This is a response that I gave to a young Republican woman in an email exchange recently. She is a friend who is twenty years younger than me (she is 23). She was trying to get me to donate to her candidate-a Republican. She has been politically active since her teens (knocking on doors, etc) When I asked why a young, mixed race woman would ever vote, much less campaign for a Republican she said “my family has always voted Republican, Republicans are nice people”. Urgg! I will leave out the exchanges about how the Republican Party has changed since Lincoln and I will leave out the part where I said she was smart but not a deep thinker. This is my last try at talking her out of the cult. What did I miss?
Why do women think the GOP is against them? Here is an incomplete list…Personhood bills, transvaginal ultrasounds, not signing the Violence against Women Act, the foot dragging on the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the war against teachers (many whom are women), raising stars in the GOP who won’t pay child support (Joe Walsh R Ill.), the decades long war against Planned Parenthood, the recent controversy about Girl Scouts (Ind. Republican), Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Scalia saying that equal protection under the law doesn’t apply to women, the Family Leader pledge that all of the GOP candidates for President have taken, the Koman fiasco, Santorum’s book, Santorum’s speeches, Gingrich’s “I just had to cat around on you because I am so patriotic, yea, I know you are sick but I need to marry the new better model”, Ron Paul’s” I am a Libertarian until it comes to women’s issues ( I always thought the Libertarians were for personal freedom , but he signed the pledge, and has been very far right on women’s issues) and while I don’t hold anyone’s religion against them, I know too much about the LDS faith to trust Romney on women’s rights. Rep Issa should have at least listened to his PR person when they said (presumably) “this is going to look bad”, there are plenty of women of faith (isn’t the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopalian Church a woman?), why didn’t he seat any woman in the first round? This is just the tip of the iceberg; I know there is more that I couldn’t think of in the last five minutes. Yep, it makes voting easier when I know I will never vote for a Republican again, not always real happy with the Democrats, but if I am voting for a bought politician I would rather at least that politician not be against me. Have to go donate to Emily’s List now.
Not sure on how to tag this correctly!