Barbie Shoes and the "Creep" Factor

Below is my All In Perspective Column from last week.  Shortly after my publisher's deadline, the Wendy Davis controversy re-ignited over Erick Erickson's post at Red State calling Davis "Abortion Barbie."  Erickson pointed out that the media was glamorizing Davis; gushing on and on about her shoes, outfits, hair, etc., while ignoring the fact that she was lobbying to abort babies after five months gestation.  Horrific.  Lefties went beserk, calling Erickson a sexist, but I think these folks have missed a deeper point.  As the outrageous but honest comments of creeps like Ben Sherman demonstrate, abortion reduces women to mere playthings.  Like Barbie, they are just sex objects to be exploited with no strings attached.  What is sexist is pretending that abortion doesn't hurt women, and that women aren't anything more than plastic dolls who can repeatedly abort their babies without a second thought. 

Barbie's shoes look notoriously uncomfortable, but if the Barbie-shoe fits, maybe Davis should wear it.

Original Column:

Gender, Politics, and the "Creep Factor"

As a young, single professional on a business trip in 1996, I overheard a couple of other women discussing that year’s upcoming presidential election.  They expressed disdain for Republican Bob Dole because he “just seemed like an old man,” and, as one of the women explained, “Clinton just looks so cute in his jeans.”  Face, palm.  I can’t say my political views were highly developed in those days, but I was pretty sure I would not choose a candidate based on how he looked in his jeans.
 

Sadly, there are far too many voters who cast a ballot based on the most absurd criteria, and I am especially dismayed by the way some women participate in politics.  Rather than delve into important issues like maybe Constitutional limits for government or effective foreign policy, some women have bought into a false narrative of ‘women’s issues,’ celebrity candidates, and the politics of ‘firsts.’  For example, some think that since we’ve now had our first “black” president, we must elect the first woman to the White House.  Never mind that the likely candidate has a history of unethical and incompetent behavior; Hillary Clinton is apt to be the only woman running, and what difference does it make that a few unimportant Americans died in Benghazi.
 

There are also a disappointing number of women who are willing to buy into false narratives about ‘women’s issues.’  In the recent abortion law debate, we were told that the evil men of Texas were on the verge of outlawing abortion and taking away women’s rights.  Fortunately, quite a few smart women read the proposed legislation and knew the bill mandated safety measures for abortion clinics while allowing elective abortion during the first five full months of pregnancy.    (A compromise bill by definition.)  Despite the facts, certain women took to marching around the capitol wearing decorative tampons and carrying “Hoes before Embryos” signs.  And Susan B. Anthony went to jail for this?

Women who don’t bother to inform themselves on the issues are a problem, but another disturbing trend is the willingness to not only tolerate, but promote men who happen to be creeps.  The sad spectacle of poor Huma Weiner standing by her ‘sexting’ husband so that he can obtain even more power and glory, breaks my heart.  While the Clintons may be in a huff over the comparisons, Hillary pretty much set that standard when she showed co-dependent wives how to keep on putting up with a creep on a national level.  And this empowers women how?

Women on both sides of the aisle have found themselves yoked to creeps, but I much prefer the reactions of Marianne Gingrich and Jenny Sanford.  Instead of playing the part of the abused wife, these gals refused to put up with unacceptable behavior and told their unfaithful men to ‘hit the road, Jack.’   An empowered woman does not put up with nonsense; she might show up to the press conference, but maybe only to smack her wayward husband in the back of the head with a shovel.  Now that would be a great news story.
 

I believe that part of the problem is that women aren’t listening to their instinctual “creep detector.”  As we learn more about allegations that Democrat San Diego mayor Bob Filner has been engaging in sexual harassment for years, women who supported him are publicly admitting that the guy has always been creepy.  It’s too bad these gals continued to support and enable a man like Filner.
 

Of course while Congressman Weiner and Mayor Filner may be in a close race for National Creep of the Year, we have a Texas nominee too.  In a spectacularly revealing article published last month, a writer at the ‘Progressive’ Burnt Orange Report expressed concern that proposed Texas abortion laws might hamper his ability to hook up.  He wrote to his fellow ‘bro-choicers,’ “Your sex life is at stake…don’t be surprised if casual sex outside of relationships becomes far more difficult to come by.”  At least this guy was honest; unrestricted abortion allows him to exploit more women.  ­What a creep.

Unfortunately, women who have bought into the phony mantra of “women’s issues” seem much more likely to put up with these creepy guys.  The truth is that many progressive ideas, like unrestricted abortion and a state-controlled economy, are harmful to women and their respective families.  Truly empowered women really think about the long-term impact of government policy, and will reject the attempts of left-wing exploitation.  Time to kick the creeps and their harmful policies to the curb.