Republicans, conservatives and aides to Gov. Mitt Romney are deriding the Obama campaign’s latest pitch to women — a video slide show that describes how progressive politicians aid a fictional woman named Julia throughout her life.
The slide show follows an apparently unparented Julia who is enrolled in Head Start, gets free contraceptives while she works as a 20-something web designer, has one child, retires around age 65 and finally volunteers in a community garden.
“That’s their dream for women?” asked Wendy Wright, a social conservative leader and acting director of the conservative Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute. “That she be alone, without family, struggling as a single parent, dependent on a government that is going broke?”
“This is not the American dream,” Wright told The Daily Caller. “It’s creepy. … It’s what China promises its people.”
“The fact that President Obama’s campaign has to create fake people to distract from how his abysmal policies have failed real people is sad and extremely pathetic,” added Ryan Williams, a spokesman for the Romney campaign.
The Obama campaign’s online pitch is part of its overall effort to boost turnout by single women, who are a vital bloc of the Democrats’ coalition. Single women tend to vote for Democratic politicians who are eager to provide them with money, security and personal autonomy. (RELATED: Full coverage of the Obama campaign)
However, Republicans usually win a majority of the votes cast by married women.
In recent months, Obama’s team has reached for women’s votes by highlighting its support for free contraceptives, education subsidies, increased regulation of sexual activities in college and expanded laws intended to curb violence against women.
The pitches are accompanied by sharp criticism of the GOP, including claims that Republicans are waging a “war on women.”
That’s a position long advocated by feminist advocates and authors including Margaret Atwood, author of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” The book depicts women being ruled throughout their lives by an ambitious government, dubbed “The Republic of Gilead.”
In response to these pitches and criticisms, GOP officials focus on the economic impact of Obama’s policies.
The campaign “forgot to talk about the real economic conditions she will have to deal with under Obama policies and the mountain of debt they have left her,” said Sean Spicer, communications director at the Republican National Committee.
“Since Obama took office, Julia’s share of the national debt has increased $16,345 To $50,764. … If Obama wins a second term, by the time he leaves office Julia’s share of the national debt under Obama will have increased by $31,628 to $66,047,” said a RNC memo.
A Tumblr account now also exists, showcasing critical comments including the observation that “Julia the 23 year old is living with her parents in the Obama economy.”
“Julia, the college student, is paying record high tuition to attend college,” another reads, referring to Republicans’ claims that increased federal subsidies of college expenses lead to tuition inflation.
And in the end, the Tumbler alleges, “Julia in the future won’t have Social Security thanks to Obama.”