North Dakota Democrats Launch Sexist Attack Over Gender Pay Legislation

Last week a bill introduced by Rep. Kylie Oversen (D-Grand Forks) to address perceived gender pay discrimination was defeated on the floor of the House. Today North Dakota Democrats are trying to fundraise on the defeat of the bill with a sexist political attack on the committee which heard the bill.

The missive takes aim at the “all-male 15 person committee” which heard Oversen’s bill, and so much for being gender blind.

I thought we weren’t supposed to judge people based on the gender? That’s what Democrats are doing here. We’re supposed to believe that this committee voted against Oversen’s bill because they’re men. Not because they’re reasoning human beings who disagreed with a bit of public policy.

I guess the rule against judging people based on their sexual organs goes out the window when it’s politically convenient. What’s ironic is that the Industry Business and Labor Committee which heard testimony on Oversen’s bill actually has four Democrats on it (the committee vote on the bill was along partisan lines).

Are Democrats suggesting that their fellow party members are to be blamed for their gender as well? Even as they voted to recommend Oversen’s bill?

This is mindless outrage politics at its worst.

Oversen’s bill didn’t fail because a group of men have callous attitudes toward women, which is what Democrats are suggesting. Rather, Oversen’s bill failed because it was poor public policy justified by the dubious notion that gender pay inequality exists because of rampant and widespread discrimination and not the different education and career choices men and women make freely (more on that here).

But when your goal is stoking hatred among a political base, “Republicans hate women” is an easier message I suppose.