Epic Fails

May 5, 2014

Hey there –

Wanted to make sure you saw that another Democrat was caught in a web of hypocrisy on pay equality today. By not living up to the pay formula Democrats endorsed, their disingenuous rhetoric is being exposed for the true political posturing it is.

Suzan DelBene: Seattle Times – Republicans, DelBene camp clash over gender pay disparity

“Tyler Houlton, a spokesman for the NRCC, called DelBene “hypocritical” for insisting on pay equality while her female congressional staff members earn an average of $33,800, or 53 percent as much as the men… The NRCC also has gone after three other House Democrats with the claim of payroll hypocrisy: Reps. Ron Barber, Ariz.; John Tierney, Mass.; and Patrick Murphy, Fla.”

Ron Barber: Arizona Daily Star – Pay-gap controversy fuels scrap after article by Barber

“A fight over how much women are paid compared to their male counterparts has reached a fever pitch in the Congressional District 2 race. Barber is paying women roughly $8,950 a year less their male counterparts, said NRCC Regional Political Director Annie Kelly. “Ron Barber should be ashamed,” said Kelly. “If Barber truly believes this is how to measure gender inequality in the workforce, shouldn’t initiatives to close the gender gap start in his own office?”

Patrick Murphy: The Palm Beach Post – Murphy, Frankel cite ’77 cents’ statistic on women’s earnings; their staffs have bigger gender pay gaps

“Democratic Reps. Patrick Murphy and Lois Frankel joined President Barack Obama and other Democrats last week in promoting “Equal Pay Day” and its much-repeated statistic that women earn 77 cents for every dollar men are paid. In Murphy’s and Frankel’s congressional offices, the gap between the average earnings of male and female staffers is even greater.”

These numbers are based on a formula promoted by the White House and Congressional Democrats that takes the medium salaries of all fulltime men and women and compares them. While some have questioned the accuracy of the statistic, Democrats have promoted it heavily – however, not living up to it themselves.