Indeed, Rachael . Conspicuous silence on the part of us confused feminists after today’s election results, which look like a sweep for women. In some corners, outright pouting. In others, moronic defiance. “I’m all for sisterhood (or whatever) but not if it includes women like these,” wrote another Jezebel commenter. Really? Then who should be the next president? Courtney Love?
So what’s the reasonable reaction? For one thing, it’s unfair of you to credit this string of victories to “strong female candidates” for the GOP, thus making the rest of us look more churlish than we actually are. Sharron Angle of Nevada opposes Social Security and fluoridation . Even you might prefer Harry Reid in that case. Nikki Haley is just too confusing to process-a pro-life, anti-immigration, light-skinned Indian who did or didn’t have two affairs. There were many things to admire about Carly Fiorina before she started loving on Sarah Palin and putting on an apron to please her Tea Party fans . And Meg Whitman actively deflects any inspirational feeling by talking like a motivational drone.
Does this mean we shouldn’t clap, even tepidly, for any of them? Of course not. But you need to give us time. The forward march of progress was really not supposed to happen this way. We were waiting for someone different, better, fresher. Someone more on our team.
Photograph of Sharron Angle by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
