United Liberty

I’ve been critical for a while over how groups like the National Organization of Women (NOW) seem to have a double standard when it comes to non-liberal female politicians and pundits.  However, NOW is stepping up and defending the very conservative Michele Bachmann from what it views as a sexist Newsweek cover.  Color me shocked.

From The Daily Caller:

“It’s sexist,” NOW president Terry O’Neill told TheDC. “Casting her in that expression and then adding ‘The Queen of Rage’ I think [it is]. Gloria Steinem has a very simple test: If this were done to a man or would it ever be done to a man – has it ever been done to a man? Surely this has never been done to a man.”

While some have pointed out that Newsweek has used unflattering photos of men such as Rush Limbaugh and John McCain on its cover, O’Neill says that is not the issue.

“Who has ever called a man ‘The King of Rage?’ Basically what Newsweek magazine – and this is important, what Newsweek magazine, not a blog, Newsweek magazine – what they are saying of a woman who is a serious contender for President of the United States of America…They are basically casting her as a nut job,” O’Neill said. “The ‘Queen of Rage’ is something you apply to wrestlers or somebody who is crazy. They didn’t even do this to Howard Dean when he had his famous scream.”

After Bill Maher used a sexist comment to refer to Sarah Palin, the right started hopping around demanding to know where the feminist movement was on this issue.  As the Daily Caller reports, NOW finally said shame on Bill Maher, but also shame on the conservatives:

“Listen, supposedly progressive men (ok, and women, too): Cut the crap! Stop degrading women with whom you disagree and/or don’t like by using female body terms or other gender-associated slurs,” Lisa Bennett, NOW communications director wrote on NOW’s “Say it Sister” blog.

In addition to chastising men (and women) like Maher who use their position as progressives as a shield against charges of sexism, NOW made it clear that their denouncement of Maher’s sexist remark toward Palin is in no way an endorsement of her or conservative policies.

“You’re trying to take up our time getting us to defend your friend Sarah Palin. If you keep us busy defending her, we have less time to defend women’s bodies from the onslaught of reproductive rights attacks and other threats to our freedom, safety, livelihood, etc,” wrote Bennett. “Sorry, but we can’t defend Palin or even Hillary Clinton from every sexist insult hurled at them in the media. That task would be impossible, and it would consume us. You know this would not be a productive way to fight for women’s equal rights, which is why you want us stuck in this morass.”

I’m a guy. However, I was raised by a woman who taught me that women can be beautiful and sexy while still being capable and strong. I was raised to believe that women can accomplish anything and that a person’s plumbing should be irrelevant except for my own personal matters of sexual attraction. I believe that to this day. However, I find it hard to believe that the so-called feminist movement can’t seem to back up their own talk.

In California, The National Organization of Women has endorsed gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown just days after he called opponent Meg Whitman a “whore”. This is an organization that’s supposed to oppose demeaning women, and yet a female candidate is called such a thing and they endorse the very man who said this? What. The. Hell? [Edit: Brown only said he would use the comment when someone else said it initially.  Not a lot better, is it?  Of course I should have done better on the research.  No argument on that.]

Lori Ziganto, who runs the blog Snark & Boobs, writes: