Kavanaugh is a Reminder of the GOP War Against Women

From equal pay to birth control, healthcare, childcare and even bills to combat violence against women, Republicans have voted against any and all things that could be considered to be supporting for the women in our country. Each and every time, the Democrats have introduced legislation to offer a balance, protect women or assist in making health and family choices, the Republicans have been anti-women. Supporting and promoting sexists and sexual predators is just another aspect of their “boy’s club” and when they have tried to cover up the hidden history of this horror of a man, it is just another reminder of how much the GOP truly despises women. 

Social media is filled with conservative men spewing their vitriol hate regarding women. From the “I don’t want to have to pay for their birth control” to “let them learn to keep their legs closed,” these knuckle dragging Neanderthals sit back and preen at the fact that it’s “ok” for all of us to pay for their Viagra, but not for the needed birth control that is often used for many medical conditions. Not to be sexist on these accusations, there are conservative/Republican women that have joined with their voices, and the most recent and pathetic example of this is the CNN video involving five conservative women that made excuses for the predatory and sexually deviant behavior of Kavanaugh with the “what boy hasn’t done this in high school?” A direct quote from the video from one of these women is enough to turn your stomach and make you want to vomit: 

“I have no sympathy,” Lourdes Castillo de la Pena said. “Perhaps maybe she had that moment she liked him. And maybe he didn’t pay attention to her afterwards and he went out with another girl, she got bigger, whatever the situation is, they’re kids.” 

While these women obviously suffer from low self-esteem and Stockholm Syndrome, it is an example of the brainwashing that the conservatives have done to even convince their own women that sexual assault is the woman’s fault.

Republicans See Women as Evil 

Men have been afraid of the power that women can yield and the one place that they know that they can act as a negative influence is in the church. From the moment that Pope Gregory announced that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute to the burning of the witches in Europe and Salem, Massachusetts, any woman who offered intelligence, spirituality, healing or guidance was branded and punished. 

This is continually taught in a passive aggressive manner through to today’s Christian religions, with a caveat for women that they can be forgiven if they “love, honor and obey” their male husbands. 

When you drill down into the reality of the conservative view you recognize that it’s all about controlling women. This is covered in the article:  Conservative’s Sick and Twisted Obsession with Controlling Women, where the above meme quotes (which have been fact checked as true) are included. Another quote from the article: 

“Psychologists often refer to this attitude as the ‘Madonna/Whore Complex’.  ‘In sexual politics the view of women as either Madonnas or whores limits women’s sexual expression, offering two mutually exclusive ways to construct a sexual identity.’ For women that may have become pregnant out of wedlock, they are to be punished for the ultimate ‘sin’. Of course, in their perspective, the men that were involved in the liaison are not held in any level of responsibility.” 

Yet in reverse, the conservative males (and their obedient female components) view men as superior, simply because they have a penis. It doesn’t matter if they are as dumb as a rock and completely useless in life, their male appendage allows them all of the rights and privileges that they choose. The mere fact that members of the Senate are currently refusing to release hundreds of pages of documents on Brett Kavanaugh, a process which is standard for the vetting of a lifelong held position, should be enough for the American people to stand up and scream! 

The Republican males KNEW about the potential for a sexual assault accusation and this was apparent when, within 24 hours of the accusation itself, they had the signatures of 65 women that came forward to stand with Kavanaugh stating that they had associated with him and he had never attempted any sexual assault on them. 

Who has this kind of magical access in a 24-hour period unless you had to be prepared for it? 

One of the common responses to these 65 women has been: “well, I am sure there are a huge number of Jeffrey Dahlmer’s neighbors that he didn’t eat, but does that negate his crimes?” 

It took incredible courage for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford to come forward to relate the attack she experienced by Kavanaugh. Since then, various media sources have decided to do their own sleuthing and have uncovered not only those in Ford’s school that remember the assault being talked about around their campus, but the fact that Kavanaugh himself belonged to various groups and clubs who were known for their sexist attitudes and behaviors. This is common information that is available to anyone that wanted to even scratch the surface lightly and it is another example of the Senate “men’s club” that is protecting Kavanaugh. 

Male Senate member after male senate member has made comments regarding the fact that they don’t want to “ruin” Kavanaugh’s career with these allegations. In the meantime, Dr. Ford has received death threats to such a degree that she and her family had to relocate 3,000 miles away. 

This Is Just a Continuation of the Anita Hill Situation, and Not Much has Changed 

In 1991, Anita Hill accused Senator Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. For those of us that lived through this horror, we were witness to the reason why women don’t come forward to report these types of crimes. While Thomas was acquitted, Hill’s life was ruined. 

In a Washington Post article, they include an essay by Anita Hill: 

“As that same committee, on which sit some of the same members as nearly three decades ago, now moves forward with the Kavanaugh confirmation proceedings,” Hill wrote, “the integrity of the court, the country’s commitment to addressing sexual violence as a matter of public interest, and the lives of the two principal witnesses who will be testifying hang in the balance.” 

“That ‘on which sit some of the same members’ phrase is fascinating to consider. It has been nearly 30 years since Hill faced a battery of questions about her allegations, yet some of the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee remain the same. 

To wit: Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.). All three have not only been in Congress long enough to have participated in the hearings held after the revelation of Hill’s allegations, but they were all already in Congress during the 1982 incident in which Kavanaugh is alleged to have attacked Ford.” 

In other words: Not much has changed in thirty years. It is still a boy’s club supporting and condoning sexual assaults and harassment of any kind. 

Once Dr. Ford came forward, we are also seeing others that are taking the brave step and confirming their own horror stories of sexual assault by Kavanaugh. 

Republicans and Conservatives are All Quite Content with a Handmaid’s Tale World 

The election of someone has disgusting as “trump” is another example of the sick support of a sexist. Known for his low view and treatment of women, trump has devoted a lifetime of trying to prove himself to be the man that he thinks he is, making up for what we have heard are his “shortcomings.”

GQcovers this subject in: The Republicans’ War on Women Is a Clear and Present Danger. 

 “American women are having their rights stripped away.” ‘If that seems like hyperbole to you, you aren’t paying attention. Title IX’s application in college sexual-assault cases has been dialed back by Betsy DeVos. The Republicans have repeatedly attempted to defund Planned Parenthood, despite the fact that it provides countless non-abortion medical procedures. They’ve passed a bill in the House that would ban abortion after 20 weeks, despite the fact that the great majority of late-term abortions are performed due to health concerns for the mother, the fetus, or both. And now it’s been reported  that employers can opt out of paying for birth control if the company has a religious or moral objection. All the while, Republicans have been attempting to kill Obamacare one way or another, with all of their attempts sharing one thing in common: Millions of people would lose insurance and premiums would go up tremendously. Oh, and they also are doing nothing to help get paid family leave, fight the wage gap, or make child care more affordable.’” 

The writer continues with: “This administration (and the Republican Party) are making it harder for a woman to be able to go to college with the confidence that their school will put their safety first. Republicans are making it so women can’t afford birth control, which will likely lead to more pregnancies, which they are forcing women to carry to term even when they pose a real threat to the woman’s or fetus’s health (and at great personal expense, what with the lack of access to affordable health care), only to give birth to a child who will also suffer from a lack of health care and will have a mother who can’t get paid family leave, affordable child care, or the same amount of money her male colleague is making.” 

In my article: The GOP is Creating a Handmaid’s Tale America, I include: 

“When you remove the ability for women to control their own health, family and educational choices, you pull the rug out from under them so that they are required to depend on a male figure for survival. They are then chained to a household with a passel of kids that they may not have wanted and we see a return to the exact condition that the conservatives hold near and dear to their hearts.” 

In the world of the conservatives, rape and sexual assault is a punishment that women must endure because they are evil and bad. This bizarre and twisted pseudo-Christian view is passed down from one generation to the next and adopted by both male and female conservatives. They teach their boys that it’s “ok” to assault women, because if they dress or act a certain way, they are “asking for it.” They enable males of any age to treat women badly, using the excuse of their hormones.  

We Won’t Put Up with It ANY MORE 

You would have thought that the conservatives would have been smarter than to try to pull this stunt with Kavanaugh. The #MeToo Movement lit a fire across the nation that was out of control and showed exactly how strong women are. 

It appears that the GOP and white privileged males haven’t figured out that as women, we aren’t going to put up with it anymore. We see through their idiocy and know that we outnumber them. Our power is in out votes as well as our protests, and we will be damned if we are going to sit back and let them shove through a sexual predator for a lifetime government position. 

The Republicans know that they are on a major downslide. Not only have more Democrats signed up and are running for political office than ever before in history, but more female Democrats are running…and winning. 

The era of the dinosaur white sexist male is done. 

(S. Novi is a journalist that worked in the media and continues to seek out truth and integrity. A liberal and one that is suspicious of cults and empty promises. Her posts originate at Medium.com.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.