Women Are People Too

In an effort to win the female vote in next year's midterm elections, the National Republican Congressional Committee has begun holding seminars to teach their members how to speak to women.  When reporters at John Boehner's (R-Ohio) weekly media update meeting questioned him about the idea, he had this to say: "We're trying to get them to be a little more sensitive, you know?  You look around the Congress, there are a lot more females in the Democratic caucus than there are in the Republican caucus.  And some of our members just aren't as sensitive as they ought to be."

what eye thynk:   I considered making this another post on my Republican War on Women series, but this situation is not so much a part of their war on women as it is a total disregard for women as full-fledged people. Conversation need not be sensitized for us to follow it.   We can speak and comprehend human speech as well as any man.  Mr. Boehner really needs to look no further than his Party's policies to understand why, out of 232 Republican members of the House of Representatives, only 19 are women.

There are plenty of conservative women out there--my sister is one of them (shudder)--but the majority of women, even those who may be fiscally conservative, hesitate to fully embrace the Republican Party when they see the way the Party continues to treat them like emptied headed, slightly incompetent juveniles, in need of a caring Republican uncle to help guide them through the maze of modern social issues.

If Republicans really want to appeal to female voters, may I suggest they stop treating us with condescension.  Forget about holding "sensitivity seminars" and instead consider:

• Staying out our bedrooms.  We are fully capable of making our own family planning decisions. Remember last year's all male panel on birth control? That was insulting.
• Supporting women's equality issues, like equal pay for equal work.  Voting against the Lilly Ledbetter Act was a huge turn off.
• Demonstrating that you are willing to accept us as equals within your Party.   After being called out for having appointed no female chairpersons on House committees, crowing that you finally appointed a woman--to chair the committee responsible for purchasing office supplies and overseeing the cafeteria--did not make us stand up and cheer.

Republican sensitivity training is nothing more than a band-aid slapped on a self-inflicted wound caused by an entrenched and out-dated sociopolitical ideology.  

We don't need sensitive.  We would prefer your respect.