Republicans Court Female Voters By Carefully Explaining That Women Are Wrong

[joeybee12]

Yesterday, Politico published a leaked report commissioned by two Republican lobbying groups on how the party can better attract female voters. The report, based on a recent poll of 800 female registered voters as well as a series of focus groups, is titled “Republicans and Women Voters: Huge Challenges, Real Opportunities.” The central challenge facing the Republican party is that women—particularly single women and women who have graduated from college—are “barely receptive” to its policies, and are likely to consider the party “intolerant,” “lacking in compassion,” and “stuck in the past.”

Here’s where the “real opportunity” comes in: If only the Republicans could explain to these women that they are wrong, their votes would come flooding in. The report says that it is a “lack of understanding” between women and Republicans that “closes many minds to Republican policy solutions.” Republicans can attract the female vote by attacking the Democratic claim that GOP policies do not promote “fairness” for women and dealing “honestly with any disagreement on abortion” before moving on to “other issues.”

Today, R.R. Reno, editor of First Things (a journal that promotes “economic freedom” and a “morally serious culture”), published a very helpful essay illustrating how this fresh new strategy might work in practice. Reno begins his piece with a richly-drawn portrait of a hypothetical female Democratic voter: She is a “single, 35-year-old McKinsey consultant living in suburban Chicago who thinks of herself as vulnerable and votes for enhanced social programs designed to protect against the dangers and uncertainties of life.” (Reno does not specify the number of cats she owns, but for the purposes of this discussion, let's assume the answer is "several.&quot Reno speculates that this woman (whom he has invented and preprogrammed with opinions) feels “judged” by a Republican platform that opposes gay marriage, because “she intuitively senses that being pro-traditional marriage involves asserting male-female marriage as the norm—and therefore that her life isn’t on the right path.” So she votes for the Democrat, who does not appear to be “intolerant” of her lifestyle.

Here comes the part of the exercise where Reno carefully instructs this fantasy lady liberal that she has chosen poorly, and that the Republican party is the logical choice for a woman in her circumstance. This woman is suffering from "various kinds of personal unhappiness related to the lack of clear norms for how to live," Reno writes. She secretly “wants to get married and feels vulnerable because she isn’t and vulnerable because she’s not confident she can." And so, actually, she should support the party that wants to force people into traditional marriages, thus improving her chances of getting married herself. (Perhaps she can marry a gay man?) If only our hypothetical cat lady could get on board, she would get a husband, the Republicans would get another married woman to add to their key demographic, and gay people would get totally screwed. (Yay?)

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/08/28/the_gop_struggles_to_attract_female_voters_who_are_barely_receptive_to_republican.html

[merrily]

1. These are not the droids you're looking for.

[ashling]

25. Brilliant!

An brings a tear to my eye. I used to joke with a really great lady who was the LMS administrator for our online classes. That was one the last things she said to me ... she died quite unexpectedly of an aneurysm few days after that.

[merrily]

50. Thank you. I am sorry for your loss.

[AverageJoe90]

58. My sincerest condolences for your loss, Ashling. ='(

[Arkansas Granny]

2. The level of disconnect is astonishing and insulting to any woman with a shred of self-respect.

[eShirl]

3. Brilliant!

[DetlefK]

4. Same old song: "Voters like conservative ideas! We just didn't explain them good enough!"

[DetlefK]

5. And transgender people just need to be bullied and screamed at to reach happiness:

Quote from the essay:
"Nine times out of ten, a “transgendered” individual would be far happier if he or she were simply told, with effective authority—you’re a boy or girl. "

[ck4829]

74. He really thought he was going on a roll with all the biological determinism he was spewing

"You Woman, you SUPPOSED to get husband to cook and clean for. Also, born with boy or girl parts, then you boy OR girl from birth. End."

[Scuba]

6. Sounds like the old IBM business slogan: "If our solutions doesn't fix your problem ...

... then you have the wrong problem."

[wandy]

7. How does the Onion stay in business..........

This woman is suffering from "various kinds of personal unhappiness related to the lack of clear norms for how to live,"

[marions ghost]

20. This IS the Onion

...isn't it?

[CrispyQ]

8. Wuerker, one of my faves:

Love the lady elephant and the grimace on her face!

[Louisiana1976]

52. Good cartoon and so true.

[Laelth]

70. That's hilarious. Thanks. n/t

-Laelth

[librechik]

9. huh--that always works perfectly for my hubby

NEVER!!!

[theHandpuppet]

10. Wow

They couldn't buy a clue if they were being passed out for free.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Reno's essay is comedy gold ! nt

[hifiguy]

43. Only until you realize that

the author is deadly serious. Then it becomes horrifying on a molecular level.

[freebrew]

12. Oh, I thought it was The Onion...

No?

Oh....

Yeah, that'll work.

Carry on.

[TlalocW]

13. I'm all for their believing this shit

It's all part of republican disconnect from reality and can only hurt them. We saw it in 2012 when every pundit on Fox was claiming Romney was going to win. Only Dennis Miller mentioned there was a poll that showed Obama ahead by a few points, but he didn't believe it. Then Eric Cantor's personal polls showed he was going to win. Now this. They have the info, but because it doesn't jibe with their worldview, they have to make the craziest shit up to keep believing in what they've always believed in.

TlalocW

[AlbertCat]

26. they have to make the craziest shit up to keep believing in what they've always believed in.

See?.... it's a religion!

[valerief]

14. Hilarious!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. GOP psychology = all non-GOPs hate themselves. They need us

To beat it out of them.

[jwirr]

16. "Stuck in the past" - that is so funny. They are the ones stuck in the past about every issue we

have today. Way back in the 50s.

[Louisiana1976]

53. Yeah--the 1450s

[MoonRiver]

17. Did they get that from a Phyllis Shafley speech?

[sinkingfeeling]

18. Well of course! No woman would have 'clear norms for how to live'. She

needs either a man or the GOP to tell her what to do with her life!

[tea and oranges]

19. Ha Ha! Repubs can only relate to & understand the desires of those who bribe them.

Kick.

[Ikonoklast]

21. Just another religious nut who wants all women to be June Cleaver.

Totally cocooned in a fantasyland populated with other conservative nutbars to whom reality is a scary place.

[Coventina]

31. Speaking in defense of June Cleaver

she was actually a very progressive figure for her time.

She often told Ward when he was in the wrong, and I don't remember a single incident in the show where the reverse was true.

People like to bag on "Leave it to Beaver" but it actually tackled some tough issues never exposed on TV before:

Animal Rights
Child Abuse
Divorce

and, it was the first TV show to show a toilet on camera!

*Proud Leave It To Beaver Fan*

[nxylas]

34. A toilet on camera?

Wouldn't that screw up the mechanism?

(Sorry, I'm British. Toilet humour is an important expression of my culture).

[Jackpine Radical]

51. Yes, a thoroughly anal culture.

I trust you can handle this observation without flushing.

[catbyte]

35. I LOVE the Beav and how he loved animals. THat show is terrific.

[AlbertCat]

22. This is HYSTERICAL.....(for any conservatives here:) in the funny sense, not the crazy woman sense

"The central challenge facing the Republican party is that women—particularly single women and women who have graduated from college—are “barely receptive” to its policies, and are likely to consider the party “intolerant,” “lacking in compassion,” and “stuck in the past.”

So what's the problem with the perception of the GOP with:

Latinos
Gays
Young people
Blacks
Anyone not an old white male????

Perhaps they can mansplain that.



P. S. Be sure to follow the link to the actual essay. It's not long (thank god) and a laugh riot!

[mythology]

44. No doubt those groups also consider the party to be

“intolerant,” “lacking in compassion,” and “stuck in the past.”

To be fair it's an easy consideration to make as the Republicans pursue policies that are “intolerant,” “lacking in compassion,” and “stuck in the past.”

[Louisiana1976]

54. Absolutely true.

[Jack Rabbit]

23. I followed the link and read Reno's piece

He comes close to saying, but does not actually say, that his imaginary liberal lady needs to come to Jesus. No, scratch that. Jesus might reinforce her views, filling her with compassion for the poor and downtrodden. Reno wants to make a Republican out of her. So she should come to a socially conservative right wing church that will teach her to hate people who don't vote Republican. Including independent career women like herself.

It sounds like what Reno is saying is that the way to get women to vote Republican is to first lower their self-esteem. Honey, get married and be submissive to your husband. Let him tell you how to vote. Don't listen to Jesus. Read the Bible, a book edited from all Christian writing available in the fourth century by a committee of priests under the direction of the Roman Emperor, who wanted to make sure the message was submit to authority. he believe that as there was one God in Heaven there should be only one earthy authority, him, in Constantinople. Oh, there's no Roman Emperor any more? That's OK, there's The Man in Penthouse Suite on Wall Street. Submit to him. He's a naughty boy if he abuses his power and asks for sex. But, on spiritual matters, like how to vote, you must listen to his authority. His interests are your interests. Do as he says. There is one God in Heaven and one Man in the Penthouse Suite on Wall Street.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

36. Your comment on the Bible

Read the Bible, a book edited from all Christian writing available in the fourth century by a committee of priests under the direction of the Roman Emperor, who wanted to make sure the message was submit to authority.

Is quite wrong. I suspect you are thinking of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which was about the nature of Christ, a wholly different topic. Nicaea I was summoned by the Emperor Constantine, but that was largely because there was literally rioting in the streets of several cities (including Constantinople) between the Arians and their opponents. Oddly enough, Constantine thought that civil unrest over a religious question was A Bad Thing. Nicaea I did not list any biblical canon.

Constantine's contemporary, Eusebius, listed a canon of the New Testament which is pretty close to the current one, but was iffy on Hebrews, James, Jude, 2 & 3 John and Revelation. The contemporary Claromontanus Canon lists most of the NT, but also includes 3rd Corinthians, the Acts of Paul, the Apocalypse of Peter, the Epistle of Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas and omits Hebrews, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

The Canon of the New Testament was settled at different times for different Churches. The first real attempt to settle the Canon was the Muratorian fragment, dating from the late 2nd century, when the Roman emperors were still pagans. In 367, Athanasius of Alexandria gave a canon which matches the common one. This was 30 years after Constantine's death and 13 years before the Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the state religion. The Eastern Church argued about including Revelation until the middle of the 5th century.

Jerome's Vulgate (started in the late 4th century and finished in the early 5th century) had no input at all from anyone connected with the Empire, and pretty much settled the question in the Latin Church.)

[LibertyLover]

41. I loved your post

as the history of the early Church fascinates me. Thank you for a clear and concise overview of the development of Biblical canon. Most excellently written.

[Jack Rabbit]

45. The Canon was definately headed in that direction, true

However, Constantine promoted that version of the Canon at Nicaea and ordered copies of made and distributed. What Constantine promoted is pretty much the Bible as we know it now.

I would agree with Constantine that civil unrest over a religious question is a bad thing. I also think that persecuting any one over religious questions is a bad thing, and, by establishing a powerful church with the authority to enforce the orthodoxy established at Nicaea, Constantine laid the groundwork for the lynching of Hypatia in Alexandria, the Crusades, the persecution of the Cathars and the Spanish Inquisition.

What is orthodoxy? It is the official doctrine of the guardians of orthodoxy. Who are they? Let's take a look at the man behind the curtain. It is usually group headed by an insecure, self-appointed authoritarian blowhard who doesn't like to argue about the way things are or should be and would rather disenfranchise his opponents than agree to disagree with them. Constantine, as Roman Emperor, really didn't need to argue with anybody and besides, he had paid his dues when he became Emperor by winning a civil war. Nothing to be insecure about there. How could any one call that self-appointment? The result of the Nicaean Council was still the establishment of orthodoxy. All who disagreed, like Arias and the Christian Gnostics, were heretics.

The matter was made worse by Theodosius by declaring Nicaean Christianity the state religion. Instead of a pagan emperor persecuting Christians, a Christian emperor persecuted pagans and heretics.

Authoritarianism is the dark underbelly of civilization. It is the doctrine of tyrants. Only an authoritarian can decree that a woman is inferior and should be submissive to her father or husband. If one asks the tyrant what makes that so, he may point to the Bible or some official myth or assert tradition or some argument to the effect that the question is one that should not be asked.

All authoritarianism is bullshit. Even if the Bible isn't bullshit, the authority on which its rests, at in this world, is.

The founding fathers of our nation finally got it right. There would be no religious test to hold a government job. There would be no established religion. Each person may approach the cosmos in his own way, according to his own beliefs. In the absence of any rational proof as to who, if anybody, is right and who is wrong, we will agree to disagree.

[love_katz]

63. Very concise description of the cause of most of our problems.

"Authoritarianism is the dark underbelly of civilization. It is the doctrine of tyrants."

"What is orthodoxy? It is the official doctrine of the guardians of orthodoxy." I see them as wannabe dictators who use propaganda to attack the rights of any group who they think is vulnerable to their efforts at control. These self-appointed guardians of public morality promote their fantasy about the so-called 'right way of living' by trying to convince other people that the self-appointed guardians should have the right to impose their religion's beliefs on the lives and bodies of everyone.

"Who are they?...It's usually a group headed by an insecure self-appointed authoritarian blowhard...(who) would rather disenfranchise opponents rather than disagree with them."

Exactly. It is always about power-over and the desire to oppress anyone who doesn't goose-step to their particular patriarchal religious beliefs. The disconnect with these idiots is they don't get it that we refuse and refute their 'right' to oppress the rest of us.

Jack Rabbit

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

75. I think, first, that you are hung up on authoritarianism

It is not the primary consideration in religion, although sometimes it seems to be. I have come across Protestant Evangelical ministers whose de facto claims of infallibility are stronger than the Pope's.

BTW, to take just one example you cite, the murder of Hypatia can be laid at the feet of Cyril of Alexandria and no one else. Constantine himself would almost certainly have been appalled by it. It is generally believed that the main reason Cyril was not arrested for incitement to riot was that the authorities believed that arresting Cyril would cause another riot.

What you have to consider is the Church's belief about truth. Simply put, truth is absolute. That is, something is either true or false, there is no place for subjectivism. (Interestingly, when Thomas Aquinas considers truth in the Summa Theologica, I, q 16, he takes "truth is absolute and objective" essentially as a given, then spends most of his time discussing epistemology -- how do we know what is true and what is not?) If you believe that you know the truth, and further believe that "error has no rights", then whipping everyone else into line is objectively good. After all, if your child were to insist that 1 + 1 = 3, would you not correct her? Similarly, if someone expresses views that you know to be heretical, then correcting them is working in furtherance of the truth. And since God is truth itself, then you are acting on God's behalf. I am not necessarily defending this attitude, just explaining it.

It is simplistic to say that arguing for the inferiority of women comes from authoritarianism. Aristotle said "the female is, as it were, a deformed male" (Generation of Animals 2), and Plato, who believed in reincarnation, says: "Men who proved themselves cowardly and spent their lives in wrong doing were transformed, at their second incarnation, into women" (Timaeus). Sexist, yes. Authoritarian, no.

[Jack Rabbit]

79. Critique

Last edited Sat Aug 30, 2014, 10:34 PM - Edit history (1)

Yes, I am hung up on authoritarianism. I agree that it is not the primary consideration of religion, but it can be the primary consideration of a religious institution, just at it can be the primary consideration of a political institution. Simply put, a church is as much a political institution as it is a religious one. It has the authority to arbitrate the truth and the power to enforce that authority. Those are characteristics of a political institution.

The Church was certainly as much a political institution as anything once it had the backing of the Empire. Legalizing Christianity was a good thing, of course. Making it the state religion of the Roman Empire was not. The Roman Empire itself was not a good thing, and the Church became corrupted with power from to that day to this. The Roman Empire was headed by an emperor whose authority was absolute. Whatever he claimed to be the root of his authority, it was actually the army. In this days, political power didn't come from the barrel of a gun, but that's because the best thing they had was the point of a spear, which worked well enough. Once Christianity was made the state religion, the Emperor claimed his authority came from God in Heaven. Horsepucky. It still came from the point of a spear, as all those hapless emperors who ruled the Western Empire in the later fourth and fifth centuries found out when their heads were mounted on one and paraded through the streets. During this time and for a thousand years after the fall of the empire in the West, the Church assumed the functions of government except defense, which was left to land owners and war lords called barons.

While it was Theodosius who made Christianity the state religion, Constantine doesn't get off the hook. He did much more than simply legalize Christianity. He seemed to be grooming the Church for the day that it would be the power that it was. The Council of Nicaea was his show. He is the one who wanted the Church to have one doctrine, although there were certainly some priests who desired this also, as long as it was their doctrine that would become official. It was their authority, not God's, that determined what would be orthodox Christianity.

The Church as an institution should not be let off the hook for the sacking of the library of Alexandria or the murder of Hypatia, the librarian. Cyril was the Patriarch of Alexandria and didn't have to instigate the whole affair. If the Church authorities were at all horrified at this deed, some sanctions would have been leveled against its instigator. Instead, he became a saint of the Church and his literary works were widely read by clerics and praised by the clerical intellectuals through the Dark Ages. The lynching of Hypatia was not Cyril's only crime. He also persecuted the Jews of Alexandria, finally ordering that they be stripped of their possessions and expelled from the city. Was the Cross on Cyril's alter embellished with clockwise hooks? This man is a saint? No, he was a tyrant, whose appetite for hatred was out of control. Hypatia, who never asked for the blessings of Cyril's God, is holier than ten thousand Cyrils.

An error in arithmetic is on a different order than an "error" in religious doctrine. I can demonstrate to a child, by holding one pebble in one hand and another in the other hand, and then place both pebbles in the same hand, that 1 + 1 = 2, not 3. There is nothing in the world that would demonstrate that the Bible is foundation of all true religious doctrine or that the Koran is not, or vice versa. There is nothing that demonstrates any exception to a scientific truth that holds that no virgin can get pregnant and still be a virgin. It's OK to believe in the doctrine of the Virgin Birth, but please be aware that the very nature of such a belief is subjective. Any objective consideration of that doctrine would make it counterintuitive.

Of course it is simplistic to say that arguing for the inferiority of women is authoritarian. That's why I don't say it. Of course, you proceed to give two examples from traditional authorities who concluded that it is the case than women are inferior. To argue that based on the authority of Aristotle (or the Bible or the Koran or anything similar) is simply argumentum ad verecundiam. What is authoritarian is to pass legislation depriving women of the right to make their own medical decisions based on an irrational belief that women cannot be trusted to make their own choices.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

80. I have no basic disagreement with anything you say here

I might quibble with parts of it here and there, but they would be quibbles. And I could add examples of my own -- for example, probably the best thing to happen to the institutional Catholic Church in the last two centuries was the loss of the Papal States (an event which sent Pope Pius IX into a life-long snit), since it meant that Italian politics was no longer the primary concern of the papacy.

I cited Plato and Aristotle on the inferiority of women to make the point that it was neither the Church nor the Empire which originated the idea. I freely admit that both Church and Empire furthered the idea. I have said on DU that the Roman Catholic Church has officially denounced the idea, but in fact continues to hold it: see http://election.democraticunderground.com/12211141#post1

[Divernan]

38. Hmmm. Women raised Republican have low self-esteem.

Last edited Fri Aug 29, 2014, 12:58 PM - Edit history (1)

That could explain HRC's choice to stay with Bill. Raised by a domineering Republican father to have low self esteem, combined with identifying one's worth as a woman to being married, and one's husband's status.

But I'm of her generation & when hubby cheated on me (I forgave him the first time, not the second), I kicked his sorry, executive, MBA-d ass out the door, enrolled myself in law school & successfully raised 3 kids all on my own. To me, any woman who stays with a serially adulterous husband, is seriously lacking in self-esteem - unless she realistically sees herself as totally unable to make a decent living on her own & she & the kids would be financially destitute. However, a woman who has a Harvard law degree, and when her husband was Governor, was making more money than him at a major law firm? And don't anyone come up with that garbage of staying for the children's sake. What a role model for kids! Daddies can cheat and lie and waste family resources on the bimbo du jour and expose Mommies to STDs - funny I never heard any true feminist promoting this role model for marriage and parenthood.

[Jack Rabbit]

46. Good for you

Don't let Dan Quayle or Phyllis Schlafly or Brian Fischer tell you anything different.

[AdHocSolver]

47. You are the only one, so far, who understands the Republican strategy re women voters.

Republican strategy rests on the fact that many Americans have been "educated" to have authoritarian personalities.

This makes them question their own judgement on every debatable issue.

The Republican strategy, in this case, is to flood the public consciousness with propaganda that suggests that the women's interpretation of their experience is "incorrect".

This instilling of authoritarian traits into the American psyche is what allows the Republicans to get people to "vote against their own self-interest."

This phenomenon goes beyond its effect on religious views. It explains why propaganda works, even when the propaganda is blatantly counter to reality and the facts.

What progressives have to do is reinforce the questioning of the right wing propaganda, and propose a progressive course of action that would benefit the population that is affected by the issues.

[Louisiana1976]

57. Right on! And run candidates who take firmly progressive stances.

[Laelth]

72. Excellent post, AdHocSolver. n/t

-Laelth

[LisaLynne]

24. YES THIS WILL TOTALLY WORK!

Really, Republicans, go with this! Totally! Loudly and often!!!

[Matariki]

27. Bwahahaha!

It's SO funny reading a transcript of what yet another Republican found scrawled up their own ass.

[msanthrope]

28. Mansplaining by the GOP. How precious. nt

[Stellar]

29. I'm surprised that Republic0n men are actually married.

Who would marry them? Women with a lot of cats, or perhaps the lady that told the Republic0n men to bring their conversations down a notch so women can understand them? With her around those crackpots don't have a chance in he//!

[Iliyah]

30. GOPers have cheerleaders who are getting airtime

GOP party wo-men "men can harass me anytime cause men will be men".

Ha, not me nor any other of my family females nor friends.

[L0oniX]

32. "hypothetical cat ladies" ....lmao Please proceed!

[catbyte]

33. WOW. They couldn't have infuriated me more if they tried. Condescending, arrogant asshats.

This piece of CRAP should be required reading for every woman in America. It shows exactly what Republicans think of us--that we're weak-minded, scared little girls who want nothing more than for a Big Strong Man to come along and sweep us off our feet into a Happily Ever After.

What a crock of sexist, misogynistic SHIT. I (AND my cats if they could) will never, ever vote for a Republican, not that I ever have, but this just cements it. I can't believe how angry this made me. Assholes. Pardon my French, but I am pissed.

[RobinA]

40. This From the Party

that opined that women get abortions so they can fit into prom dresses. It's not worth being infuriated about, to me it's kinda funny.

Have at it boys, knock yourselves out. The further from reality you remain the less likely you are to come to power anytime soon.

[Warpy]

55. I'm glad they keep mansplaining this stuff

I don't know of anything that pisses women off more than being treated like an ignoramus on a subject they are experts at.

As long as they keep failing to catch that clue that keeps dropping onto their pointy little heads like so many bricks, the Democrats don't have to worry a great deal about getting women to vote Democratic.

[Kath1]

68. I couldn't agree more!

Did it ever cross their bigoted narrow minds that they really ARE “intolerant,” “lacking in compassion,” and “stuck in the past” and that these things turn women off?

[Shrike47]

37. I'm so relieved that there's a big, strong man willing to tell me what to think!

Now if he'd only support me, too, so I didn't have to work. But when it comes to his money, I'm an independent woman, yessir.

[hifiguy]

39. You could beat on these morans with the world's largest cluebat

from now until doomsday and they still wouldn't get it. This is absolute stupidity, previously thought to to be only a theoretical construct.

I wonder if the repukes are aware that women have been getting a clear majority of degrees of all kinds, from bachelor's on up, for a long while now.

Apparently the concept of "demographics" and how they change over time has not entered their depleted-uranium skulls yet. I don't think we should enlighten them.

[Yavin4]

42. This "McKinsey consultant living in suburban Chicago" is doing extremely well for herself.

But, "She secretly “wants to get married and feels vulnerable because she isn’t and vulnerable because she’s not confident she can."

A six-figure income, home-owning woman living in one of the most glamourous cities on the planet is not happy because she doesn't have a husband to cook meals for.

Wow. Just Wow.

[AlbertCat]

48. I like:""McKinsey consultant"

Because it subliminally (?) refers to the "Kinsey Report" (ahhhh, the 50's again) and also belittles it: y'know the McKinsey McReport Happy Meal.

[brooklynite]

49. We got a report from McKinsey in the office today...

(we've hired them as consultants in the past). The decorative envelope with "McKinsey Quarterly" in different fonts and colors features "Kinsey" in the largest font with the "Mc" tucked around the back of the envelope.

[AverageJoe90]

56. This Reno asshole can go screw himself for all I care.

[Louisiana1976]

59. Excellent post. K&R

[pansypoo53219]

60. don't we have ample proof THEY are wrong?

that tinkle down does not work + is making things shitty + shittier?

[Sanity Claws]

61. Is this satire?

It is hard to tell these days.

[KatyaR]

62. Ummm, excuse me, Mr. Reno,

but my being a middle-aged, single, never-married woman with no children is not a "lifestyle"--IT'S MY LIFE. And I'm not sitting at home, pining away to be married so I can be vunerable--I'm perfectly fine living on my own. It may not be the best life, but it's mine. Just because YOU think women should be married doesn't mean that I do.

And I don't have cats--I used to, but now I have a dog.

So FUCK OFF.

I love that I'm the GOP's worst enemy--I WIN!!!

[Cha]

64. K

[Wella]

65. Interesting how they assume without actually surveying women

If you make up the data, the results tell you what you already feel.

[Wounded Bear]

66. So....the floggings will continue...

Until morale improves.

Right?

[Quantess]

67. Read Reno's article!

The Onion would be jealous.

[Kath1]

69. Methinks they got it wrong again.

Their theory certainly goes against the grain of my personal experience in which I've noticed that the more independent and confident women are liberal democrats and the more timid subservient types tend to lean Republican.

[sendero]

71. Wow....

..... this passage caught my eye "who thinks of herself as vulnerable and votes for enhanced social programs designed to protect against the dangers and uncertainties of life".

It simply NEVER OCCURS to these people that some of us are motivated by EMPATHY for others and our political stance has nothing to do with anything that might affect us directly.

The author of this piece of idiocy should move to the top of the class where he can speed the sinking of the Republican ship with his complete and utter cluelessness.

[ck4829]

73. Why not just advocate for a revival of the diagnosis of 'female hysteria'?

Women who don't vote the GOP; they're just being rebellious, they don't want to have norms, they think gays should have equality, they have the gall to think they have life outside of what other people define for them, they don't want to get married, blah blah blah.

[Gothmog]

76. The GOP outreach to women has been sad

The GOP is waging a war on women

[lastlib]

77. "Just give me 24 hours to come up with a brilliant plan to save our town."

("You'd do it for Randolph Scott.&quot

. . . . . .

Silly Repuglikkkans--if they only had a brain..............

[Zorra]

78. Ick. Please vote, and get everyone you know to vote. Republicans are childish bullies

and we must prevent them from having any power over us at all cost.