This is what's up with Dudley.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Daily Dose of Cute
This is what's up with Dudley.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Quote of the Day
[Content Note: Domestic violence; victim-blaming.]
"CBS you pulled my song last week, now you wanna slide it back in this Thursday? NO, Fuck you! Y'all are sad for penalizing me for this."—Rihanna, singer and survivor of domestic violence, in response to the NFL's decision to not use her song "Run This Town" at the start of last Thursday's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite the fact that CBS Sports and the NFL Network had planned to open every Thursday night game this season with the track.
When people figured out that this week's Thursday night football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers would open with a song from Rihanna, they weren't pleased, and the NFL gave in to them by agreeing not to play the song. But the reaction says more about how we unfairly treat victims of domestic abuse than it does about the NFL's sensitivity to violence against women.A true thing about being a public survivor is that evidence of surviving, and thriving, shames abusers. And to back away from Rihanna in this moment communicates, yet again, that we prioritize the discomfort of abusers more than we do the empowerment of their victims.
CBS Sports and NFL Network plan to open every Thursday night game this season with "Run This Town," the 2009 collaboration between Jay Z and Rihanna. But, after an especially contentious week of controversy over former Ravens running back Ray Rice — who was dropped from the team after a surveillance video depicting him punching his then-fiancee was made public — it seemed like a bad PR move to include Rihanna, who was infamously the victim of domestic abuse in a former relationship with Chris Brown.
After considerable push back for partnering a Ravens game with a Rihanna song, the NFL Network decided to reconsider. "Run This Town" did not play on Thursday night; instead, CBS aired coverage of the domestic violence controversy surrounding Rice. ...But if the league is hoping to prove that it's sensitive to issues of domestic violence, this was actually a misstep. It doesn't make sense that Rihanna is essentially being punished for being the victim of a crime.
...In fact, if the NFL was committed to empowering survivors of domestic violence, it might have been nice to put a spotlight on a woman like Rihanna, who is still enjoying a hugely successful career — the NFL called her "one of music's biggest stars" in its press release about the Thursday night football opener — despite what she's experienced in her past.
We're never getting past this shit as long as men in power flinch at the possibility of making abusers feel bad.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Police brutality; death; racism] An important update on the John Crawford case: Not only is the police account falling apart, but the primary witness account is falling apart, too.
[CN: Police brutality; death; racism] And in Utah, authorities "have altered their account of how a 22-year-old black man was killed by police, after an attorney for the man's family alleged that he was shot repeatedly from behind by officers while running away. The authorities also said that the two police officers involved in the shooting of Darrien Hunt last Wednesday had not yet been interviewed about the incident. The attorney for Hunt's family described this delay as 'almost incomprehensible.'"
[CN: Illness] The US will send 3,000 troops to Africa, at a cost of possibly $750 million over the next six months, in order to lead and facilitate Operation United Assistance. "The general will head a regional command based in Liberia that will help oversee and coordinate U.S. and international relief efforts while a new, separate regional staging base will help accelerate transportation of urgently needed equipment, supplies and personnel."
The FBI has announced "the completion of its new facial recognition system, making operational a program that civil rights groups have warned risks turning millions of citizens with no criminal record into suspects. ...Mug shots will be combined with non-criminal facial images taken from employment records and background check databases, technology news website The Verge reported Monday. That means someone with no criminal history could be implicated as a suspect in a crime if an image of his or her face happens to be in the database, [civil liberties watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation] warned. Compounding that risk is the apparent ineffectiveness of the system, with some in the industry saying the image matching system has a low rate of success, according to The Verge report. The FBI [says the system] is meant to provide a list of candidates—saying that if the true candidate exists in the system, it will appear in the top 50 candidates returned by the system 85 percent of the time, according to documents obtained by the EFF. 'This means that many people will be presented as suspects for crimes they didn't commit,' EFF said."
[CN: Domestic violence] Give him all the cookies: "NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter Monday to teams and staff announcing the appointment of four women to shape the league's policies on intimate partner violence. Following the release of a video showing Ray Rice's attack on his now wife, and the revelation that law enforcement had sent the video to NFL during their investigation earlier this year, advocacy organizations as well as some politicians have called for Goodell's resignation. ...Despite calls for his resignation, Goodell has said he's not going anywhere, and on Monday announced the creation of several new positions to improve the league's handling of domestic violence." Listen, I am glad that four women who are legit experts have been hired to "advise the league on how to create policies that effectively address sexual assault and domestic violence," but I find it really obnoxious that Goodell is using those women as human shields against meaningful accountability for his catastrophic failures.
[CN: War on agency] Fuck: Missouri Legislators Pass 72-Hour Abortion Waiting Period Law. "Missouri legislators voted late last night to triple the state's current 24-hour waiting period to 72 hours, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Governor Jay Nixon previously vetoed the bill in July, calling it 'extreme and disrespectful.' Missouri's House voted 117-44 to override the veto, and then the Senate used a procedural move to stop a Democratic filibuster of the bill and vote 23-7 to complete the veto override Wednesday."
[CN: Rape culture] Rush Limbaugh continues to be a reprehensible dirtbag: "'How many of you guys in your own experience with women have learned that 'no' means 'yes' if you know how to spot it?' he asked on 'The Rush Limbaugh Show' Monday. ...Limbaugh then read off Ohio State University's definition of consent, which outlines how two people should behave once they have decided to engage in a sexual relationship. It states that you and your partner must agree to engage in the activity every step of the way, including agreeing on 'why' you are doing so. But that just sucks all the fun out of it, Limbaugh said. 'Agreeing on the 'why' takes all the romance out of everything!' he said." If sexytalk during sexytimes "sucks all the fun out of it" for you, I'm pretty sure you're doing it wrong.
Are you so excited about the possibility of Mike Huckabee running for president yet again? I bet you are. He's terrific.
If you are a fan of the Bourne movie series, then you are in luck, because "Universal Pictures has begun making deals with Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass to reunite for their third film in The Bourne Identity series." (The first film in the franchise was directed by Doug Liman.)
Here are some fun pictures of a large-spotted genet riding around on the backs of buffalo and a white rhinoceros. Adorbz!
And finally: Here is video of a giant manta ray approaching divers off Costa Rica, seeking help to disentangle it from part of a fishing net. Extraordinary.
So This Happened
[Content Note: War.]
While we were on hiatus, President Barack Obama became the fourth US president in a row to announce a bombing campaign in Iraq:
Video clip of former President George H.W. Bush saying: "As I report to you, air attacks are underway against military targets in Iraq."Welp.
Video clip of former President Bill Clinton saying: "...to strike military and security targets in Iraq..."
Video clip of former President George W. Bush saying: "At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger."
Video clip of President Barack Obama saying: "We will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Moreover, I've made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria as well as Iraq."
There is already proposed legislation in the House which would grant President Obama his "request for authority to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels but with several congressional checks on his power. ...The White House feels good about the chances for getting authorization for the package through Congress, a senior administration official said. Obama spoke with lawmakers from both parties on Monday and, according to the official, is personally gratified that he has received support from Republican and Democratic leaders for the proposal."
At least we've shed all pretense of nation-building and are being frank about engaging in military-building now.
There is bipartisan support for the president's plan, although "Republicans and Democrats differ in their concerns for U.S. military action: Most Republicans worry it will not go far enough (66%); by contrast, 54% of Democrats say their bigger concern is that it will go too far."
Further: "The survey finds that relatively few Americans believe that the military campaign against Islamic militants will make the United States safer from a terrorist attack. Just 18% think it will decrease the chances of a terrorist attack in this country, while nearly twice as many (34%) say it will increase the chances of an attack; 41% say it won't make much difference."
So, to what end is this intervention? Well, something needs to be done, so we're doing something.
And on and on we go.
Aaaaaand We're Back
First things first: You've probably noticed Shakesville has a new look. Our amazing new banner, featuring me leading the community in a teaspoon charge, comes care of Shaker mdevile, who also created my feminist boss card. I love it so much; the other contributors and mods love it so much; and I hope you love it, too. Thank you so, so much, mdevile! ♥
Secondly: Thank you to everyone who has sent me a kind and encouraging note over the past couple of weeks. I appreciate your thinking of me, truly.
I am still feeling a bit poorly, to be perfectly blunt. I'm having good days and crap days, but I did manage to get some rest and have a nice little mini-break with Iain. I'mma just keep plugging along, as I am able.
Teaspoons ahoy!
Blog Note
[Content Note: Illness.]
Shakesville will be on hiatus for the next couple of weeks, starting this evening.
I am dealing with a new and somewhat serious health complication, which requires some medical tests I've got to get done promptly and some new meds to which my body's having a very difficult time adjusting.
Also, to be perfectly blunt, I need a break from the daily torrent of threats and abuse that this work obliges me to navigate, while I focus on my health. The stress and anxiety of escalating harassment recently has taken a toll on my ability to focus on self-care, and I've just reached a point where I need a mental health break, in order to take care of my physical health.
Thank you to all the community members here who have been incredibly supportive. I'm sorry that the abuse that is directed toward me and the mods outside this space affects what happens here.
I expect to return on Tuesday, September 16. If I need longer, I will let you know.
Happy Dogs Are Happy
[Content Note: Animal cruelty, but happy endings.]
A year ago, the ASPCA and responders from The Humane Society of the United States rescued 367 dogs from a multi-state dog fighting ring in one of the largest documented federal dog fighting busts. The ASPCA just posted an update on some of the dogs who were rescued, who have gone to new homes where they are safe and loved, and it's pretty much the best thing ever. ♥
Film Corner!
[Content Note: Christian Supremacy; racism. DoNotLink used in first paragraph to Glenn Beck's site.]
Well, it's been two minutes, so it's time for another terrific new Kirk Cameron film! His newest cinematic masterpiece is called Saving Christmas (because of course it is), which is "a scripted story about a guy named Christian White who represents the typical white Christian male and he's got a bad case of religious bah humbugs."
Christian White! The lead character is named Christian White! LOLOLOL.
Anyway. This movie is about the real meaning of Christmas—which is, naturally, getting super pissed at straw-atheists.
And while he has no idea exactly how atheists will respond to the feature film, which is slated to open November 14 in theaters across America, he predicts they likely won't be too elated with its storyline.FINALLY. The brave HERO, who has the jingle bells to speak out about the totally real and definitely not imaginary War on Christmas, that we have been waiting for has arrived! MYRRH FOR EVERYONE!
"I assume they're going to get frustrated to see some of their best arguments deflated by this movie, because we take on some of the most commonly parroted myths about the origins of Christmas," Cameron exclusively told TheBlaze Tuesday.
...Cameron continued, "It's obvious that there is a deliberate attempt to snuff out the holy root that has produced all this wonderful Christmas-time fruit. I think it's about time someone spoke out and made a movie about this."
To the trailer!
Kirk Cameron, in voiceover over his CAMFAM production logo: "Do you ever feel like Christmas has been hijacked?"
Cut to the scene of a Christmas party. In the kitchen, Kirk Cameron is talking to a blond white lady. The sound production on this scene is spectacular. Did they get a hold of an iPhone 6 for this thing?!
Kirk Cameron asks: "Hey, uh, where's Christian? How's he doing? Is he okay?"
Blond White Lady says: "Oh, he's fine, really. He's just—he's just not into Christmas this year, that's all." She walks out of the frame, leaving Kirk Cameron to linger behind, making one of his patented Confused Faces, which lets his audiences know that something ain't right.
"This calls for my finest Sherlock Jesus investigative skills!"
Cut to Christian White, a white bearded man in glasses and a winter sweater, picking his teeth, thus conveying his disinterest in Christmas. In voiceover, Kirk Cameron says (apparently continuing from his question about Christmas being hijacked): "By all the commercialism, and those who wanna replace Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays—or Season's Greetings, whatever that means!"
Oh boy. The terrorism of Happy Holidays. When we can roast that old chestnut on an open fire?
Cut to Kirk Cameron sitting in a car in the dark with Christian White. The acting in this scene is so bad that it's like Kirk Cameron and someone even less good at acting than Kirk Cameron were acting in it. "You okay?" Kirk Cameron asks. "This is not what Christmas is all about," says Christian White.
Over images of Christmas gifts and decorations, Kirk Cameron says in voiceover: "Some want to pull down every manger scene and tell us why our favorite Christmas traditions are wrong."
Cut back to the car. "Newsflash!" exclaims Christian White, gesticulating at something we can't even see. "Not in the Bible! That's a pagan idol symbol! With the Winter Solstice! Jesus was not born in December! That's exactly what the Druids did. It's like a carjacking, but, like, of our religion! And guess what? Santa got in the car, kicked Jesus out, and was like: Rollin', rollin', rollin'!"—here, he mimes what is clearly meant to be a gang member driving a low-rider—"and took it."
Throughout this incoherent, racist, and poorly edited rant, Kirk Cameron makes so many confused faces.
Cut to a creepy grinning Santa Claus in close-up, and Kirk Cameron says in voiceover: "Isn't it time that somebody spoke up?" YES. YES IT IS TIME THAT SOMEBODY SPOKE UP—and explained to me what the fuck is even going on in this movie. Are we supposed to be more mad at people who don't care about Christmas at all, or people who care about it in the wrong way? Why does 3/4 of it appear to take place in a car in the dark? And why is Christian White such a goddamned racist shitlord?!
Cut back to the car. (Great.) Kirk Cameron says, again gesturing to something we can't see: "Everything you see inside there? It's all about Christmas. It's all about...Jesus." Cue the inspiring music and cut to—I shit you not—an actual light bulb turning on. Goddammit.
Montagery. A white child looking up at something. A scene from the manger? Joseph lurking in some bushes. Mary resting her head near the baby lord.
Cut back to the car. WHAT?! GET ME OUT OF THIS FUCKING CAR! Kirk Cameron says, "I know you love Christmas, and you want it to be all about what it's all about." It feels like that's going to go somewhere, but nope! Montagery! A white child looking up at a backlit cross. Christian White running into the Christmas Party like a giddy child, while Kirk Cameron stands behind him holding up his hand like he's a wizard who just cast a dipshit spell on him.
Sassy Christmas music over images of happy Christmas party-goers. In voiceover, Kirk Cameron says: "This Christmas, dive headfirst into all of the joy, the dancing"—literally just scenes of people dancing; yanno, like CHRISTMAS—"the celebration, the feasting, the imagination, and traditions that glorify the true reason for the season."
Christian White, overwhelmed by the true Christmas spirit, slides across the floor on his belly into the room and crashes into some shit. A black man exclaims, "Woo! Work, Holy Spirit! Ha! Can I get a amen? The scales are falling off! Glory! Ah! Glory! Mm!" The crowd of people behind him cheer.
Cut, for one last time, to the car. Kirk Cameron is smiling. In voiceover, he says, "Join me, and my family, and together let's put Christ back into Christmas." Text onscreen: "Saving Christmas. In theaters November 14. Limited engagement."
Amazing. I can't wait to not see this movie!
[H/T to Deeks.]
Quote of the Day
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
"I think a lot of people want to be able to walk into a grocery store—particularly, a lot of the women—want to go and buy a bottle of wine for dinner, go down, buy a six-pack or two six-packs, buy dinner, and go home rather than what I just described as at least three stops in Pennsylvania."—Republican Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, explaining why women support his proposed liquor law reform. Currently, only state-licensed liquor stores and some grocery stores are able to sell liquor in the state.
Listen, women are busy! We need fewer stops so we can get home quicker to cook dinner for the menz!
Obviously, I love everything about this, but I continue to enjoy in particular how Republican men talk about women. "A lot of the women." Can you please give me a better idea of how many "a lot" is, Governor Corbett? How many binders full of women would you estimate "a lot" to be?
WTF
[Content Note: Racism.]
I don't even know: "Lifetime Fails Its Awful Mission to Bring Out the 'Strong Black Woman' in White Women."
Because black women make great accessories for folks basking in too much white privilege, Lifetime has announced a new show called "Girlfriend Intervention." From the looks of it, the show — featuring four stereotypically "strong" black women (Tracy Balan on beauty, Nikki Chu on "home and sanctuary," Tiffiny Dixon on fashion, and reality star Tanisha Thomas) — will bring out the "girlfriend" in timid white women.There is so much wrong with this, and Linda Holmes teases out quite a bit of it here. See also: Charing Ball, who notes: "Normally, this trope is occupied by an individual, however the Lifetime Network appears to be going for the Harry Potter-level of black wizardry with its recently announced show entitled 'Girlfriend Intervention,' which totally sounds like a magical negro 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.'"
The "inner" construction—e.g. inner strong black woman, inner fabulous gay man—is always problematic, because it suggests that these identities aren't real; that they are merely constructs. And to the extent that they represent stereotypes, they are. But that masks the reality that (for example) black women's non-monolithic identities are neither constructs nor stereotypes that can be adopted by people who are not black women.
It also suggests that these identities aren't comprehensive and equal, but subsets of privileged people's humanity. As if every privileged person has lurking within them an "inner" version of marginalized people's identities.
I have had the experience of a thin man saying to me that he needs to channel his "inner fierce fat woman" in order to navigate something that was challenging him. Blink blink. Naturally, he intended it as a compliment, but what it communicated to me was that he views "fierce fat women" (and me, in particular) as impervious to harm, as though we're naturally imbued with a feisty resistance rather than having developed by necessity strategies for dealing with a world that hates us.
Identities aren't costumes, and they cannot be borrowed nor lent.
Daily Dose of Cute
Zelly Belly.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime
Barry White & Luciano Pavarotti: "You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Anti-immigrationism] Who cares about people's lives when there's an election to win? "Both political parties are in a state of high anxiety about the possibility that President Obama will allow millions of illegal immigrants to remain in the country, fearing that White House action on the issue could change the course of November's midterm elections. In the past few days, Democratic candidates in nearly every closely fought Senate race have criticized the idea of aggressive action by Obama. Some strategists say privately that it would signal that he has written off the Democrats' prospects for retaining control of the chamber, deciding to focus on securing his legacy instead. Senior Republicans, meanwhile, have their own worries about a 'September surprise' on immigration. They know their volatile party's tendency to erupt at such moments—including government shutdowns and impeachment threats—and that the GOP brand is even more tattered than the Democratic one."
[CN: Harassment; threats; misogyny] Anita Sarkeesian, the creator of the Tropes vs. Women series in which she provides feminist critiques of video games, was driven from her home by threats of violence this week. This shit has got to stop.
[CN: War on agency; misogyny; racism] In Indiana, another woman of color is facing decades in prison after trying to self-terminate a pregnancy, then allegedly giving birth prematurely and disposing of the body. Now Purvi Patel "is being charged with both neglect and feticide, allegations that actually conflict with each other. She was initially charged with 'neglect of a dependent' after prosecutors learned she left her baby in in a dumpster, a charge that won't apply if the baby was already dead. But she's now also being charged with 'fetal murder of an unborn child'—a charge that an Indiana judge allowed to stand this week—for taking drugs that could have illegally ended her pregnancy. ...As the Daily Beast's Sally Kohn points out, the logic doesn't exactly hold up. 'The State of Indiana intends to convict and incarcerate Purvi Patel one way or another, whether the fetus she delivered was alive or not—never mind the fact that the facts necessary for filing the one charge (that the fetus have been alive) entirely contradict the facts necessary for filing the other (that the fetus have been dead) and vice versa,' Kohn writes."
[CN: Guns; death] A crew member of the show Cops was killed when police opened fire on a robbery suspect, who was also killed. According to police, the suspect fired at officers, who then fired back. It was only after both suspect and crew member were dead that police discovered the suspect was holding a plastic pellet gun.
[CN: Guns; death] Just days after a firearms instructor in Arizona died after his 9-year-old student lost control of the 9mm Uzi he was teaching her to use, the NRA Women's Twitter account "blasted out suggestions for making practice at the shooting range fun for kids." Of course they did.
In the biggest news that ever newsed, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt got married last weekend. This is perfect: "Jolie and Pitt's wedding caps years of rampant speculation on when the couple would officially tie the knot." That is hilarious, even though it was not intended to be.
And finally! Here is just a terrific video of a juvenile bald eagle playing in a sprinkler.
Tappity-Tap-Tap
Last night was the finale (or, at least, the performance finale) of So You Think You Can Dance, and OMG Nigel Lythgoe was the biggest shitlord he has ever been, which is really saying something. I'm not even going to waste my energy recounting the numerous inappropriate and offensive things he said, but please feel free to discuss in comments with relevant content notes.
Anyway. I was honestly pretty indifferent to most of the performances last night, except for this one, which is one of my favorites of the whole season:
Video Description: Contestant Zack does a tap dance routine with all-star Aaron, set to Billy Joel's "Piano Man" and choreographed by Anthony Morigerto.
Granted, this is one of my favorite ever pieces of piano music, but I got goosebumps during the sequence set to that rollicking piano solo. The musicality and synchronicity of this piece is just magnificent. I loved it so much.
Today in Rape Culture
[Content Note: Victim-blaming.]
Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, the former president of George Washington University and a current professor of public service at the school, was part of a panel of guests on The Diane Rehm show earlier this week, the subject of which was "the roles of fraternities and sororities on campus, which eventually turned into a discussion of the roles these organizations play in promoting rape culture." And here is part of what Trachtenberg had to say:
Without making the victims responsible for what happens, one of the groups that have to be trained not to drink in excess are women. They need to be in a position to punch the guys in the nose if they misbehave. And so part of the problem is you have men who take advantage of women who drink too much and there are women who drink too much. And we need to educate our daughters and our children in that regard.Wow. That is a lot of wrong in 81 words.
Saying that women need "to be trained not to drink in excess" is exactly "making the victims responsible for what happens." It also suggests that men are powerless to control themselves around incapacitated women.
Further, saying that women "need to be in a position to punch the guys in the nose if they misbehave" also tasks victims with the responsibility for rape prevention.
(And let us note that Professor Trachtenberg just described raping someone as misbehaving.)
The idea that a woman can prevent a man from raping her if only she punches him in the nose is both incredibly offensive and extraordinarily naive. Many women correctly assess that fighting back will only increase their risk of more extensive harm, and failure to "punch a guy in the nose" does not mean that someone being assaulted has failed to protect hirself. In many cases, it is a wise calculation to mitigate the possibility of escalated violence.
And, of course, there is the critical issue that women who use violence to defend themselves are frequently prosecuted.
Trachtenberg concludes by saying "we need to educate our daughters and our children in that regard," which, no, for the above reasons, but also I just find that construction so interesting. "Our daughters" and "our children" are not mutually exclusive categories. The more obvious construction would have been "our daughters" and "our sons," but funny how his language here reflects the cultural resistance to teaching men to not rape. "Our sons" don't get singled out for any responsibility at all. And they are instead "our children." Children. Boys. Who will be boys.
This is heinous victim-blaming. There are no circumstances, none, under which a woman's behavior means she deserves to be raped; in which it's okay for a man to rape her.
Drinking to excess does not give someone permission to rape you. The end.
I have been blackout drunk exactly one time in my life. It was my first year at college, and one of my first times drinking. I eventually passed out in the dorm room of my friend Tim. Tim scooped me up and took me down the flight of stairs between our rooms and got my keys out of my pocket and put me to bed.
That's a story plenty of people would use to tell me that I was a lucky fool, instead of to observe that that's precisely the way things should be.
Huh
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
From the Great Mysteries of Life files:
A detailed report commissioned by two major Republican groups — including one backed by Karl Rove — paints a dismal picture for Republicans, concluding female voters view the party as "intolerant," "lacking in compassion" and "stuck in the past."Again, the suggestion is not to embrace policies that aren't actually total garbage, but to embrace policies that can't be "easily framed" that way.
Women are "barely receptive" to Republicans' policies, and the party does "especially poorly" with women in the Northeast and Midwest, according to an internal Crossroads GPS and American Action Network report obtained by POLITICO. It was presented to a small number of senior aides this month on Capitol Hill, according to multiple sources involved.
...The report — "Republicans and Women Voters: Huge Challenges, Real Opportunities" — was the product of eight focus groups across the country and a poll of 800 registered female voters this summer. The large-scale project was a major undertaking for the GOP groups.
...When female voters are asked who "wants to make health care more affordable," Democrats have a 39 percent advantage, and a 40 percent advantage on who "looks out for the interests of women." Democrats have a 39 percent advantage when it comes to who "is tolerant of other people's lifestyles."
Female voters who care about the top four issues — the economy, health care, education and jobs — vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. Most striking, Democrats hold a 35-point advantage with female voters who care about jobs and a 26 percent advantage when asked which party is willing to compromise. House Republicans say jobs and the economy are their top priorities.
...The report is blunt about the party's problems. [It found] that Republicans "fail to speak to women in the different circumstances in which they live" — as breadwinners, for example. "This lack of understanding and acknowledgment closes many minds to Republican policy solutions," the report says. The groups urge Republicans to embrace policies that "are not easily framed as driven by a desire to aid employers or 'the rich.'"
The solutions offered include neutralizing Democratic attacks that the GOP doesn't support "fairness" for women; "deal honestly with any disagreement on abortion, then move to other issues"; and "pursue policy innovations that inspire women voters to give the GOP a 'fresh look.'"Insert all the mirthless laughter in the universe here. Just "neutralize attacks" that the GOP doesn't support fairness for women, instead of supporting fairness for women. Change the subject when abortion comes up! And try to scrape the bottom of the barrel for some new conservative idea that can be mendaciously framed to appeal to modern women. Distract 'em from the misogyny with something shiny! Terrific.
Republicans' primary problem with women is, and will always be, this: They think that we're stupid. They think that there's some way they can trick us into not caring or not noticing that their policies are crap.
They don't even have respect for the decision-making of their own current female voters. They don't realize that those (almost exclusively white, straight, married) women are casting calculated votes, too. It's just that there aren't a whole lot of women who are keen to abdicate self-interest in order to cast a vote to uphold the kyriarchy.
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker Brenda A.: "What games or imaginary friends did you make up as a kid?"
