The Open Thread for Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The National Journal says the GOP is worried the gender gap could grow because of incidents like this:

“When the House Judiciary Committee passed a late-term abortion ban in June, Republican leaders scrambled to find a female, media-savvy legislator to bring the legislation to the floor. Their biggest problem: Not a single Republican woman was represented among the committee’s 23 Republican members. They eventually settled on Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who isn’t on the Judiciary Committee.”

“The episode underscored a growing problem that is worrying Republicans: Women are badly underrepresented within their party in the Congress. Only eight percent of House Republicans are women, and there are only four female Republican senators. Of the long list of potential 2016 GOP presidential contenders, there’s not a single woman.”

Well, women tend to get turned off by Republican policies and attitudes towards women, and then there is this…

This is an online game from the Hillary Project, an anti-Hillary Super PAC. You see, the game is, you press the Hillary Speaks button, and then you slap her. What fun! Yes, women should always be slapped when they talk! Yes, that is sure to help the GOP’s women problem. Seriously, the GOP wonders why they have a Latino problem, an African American problem and a women problem. They wonder why those three groups vote disproportionately for the Democrats. Could it be because the GOP is racist, bigoted and misogynist?

Some kudos are deserved for Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.), for finally doing what we all wanted these Republicans to do: stand up to the Tea Party at a town hall:

“Do you want the thoughtful answer?” Pittenger asked.
“I want yes or no,” the man said.
Pittenger then said “no,” a clip that the tea party website re-played in slow-motion.
The lawmaker then had a back-and-forth with the man and a woman, who was also off camera.
“Do you think Harry Reid is going to pass that in the Senate?” Pittenger asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” the man fired back.
“We need to show the American people we stand for conservative values,” the woman shouted, drawing a smattering of applause.

Some polling goodness:

NEW JERSEY–US SENATE–DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY–Quinnipiac: Newark Mayor Cory Booker 54, Rep. Frank Pallone 17, Rep. Rush Holt 15 and Sheila Oliver 5.
NEW JERSEY–US SENATE–Quinnipiac: Booker 54, Steve Lonegan (R) 29
GEORGIA–US SENATE–PPP: Michelle Nunn (D) 41, Rep. Paul Broun (R) 36; Nunn 41, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R) 41; Nunn 42, Rev. Derrick Grayson (R) 36; Nunn 40, Fmr. Sec. State Karen Handel (R) 38; Nunn 40, Rep. Jack Kingston (R) 38; Nunn 40, Businessman David Perdue (R) 40; Nunn 42, Businessman Eugene Yu (R) 35.