Warren on the War on Women: 'How could this be happening in 2012?'

Here's Elizabeth Warren's newest ad in the Massachusetts Senate race, on the War on Women.

Why do women have to fight the same old battles? Women still don't get equal pay for equal work - Republicans blocked that, and even pushed a law that could have denied insurance coverage for birth control. We're still fighting to protect a woman's right to choose nearly 40 years after Roe v. Wade, and we could be just one Supreme Court justice away from losing it. How could this be happening in 2012?

There's just one thing missing there: the fact that her opponent was among those Republicans pushing the law denying insurance coverage for birth control, and that Scott Brown has been a pretty reliable vote in the Senate against women. After all, he has the endorsement of the state's leading anti-choice group. But where the Warren campaign doesn't directly call Brown out for those votes, a group of 22 female Massachusetts legislators and one Boston city councilor are, putting Brown on notice that they are aware of his record and will publicize it.

'We know where you have voted against women on the issues that matter to us most, and we know that you and your Republican party will move to restrict our economic and reproductive rights if you take control of the US Senate and the White House,' they said. [...]

'Your record is clear,' said the women, including City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and state Senator Katherine Clark of Melrose. 'We also know that you have endorsed Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and are working to help them win the White House to enact their agenda, which would be devastating for women."

Scott Brown has to be defined for who he is: That's the key for Warren. In last week's PPP poll of the state, Brown had a five point lead, 49-44. He's viewed by 54 percent of the voting population in the state as "just about right" ideologically, but at the same time 56 percent of the state's voters think the Republicans are too conservative, and 53 percent don't want the Republicans in charge of the Senate. What the Davids (Nir and Jarman) say:

The roadmap here is to follow the same path as Sheldon Whitehouse vs. Lincoln Chafee in 2006, another case of taking down a likeable moderate by tying him at every turn to the national party and educating voters about how the Senate as a whole functions... a lesson which hasn't seemed to sink in with a large enough share of Massachusetts voters yet.

Brown's true colors have to be exposed. It's great that Warren surrogates are going to help do it, but it's something Warren is going to have to take on directly, as well.

How about putting a woman in Brown's place? Please donate $3 to Elizabeth Warren on ActBlue.