I remember how baffled I was that she could totally wipeout people like Betty Friedan and was the intellectual heavyweight who made Bill Buckley look weak-kneed. Beneath that carefully coiffed hair was a genius brain, and beneath her prim starched schoolmarm blouse beat a heart of tested gold.
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50 years ago? Oh baloney, you mean you were a lefty feminist at only 7 years old, watching debates?
I too was swayed by the attacks against her in the early 70's. The wave of feminism that rolled through when I was finishing high school and going to college resonated with me. It was a time when it was acceptable and routine to squash young women's dreams and deny them employment or educational opportunities. There genuinely were areas of inequality that needed to be addressed. Unfortunately, given an inch, the left will take a mile. By the time Reagan started working his magic and I spent more time in the tax-paying working world, I returned to my senses. I also learned more about Phyllis Schlafly and developed enormous respect for her accomplishments. This rehash of anti-Schlafly diatribes will resonate with many women of my generation, as well as many younger ones. I won't be watching. I've already seen the original.