Obama and Romney focuses on efforts to Woo women

With some polls offers sporadic evidence that Mr. Romney wins support among women in the last weeks of the campaign, the President seized every opportunity under their face-off Hofstra University on Long Iceland to argue that Mr. Romney, the Republican candidate, would eliminate funding for women's health services, block access to contraception, against equal pay and undermine the economic recovery for families where women are the breadwinners.

"This is not just a women's issue," said Mr. Obama during an Exchange on equal pay for women in the workplace. "This is a problem with the family. It is a middle class issues. And that is why we have to fight for it. "

Mr. Romney tried to defend his policy as better for women, to deny Mr. Obamas accusations about contraception and insist that his record as Massachusetts Governor is one of integration and equality. Even as the debate concluded, released Mr. Romney's campaign, a television ad stresses that he is not opposed to contraception and believe abortion should be legal in some cases.

"Turns out, Romney not against contraception," says a woman in the advertisement. "In fact, he believes abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, incest or to save a mother's life."

But Mr. Romney rambling description of his efforts to recruit women into his administration as Governor of Massachusetts was an instant Internet sensation when he said he had "all the binders full of women", he considered jobs in his Cabinet and agencies.

' I said, ' well, gosh, we can find some women who also are qualified? ' "Mr. Romney said during the debate."And so we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could have qualified to become members of our Cabinet.

Comment "binders full" became a hit on Twitter, quickly becomes a "meme" generated a mocking Tumblr page and prompts a democratic group to purchase site www.bindersfulofwomen.com. The group, American Bridge 21st Century, used it to list actions from Mr. Romney group said was the women's interest.

Appeals to women came during a debate in which Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney, who also tried to capture their bases. Mr. Obama, in particular, supplied an aggressive performance that advisers hope will give his core supporters fresh proof that the President is ready to fight for a second term.

Mr. Romney pressed his case for tax cuts, a favorite of conservatives, and remained critical of the administration account for the deadly attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, an issue that Republicans believe gives them an advantage. And Mr. Romney repeated his campaign mantra that the country cannot afford another four years like the ones Mr. Obama has led.

But there was no mistaking the focus of candidates on women. That focus has increased dramatically in the last weeks of the campaign, as the superior race has tightened nationally and in many key battleground states. Mr. Obama has long maintained a double-digit lead among women in most studies, helping him to overcome a deficit among men.

A Gallup poll this week suggested that Mr. Obamas advantage had evaporated, but other studies — and Mr. Obama's top strategists — disputed this finding.

As the debate on Tuesday made it clear that neither campaign takes aid of women. Mr. Obama, in particular, seemed eager to make the case for his policies — and criticizing Mr. Romney — after having been criticised by many high-profile women; not in the debate two weeks ago in Denver.

The President went his way several times to mention Mr. Romney pledge to eliminate funding for planned parenthood. Mr. Obama argued that not only would affect women's health services, but would be a financial burden for families in hard times.

"Millions of women all across the country, which is dependent on the planned parenthood not only contraceptive care," said Mr. Obama. "They count it for mammograms for cervical cancer screenings. There is a pocketbook issue for women and families all over the country. "

On the issue of contraception, said Mr. Obama, that Mr. Romney would allow employers to decide whether an option to provide contraception coverage in their plans for insurance, cut off by the President's health care law. Mr. Romney refused to.

"I do not believe that bureaucrats in Washington should tell someone they can use contraception or not, and I do not believe that employers should tell someone, whether they could have contraceptive care or not," said Mr. Romney, using the time from another question to try to rebut President. "Every woman in the United States should have access to contraception."

Mr. Romney sought the interests of women connected to the broader questions about the economy sluggish recovery, suggesting repeatedly that he could do better for struggling families — and particularly women — if he is in the White House.

"There are three and a half million more women living in poverty today than when the President took office," said Mr. Romney. "We need to live that way. We can get this economy going again. "

But it was a matter of equal pay for women, called the most memorable exchanges of the debate. Mr. Obama focused on passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act — the first bill he signed as President — making it easier for women to sue if they suspect they will not be paid fairly.

"So we laid there," said Mr. Obama. "And it is an example of the kind of advocacy, we need because women are increasingly the breadwinners in the family."

When it was Mr. Romney trip, he described his efforts after being elected as Governor in order to ensure that women were well represented in its management. He said the early recommendations was mainly men, and that he pushed harder to search for qualified women to serve.

That led to "binders full" comment and a description of his willingness to be flexible on hours that his Chief of staff — a woman named Beth Myers, who is now a top adviser to his campaign — worked while children.

"She said I cannot be here until 7 or 8 at night. I need to be able to come home at 5, so I can be there — to make dinner for my children and be with them when they come home from school, "Mr. Romney explained."So we said fine, let us have a flexible schedule so you can have the hours that work for you. "

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