For all the wrangling I’ve done over the new health care reform legislation, perhaps there is a silver lining in this dark heady cloud. Perhaps the exorbitant taxes that are coming our way and the inevitable government failure that will soon follow are worth the price of admission to watch feminism stab itself in the heart and die a slow gurgling death.
That was my grand vision as I read Taylor Marsh’s article at Huffington Post titled “There is No Women’s Movement”. Marsh does a lot of crying about the Stupak compromise and the failure of Nancy Pelosi, the pro-choice Congressional caucus, and feminist organizations like NOW and NARAL to fight for women’s “right” to have an abortion – even if they can’t afford it (her shrillness, not mine).
Perhaps this socialistic reform marked the last great hurrah of the liberal progressive movement – the big tent which houses feminism. Perhaps this progressive victory was like the scene in Gladiator where Russell Crow’s character defeats Caesar but crumbles from the hard road (and back-stabbing) that he endured along the way. This is my hope for feminism.
The Democratic party has always been a fractured party that was only able to solidify its various attitudes and ideals under a greater goal of “Hope & Change”. The health care bill has served to “reverse triangulate” the feminist bloc thereby alienating them and forcing to shop elsewhere for their political power. I’m fine with this given the long odds of their gaining any traction. Marsh writes what I hope will rally many feminists:
“Honestly, you expect this ineptitude on women’s behalf from Republicans, but it’s been a sharp stab of betrayal to see it done by Democrats who hold both houses of Congress and the presidency, while “women’s groups” fumble around for an excuse to cover their flatfooted surprise and incompetence…
Women in America no longer have any political party willing to stand up for our full freedoms. No politicians willing to fight our fights.”
So I encourage feminists to take their solid 3% voting bloc with them and either vote for grassroots fopulists (feminist populists) or radically leftist Democratic candidates. This will pave the way for either more moderate Democratic voices or Republican ones – both of which will at least not support whatever tripe you, feminists, support.
