Trump Nearly Trumped

Salon's Mary Elizabeth Williams warns" if you are a woman or care about women and have seriously entertained even the slightest thought of the words “President Trump,” we need to do an intervention right now."  She recalls

Back in 2011, he sent writer Gail Collins a copy of her own column and wrote “The Face of a Dog!” over her photo. He’s complained about Bette Midler’s “ugly face [and] body” and that Arianna Huffington is “unattractive both inside and out” and that “I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man.” He’s called Rosie O’Donnell a “fat pig” and a “slob,” among other things. And he called a new mother who requested a break to breastfeed pump breast milk “disgusting,” a sentiment he appeared to stand by to CNN earlier this year.

No one can slam Trump for inconsistency. He stays on message about women and, Williams adds,

On Monday, Trump shared a few choice words about DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Breitbart News on Sirius XM radio. Speaking with Stephen Bannon about the debates, Trump noted that “You have this crazy Wasserman Schultz — Deborah Wasserman Schultz — who is in there, a highly neurotic woman.This is a woman that is a terrible person. I watch her on television. She’s a terrible person.” 

There are plenty of great reasons to say that Donald Trump is the candidate of your racist, climate change-denying uncle from back home. But his outrageously toxic and seemingly nonstop commentary about women — about their appearance, about their shrillness or bimboness or neuroses — is all you should really need to find him loathsome. And every moment his embarrassing shtick endures is another chance for him — under the guise of a serious representative of the Republican party — to say that degrading women is a completely acceptable political tactic.

Williams argues "his outrageously toxic and seemingly nonsop commentary about women," including

about their appearance, about their shrillness or bimboness or neuroses — is all you should really need to find him loathsome. And every moment his embarrassing shtick endures is another chance for him — under the guise of a serious representative of the Republican party — to say that degrading women is a completely acceptable political tactic.

Agreed- and Donald Trump has disqualified himself to be President of the United States. But one doesn't need to be named "Donald Trump" to be unqualified for President.  If a hypothetical candidate has not served in the public sector and if his or her major foray into the private sector was a virtually unmitigated disaster (before walking away with $21 million), said individual could hardly be considered ready to be the leader of the Free World.  That's before considering perspecitve on gender.

And so it was that a co-host on The View, commenting (video below) on Fiorina's response to a question posed during the last GOP debate, called the former HP CEO's face "demented" while another co-host likened it to "a Halloween mask."  Instead of pointing out that it was beneath the dignity of talk show celebrities or, in the alternative, striking back in kind, Fiorina responded (video below)

I think what this points out is liberals, and that includes liberal women, when they don’t like the message they attack the messenger. My message to the ladies of The View is man up. If you want to debate me on policies, the Obama administration has been bad for women. Planned Parenthood is harvesting baby parts. Don’t sink to talking about my face.











Kay Steiger of Think Progress points out "Fiorina is right to criticize The View for their statements about her, but the way she criticized the show — telling those women to “man up” — could also be considered sexist." (The View has accepted Fiorina's challenge and the candidate is due to appear, again, on Friday.)

Could also be considered sexist, not unlike Barrow, Alaska could be considered cold in February. Fiorina also repeated one of her falsehoods about Planned Parenthood, but she might be given credit for continuing to demonstrate that she is a world-class liar.  Everyone should be good at something, and for Fiorina it's not business, so it might as well be fabrication.

Fiorina's sexism does not quite trump that of Donald T., nor could it, but it is competitive. And on substance, the rest of the Republican field, comprising the departed Scott Walker and the invisible Jim Gilmore, does no better.  None has none stood up for a woman's right to choose and all but Gilmore (who has been silent) have publicly advocated the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Birth control checkups, testing for sexually transmissible infections and various forms of cancer, pap smears, and the list goes on. Planned Parenthood, the Republican playbook reads, must go.

So condemn Donald Trump as you wish; there is plenty to condemn. But whether considering the rights of women or other issues, he is simply no worse than his rivals.







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