Fox anchors are suggesting that the issues of rape, women's reproductive rights, and education are “distraction[s]” from the real issue of the campaign: the economy.

Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy claimed that President Obama is spending too much time on the campaign trail talking about “how we need more teachers. He doesn't really talk about economics.” Co-hosts Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade then claimed that the Obama campaign's strategy is to distract from the economy by focusing on issues such as education, women's rights, reproductive choice, and Rep. Todd Akin's widely condemned “legitimate rape” comments.

But education is an economic issue. Indeed, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has advised nations to “invest in education to beat recession.” The OECD found that "[g]overnment budgets and the overall economy also reap an advantage from higher number of [college] graduates." It also found that people who drop out of school without a job “are likely to spend a long time out of work.”

Furthermore, people with more education obtain higher paying jobs. An increase in education rates decreases unemployment. And investment in education helps the economy, especially during times of economic downturns.

Fox's attempts to downplay women's rights, reproductive choice, and Akin's comments are also quite problematic. Akin's rhetoric is reflected in policies being pushed by conservatives, who just this week crafted a Republican Party platform that called for a constitutional ban on abortion with no exception for rape.