exceptions for cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother — does not represent his view, nor has it been his position. In fact, 75 percent of Americans agree with Romney that these exceptions should be recognized, according to a recent Gallup survey, putting him squarely in the mainstream on this issue. In doing so, he will demonstrate that he can strongly stand up to those with whom he disagrees, even within his party…
But beyond these actions, Romney must continue to center his attention on the most important issue for women: being able to support themselves and their families. And that means having a job. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, “Women represent the only group for whom employment growth has lagged behind population growth in the recovery.” Even for young women, job prospects remain bleak, as the unemployment rate for those ages 16 to 24 has climbed from 13.8 percent this spring to 16.2 percent in July.
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