I had a friend, a liberal friend, post on social media recently that Erick Erickson at least "did the right thing" in dumping Trump from the Red State summit because attacking the pretty white lady on Fox by ham-fistedly implying her questioning was hormonally-directed was indeed "over the line".
To which I responded: whaaaa? Let's not even get into Erick Erickson's double-standards. We can run right through the Republican candidates, even without going into their anti-women policies, and find far worse sexism. Even some comments, within the year, concerning women Fox commentators!
Squelching Trump is more about the discomforts of having a non-establishment candidate in the middle of the GOP hatefest. Praising Erickson for restoring comity to the discussion by defending the "lady" (as Erickson called Megyn Kelly) from the bad old Donald's words is missing the forest for the single, sad tree with the odd canopy of leaves.
Here's a small sampling of GOP Presidential candidate sexism concerning women, their ladyparts, and brains. (I could catalog their specific records of anti-women policies, but since they almost all share them to a letter, it would be redundant.)
Mike Huckabee talked about women who only wanted contraception because they couldn’t “control their libido”. He complained about the dress and appearance of “trashy women” in New York. He called other Fox women commentators “trashy” for using profanity.
Jeb Bush encourages the idea of shaming out of wedlock pregnancy, aka slut-shaming, and suggested government policy should include some kind of stigmatization of single motherhood.
Scott Walker signed a repeal of Wisconsin’s equal pay law, claiming women “didn’t need” the protection of government against pay inequality and that to do so was sexist.
Marco Rubio was one of 22 Senators who voted against the Violence Against Women Act, claiming domestic violence “wasn’t a real issue”.
John Kasich signed a bill mandating medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasounds for women undergoing any uterine cleaning procedure, not just abortions, and refused to answer any questions about its impact on women.
Ted Cruz said that women who get abortions worship Satan. Seriously.
Chris Christie’s long history of bullying includes calling a teacher who was engaging him in a discussion about teacher’s unions a “giggling little girl” (while refusing to answer her question) and responded to some women hecklers by making a blow job joke.
Rand Paul’s celebrated “mansplaining” in interviews with female journalists may be topped by his calling women’s rights unimportant “details”.
Ben Carson blamed “women’s liberation” for the rise of violent crime in the 1970’s and 80’s…and through to police shootings in the 2010’s (even though crime is significantly down now).
I could continue through the GOP JV, but do I have to? I'm already far more nauseated that even Donald Trump can make me.
All these candidates were welcomed by Erick Erickson and CPAC. Because apparently Trump’s weird logorrhea “crosses the line” but none of the above behavior does.
Meanwhile at CPAC official panelists not named Trump continued to make sexist jokes.
Add your favorites in comments.