Sandra Fluke introduces President Obama at Denver campaign rally
Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke introduced President Obama to a fired up crowd in Denver Wednesday. Fluke was called “a slut and prostitute” this spring by Rush Limbaugh for speaking to a Congressional committee in favor of coverage of contraceptives. Republicans including Mitt Romney remained silent about those personal attacks.
Fluke begain by stating “I was verbally attacked. President Obama came to my defense. He had my back. Mr. Romney said only ‘those were not the words I would choose.’ Well, Mr. Romney, you’re not going to be the candidate I will choose.”
She whipped up the crowd by saying “President Obama had my back, he has your back. Now, we need to have his back.”
Obama spoke to issues important to women calling Romney a “throwback to the 50’s on women’s’ issues.
“When it comes to a woman’s right to make her own healthcare choices, they want to take us back to the policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century,” he said, taking direct aim at Romney.
Women make up almost 53 percent of the state’s active voters as of the end of July. In 2008, Obama won 56 percent of the women’s vote in Colorado and in the nation. In 2010, women voters propelled Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet to a narrow victory over Republican challenger Ken Buck.
“Mr. Romney’s running as the candidate of conservative values. There’s nothing conservative about a government that prevents a woman from making her own healthcare decisions. He says he’s the candidate of freedom. But freedom’s the chance, the opportunity to determine for yourself the care that you need when you need it.”
The President spoke about healthcare reform even calling it by the name Obamacare, a term Republicans coined to attack the law. “I kind of like that name,” he said to laughter, “Because I do care,” the President said. “That’s why we fought so hard to pass it.”
“A boss should not make health decisions for you,” the President said, “the government should not make health decisions for you; politicians should not make those decisions. You should make those decisions,” he said to thunderous applause.