Later, it turned out that the binders in question had actually been submitted to Romney by a Massachusetts group that had been formed to push for more women in important state government posts. Still, it was admirable that Romney followed through.

At least for the first few years of his administration. The Boston Globe reported that by the time he left office, the proportion of women at the top had dwindled to below the level he found when he arrived.

(When it comes to the ever-evolving identity of Mitt Romney, we tend to think of Massachusetts Mitt as the progressive, empathetic version. But there were actually several different Bay State incarnations. The one who got elected governor wanted to ban assault rifles, close down polluting power plants and had emotional memories of a relative who died from an illegal abortion. About halfway through the term, that guy began to evaporate. He was replaced by a Presidential Prospect Mitt who opposed stem cell research, refused to cooperate with other governors on clean air initiatives and lost interest in the binder.)

But about the debate. You may have noticed that both candidates tried to score points with women. Obama pointed out that the first bill he signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and that he’d fought to make sure all health insurance policies include coverage for contraception. Romney suggested there were “bureaucrats in Washington” who wanted to tell women whether they can use birth control, and he fiercely announced that if they tried, he would be very much opposed.

Image Gail Collins Credit... Earl Wilson/The New York Times

Women enjoy a good pander as much as anybody else, and it was great to have the candidates tackle issues like equal pay and reproductive rights. Although it was a little weird that the two men vied for female favor by interrupting and barking at one another like a Worst Boyfriend.