Why Don’t Republicans (or Democrats) Respect Women?
By Terry Kibbe, CEO of Free the People.
Surely, no one can be surprised that in 2005 Donald Trump made some really despicable comments about his ability to force himself on women. As a chick, am I offended by it? Of course. All decent people – women and men – should be. Am I apoplectic? Not really. At this point I’m somewhat dulled to the endless stream of outrageous things that come out of Trump’s crazy brain, including his desire to kill the families of suspected terrorists, wanting to deport Americans based only on their religious faith, or, better yet, his fundamental ignorance of the constitutional freedoms of all Americans.
There will be plenty of electrons wasted parsing Trump’s words and actions. Expect plenty more October “surprises,” as the two least popular major party candidates for President in history seek to win by tearing the other down. But has anyone noticed the typical Republican response? That’s what’s really bothering me. Speaker Paul Ryan’s response is typical: “Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified.” Seriously? Is this the 1950s? Are we just precious objects to our men? I don’t need a male “champion.” And I certainly don’t need a politician champion. In 2016, in the free United States, women are fully capable of taking care of themselves, thank you very much.
Are women to be “revered?” Well it sounds good, doesn’t it? Unless you really understand the meaning of the word. Revered, comes from the Latin word vereri, meaning “to fear,” and when you add “re” at the beginning for revereri, it’s an expression of force, so the true meaning of the word is “to greatly fear.” People who are revered are held in awe, and put on a pedestal. I can’t speak for all women, but I don’t want to be revered or placed on a pedestal. Here, I think the great Aretha Franklin speaks for all women: “All I’m askin’ is for a little respect.” But I’m not looking to any politician for this, as if it’s a privilege.
Of course, the Democrats, are just as guilty when it comes to demeaning and objectifying women. Hillary Clinton herself, is the worst, who’s entire sales pitch seems to boil down to the fact that she’s a woman. If voters are wise enough to elect her, Hillary tells us, “finally, fathers will be able to say to their daughters, you too, can grow up to be President.” Talk about objectifying women. All Democrats seem to talk to women about are “women’s issues,” as if all we care about are policy positions directly related to our vaginas. Give me a break. Women, like men, care about all sorts of things, even really complicated stuff like our constitutionally-guaranteed civil liberties, stopping permanent war in the Middle East, and even the ways that the Federal Reserve corrupts our purchasing power and feeds the boom and bust of the political cycle. But you won’t hear either Republican or Democrats talking to women about any of this. Just Donald Trump’s piggish behavior, and Hillary’s girl power. Call me liberated, but I think women – and men – deserve more from any candidate running from President.
