Washington (CNN) - The head of an Ohio Republican organization took back a slap at a Democratic congresswoman on Friday after a recent campaign flyer said she should be put "back in the kitchen."
Read the flyer here [pdf]
Rep. Betty Sutton is the subject of the political attack by the Medina County Republican Executive Committee. The flyer was sent to about 15,000 Ohio homes as part of the political effort to try and defeat her in November.
"Let's take Betty Sutton out of the House and put her back in the kitchen!" the Medina County GOP said in the flyer. In a statement posted on her campaign website, Sutton blasted the line as "an insult to all women."
"The statement in the mailer devalues the tremendous breadth of talents of women and girls, be they Republicans, Independents, Democrats or none of the above," she said.
Sutton called for Bill Heck, chairman of the county committee, to step down.
Heck defended the flyer's overall message, telling CNN it was intended to educate and engage voters. And he dismissed Sutton's call for his resignation.
"If there's going be a change that's going to come from the Medina County Republican Party," Heck said.
But Heck acknowledged the "back in the kitchen" line was in poor taste. "I agree with her 100 percent," Heck said of Sutton's complaint.
"I think it was a mistake on that choice of words," he said. "This piece of rhetoric was certainly not meant to be offensive."
Heck noted that he has two daughters and his wife had previously run for elective office.
"So the words themselves weren't intended to be offensive or sexist," he said.
Heck also told CNN that the controversy has caused the executive committee of his Republican organization to create a new policy to avoid such statements in future flyers.
Sutton does not yet appear ready to accept Heck's attempt to reverse the slam.
"You can never completely retrieve a sexist message once you send it out to 15,000 households," the congresswoman told CNN.
As for Heck's overall defense of the flyer as an educational tool for voters, Sutton added, "I can't imagine how making such a belittling comment about women could be in any way educational."
Four candidates are vying for the GOP nomination to challenge Sutton in November.
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
This whole incident shows us just where the Republicans stand on these issues. It astounds me that anyone who is not a middle class suburban white guy would vote for them.
What is that thing born again Christians say?.."mouth says what the heart desires.." or something similar, but you get the meaning
Another installment of "haters on parade."
Yep, the Republicans voted against a womens right to equal pay. If they could they would take away a womens right to vote and stick them in the kitchen as slaves to the male population.
VOTE OUT THE REPUBLICANS
It's educational alright, too bad the message will be missed.
And that is exactly what the Republican Party stands for. They're a party of bigots, racists, and misogynists. When they say they respect the Constitution and don't feel it's open to interpretation, they mean they respect it as it existed before the advent of civil/women's rights. They can deny it all they want but those are the true conservative "values" they cling to.
I think he should step down
Completely, totally, and utterly unacceptable. Everyone responsible should have resigned by lunchtime.
What a disgrace.
never apologize for telling the truth...an old democrap proverb.
Wow how could anyone vote Republican with a straight face? This party is racist, sexist, only out of the rich, and trying to destroy this country by siding against their President. Think OHIO vote every single Republican out of office.
'Heck defended the flyer's overall message, telling CNN it was intended to educate and engage voters. And he dismissed Sutton's call for his resignation.'
Okay, then let's leave it up to the GOP to take this guy out of his position and put him back to under the rock he crawled from...
Fat chance for that to happen!!!
looks like some old man will be sleeping on the couch tonight.
Wow, a white male republican is a sexist pig. What a shock!!
Isn't that just like one of the knuckleheads in this party.
They have become so acustom to shoving their feet down their own throats. They constantly say the wrong thing. Then they are on to the I'm sorry tour......
It something we can always count on.
wait, is she a cook, chef or anything like that? then it would be less sexist. lol
Education is not top priority requirements of the GOP, take a good look at Palin who makes fun of people who do have an education. It's called the dumbing of America with the headmaster being the GOP.
Typical Republican mentality – stuck in the 1950's. "Heck noted that he two daughtes and a wife" – so naturally anyone with female relatives can't be a sexist. These excuses they come up with – its like they have no grasp of critical thinking.
what a bunch of cavemen.
i'm sure the mcrec also wishes to send all coloreds to the back of the bus.
the republican party is truely for dinosaurs.
Boy, the Republicans at work again trying their darndest to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!!
What a stupid thing to say in todays world!! They deserve to lose!!!
Heck is not taking responsibility for his sexist flyer. Using sexism to try to get votes from sexists is a new low for American politics. Heck must take responsibility for his sexism in the flyer he approved and resign.
A long time ago, I was a Republican, but Bush and the neo-cons drove me away me, along with all the other real Conservatives. I keep hoping the GOP will come to their senses, but then some neo-con dinosaur pulls some bone-headed stunt like this. Sigh.
Hi Mr. Heck....you are a pathetic excuse for a man, and you should be covered in tar and feather and paraded around town for being the biggest moron in your locality.
Oh I am sorry. I am not trying to be offensive. At least my words "themselves aren't intended to be offensive". This is for purely educational purpose.
Sometimes, some members of my political party (R) don't seem to have any sense at all.
One doesn't need to carry around a 2010 edition of Guide to Political Correctness to avoid offending every woman in America with an election coming up.
This incident was insensitivity augmented to the point of idiocy.
Wow! As as woman myself, I wished Democrats worried as much about women earlier as they had no problems turning Hillary Clinton into a racist and Obama several times brought up her comment about cookies and how she thought the republicans were being elitist in making a big deal about it yet Obama said she was acting the same way when she said people were offended by his clinging to guns and religion comments. I am sure he could have come up with another instance other than "baking cookies".... yes, he did didn't he when he ridiculed her over another comment and called her no Annie Oakley. Maybe I should get offended about this but then I see democrats defending the teacher's union of New Jersey when they sent out a joke wishing for the death of their Governor. They said their apology should be enough over a death wish but mentioning a play on words of out of the House and back in the kitchen is too vile to accept an apology??? Methinks thou dost protest too much to be taken seriously. Their treatment of Hillary is what made me become an independent.. Don't start crying faux outrage now especially after the way you have treated her and continually treat Sarah Palin
This is where the GOP thinks all women belong, keep on voting for these losers who want to take us back to the 50's, maybe you old people who lived thru does days want them back, but us young people are looking towards the future, and you wonder why we don't vote for conservatives.