They really do hate women.
It’s long been frowned upon to acknowledge this fundamental truth: Misogyny is at the heart of right-wing politics. Pointing out that hatred of women and a desire to keep them under the boot is an animating force of Republican politics is sure to draw pained expressions from many liberal men, certain that the feminists are being hysterical again.
This article was originally published at Salon
Surely feminists don’t think it’s quite as simple as that, right? Surely we understand that anti-abortion views are about a sincere belief that life begins at conception and anyway, Republicans aren’t serious when they say they’re going to ban abortion. That’s just something they say to rile up the rubes, to trick them into voting for the real agenda, which is about economics and taxes. Certainly you women can’t think you are important enough that oppressing you is a major priority for Republicans, right?
We’re not hearing that argument much these days, though the price that had to be paid for the wake-up call was steep indeed: The election of a gloating misogynist who brags about his lengthy career sexual assault. Now the Senate, with Friday’s cloture vote to move forward with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, is one step from seating a piggish frat boy who has been credibly accused of abusive sexual conduct by multiple women to the Supreme Court. Once there, he will almost certainly be the fifth vote to gut abortion rights and to start chipping away at LGBT rights and contraception access.
