Time to move on, Maureen

Posted By Genevieve S. Kineke On October 17, 2010 @ 11:02 am In Feminine Genius Blog | 1 Comment

Maureen Dowd ^[1] has brought her cattiness to new heghts (depths?) by snarking away at the women who have succeeded in connecting with a wide swath of American voters. No matter what one’s political stripe, one must acknowledge that there is a down-home connection for many who are weary of high taxes, politicisation of the classroom, and constant barriers thrown in the path of average families. For them, tea party-type candidates are a refreshing voice in the staid and polarised world of politics as usual.

This is the most issue-oriented election I can remember in my lifetime–because of the economy, immigration and various issues of morality–and yet the fact that so many women have stepped into the political arena has taken the focus off these topics and put it back squarely on the candidates–and cranky liberal women who don’t get it are most to blame.

It’s impossible to take columnists like MoDo seriously with high-school rhetoric like this:

With casino red suit and lipstick, Angle played the Red Queen of the Mad Hatter tea party, denouncing career politicians and ordering “Off with your head!” and “Down with government benefits!” Even sober and smiling beneath her girlish bangs, the 61-year-old Angle had the slightly threatening air of the inebriated lady in a country club bar, tossing off outrageous statements and daring anyone to call her on them.

She watched that pointed debate, outlined the issues, and referred to the fierce differences of opinion (admitting that “mousy” Reid actually uses “brass knuckles”) and yet saved her venom for the woman–who didn’t get sidetracked by sweet stories about grandma. Is that really the yardstick for femininity? Does Maureen really buy into that stereotype?

Lest anyone be side-tracked, this is not about healthcare, immigration — and only marginally about taxes. From NOW’s point of view (which has piled on by calling Meg Whitman vulgar names of their own) and their disintegrating rank-and-file, it’s about ”choice”–which is slipping away. The old guard feminists who insisted that women’s success in the public sphere could only be accomplished by rejecting the “strait-jacket” of motherhood (and killing any intrusive babies) have been roundly displaced by another group of women who say that it’s challenging but possible to juggle it all without murder.

So MoDo’s left with silly references to Alice in Wonderland and Disney movies, while real women have moved on to dignified strength and motherly wisdom–by which all can benefit.

[1] Maureen Dowd: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/opinion/17dowd.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

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