It Continues to Be a Real Mystery Why Republicans Aren't Connecting with a Majority of Female Voters

[Content Note: Anti-choicery. NB: Not only women need access to contraception.]

I present to you Republican Representative Mike Coffman, currently running for reelection in Colorado's 6th district:

[Coffman, a thin middle-aged white man with white hair, and his Democratic opponent Andrew Romanoff, a thin middle-aged white man with dark hair, sit at a table in front of a room at a hotel, before an audience.]

Moderator (a man's voice from offscreen): Mike, what do you see as the differences between you and Andrew when it comes to women's reproductive rights and health care?

[Romanoff hands Coffman the microphone, as the audience oohs over the question.]

Coffman: I'm pro-life. You know, I believe that, uh... [applause] I'm proud of that. And, uh... I do not support personhood, but, uh, I support a woman's access to, to, um... [waves hand] ...certainly, certainly to...um, this Hobby Lobby decision... [waves hand] ...uh, to, um... to get uh... [he waves his hand at his head, to indicate he can't remember; touches Romanoff's arm, as if to ask for his help]

Crowd: Birth control.

Coffman: Birth control!

[laughter; Coffman sets down the microphone and slumps forward, then leans back in his chair and crosses his arm and smiles embarrassedly]

Romanoff: I don't support the Hobby Lobby decision...

Now, everyone gets word aphasia from time to time, so I don't want to be too unforgiving about his not remembering the words "birth control" (or "contraception") for a moment, but, the thing is, someone who is used to thinking and talking about this issue could have, you know, just substituted: "I support a woman's ability to control her reproduction." Whoooooops except for Coffman, who can't say that, because he doesn't. He's "pro-life." Which means he was limited to saying very explicitly he only supports a person's access to contraception. Darn.

And even that is a dubious claim, because he also supports the Hobby Lobby decision. (As his team made clear after the event, since he couldn't even effectively communicate that here.)

Also: "I do not support personhood"? Um.

This doesn't suggest a person who has thoroughly considered convictions about reproductive rights. It suggests someone who really doesn't want to talk or think about it all.

LADIES?