The Associated Press published an article implying that Democrats are not focused on jobs and the economy, and are instead pandering to women by pushing a measure to protect women from workplace discrimination. In contrast, AP reported that the Republican agenda focuses on job creation.

The article, written by Laurie Kellman, reported on Senate Republicans' efforts to successfully block a law that would have required equal pay for women. The piece included a passage that strongly suggests that Democrats are not focused on jobs, while portraying concerns over fair pay to be hollow:

The vote was the latest effort by Democrats to protect their lead among critical women voters this presidential and congressional election year. Republicans are focusing on the No. 1 concern for all voters: jobs and the economy.

In suggesting that Democrats are not focused on jobs and the economy, AP ignores President Obama's repeated calls for Congress to pass a jobs bill. Friday, when the Labor Department reported that jobs growth slowed during May, the president again called on Congress to “get to work” and pass a jobs bill that economists say could create 2 million jobs.

Moreover, Kellman didn't bother to provide any evidence that Republicans were “focusing on ... jobs and the economy.” Just last week, the GOP staged a vote on a bill that would have banned sex-selective abortions. That vote is particularly noteworthy when considering that gender-based abortion is not a problem in the United States - gender rates at birth in the United States are in line with what public health experts say is normal, and more than 90 percent of all abortions happen before gender can be determined.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analyzed the bill and made no mention that it would create any jobs.

In May, AP's Charles Babington explored the question of whether Republicans were engaged in economic sabotage in order to damage a sitting president. Now AP has given Republicans an out, portraying the GOP as focused on economic growth - despite all evidence to the contrary - and increasing the likelihood that voters will not get a national conversation about GOP sabotage.

UPDATE: Associated Press has since updated the article, now reporting:

Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a Democratic bill calling for equal pay in the workplace. But President Barack Obama and his congressional allies aren't finished appealing to women on the No. 1 concern for all voters: the cash in their wallets on the heels of recession.

Original AP article after the jump.