When did it become socially to define women solely by their reproductive organs? When did we travel back to 1955?
By Lauren Zelt, contributor
Republicans looking
forward to claiming the Senate majority that eluded them in 2010 and 2012 got a
rude awakening last week when it became clear that Democrats intended to dust
off the War on Women playbook for a third time. Some Republican strategists are
ignoring the headlines and seem satisfied with betting on the fact that the War
on Women Part III will fare as well as "The Hangover Part III." To be
fair, conventional wisdom about the president's abysmal approval rating does indicate
that it's a very safe bet to make.
However, what if those Republican
strategists are wrong? What's our answer to the grammatically questionable
#notmybossbusiness? It doesn't lie solely in carefully debunking the
Democrats' argument. It's a tedious process, and it doesn't make for a good
hashtag, sound bite or campaign ad. A better strategy could be to point out the
obvious: In 2014, the Democratic Party is the party defining women solely by
their reproductive organs. When did it become socially
acceptable again to define women that way? When did we travel back to 1955?
For a majority of
American history, and human history in fact, society viewed women as little
more than pretty packages that could produce children. It wasn't that long ago
in America that women were viewed as their husband's property. And the ability
to have and raise a child is still top priority in much of the Western world.
Can you imagine if Catherine, duchess of Cambridge, was unable to produce an
heir? The humanity!
American women fought like hell
to change society's perspective. The very notion that endangered Democrats
are turning women into nothing more than birth-control reception devices called
voters is not only archaic, it's insulting. Democrats want women to
reelect them, so they've decided to be "for" women by painting signs
that say they are "for" birth control. As a woman, that's infuriating.
Anyone who sees me as nothing more than a pack of pills does not deserve one
iota of my attention and certainly not my vote.
It's no coincidence that
quite a few of the co-sponsors of legislation in both the Senate and House to
counteract the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision are fighting for
their political lives in hotly contested re-election campaigns this year. In news
coverage of the legislation, vulnerable Democratic Sen. Mark Begich from
Alaska is quoted as saying that birth control was "the topic" on the
campaign trail in his home state.
Let's think about that
for a minute. Does anyone really believe that women across Alaska used the few
precious minutes they had with a sitting senator to talk about birth control?
Really? What about the women whose families no longer have healthcare at all
because of ObamaCare? What about the single women struggling to find a job that
meets their own ambition in the Obama economy? What about the women whose
hardworking husbands aren't able to provide for their families, or just
as likely, can't provide for their families like they used to? Does the woman
who cried herself to sleep after yet another fight about money really take the
time to talk to her senator about birth control? The answer is no. She asks her senator why
he hasn't done more to help her family make ends meet and plan for the future. She
asks him why she shouldn't fire him for
his pitiful job performance. And her senator knows that he will have to answer
for his failures at the ballot box this fall.
That's the truth. That's
why Democrats are terrified. It's why they're trying to distract women
voters with scare tactics and untruths. Republicans should call
Democrats out for exactly what they are — a party trying to define women solely
by their reproductive organs. They must say that they will fight for an America where women
are worth more than that. That they will fight for the best interests of
the entire woman, in addition to her birth control. That they will create
an economy of opportunity where all women can achieve their dreams, whatever
they may be. An America where women won't have to think about who is
paying for their birth control, because they, their spouses, or both parties
have the jobs they desire and the benefits that follow. An America
where a woman is championed as a whole
person.
It's not 1955. It's 2014.
It's time for Democrats to act
like it and women not be duped by such obvious manipulative tactics!
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