Obama courts support from women voters
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With less than two weeks left before the Election Day, U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday tried to solicit votes from an important part of constituencies -- women voters, in an attempt to energize the Democratic base.
In a backyard discussion to stump for Democratic Senator Patty Murray at Seattle, Washington, Obama stressed the increasingly important role women have played in the country.
"The economy has changed where women have made such enormous strides that they now constitute fully half of the workforce. They actually constitute probably more than half of the money that's coming in to middle-class families," said the president, citing a report the National Economic Council (NEC) released on Thursday.
"But what is still true is we still have a significant gender gap when it comes to wages," he added. "Things like equal pay for equal work aren't just women's issues, those are middle-class family issues, because how well women do will help determine how well our families are doing as a whole."
The NEC's report highlighted what the Obama administration has done to help women withstand the economic downturn and advance their careers. Those efforts include promoting economic expansion and job growth for women; training and educating women for quality jobs; supporting working women at home and in their jobs; and supporting women in retirement and between jobs.
Obama's emphasis on women issues was seen as a last-ditch effort to energize the Democratic base, which still lags behind that of Republicans in enthusiasm for the upcoming midterm elections.
Democrats have targeted some specific groups of constituencies including Hispanics, African Americans, women and young adults, all of which contributed a lot to Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election.
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