• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 20, 2012

No shocker here: there appears to be a massive gulf between what Washington mandarins think and you and your neighbors do. Research from Mindshare offers some proof.

And hope.

But, first the gloom …

What a great Women’s History Month it’s been so far. Issues continue to boil surrounding Rush Limbaugh’s degradation of a Georgetown law student with the “s-word,” and Bill Maher’s having once referred to Sarah Palin with the “c-word.”

Anyone who watches one of the cable news channels knows the conventional wisdom is moderate women will decide the coming election. So, the Republican National Committee has tried to capitalize with a new “Obama’s War on Women” online ad, attempting to show the Obama sympathizers hypocritically are thrilled to blast Limbaugh, but not willing to condemn Maher.

The ad, which strings together snippets that could be out of context, does show Obama adviser David Axelrod appearing to laughingly characterize Maher’s comments as part of a comedic act. Also, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer is shown apparently declining to call on Democrats to ask a super PAC backing the president to return a $1 million donation from Maher.

Blessedly on Monday, CNN’s Erin Burnett, who appeared in the ad interviewing Axelrod, came out firing at Republicans unwilling to repudiate Limbaugh and Democrats withholding fire against Maher.

“Neither party came out hard enough when the offender was one of its own … The problem is politicians now are happy to point the finger at the other side, while implicitly, or, frankly in some cases explicitly, finding a way for ‘their guy’ to be let off the hook,” she said on her "OutFront" show.

She added: “Both sides need to be honest that the words used -- like the s-word and the c-word -- aren’t acceptable. Not by someone who is a pundit, not by someone who is an entertainer, not by a broadcaster, not by a co-worker. Not by anyone. There isn't any defending it. This isn't political, this should be personal for everyone.”

Here’s the refreshing thing, though. Americans of both genders seem to have an enormous appreciation for the contributions women have made for this country. And a bipartisan one.

While there is no way to prove true bipartisanship, a Mindshare study asked 1,050 men and women 18-plus which women people they would like to see appear on a coin U.S. and Rosa Parks came in first at 34%.

But, she was followed by Republican First Lady Betty Ford at 20% and Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with about the same number in the online research. Oprah Winfrey, who backed Obama in 2008, came in fourth at 9%, while right-leaning former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor came in fifth at 7%.

The survey also found 34% of respondents indicated the media “portray women unfavorably.”

Hard to argue with that these days.