Sexist attacks on Wendy Davis. because that war on women thing was just a myth dontchaknow..

[kentonio]

Only the most ardent political wonks can be bothered to work themselves up over this, or think it says something about the political party as a whole.

This is wrong. This is what the political class keep telling themselves, and they keep being wrong. The Republicans are losing the womans vote because normal women hear this stuff and it reminds them of the same sexism they are faced with time after time in their everyday lives. This isn't about you, and you not understanding why it's a big deal says more about males in general than it does about the relevance of the story.

[Elok]

On the contrary, his ****headedry is only the most extreme variant of modern political discourse, and a symptom of its dysfunction. An unwillingness to curb one's tongue, compromise, or even attempt to understand the other side's perspective is a sign of a childish mind, and nothing but a handicap when it comes to actually getting stuff done.

Xpost; Ken, do you have any stats to back up the claim that the GOP are "losing the women vote"? Even assuming they are, it's a bit odd to claim that this will disgust and drive away people who were evidently willing to stay on after the vastly more offensive "legitimate rape."

[kentonio]

55-44% at the last election. As for what is more offensive you're missing the point, it's just putting one stone on top of another forming an ever growing pile of evidence. No, this isn't as bad as the legitimate rape stuff, but it just reinforces the narrative.

[kentonio]

It seems at least one Texan Republican woman agrees..

Texas Republican Defends Wendy Davis: 'Nobody Ever Talks About Men' This Way

Conservatives are attacking Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis (D) for misrepresenting her background, in particular the hardships she faced as a young single mother. But one Texas Republican is defending Davis' record, saying the gubernatorial candidate wouldn't be subject to the same criticism if she were male.

On Sunday, a Dallas Morning News article pointed out some discrepancies in the stories Davis has told -- including when she was divorced from her first husband, how long she lived in a trailer and how she paid for law school. In response, conservatives such as Rush Limbaugh have labeled her a "genuine head case" and claimed she had a "sugar daddy."

Some pundits have even suggested that Davis was a negligent parent for leaving her children with her second husband while she attended Harvard Law School in the early 1990s.

Becky Haskins, a Republican who served with Wendy Davis on the Fort Worth City Council, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday that Davis was a hard worker who did what she needed to do for her daughters.

“If this involved a man running for office, none of this would ever come up,” Haskins told the Star-Telegram. “It’s so sad. Every time I ran, somebody said I needed to be home with my kids. Nobody ever talks about men being responsible parents.”

“They wouldn’t be talking about Wendy if she weren’t a threat," Haskins added.

Davis' main Republican opponent in the Texas governor's race, state Attorney General Greg Abbott, accused her of “systematically, intentionally and repeatedly deceiv[ing] Texans for years about her background."

Davis has admitted that she was 21 when she divorced her first husband, not 19 as previously stated. (She was 19 with a baby when the two were separated.) She has also acknowledged that her second husband paid for a portion of her education.

In a Monday release from her campaign, Davis responded to Abbott's attacks with defiance.

"[The attacks] won’t work, because my story is the story of millions of Texas women who know the strength it takes when you’re young, alone and a mother," Davis said in the release. "I’ve always been open about my life not because my story is unique, but because it isn’t."

And in an email to her supporters sent Tuesday, Davis said, "You’re damn right it’s a true story."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...p_ref=politics

[Imran Siddiqui]

55-44% at the last election.

How is that different from, say, the gender gap in 1988 or 1980? etc.

[Elok]

1. Last election for what? President? Romney was a deeply unsympathetic figure who had no new ideas and kept saying profoundly idiotic things.
2. Please explain how that figure rules out opposition to the GOP candidate's other policies, or disaffection with the GOP in general for other reasons, as opposed to anger over a collection of really stupid remarks (and a few policies with limited impact, e.g. opposing the contraceptive mandate).

I imagine the "War on Women," such as it is, mostly enrages liberal women who would never have voted GOP anyway. In my experience, we Americans are pretty neatly divided into five camps: rabid liberals, rabid conservatives, true moderate/independent voters, apathetic nonvoters, and oddballs like the libertarians. The first get mad about this, the second are apologists for it, the third have enough perspective not to get carried away, the fourth don't matter and the fifth operate according to their own unpredictable logic. Maybe it's different in Texas?

[Elok]

It seems at least one Texan Republican woman agrees..

It doesn't really say much about the broader issue, that someone who worked directly with Davis is defending her.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I really can't see this changing anyone's mind, Ken. Strong partisans of either side will bicker about this stuff for a while, ..... Only the most ardent political wonks can be bothered to work themselves up over this, or think it says something about the political party as a whole.

Confirming for the umpteenth time that Ken is, shall we say, a bit obsessed.

[kentonio]

That's right, I am obsessed with the blindness so many of you have when it comes to things like gender equality.

[Elok]

Blindness? That's as may be, but if you think this will make a statistically significant difference in the election, I'm comfortable saying flat-out that you're wrong. Political scandals are just too frequent in this country, and our attention span too short, for trivial crap like this to matter. Unless it gets much bigger--e.g., her opponent is overheard calling her a whore with a vagina dentata or something--this will dry up and blow away.

[DinoDoc]

I assume you've skipped over Erick Erickson's "So Abortion Barbie had a Sugar Daddy Ken"?

Jeff Davis said that was right around the time the final payment on their Harvard Law School loan was due. “It was ironic,” he said. “I made the last payment, and it was the next day she left.”

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20140118-as-wendy-davis-touts-life-story-in-race-for-governor-key-facts-blurred.ece

Was it ironic or entirely predictable?

[Kidlicious]

Rush Limbaugh doesn't give a **** whether you find what he says insensitive. That's almost 100% of his appeal. In a way, it's quite refreshing to hear someone willing to speak with absolutely no filter.

Actually feminists have threatened to have the FCC take away his license and you may have noticed he doesn't criticise feminism anymore.

[DinoDoc]

Blindness? That's as may be, but if you think this will make a statistically significant difference in the election, I'm comfortable saying flat-out that you're wrong. Political scandals are just too frequent in this country, and our attention span too short, for trivial crap like this to matter. Unless it gets much bigger--e.g., her opponent is overheard calling her a whore with a vagina dentata or something--this will dry up and blow away.

He's going to win anyway. It's courtesy at this point that he even acknowledges Davis's existence.

[kentonio]

He may well win, but it's by no means a done deal. She's raised more money than him, and that doesn't happen by accident. The polling gap isn't that huge.

[Kidlicious]

That's right, I am obsessed with the blindness so many of you have when it comes to things like gender equality.

Liberals don't understand that when you manufacture offense you can protest too much. And yes, there are plenty of women who see through this in the states. Don't assume women are blindly following your bull****. Yes things are changing, but not in your favor.