Republicans seem to have no problem running up massive deficits during the Bush administration.  But now, under President Obama, the debt is too big.  Rather than cut tax breaks or defence spending, they’ve picked their favorite target for retaliation.  Make the women pay for it.

But they weren’t counting on the Democratic women senators.  They are angry.

Via Talking Points Memo:

“If we end the health care bill, women will pay 30 percent more for insurance than men do,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), the longest-serving female senator, noting that the GOP budget repeals the health care law, which ends gender discrimination by insurance companies.

Murray elaborated on this. “Under the Republican budget, insurance companies can go right back to denying care to women because of so-called pre-existing conditions — you know, conditions like being pregnant or being a victim of domestic violence,” she said. “Under the Republican budget, insurance companies can go right back to charging women higher premiums than men, which is especially problematic because the Republican budget would end Medicare as we know it and throw every single American woman into the private market at the mercy of insurance companies.”

“The majority of people on Medicare are women,” noted Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). And you can tell a similar story about Medicaid beneficiaries, who also stand to lose benefits under the GOP plan. “Two-thirds of [Medicaid dollars] go to seniors in nursing homes, and 77 percent of the people in nursing homes are women.”

Newt Gingrich said it plainly two weeks ago when he effectively closed the door on his own presidential campaign by speaking honestly — Republicans are engaging in rightwing social engineering.  And they are effectively playing with women’s lives to do it.