Republicans Seek 'Whole Women' to Fix Pesky Lady Problem

The GOP has a major gender gap problem because it promotes anti-woman policies (aw, so cute how you’d like to make as much money as your male peers and choose when to have kids) and puts tons of pressure on ladies to be perfect wives and mothers (it’s kinda tough to develop a political career if you’re busy playing Suzy Homemaker). Republicans hope to work around those trifling issues by reaching out to “whole women” who aren’t constantly babbling about abortion. Good luck with that!

Eight percent of House Republicans are women. There are only four lady Republican senators. Can you think of a single woman who might be a 2016 GOP presidential contender? Nope, and neither can Republicans.

“It’s not good enough. It’s not. And it’s not reflective of the electorate,” Rep. Ann Wagner (one of only three Republican women in the freshman class of 2012) told the National Journal. “We have a message I think that reaches women and we need to make sure that we’re actively and aggressively telling that story. And there’s no better way to do it than being a woman who talks about it.”

As long as you leave all that abortion talk to the mens — it’s okay for them to dedicate special legislative sessions/ALL OF THE TIME EVER to reproductive rights, but it’s not a good look for the ladies, according to Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway:

Another rookie mistake, Conway said, is focusing too much on “women’s issues,” if such a thing exists. Democratic women, she said, put too much of an emphasis on abortion, while Republican women have the opportunity to take a broader view. “There are very few Democratic women who can begin or finish a sentence without mentioning a ‘woman’s right to choose,'” Conway said, noting that she’s actually had her researchers go through hours of remarks by Democratic members, to find a single woman who failed to mention abortion. They haven’t found one yet. “There is a tremendous opening for the ‘whole women,’ if you will, to step up and run for office as a Republican. … What do you do every week gals, do you fill up the gas tank or do you have an abortion?” she said.

Well put. GOP women certainly have oratory skills in the bag! Wagner’s dad jokes are on point:

In Congress, Wagner said she has noticed a difference between working with her male and female colleagues, noting that women are much more willing to listen to their opponents and find solutions.

“We’re good listeners, women — we’re the ones to ask for directions when we’re lost, right?” she said.

In June, the National Republican Congressional Committee launched Project GROW (Growing Republican Opportunities for Women) to help the party “with its messaging to female voters, instruct male candidates and incumbents on how better to connect with women and to recruit more female candidates to run for Congress.” Project Grow will help convince promising candidates that it’s possible to take time off from raising a family and put up with what Conway called the “rough and tumble, mean-spirited nature of politics” to make it big in the GOP. Any “whole women” who want to shut up about women’s health/gender wage gap/other dumb lady issues available?