I don’t like the word, “War”. It is a charged word, often a political tool (“war on drugs”, “war on terrorism”). I use it here as some left-wing media has begun to coin it: the slow chipping away of women’s rights. That’s what I would call it, but I suppose it doesn’t have the same ring to it. It’s a loaded issue, and this term calls attention to it. My concerns for growing misogyny in this country made me look back at a blurb I wrote concerning last year’s elections. This was true then, and it’s still relevant now, despite the fact that the “Comeback Team” was not elected.
I usually try to avoid talking about myself too much in this blog and I normally don’t like to turn my personal social media sites (like facebook) into a political arena, but this coming election includes so many issues about which I have inexorable and uncompromising beliefs— especially as a woman. These questions must be asked, these things must be said.
For now I will skip a detailed explanation and record of Romney’s and Ryan’s statements regarding women, but take a look for yourself if you are not familiar with the situation, you can read about it here, here, here, and watch a video about it here.
Why are people as misogynistic as Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney even in discussion to be president? To represent and make decisions for a country whose population is 51% female? They say they care for the country though clearly, they do not have the general population’s best interests in mind (from an economical point of view: apparently Romney “knows how to create jobs”—but google Mitt Romney and his work as the governor of Massachusetts and it will speak for itself; I’d like to point out more inconsistencies and the illegitimate holes R&R are trying to poke into Obama’s fiscal policies but there are other issues at hand…– end sidenote). In 2008, Colin Powell stated on national television that he himself was going to be voting for Obama, not McCain. In this interview he said that the GOP had swung too far to the right. Four years ago. Even disregarding Romney’s poor track record in terms of economic rescue, R&R’s attitude towards women should alarm you. Whether you are a man or a woman.
I am not an idiot with a one-sided agenda. I fully understand that presidential elections and the decision for whom you should cast your vote involves much more than just women’s rights. Just because you vote for any given candidate does not automatically mean you agree with his or her complete platform. However— there are certain heavily-charged issues that carry enough weight such that you cannot separate a candidate’s stance on a given subject from their abilities to be a good president. These are matters of judgment. How can you trust someone who is so backwards in their thinking?
And so the fact of the matter is, if you vote for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, you are not only stripping every woman you know of her rights, but you are also debasing her by doing so. I have seen women stating their support for Mitt Romney. Let me ask, can you call yourself a self-respecting woman if you vote for Romney and Ryan? If you do call yourself one, please tell me how that works. It makes me happy to see that there is now a movement called “Republican Women for Obama.” Yet despite this, I see women I know liking his Facebook page. I pray that it’s only for the sake of irony. Then I wonder whether I should be friends with people openly admit to supporting candidates who have expressed such bigoted ideas as R&R have. They call themselves “The Comeback Team” (there is some dumb wordplay I could use here, but I’ll refrain), as if they’re here to revitalize and bring us into a new dawn. I’ve never heard something so idiotic. When I see their campaign slogan, I have to laugh at the sheer absurdity.
Politics likes to pretend that it’s all about principles and keeping promises (it’s not)—but if that were truly the case, you should not be casting your vote for Mitt Romney, because doing so, by principle, means that you are making a statement on what you believe about women.
I can’t vote; I’m not an American citizen. Please think about what I’ve said, even if you believe that sometimes elections mean only casting a vote for a lesser evil, please vote.
