Après Trump, le déluge; Avant Trump, the Rest of the Story
Popular buttons at @CAGOP convention already take on @hillaryclinton #2016 in a big way… Ouch!! pic.twitter.com/3SdIqZs7GG— Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) October 6, 2013
This morning, I was ruminating on all the Republican pearl-clutching about Trump and his misogyny. I posted:
Forgive me for not succumbing to the vapors over Trump’s slapfight with Megyn Kelly. With all of the hateful, racist, misogynist crap that comes out of rightwing mouths and is either laughed at or encouraged by their minions, I’m not going to lose a lot of sleep over this one.
Apparently, some of them have chosen this hill on which to plant their flag. Take Lindsey Graham (PLEASE, take him far away from me!)
Graham said Trump’s personal attacks on Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly after she questioned him in Thursday night’s primary debate were “an affront to all women” and undermine the Republican Party’s urgent mission to appeal to more women voters.
“I think we’ve crossed that Rubicon, where his behavior becomes about us, not just him,” Graham said.
Then I decided to look up some of the more blatant rightwing statements about women made by politicians and pundits that either went unnoticed, unchallenged and/or excused by the right.
Not even touching on anti-woman policies and positions regarding healthcare, choice, equal pay or other important issues, here is a sampling of comments that were obviously not “an affront to all women” nor a “Crossing the Rubicon” moment for Republicans.
First up, politicians
As I’m not delving into the myriad moronic statements about rape, I’ll just link you to the GOP Rape Advisory Chart, Volumes 1-9. Enough said.
From the 2012 campaign rhetoric:
Santorum on women: “The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill, unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong.”
Ron Paul on equal pay for women: “The idea that the social do-gooder can legislate a system which forces industry to pay men and women by comparable worth standards boggles the mind…The concept of equal pay for equal work is…an impossible task…. By what right does the government assume the power to tell an airline it must hire unattractive women if it does not want to?”
Everyone’s favorite, Allen West “These Planned Parenthood women, the Code Pink women, and all of these women have been neutering American men and bringing us to the point of this incredible weakness…We are not going to have our men become subservient.”
Jeb Bush (said in 1994), but does anyone believe he’s changed his viewpoint? “They [women on welfare] should be able to get their life together and find a husband.”
Again, a quote from the 90s, but has Ted Cruz said anything since that indicates a change of heart? “[God should] give women a hymen that grows back every time she has intercourse with a different guy, because that will be a ‘visible sign’ of the breach of trust.”
Lawrence Lockman, Maine Republican rep: “If a woman has [the right to an abortion], why shouldn’t a man be free to use his superior strength to force himself on a woman? At least the rapist’s pursuit of sexual freedom doesn’t [in most cases] result in anyone’s death.”
Now, he made that statement back in the 90s, but when it came to light last year and Dems called for his resignation, he was only “very sorry” he said it got caught saying it, and remains in office.
Just last year, New Hampshire State Rep. Kyle Tasker (R) rolled out his new outreach program on Facebook with this charmer:
He posted it in support of fellow Representative Mark Warden, who is also an enlightened Republican who has been known to say “a lot of people enjoy being in an abusive relationship.”
Speaking about Michelle Obama (it stands out, because Republicans are usually SO respectful of the First Lady////) Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) “She lectures us on eating right while, she has a large posterior herself.”
Who can forget the charming comment made to Joan Walsh by Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) in 2009 “I’m so glad you can never be my wife because I surely wouldn’t have to listen to that prattle from you every day.”
And Republican women say some equally idiotic things. Example A, NC Rep., Renee Ellmers “Men do tend to talk about things on a much higher level,” she explained, adding that male Republicans need to “bring it down to a woman’s level” to get the women’s vote.
To segue from politicians to pundits, let us remind you that Jeb Bush, appearing at the RedState Gathering on Saturday and pronounced Erick Son of Erick, champion of protecting Megyn Kelly from that brute, was “on the side of women.”
So now, let’s look at some punditry about women, shall we?
The above-mentioned Erickson, formerly of CNN and currently Fox, has said some charming things about women—he’s even gotten called out on his misogyny in the past by Megyn Kelly herself.
LGF just featured an Erickson’s greatest hits column, so I won’t belabor the point. Here are two of my favorite “Erick Erickson, champion of women” comments:
“That’s what being too ugly to get a date does to your brain.”
“Turned on twitter today and there was a barrage of angry feminists upset with me telling them to get in the kitchen and learn to cook;”
“Good thing I didn’t suggest the feminists … you know … shave. They’d be at my house trying a post-birth abortion on me.”
There’s the always delightful Ann Coulter, who has said things like her long-remembered:
“If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about
another Democrat president.”
By the way, she updated that bit of enlightenment in 2013 on Hannity’s show with this:
“I used to think women just shouldn’t be able to vote. Now I think at least liberal women should not be able to hold office.”
Speaking of Fox women correspondents, let’s not forget Liz Trotta, when talking about women in the military and rape saying,
…I think they have actually discovered there is a difference between men and women. And the sexual abuse report says that there has been, since 2006, a 64% increase in violent sexual assaults. Now, what did they expect? These people are in close contact…
And Fox’s Kimberly Guilfoyle talking about young women and voting? She told them to stay home and try online dating instead. “They’re [young women] like healthy and hot and running around without a care in the world. They can go back on Tinder or match.com.”
She also frowns on young women taking part in the criminal justice system:
“It’s the same reason why young women on juries are not a good idea. They don’t get it!”
The right has some fine, upstanding religious leaders to admire when it comes to their views on women, such as Pat Robertson, who has expounded:
“The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”
And then there’s Rush Limbaugh…
The man the Republicans fear and kowtow to; the man who has insulted anyone and everyone on the left; the man who has been the keynote speaker at CPAC—yeah, THAT Rush. (And guess who guest-hosts Rush’s show periodically? Why, that would be “Erick Erickson, champion of women” of course.) Here are just a few of Rushbo’s greatest hits.
On Sandra Fluke (he couldn’t even get her name right:
“What does it say about the college co-ed Susan [sic] Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex.”
He went on to opine that if Fluke was having so much sex then he and other taxpayers were “pimps” and he wanted “something in return. “The videos of all this sex posted online so we can see what we are getting for our money.”
Ah, Rush, the feminist’s feminist also made many comments like the following, but that was not a “bridge too far” or a “crossing the Rubicon moment” for Republicans. Wonder why?
“Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.”
“I love the women’s movement — especially when walking behind it.”
Wang Tang Sweet Pooty Tang
Saved the best (?) for last. Sweet Ted Nugent, who has been front and center in Republican politics for years, sharing the stage with the likes of Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Greg Abbott; who caused a Romney son to tweet his joy when he endorsed Daddy Mitt; has been a wealth of supportive comments about women:
Ted Nugent endorsed my Dad today. Ted Nugent? How cool is that?! He joins Kid Rock as great Detroit musicians on team Mitt!— Tagg Romney (@tromney) March 2, 2012
Nugent: “Worthless Bitch” Hillary Clinton Should Ride My Machine Gun Into The Sunset. During a 2007 concert infamous for Nugent’s claim that “piece of shit” then-Senator Barack Obama should “suck on [his] machine gun,” Nugent also called Hillary Clinton a “worthless bitch,” told Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to “suck on [his] machine gun,” and called Sen. Dianne Feinstein a “worthless whore”:
That’s just an amuse-bouche of Nugentisms—for a complete rundown: