Gillibrand on Obama: ‘He Fights for Women’

As President Obama and Mitt Romney duke it out for female supporters, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand went on Meet the Press to respond to volleys fired from GOP rivals. According to the New York legislator, Obama has continually looked out for women’s issues but the Republicans are a different story. “It’s Barack Obama whose first bill he ever signed was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act which allows women to fight for equal pay for equal work,” Gillibrand said. “Mitt Romney, his hero is the governor from Wisconsin who just got rid of the equal pay laws there!”

Bachmann: ‘Women’s Lives Worse Under President Obama’

Actually…Michele Bachmann begs to differ. After Gillibrand stuck her neck out for Obama, Bachmann took her turn and backed Mitt Romney. “These are patently false statements that have been made about Mitt Romney,” Bachmann said. “On every measure, women’s lives are worse under President Obama than they would be under a Mitt Romney as president of the United States.” Later in the interview, Bachmann refused to explicitly endorse Mitt Romney, only noting she thinks Republicans will support him. “I think we’re seeing a uniting and pulling together around our eventual nominee”

Geithner: ‘It’s Ridiculous’

In a recent speech, Mitt Romney claimed that 92 percent of job losses during the recession affected women. Fact or fiction? Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner countered the accusation on This Week. “A lot of the early job losses in 2008 affected men because they affected construction and manufacturing,” Geithner said. “As the crisis spread, and state and local governments were forced to cut back on services, fire a lot of teachers, that caused a lot of damage to women too.” When asked again to validate the accuracy of Romney’s statements, Geithner simply replied, “It’s a ridiculous way to look at the problem.”

McCain Enters the Fray

By this point, it’s clear that the key word for today is “women.” On Face the Nation, Sen. John McCain wasted no time in addressing the importance of the female vote in the general election. “There’s no doubt that a lot of women have been hurt very badly in this recession,” McCain said. “Mitt Romney will be addressing those issues. “ When asked about Romney’s request for a tax extension and if he should show tax returns from more than two years ago, the Arizona senator replied, “I don’t think it’s necessary.”

Axelrod Defends Buffet Rule

Meanwhile, with the general election now essentially underway, White House adviser Axelrod appeared on Fox News Sunday to defend President Obama’s support of the Buffett Rule. Challenged on the rule’s efficacy, Axelrod responded, “Nobody can argue that it makes sense for people who are making one million dollars or more a year to pay less than the average middle class worker in this country.” Then he went after Mitt: “The president’s proposal would have him pay a higher rate of taxes in the future,” Axelrod said. “Governor Romney’s proposal would have him pay a lower tax rate in the future.”

Tax Brawl a ‘Shiny’ Distraction

Tax season doesn’t only mean a mad rush to file at the post office. It also means increased tax scrutiny for political candidates. Obama released his tax returns and called on his rival Mitt Romney to do the same. But on CNN’s State of the Union, Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus defended his GOP candidate’s announcement that he was seeking an extension to file, saying the strategy is only a “shiny object” of distraction.

How Much Trayvon Coverage Is Too Much?

The Trayvon Martin tragedy still dominates cable news, and The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz and Lola Ogunnaike break down the numbers on CNN’s Reliable Sources. Kurtz questioned the validity of covering one story at the expense of others, but Ogunnaike pointed out that Fox News, which has been criticized for its lack of coverage, is “not being realistic” in meeting audience “supply and demand” for coverage of Zimmerman’s arrest.