# Can someone explain the Binders full of women outrage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 19, 2012, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211 "2012-10-19T09:49:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/81 "2012-10-20T01:42:47Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > If this is a serious question, at supermarkets in the United States, the standard size bag of flour is 5 lbs. … a few specialty products might be in one or two pound bags. Yes, it was serious; I’m not a baker, and when I need flour for something, I buy a two lb bag of some organic whole grain trendy flour, use half a cup, double bag it, store it in a dark cool place, and throw it out the next time I need flour. > [@Andiethewestie](#): > > Really no outrage? A Harvard graduate with all the privileges of the elite of society? He’s not a bumpkin, although when it comes to women’s issues he sure likes to play that card, except when it’s my vagina he wants to control, then he has a direct manifesto for that. You might have a higher opinion of the privileged elite than others. Some of us think, “What can you expect? The poor guy’s been rich all his life, and doesn’t know where to buy a clue.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/82 "2012-10-20T02:15:02Z")
[Surely we remember all the highly qualified women at Bain Capital.](http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/files/2011/10/Romney-Bain-Capital-money-shot.jpg) And I think it speaks very well of his tolerance of alternate lifestyles than his entire staff of financiers was cross dressing women! ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/83 "2012-10-20T03:54:20Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Yes, it was serious; I’m not a baker, and when I need flour for something, I buy a two lb bag of some organic whole grain trendy flour, use half a cup, double bag it, store it in a dark cool place, and throw it out the next time I need flour. Store it in your freezer and it will be good for next time. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/84 "2012-10-20T05:09:09Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Yes, it was serious; I’m not a baker, and when I need flour for something, I buy a two lb bag of some organic whole grain trendy flour, use half a cup, double bag it, store it in a dark cool place, and throw it out the next time I need flour. > You might have a higher opinion of the privileged elite than others. Some of us think, “What can you expect? The poor guy’s been rich all his life, and doesn’t know where to buy a clue.” Romney’s mother was a moderate, a role model for her kids by running for elected office. So I don’t get the complete aw shucks attitude towards women in the work force or lack there of, unless it is a convenience that helps him navigate a land mine issue for him. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/85 "2012-10-20T11:29:31Z")
My memories of Romney’s father’s time as governor of Michigan is a bit hazy, what with the passage of time, but his father never struck me as the sort of clueless dork Mitt is. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/86 "2012-10-20T11:57:02Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Personally, I’d imagine that he was trying to comply with mandated diversity requirements or affirmative action. It’s the left that requires head counts of women and minorities, so if anyone is promoting binders full of people with the same gender or racial characteristics, it’s them. Sorry, but no, we don’t require head counts. Not to mention, they were pretty much killed by _Bakke_ back in the 1970s. It’s as if you have a picture in your head of what libruls are all about, and you think that’s reality. There was a time when parts of your picture may have even been true, but _damn_, a lot of water’s been under the bridge since then. > [@](#): > > I think the humor is fine. But I have heard some pundits try to turn this into an ‘issue’, including mock outrage. That won’t work. The reason it tickles the funny bones of you on the left is because it confirms your own impression/bias/stereotype of Romney. No, he did that **himself**. He was the one who said that, in **two-thousand-fucking-two** , not freakin’ 1974, he didn’t know very many qualified women on his own, so he needed the binders. (ETA: This actually didn’t confirm any preconceived idea I’d had of Romney. Lord knows I’ve found plenty of fault with the man, but this one took me by surprise.) I mean, what has he been, the Boy In The Bubble? (A bubble made up of a loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires, of course. Hey, at least I gave you a _good_ earworm, for once. :D) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/87 "2012-10-20T13:51:16Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > If this is a serious question, at supermarkets in the United States, the standard size bag of flour is 5 lbs. Go check the baking aisle in a regular supermarket (not a 7-11 or bodega) and about 3/4 of the flour will be in five pound bags, most of the rest in ten pound bags, and a few specialty products might be in one or two pound bags. Of course, at Costco, you’ll find 25 lb bags (or maybe larger – I’m not sure of the Costco size). Last I bought flour at Costco, it was a 50-lb bag for about $20. I’m not a professional baker. It lasted the bulk of the year. A 5-pound bag will go fast. That will make about 10 thin crust 14-inch pizzas, or about 5-6 if you’re going for a thicker pan or Sicilian crust. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/88 "2012-10-20T14:11:34Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > Romney’s mother was a moderate, a role model for her kids by running for elected office. So I don’t get the complete aw shucks attitude towards women in the work force or lack there of, unless it is a convenience that helps him navigate a land mine issue for him. But the “binders full of women” comments was just clueless & dorky. So, no, no outrage over that. Women need flex time? Only irritation; statistically, women do handle most of the life chores, apparently. It would be nice to have a male major public figure suggest that more men pull their weight in that department, but I can’t complain on that issue. No, I save my outrage for healthcare in general and reproductive health care in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/89 "2012-10-20T14:29:56Z")
You say clueless and dorky, I say deliberate and cynical. See, it’s guys like this who use their apparent “cluelessness” to ensure the glass ceiling never get smashed. It’s up to those who care about this issue to call him out everytime. If we just say oh he’s just being Mitt, then CEOs and Governors gets license to never move beyond 1950 when it comes to equality in the work place. There’s a reason why Mitt is so low in the polls in his home state. The complete myopic viewpoint is just one of the myriad of reasons why. It’s absolutely so pathetic that the only progressive act he has done when it comes to bettering the status of women in the workplace is pointing out a binder that he had absolutely nothing to do with. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/90 "2012-10-20T15:11:00Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > > [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > > You are missing the fact that there is no outrage. We are mocking Romney for a goofy expression that makes him look silly. We are laughing at Romney’s expense. Unlike Republicans, not all unfavorable impressions of our opponents indicate hatred and outrage. > > Bullshit I haven’t seen outrage over the line. I’ve seen derisive laughter over the line (and not-so-derisive laughter over the line from conservatives). I’ve seen outrage over the attitude it embodies, which I think is justified and about substance. I guess it depends on how you define “substance,” though. Anyway, “binders full of women” is illustrative, not demonstrative; it fits on a bumper sticker, whereas an 800-word column/blog post (e.g., the one in the _Phoenix_) on Romney’s sexist actions does not. The outrage is that he didn’t support the Ledbetter Law. The outrage is that his answer to a question on equal pay boiled down to “some of my best employees are women, like my secretary and my maid” and “well, they should be home cooking dinner anyway.” “Binders full of women” is just funny. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > It’s the left that requires head counts of women and minorities, That’s not actually true, not the “requires head counts” part. Liberals ask that people not be arbitrarily ignored, which isn’t the same as insisting that people be arbitrarily hired/admitted. It would also seem to be bad business to arbitrarily ignore qualified people, so I don’t know why liberals and conservatives have so little common ground on this > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > For people who don’t already have this impression, attacking him over the ‘binders full of women’ comment is just bizarre and suggests that the Obama campaign has run out of substantial arguments and is resorting to ankle-biting. I think the attitude he’s demonstrated towards equality is an issue of substance. Shirley Sherrod’s supposed racism was pitched as substance. But when it’s your guy suddenly “substance” means “the economy and maybe the war, and nothing else.” > [@j666](#): > > How often do people need 5 lbs of flour, anyhow? How long would that last for a real baker? I make a loaf of bread almost every week, and my girlfriend makes desserts with some regularity. And other things use with flour – even a tabelspoon at a time, it adds up. We buy a five-pound bag of flour almost every week. > [@Andiethewestie](#): > > According to the women’s group that compiled the resumes Romney DID NOT initate it, he wasn’t going out looking for women to fill the positions, the advocacy group brought this to the governor . He just took credit for it in the debate, but that’s bullshit. [About Mitt Romney's 'binders full of women'? Guess what. It's BS.](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/17/1145627/-About-Mitt-Romney-s-binders-full-of-women-Guess-what-It-s-BS) That’s just kinda icing on the failcake, there. The fact that he didn’t know anyone who was qualified for an important position who was female is pretty bad to begin with; that he also didn’t care to, well … ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/91 "2012-10-20T20:14:05Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > You say clueless and dorky, I say deliberate and cynical. See, it’s guys like this who use their apparent “cluelessness” to ensure the glass ceiling never get smashed. It’s up to those who care about this issue to call him out everytime. If we just say oh he’s just being Mitt, then CEOs and Governors gets license to never move beyond 1950 when it comes to equality in the work place. There’s a reason why Mitt is so low in the polls in his home state. The complete myopic viewpoint is just one of the myriad of reasons why. It’s absolutely so pathetic that the only progressive act he has done when it comes to bettering the status of women in the workplace is pointing out a binder that he had absolutely nothing to do with. I don’t see how you can call the “binders full of women” remark deliberate and cynical; it was just another example of Romney being impossibly tone deaf and out of touch with the lives of most of the population. Most of the population because I can assure that most men do not think the wives’s salaries are insignificant, and most fathers wouldn’t mind a little flex time themselves, when the little woman has a meeting in another state. As for why Romney is some unpopular in his so called home state - I assume you are referring to Massachusetts - I’ll tell you why, it’s because that … person looked us all right in the eye and lied. He just lied. He told us he was not using Massachusetts as a short step to a presidential run, and then he used us as a short step to a presidential run, stepping right on a couple of prominent Republicans he probably thought should have been home baking cookies along the way. No matter what you think of Swift and Healy, both were just patted on the ass and then kicked in the teeth by Romney and the party. God, I still remember the rage I felt when that smug self-righteous prig told Swift her behavior was “unbecoming” during a debate. And he either lied to us then or he’s been lying to the rest of the country ever since. Hell, probably both, if he has enough understanding of the concept of truth to lie; I guess if you think you words are just whatever you say to get what you want, “lie” has no meaning. I’ve asked it before, and I’ll ask it again - How can anyone who supports the Republican Party platform vote for a man who got elected in Massachusetts? He is a nasty, hypocritical, lying, smug, self-righteous prig, who can’t go a week without a major gaffe, because he doesn’t know or care about anything beyond getting his privileged lilly-white ass into the Oval Office, where he can implement his plans for what the rest of us should do. So don’t try to tell me why his is not popular in Massachusetts. However, “binders full of women” was just a funny gaffe. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/92 "2012-10-20T20:37:23Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > “Binders full of blacks” would be gold. Rap-band name! ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/93 "2012-10-20T21:05:42Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > I think the attitude he’s demonstrated towards equality is an issue of substance. Shirley Sherrod’s supposed racism was pitched as substance. But when it’s your guy suddenly “substance” means “the economy and maybe the war, and nothing else.” As far as I can tell, the issue with the most “substance” for Republicans is the distinction between calling something an “act of terror” and calling it a “terrorist attack.” Also, whether you do so at the beginning of the speech, or four minutes in. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/94 "2012-11-02T21:01:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Ooh, that graphic with the list of prices is great. Every family has at least one member who goes grocery shopping, and anyone who’s been inside of a grocery store for any reason in the past year can tell at a glance that those numbers are absurd lies. If they’re going to lie that _blatantly_, they’re going to get crushed. Presumably they’re having their flour shipped in from Italy and their beef flown in from Kobe to their personal shopper. Just think how much Bollinger could be bought if we eliminated Social Security! ---
**Author:** ![prolific71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@prolific71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prolific71)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/95 "2012-11-03T00:23:35Z")
There’s also the imagery of some old Mormon flipping through binders full of women to find his future brides. Knowing how Mittens likes to exaggerate, they were probably Duo-Tang’s full of women rather than binders. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/96 "2012-11-04T17:17:19Z")
I don’t think that anyone was outraged. It was just a silly, inarticulate way of making his point. He could have said that he “reviewed many binders filled with resumes from qualified female candidates” and it wouldn’t have garnered a second look. “Binders filled with women” is just a funny double entendre. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/97 "2012-11-04T19:03:20Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Rap-band name! [R Money](http://www.randomfail.com/r-money-binders-fulla-women/) already has this one covered. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/98 "2012-11-04T19:27:56Z")
If there’s outrage I haven’t seen it, more like mocking, but even the mocking is stupid; It’s perfectly clear what he meant and that his meaning wasn’t offensive. Good for a chuckle? Perhaps, but it’s should have been forgotten about a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211/99 "2012-11-05T05:55:44Z")
His meaning actually was offensive (also, it was misleading at best). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-binders-full-of-women-outrage/638211.md?page=4)