| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 9:17:24 AM | Obama Pays Female Staff Less Than Males
Tuesday, July 1, 2008 8:29 AM
By: Fred Lucas
While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to make pay equity for women a top priority if elected president, an analysis of his Senate staff shows that women are outnumbered and out-paid by men.
That is in contrast to Republican presidential candidate John McCain's Senate office, where women, for the most part, out-rank and are paid more than men.
Obama spoke in Albuquerque, N.M. last week about his commitment to the issue and his support of a Senate bill to make it easier to sue an employer for pay discrimination.
"Mr. McCain is an honorable man, we respect his service. But when you look at our records and our plans on issues that matter to working women, the choice could not be clearer," Obama told the audience in New Mexico, a voter-swing state. "It starts with equal pay. Sixty-two percent of working women in America earn half or more than of their family's income. But women still earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2008. You'd think that Washington would be united it its determination to fight for equal pay."
He continued, saying that he is proud to have supported the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which would extend the limit on how long an employee can wait before suing an employer for pay discrimination.
The legislation was named after Lilly Ledbetter, who was a supervisor at Goodyear Tire & Rubber's plant in Gadsden, Ala. She sued for pay discrimination before retiring after 19 years because she had made $6,500 less per year than the lowest paid male supervisor.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out her case, saying she waited too long to file a complaint. The court said that under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, an employee must sue within 180 days of a decision regarding pay if alleged discrimination is involved. The bill sought to change the law, but Democrats could not muster the needed 60 votes to override a Republican filibuster.
Obama voted for the equal pay litigation bill in April. McCain was campaigning that day and did not vote. But he has expressed opposition to the legislation, fearing it would open the door to too much litigation.
On average, women working in Obama's Senate office were paid at least $6,000 below the average man working for the Illinois senator. That's according to data calculated from the Report of the Secretary of the Senate, which covered the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2007. Of the five people in Obama's Senate office who were paid $100,000 or more on an annual basis, only one -- Obama's administrative manager -- was a woman.
The average pay for the 33 men on Obama's staff (who earned more than $23,000, the lowest annual salary paid for non-intern employees) was $59,207. The average pay for the 31 women on Obama's staff who earned more than $23,000 per year was $48,729.91. (The average pay for all 36 male employees on Obama's staff was $55,962; and the average pay for all 31 female employees was $48,729. The report indicated that Obama had only one paid intern during the period, who was a male.)
McCain, an Arizona senator, employed a total of 69 people during the reporting period ending in the fall of 2007, but 23 of them were interns. Of his non-intern employees, 30 were women and 16 were men. After excluding interns, the average pay for the 30 women on McCain's staff was $59,104.51. The 16 non-intern males in McCain's office, by comparison, were paid an average of $56,628.83.
The Obama campaign did not respond to written questions submitted on the matter Thursday by Cybercast News Service .
During his Albuquerque speech, Obama criticized McCain for supporting the Supreme Court ruling on the pay-equity issue.
"Sen. McCain thinks the Supreme Court got it right," Obama said. "He opposed the Fair Pay Restoration Act. He suggested that the reason women don't have equal pay isn't discrimination on the job - it's because they need more education and training. That's just totally wrong."
Obama continued, "Lilly Ledbetter's problem was not that she was somehow unqualified or unprepared for higher-paying positions. She most certainly was and by all reports was an excellent employee. Her problem was that her employer paid her less than men doing the exact same work."
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 10:09:44 AM | | I'm so undecided on a candidate this year so hopefully I can look at this with a more unbiased eye. Statistics can be made to say almost anything you want them to. The problem with this article is it just doesn't have enough information because it focuses solely on the sex of the employee. Add in years of experience, education, position and responsibilities and then come back and tell us what the numbers say. It's pretty meaningless without those factors. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 11:04:03 AM | Yes, he is a flip-flop politician
When looking at the bigger picture, some people realize that all politicians, as well as people in general, "flip-flop" (aka--"change their minds") when walking through life. Even Senator McCain has done this.
The challenge is to look past this human phenomenon and into the core of what each candidate hopes to achieve. Then vote for the one who is most in alignment with your views and opinions. Young voters seem to see this, while older voters keep clinging to past political mindsets. It is no secret this is a huge reason for Obama's continued success (he is smart enough to realize it).
The worst type of leader is one who is not willing to change his mind from time to time. George Bush, and his reluctancy to admit he is wrong about anything, is a shining example of this type of leader {failure}. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 1:35:05 PM | Barry Obama is just another phony politician who puts his own political gains ahead of the truth - What a waste.
He flip flopped on campaign finance when it benefited him.
He flip flopped on FISA
He flip flopped on his war position.
He flip flopped on welfare reform
He flip flopped on NAFTA
Change?
LMAO! | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 5:29:14 PM |
While Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to make pay equity for women a top priority if elected president, an analysis of his Senate staff shows that women are outnumbered and out-paid by men.
Analysis of job salaries that doesn't take into account what the actual jobs are? That's good work there, Lou. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 6:22:10 PM | "When looking at the bigger picture, some people realize that all politicians, as well as people in general, "flip-flop" (aka--"change their minds") when walking through life. Even Senator McCain has done this."
Exactly. It's what happens when people have the ability to change their minds as new information becomes available.
On the other hand, we have those who simply do NOT have this ability and will 'stay the course' even when new information and plain old common sense would dictate otherwise. (Iraq, anyone?)
Really, I'd rather have someone in power who knows enough to take into account new facts and can incorporate those facts into better decisions.
"Analysis of job salaries that doesn't take into account what the actual jobs are? That's good work there, Lou."
Indeed! But then, in some circles, half-truths trump facts any day. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 7:43:15 PM |
"Analysis of job salaries that doesn't take into account what the actual jobs are? That's good work there, Lou." Indeed! But then, in some circles, half-truths trump facts any day. Ahem ahem - all of the employees are Senatorial Staff workers - Not exactly a wide range of job descriptions. WHat is also a sign of things to come is the number of staff that Barry Obama has - way more than any Junior Senator that has no responsibility chairing any committes. The guy is a phony -  | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/2/2008 11:11:47 PM | Nothing about the relative positions of any of the people employed and to the person that says their isn't variance in the positions, they have people making at least double the average of the other employees (the female manager working for Obama)
It's a great Newsmax article, another great post from the fifth column of the 4th estate. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/5/2008 4:15:39 AM |
On the other hand, we have those who simply do NOT have this ability and will 'stay the course' even when new information and plain old common sense would dictate otherwise. (Iraq, anyone?)
Absolutely. George Bush has shown us how much a pig-headed and unflexible leader can cost us. We will be lucky to recover from him in this generation or even the next.
Obama exhibits signs that he can, and will, fluctuate as the variables change. Enough people are seeing this for the asset it is, rather than defining it as "flip-flopping", to keep him in front of the race. I don't support McCain, but do not hold his "flip-flopping" against him either. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/7/2008 10:08:15 AM | Women should be highly paid! For cooking, cleaning and making babies! That's a joke!
Obama only wants power. He cares nothing for issues. He has an agenda. The issues he discusses are only being discussed because that's what the people want to hear. Once he is in power, the issues will disappear. (If he is in power. Hopefully not)
I have never understood the claim that women are not paid as much as men. If they both apply for the same job, seems like that job would pay the same. In my own experience, I always see women driving good cars and living in decent housing. While guys are walking and living in mom's basement. Maybe people choose how they live and what jobs they have and pay comes with that? | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/7/2008 11:42:12 AM | Hasn't the "wage gap" feminist myth already been thoroughly debunked?
Yes it has.
Isn't Obama all about "change" ?
So , he changed his mind.
Puppetted politicians will do that on cue. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/7/2008 4:46:42 PM |
Obama only wants power. He cares nothing for issues. He has an agenda. The issues he discusses are only being discussed because that's what the people want to hear. Once he is in power, the issues will disappear. (If he is in power. Hopefully not)
Wow a psychic. After all you claim to know the inner workings of a mans mind you haven't even met.
I have never understood the claim that women are not paid as much as men. If they both apply for the same job, seems like that job would pay the same. In my own experience, I always see women driving good cars and living in decent housing. While guys are walking and living in mom's basement. Maybe people choose how they live and what jobs they have and pay comes with that?
You're simply wrong about the status of women in the USA, they are vastly over represented in terms of poverty.
http://mchb.hrsa.gov/whusa_05/pages/0308wp.htm
Hasn't the "wage gap" feminist myth already been thoroughly debunked?
Only in the minds of conservatives such as John Stossel, of course like 95% of what he says, it's purely crap.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200605160002
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) 2004 wage data for full-time wage and salary workers aged 16 and older, women earned on average 80.4 percent of men's weekly median earnings. In virtually every occupation listed, men earned a higher median wage than women, regardless of job title. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/7/2008 7:17:52 PM |
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) 2004 wage data for full-time wage and salary workers aged 16 and older, women earned on average 80.4 percent of men's weekly median earnings. In virtually every occupation listed, men earned a higher median wage than women, regardless of job title.
OMG....
Do we have to de-bunk again?
There are many factors not taken into account by that 80% statistic.
Economics made easy ....
If any company can get the same work and a savings of 20 % by hiring women over men , then , women would practically be the only ones being hired by companies ......correct ?
A 20% payroll savings is huge!
But , I'll tell you what , people can do a little research for themselves .
This way it might actually stick ,
that is assuming that they actually want to learn and retain some facts. | |
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| Obama fish-flops on Higher Pay for Women
Posted: 7/7/2008 9:35:13 PM |
Only in the minds of conservatives such as John Stossel, of course like 95% of what he says, it's purely crap.
That would be one opinion.
But , let's not even attempt to delve into the alice in wonderland world of a liberal's mind.
It's simply mad science. | |
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