A new Obama-sponsored ad airing in Virginia highlights John McCain's opposition to equal pay laws. Calling McCain's opposition "one more thing John McCain doesn't get about the economy," the ad criticizes McCain's rationale for opposing the bill -- that women need more education and training, and equal pay laws would be too great a burden on business. The McCain campaign's response? “Barack Obama says he’s for equal pay for women, but women working in his Senate office earn an average of $9,000 less than men. By contrast, women in John McCain’s Senate office actually earn an average of nearly $2,000 more than men. The American people understand that real leadership for the change we need is all about what you do, not just empty words.” Political Intelligence's response? "The study that McCain's campaign cites, however, notes that a major reason for the disparity is that McCain has more women in senior, higher-paid positions -- not that women are being paid less than men for the same job."
Watch the ad yourself:
Later this week we'll have a feature by Anna Clark on the economic realities facing individuals and couples making parenting and family planning choices.
