http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/218379-obama-to-dem-women-choose-hopeSeptember 19, 2014, 04:33 pm
'Choose hope,' Obama tells Dem women
By Justin Sink
President Obama looked to rally Democratic voters for the upcoming midterm elections by harkening back to his 2008 campaign messaging, telling female supporters gathered at a Democratic National Committee event Friday to "choose hope."
"Cynicism is a choice. Hope is a better choice," Obama said.
"Don't let anybody tell you that working and organizing and voting for the values that built this country isn't worth it," the president added. "It is worth it."
In a preview of what is likely to be his stump speech as he ramps up campaigning for vulnerable Democrats hoping to cling to control of the Senate, Obama blasted the media for its characterization of the nation's standing.
"There are times when I'm watching the news and I wonder whether they've been paying attention," Obama said.
The president went on to brag about his record on domestic issues, including the implementation of his signature health reform law and the improving economy.
“By almost every economic measure, we are better off today than we were when I took office," Obama said.
The president also devoted a sizable portion of his remarks to encouraging the female donors attending the DNC forum to step up their involvement in the midterm election.
Women proved a crucial boost to the president's reelection, breaking for the president by a 55 to 44 percent margin. By contrast, men favored Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney 52 to 45 percent. In Ohio, Obama won women by 12 points, and in Pennsylvania, women favored the president by 16 points.
The White House has looked to again rally female voters ahead of the 2014 midterms, with the president touting equal pay and a series of administration forums where officials solicited ideas about how to help women in the workplace. Last month, the White House announced new regulations designed to preserve free contraception for women who work for employers who object to purchasing insurance plans with birth control coverage.
Obama said promoting women's issues was "about getting the most out of our nation's talent."
"It's not politics in the narrow cramped sense, but it's politics in the sense of us organizing ourselves to try to move ourselves forward," he said.
Other speakers at the forum included DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) and the leaders of advocacy organizations like Planned Parenthood, Emily's List and the Center for American Progress. Tickets to the event ranged from $25 to $32,400 — which bought attendees access to a welcome reception with the first lady and two photo lines.
