Quote of the Day

"It is a very sad day here in the United States Senate, but it's a sadder day every day when paycheck day comes and women continue to make less than men. We're sorry that this vote occurred strictly on party lines."—Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), after the Paycheck Fairness Act failed in the Senate today on a procedural vote.

In a 52 to 47 tally the Senate defeated the Paycheck Fairness Act. The legislation aimed to increase protections for women filing gender-discrimination lawsuits, as well as create a federal grant program to improve women's salary negotiating skills.

The vote came down strictly along party lines, with the two independent senators voting with Democrats and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) not voting.

...The bill's defeat came after Democrats made a tightly coordinated media blitz to call for the bill's passage. President Obama, Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-M.d.) and Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Rosa Delauro (D-Conn.) all held conference calls expressing strong support for the legislation. But Republicans strongly opposed the bill, leaving Democrats short of the seven votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Democrats said the paycheck bill's defeat is the latest example of a Republican "war on women."

...President Obama accused Republicans of putting "partisan politics ahead of women and their families."

"It is incredibly disappointing that in this make-or-break moment for the middle class, Senate Republicans put partisan politics ahead of American women and their families," Obama said in a statement.

Sigh, etc.

I love, ahem, how Obama "accused" Republicans of prioritizing ideology over women, their families, and fairness. No, I'm pretty sure he just stated the manifestly fucking obvious.