Rachel Maddow fights fiction with fact

>>> there's a gop war on women . now they are trying to deny that women have been paid less for equal work. women make just 77 cents for every dollar a man makes in america yet gop consultant went on "meet the press" yesterday to challenge the fact. she's voted against the lilly ledbetter fair pay act unfortunately for her. fortunately for those who seek the truth, rachel maddow was there to set them both straight.

>> women this this country still make 77 cents on the dollar for what men make. women don't make less than men?

>> actually, if you start looking at the numbers, rachel , there are lots of reasons for that.

>> don't tell me the reasons. do women make less than men? wow. okay. we're working from different fact pps.

>> men work 44 hours a week. women work 41 hours a week. men go into engineering, science and math.

>> this is not a math is hard part. no it isn't.

>> yes, it is.

>> let rachel frame it.

>> women are making 77 cents on the dollar for what men are making.

>> that's not true.

>> let rachel make her point.

>> every greedy men would hire only women , save 25%.

>> it's weird that you're interrupting me and let me make my point because we get along so well. let me make my point. the interruption is important because we know that women are not fairing worse than men in the economy. women aren't getting paid less for equal work. that's a difference in factual understanding of the world. given that some of us believe that women are getting paid less than men for doing the same work. there's something called the fair pay act. the stau chut of limit taxs starts before you know that discrimination is happening cutting off your recourse. you didn't know you were being discriminated, you can't go. the first law passed by the administration to remedy that court ruling . mitt romney campaign put you out as a surrogate to sure up people's feelings about this issue after they could not say whether or not mitt romney would sign that bill. you're supposed to make us feel better about it. you voted against the fair pay act. it's about policy and whether or not you want to fix some of the discrimination that women really do face that republicans don't believe is happening.

>> it's policy is the argument.

>> it's policy. i love how passionate you are. i wish you are as right about what you were saying.

>> that's really konds sending.

>> my passion is me making a factual argument on it mp.

>> joan, great to have you with us. the u.s. census bureau reports among people who worked year round and full-time in 2009 men earned 46,000 and women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. i don't know what this dude alex doesn't get but he called this an old discredited liberal myth. why doesn't the republican party admit the number because that's what it is and say we have some work to do. your thoughts.

>> it's a fascinating question. there's so many things that what he did that need to be commented on. one of them was starting out by saying well, no it's not true and then quickly saying it is true but there are reasons. they are trying to have it both ways desperately. the facts are exactly as rachel laid them out. you know and i know you can break down individual coherts of workers and things look a little bit different. there is a pay gap . it's big. it's troublesome. they don't want to admit it.

>> he was trying to say hours worked. men work longer than women .

>> right.

>> it is about pay. mitt romney needs to square himself with the american people on this. would he vote or would he move to change the lilly ledbetter fair pay act . this is a fundamental question now going into this? where does he stand on women in the workplace? the laws name sake, she's not buying it. she was up in new hampshire campaigning for the president today and said that doesn't mean he woent because he has been known to flip-flop quite a bit. well said. it would seem to me that romney 's got to be clear on this on how kneels about the law.

>> even if you say the gab is smaller. why wouldn't you ban discrimination and why wouldn't you create mechanisms like lilly ledbetter does to enforce those laws. that's what's going on. even if alex is right and men do work marginally more than women , that's a six point pay gap and not a 23 point. women want flexibility. women pay disproportionately for having children and health care . that is sexism. however you want to explain it or slice it or dice it, it all comes down to sexism.

>> i was waiting for the romney campaign making a statement saying he doesn't speak for us. how do the republicans make up ground with women when they have exchanges like that?

>> right. women across america, i watched twitter and facebook explode in joy when rachel slapped him down. he really was a condescending jerk. if the world were equal and democrats had to do what republicans do, rom would have to answer.

>> great to have you with us. thank you.

>>> there's a lot more coming up. stay with us.

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