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Is McCain's Senate Office a More Lucrative Workplace for Women Than Obama's?
September 12, 2008 3:24 PM
Conservative columnist Deroy Murdock has an interesting piece today that takes a look at what Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz., pay their Senate staffers.
Using the public information compiled on the Web site of the non-partisan group Legistorm, Murdock concludes that, on average, women in McCain's office are paid more than the men in McCain's office -- $1.04 for every dollar a man makes. Men in Obama's office make more than women do; female employees make 83 cents for every dollar made by male employees.
Murdock frames this as an issue of pay equity, but it's not really -- if anything, it's more a matter of a "glass ceiling."
(Or, at least, that's what feminist groups would likely be saying if the situations were reversed.)
Only one of Obama's five best-paid Senate staffers is a woman. Of McCain's five best-paid Senate staffers, three are women.
Of Obama's top 20 salaried Senate staffers, seven are women. Of McCain's top 20 salaried Senate staffers, 13 are women.
The Obama campaign does not dispute Murdock's figures (and neither does the McCain campaign), but Obama campaign spox Ben LaBolt argues that it's a much different situation on Obama's presidential campaign.
Obama's campaign is jam-packed with high-ranking women, LaBolt says, citing Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor Michelle Obama, Chief of Staff Stephanie Cutter, Senior Advisor Linda Douglass, VP Chief of Staff Patti Solis Doyle, VP Communications Director Ricki Seidman, National Finance Chair Penny Pritzker, Policy Director Heather Higginbottom, Domestic Policy Director Neera Tanden, Director of Rapid Response Christina Reynolds, Senior Adviser Anita Dunn, Senior Speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, Battleground States Director Jen O’Malley, Research Director Devorah Adler, Director of Scheduling and Advance Alyssa Mastromonaco, Chief Financial Officer Marianne Markowitz, Chief Operations Officer Betsy Myers, and the woman whom LaBolt says is the campaign's highest-paid official, Finance Director Julianna Smoot. (Nice work, Jules.)
How many employees total does Obama consider "senior staffers"? How do the numbers of high-ranking women on the Obama campaign -- and their salaries -- stack up?
These questions are as yet unanswered.
- jpt
September 12, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (58)
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"Considering that as the Chair of Sub-committee on Europe since 2006 he never called for a meeting even once"
He began that chair in 2007. You guys can't even get your smears right without lying.
Posted by: Ryan C | Sep 12, 2008 7:34:52 PM
"Its called equal pay for equal work.
Not equal pay no matter what job you do."
Ok fine. But it seems to me that while Barry O! may be in favour of equal pay for equal work, he just is not willing to give women equal work. Why doesn't that make me feel better?
Posted by: Jon | Sep 12, 2008 7:23:44 PM
Considering that as the Chair of Sub-committee on Europe since 2006 he never called for a meeting even once, Obama has a lot staff. What do they actually do? After all, for the past two years (that counts as his executive experience) he's busy campaigning with a different set of staff members (also a lot of them). Is it a window of what will happen if he win?
Posted by: Amartya | Sep 12, 2008 7:01:55 PM
Interesting that there is no link to this story on ABCNews's home page???
Posted by: Mike | Sep 12, 2008 6:52:27 PM
Obama uses his 'executive experience' as being how he has run his campaign, so I guess we can realize the fact that, if President, Obama will run this country the way he has run his campaign.
Just words -- that's Obama's empty promises. His actions are shriekingly loud, though, and women better beward putting this misogynist in office.
Posted by: Sami | Sep 12, 2008 6:48:06 PM
Do as I Say... Not as I do.... OBAMA 08!
Posted by: Mike | Sep 12, 2008 6:44:00 PM
Haven't seen any good defense of this...hmmm...ironic isn't it!
Posted by: Wade | Sep 12, 2008 6:41:47 PM
The other interesting statistic is that Obama's staff is more than twice as large as McCain's and don't tell it's because IL is more populous than AZ. Why does he need a big staff, he hasn't done anything but campaign for president since entering the Senate. Oh yeah, it's to administer the earmarks to all of his campaign donors - got it.
Posted by: Jim | Sep 12, 2008 6:22:53 PM
From here in England, the democrats scare me, i've seen what their sort do to a country, I live there! Obama is clearly anti republic, and clearly, to me, has total disregard of the constitution. Your founding fathers tried to set up a free and fair country, as against the Kingdom that used to rule from across the ocean. It was set up to make it very difficult for a silver tongued devil to seduce enough of the population that power can be assumed. Obama is the snake oil salesman, Mrs Palin looks to be a real conservative, socialism is a failure from the start, it has never succeeded and never can.
Posted by: Chris Edwards | Sep 12, 2008 6:20:37 PM
Equal pay for Equal work. Not Equal pay for everyone no matter what they do.
Until I see a list that shows them comparing actual jobs and pay, I refuse to jump on this bandwagon.
Posted by: sarty | Sep 12, 2008 6:15:17 PM
@ Patriot Sep 12, 2008 5:38:27 PM
"First we MUST DETERMINE if the males and females are DOING THE SAME WORK? Then and only then will the 'equal pay' relevant!"
It's pretty easy to scan the Legistorm database and compare similar job titles/positions between the two senate offices. Obama's top-paid employee is a male Legislative Director. McCain's top-paid employee is a female Legislative Director (and paid more than Obama's Director). I would assume they are doing very similar work.
Actions do speak louder than words.
Posted by: slaatch | Sep 12, 2008 6:06:45 PM
Unless you are comparing apples to apples, this doesn't fly.
That is...equal pay for equal work. Considering McCain doesn't support such legislation, and has a history of adultery, I'm not sure this is really an issue that McCain is very strong on.
Then again, looking at his supporters and their policy requirements for a candidate (lipstick and librarian glasses), maybe it is a good argument for them.
Posted by: Robot Pirate Ninja | Sep 12, 2008 6:03:11 PM
Forget "Hope" and "Change" and "Enough" as campaign slogans. How about "Do as I say, not as I do."
Posted by: rockhead | Sep 12, 2008 6:01:37 PM
He doesn't pay them and calls them sweetie. But he is their executive and they will do as he tells them to.
Posted by: Karen | Sep 12, 2008 5:59:41 PM
"So much for Obama's equal pay for equal work slogan.
BO is all talk."
Is he ever. He's the ultimate poseur. How about a post on his meagre charitable donations before his presidential election campaign.
Posted by: Terry Gain | Sep 12, 2008 5:57:13 PM
OUCH! This is going to leave a mark.
Posted by: Don | Sep 12, 2008 5:50:44 PM
So once again we see that Obama is all about empty words. The guy talks about equal pay for women while he pays them less money than the men in his campaign. Obama is the ultimate hypocrite.
Posted by: EyeDoc | Sep 12, 2008 5:50:27 PM
Ahh... so I think I get it. If you look at the actual facts Obama pays women 83% of men, disses a very qualified and well-liked woman VP candidate while McCain pays women roughly the same as men and selected a woman VP candidate.
However if "one looks at the contrasts of both parties we know that the Democrats clearly favor the rights of workers and woman."
So instead of "facts" we need to look at "contrasts" to figure out what really goes on. I guess I've never heard that brilliant explanation before. Thanks for that!
Posted by: JR Ewing | Sep 12, 2008 5:44:34 PM
Another example with Obama being more words than action. And it's clear he places very little value on the contributions of the women on his staff. Or perhaps he just doesn't know any qualified women...
Posted by: A3k | Sep 12, 2008 5:42:57 PM
This is silly!
First we MUST DETERMINE if the males and females are DOING THE SAME WORK?
Then and only then will the 'equal pay' relevant!
If McCaint supports 'equal pay for equal work', THEN WHY NOT SUPPORT THE LEGISLATION?
Posted by: Patriot | Sep 12, 2008 5:38:27 PM
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