From the website of right-wing tea party extremist Assembly candidate Molly McGartland comes this absolutely bizarre screed accusing liberals of being “anti-women.”
Liberal politicians constantly accuse conservatives of conducting a War on Women while liberals are the ones doing all the damage. Their words about it are just propaganda. Their actions, on the other hand, do real harm.
Maybe instead of constantly accusing conservatives of being anti-women, liberals should stop being anti-women themselves. But don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
The biggest offense is to teach women the only path for success is acting more like a man. Liberals ignore important differences between the sexes. The real power with being a woman is in raising wonderful children, supporting and loving one man, providing and caring for your family, and spiritually guiding your family.
What I don’t understand about McGartland’s screed is why she seems to think there are “important differences between the sexes” when it comes to raising children, supporting one’s partner, providing and caring for your family, and spiritually guiding your family. After all, in my family (and no doubt countless others) my wife and I both raise our children, support and love each other, provide and care for our family, and spiritually guide our family. Then again, my wife and I both believe that our marriage is a partnership, and in that partnership it falls to both of us to do all the things McGartland mentioned, because in our partnership we’re equals.
MCGartland’s screed about the supposed liberal “war on women” continued with this gem:
Constant Daily Hassles
There are so many frustrations women face. They have to make lunch for the kids because children hate Obama meals. They have to reteach their children about sexuality, explaining what is normal and what is not. They have to teach morality and spiritual truth to offset what the students hear in school. They and their husbands need to teach basic civics like Constitutional government, American exceptionalism and responsible patriotism.
The War on Women is a cultural battle for the soul of America, and the liberals have declared it.
Having read and re-read Molly McGartland’s ideas on women and liberals, I’m more than a little disappointed Molly never knocked on my door, because I’m sure my strong, smart, independent, and amazing wife would have had more than a few things to say to set McGartland straight on liberals and women.
Her web site is interesting. Her understanding of her potential constituency apparently comes from selling them real-estate during bubble years and by listening to the grievances aired by her tavern patrons. She has “attended” two colleges but much like our Governor seems unable to use the word “graduated”. Personally, I think someone of her background could be an interesting candidate – although they should have a college, technical college or university degree at minimum – except she so clearly parrots the talking points coming from the GOP extremes instead of developing a sensible, independent platform. And when a woman speaks as she does about what makes a woman, she is so obviously covering feelings of inadequacy and falling behind. I feel sorry for her. Plenty of women have kids and stay at home (working as hard as anyone, btw) and believe themselves to be progressing along with other women.
Molly’s main problem – and the reason she won’t win this election – is that she seems to think there’s enough “Reagan Democrats” in Cudahy to offset the fact that Bay View is full of progressives. What Molly doesn’t seem to understand is that her views are so extremely to the right that they scare away a good number of so-called Reagan Democrats. After all, these are folks who are more moderate Democrats, and there’s nothing even remotely moderate about any of Molly’s issue positions.
Wow, thanks for sharing her strategy. I’m blown away that anyone would think this platform appeals to Reagan Democrats, if there even is such a thing anymore (these people would be quite old now).
Well, Cudahy does tend to have a good number of older voters who I can imagine would be “Reagan Democrats,” but like I said her platform is much further to the right than Reagan ever was, both fiscally and socially.
I am not sure I would describe MM’s comments as an “absolutely bizarre screed.” That said, I think the “War on Women” trope is overdone, silly, even bizarre. Repubs should leave those tactics to the Dems and hope that someday soon they will be punished by the electorate for the dishonesty. Is this trolly in your view?
No Denis, “trolly” is when you resort to calling someone a “douchebag” in a blatant attempt to be a jerk. I know you’re capable of more than that.
As to your point, I don’t think there’s a “war on women” per say; I just think Republicans and Democrats have very different ideas on the role and rights of women in our society.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. FYI, I am routinely called a racist, misogynist, exploiter of children etc… absent any evidence. I think those are far more odious things to say about someone than douchebag if you stop and think about it. I would ask that you fairly administer justice on the ad hominem attack front. Of course I would be ok if you did nothing. As a conservative willing to engage the extreme left, thick skin is required.
And to your point, I think Repubs and Dems sometimes have somewhat different ideas re women but nowhere near anything akin to war. Thanks for your continued, albeit now conditional, tolerance.
I found it particularly odd that her campaign bothered to leave her literature on my door knob, particularly in light of the bright blue Sinicki yard sign in my front yard. Obviously no one in her campaign understands how to do doors or where to actually campaign. And I don’t take kindly to publishing unflattering photos of elected officials for political gain…from either side.
Ed, your points are right on the money. We had a door card from Molly’s campaign left for us, despite the fact that we have a Sinicki sign and a Burke sign in our front yard. Not sure who’s doing Molly’s doors or how she’s coming up with walk lists, but clearly there’s no real targeting happening there.
After all, no one in this house would ever vote for Molly.
Well, these are GOP campaign workers, so idiocy is possible. It’s also possible that they’re just being jerks. Or both.
And you wonder why I feel the Dems will win on the ground tomorrow? McGartland’s a joke anyway, but it’s symptomatic of a bigger issue
Conservatives are more likely to take the perspective of “cultural feminism” (which other branches of feminism don’t really consider legitimate) that takes an essentialist view of sex and gender differences. The problem, according to cultural feminists, is not that men and women have different roles in society. They SHOULD, according to this view, because men and women have naturally different skills and proclivities. The problem is that society tends to devalue that which is considered “feminine,” e.g. child-rearing and family-domain stuff, when they want essentially “separate but equal.” What’s ironic then, is that if Molly wants to rely on this evo-psych essentialist rhetoric, than that would also imply that she as a woman is not suited for a role in the public political sphere.