Stockholm Syndrome

Commentary By Ron Beasley

Poor Kathleen Parker - an intelligent woman trapped in a misogynist party.  She admits that the Republicans have created a gender issue for the Democrats but can't admit it really is the modern Republican Party.  But she just doesn't understand the modern Republican Party base.

One can hardly blame Democrats for taking advantage of a perfect storm of stupefying proportions. The only thing Republicans failed to do was put a bow on this mess. Consider the headline-grabbing events that came together almost at once:

Virginia�s pre-abortion sonogram law that could have required women to undergo a transvaginal probe; the debate over religious liberty vs. contraception mandate, prompted by health-care reform; Rush Limbaugh�s commentary about a female law student in which he called her a slut and a prostitute and, in a final flourish, suggested she provide him sex tapes so he could watch her in the activities precipitating the need for birth control.

Individually, these anecdotes would have been problematic, but combined their effect on female voters is that of a Tyrannosaurus rex approaching a Gallimimus herd. (Picture the stampede scene in �Jurassic Park.�)

War has been declared, and there�s hardly any way to change the impression among a growing percentage of women that the GOP is the party of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals. It�s a smart move for Democrats to keep replaying the message, but is it fair � and is it true?

Parker is trying to convince us and herself that it's not true that the Republicans are anti woman but doesn't do a really good job.

Not to tempt the gods of non sequitur, but contrary to what the White House insists, Rush Limbaugh is not the leader of the GOP. Even so, he does have a large audience and it is disconcerting that so many seem to share his obvious hostility toward women. Several of his cohorts in discourtesy are snorting and grunting in my inbox even now.

One who wrote in defense of Limbaugh informed me of my place in God�s hierarchy, slightly above goats, and gave me a tutorial about why women have been saddled with the monthly inconvenience and painful childbirth � for tempting men to do evil and failing to recognize their roles as �helpmeets� for men.

�Pagan women like yourself,� he patiently averred, �have no regard for the natural order of God�s plan and shamelessly promulgate the �we are goddesses� bile that has infected the entire country and pretty much stopped it in its tracks from incurring God�s blessing.� I�m leaving out the best parts.

Sorry Kathleen, Rush Limbaugh is the voice of the Republican base - the evangelicals and conservatives Catholics.  The Abrahamic religions are by their very nature misogynistic so a party who's base who believes 2,000 plus year mythology is still relevant are going to vote accordingly. 

The Republicans have managed to alianate the non whites and now the women.