There’s nothing more sexist/racist/homophobic in politics to assume that a woman/minority/homosexual should vote a certain way because they’re a woman/minority/homosexual.
Example from Eclectablog:
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA) which had lapsed in 2011. Renewal of the VAWA was repeatedly voted down by Republicans for nearly two years. The version the House passed today was a comprehensive bill that extended protections to Native American women, lesbians & gays, and immigrants. It was passed after a watered-down Republican version was rejected. Because the bill they passed had already passed the Senate, it now goes to President Obama for his signature.
When the bill passed the Senate, every single woman in the Senate voted for it. However, among the 138 House members who voted against it today, all whom were Republicans, there were nine TEN women who joined them.
Why does a “Violence Against Women Act” need to keep “extending”? Either all women are covered or not.
And why is there not just a “Violence Against Humans” Act? Oh wait, there is, it’s called laws against rape and murder. Why are those not enough?
There’s nothing more condescending to women or a minority group than to tell them that they need to have “special protections” extended to them.
Here are the women who saw through the bullshit and voted based on logic and principle, not feelings and fear:
• Michele Bachman (MN-06)
• Diane Black (TN-06)
• Marsha Blackburn (TN-07)
• Renee Ellmers (NC-02)
• Virginia Foxx (NC-05)
• Vicky Hartlzer (MO-04)
• Cynthia Lummis (WY)
• Kristi Noem (SD)
• Martha Roby (AL-02)
• Ann Wagner (MO-02)
And here’s Eclectablog’s response:
Let’s give these brave women a hand shall we? Rather than making sure that women in this country are protected from violence, they stayed loyal to the hateful ideology of the Republican Party, did their part in the Republican War on Women and tried to ensure that those protections would never come to be.
Not passing this bill does not mean that women across the country are all of a sudden in imminent danger of abuse, rape, or murder—there are laws in place at every level of government that protect against those like they have for decades. It’s a piece of vanity legislation that helps nobody, and is designed to be used as a cudgel for those who vote against it (aha! So you’re FOR Violence Against Women because you voted against it!)
Also, is there such thing as a “War on Women” if women are leading the charge?
