Last month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) skipped the vote on the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would have made it easier for women and other workers to pursue pay discrimination claims. At the time, McCain explained his opposition to the bill by saying that instead of equal pay protection, women simply needed “education and training.“ Asked about his opposition to the bill at a townhall today, McCain told a 14-year old girl that he didn’t think protections for equal pay would do “anything to help the rights of women”:
McCain singled out a 14-year old woman who questioned why he opposes eliminating the statute of limitations on lawsuits over workplace discrimination, arguing it amounted to opposing “equal rights for women.”
“If you eliminate the statutes of limitations, and you make it unending, you may be violating the rights of the individuals who are being sued, whether they’re a man or a woman,” the senator responded. “I don’t think you’re doing anything to help the rights of women, except maybe help trial lawyers and others in that profession.”
McCain has a long record of failure on women’s issues, earning him a 0 percent rating from NARAL ProChoice America six years in a row, from 2001–2007.