April 18, 2012 02:17 AM UTC

"War on Women" Narrative is Killing the GOP

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• by: Colorado Pols

Fascinating new poll numbers, as our friends at “The Fix report:

New poll data from the Pew Research Center suggests that not only does President Obama enjoy a clear edge over former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney among women but that younger women favor the incumbent overwhelmingly, a data point that suggests a potential long term problem for the GOP.

Obama leads Romney among all women by a 53 percent to 40 percent margin, which, interestingly, is down from the 20 point edge that he enjoyed in a March Pew poll.

But dig into the numbers – big thanks to Pew for providing so much subgroup data – and you begin to see that the gender gap could be widening and as permanent as anything ever is in politics. [Pols emphasis]

The number that really stands out is that among women between the ages of 18-29, Obama is beating Romney by 45 points. Yes, 45. While Obama is leading Romney among all 18-29 years old by 28 points (61 percent to 33 percent), the fact he is down by such a vast margin among young women has to set off red flags in Republican world.

Democrats have done an excellent job at framing Republican attacks on contraception, equal pay and a host of other issues as part of a broader “War on Women” narrative, and it’s apparently working. Republicans can complain about the “spin” if they like, but nobody is forcing them to make stupid policy decisions that look really bad when framed through the women’s rights lens. As “The Fix” points out, these numbers are so stunning that Republicans should be worried about beyond just the effect on 2012:

What’s clear from a broader historical perspective is that Republicans are teetering dangerously close to the brink when it comes to their losing margins among women.  Not since 1988 has a Republican presidential candidate won the women’s vote (And George H.W. Bush won women by only a single point.)