Politico: Conservatives Hate Girls
Or something like that anyway.
Conservatives say they pushed Dede Scozzafava out of the House race in New York’s 23rd District a week ago because of her left-of-Republican social views — and not because she is a woman.
But the growing schism between the Republican Party’s ascendant right wing and its shrinking moderate core has clear gender undertones — and Scozzafava’s departure raises fresh questions about the GOP’s ability to recruit, elect and even tolerate the sort of moderate women who used to be part of its ruling mainstream.
While Republicans scored a pair of impressive electoral victories in New Jersey and Virginia with solid support among female voters, the events of the last week offer harbingers of serious trouble ahead with the largest swing voter bloc in the country — women.
The problem with this analysis? It’s awfully selective. It leaves out people like Arlen Spector and Lindsey Graham, both frequent targets of the conservative base. And it also leaves out Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, both very popular figures within the resurgent conservative movement.
If the tea party movement had a problem with women, why would people like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann figure so prominently in it? And why would the opposition to so-called “RINOS” or ‘moderates” include both men and women?
But I guess those facts don’t quite fit with the narrative that Politico is trying to push here – that conservatives are extremist girl-haters or something – so they’re ignored.
