To the Republican Candidates, From an 18-Year-Old Woman

[ismnotwasm]

Dear Senator Cruz,I'm so impressed by your plans to spend your first day in office effectively undoing what our nation's leaders have been working to get done. That sounds like a great idea. Backtracking is the ultimate goal. (Insert eye roll here.)

Dear Dr. Carson,
Per your remark about "fighting for our children and the next generation," I just want to say, as a member of this generation that you claiming to be fighting on behalf of -- these aren't the fights I wish you'd fight (but it's a noble way to frame your self-serving agenda).

Dear Mr. Trump,
It would be cool if you stopped capitalizing on your privilege as a wealthy white male.
I know you enjoy being the farce of the party. But if we don't have time for political correctness, as you say (a weak excuse in response to accusations of your absurd misogyny, to be quite frank), then we definitely don't have time for someone like you to be taking up space in a political debate. (Side note: what do you mean we don't have time? There are still months before the primaries start!)

Dear Senator Rubio,
YOU WERE SO CLOSE! You could have taken one step in the right direction if you'd admitted that you supported exceptions to your pro-life stance in the case of rape or incest. You blew it, my friend.

Dear Governor Walker,
Thanks for your input that the life of an unborn baby is more important than that of its living mother. The ultimate empowering statement to the approximately 51 percent of America that is female.

To all the candidates:
Thanks, you 10 men, for sharing your opinions on whether a woman should have control over her own body. In the future, please keep them to yourself.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carly-steyer/to-the-republican-candidates-from-an-18-year-old-woman-_b_7957370.html

[malthaussen]

1. Good. Now, will she act with her peers to make sure they aren't elected?

If the rising generation bothered to vote in accord with their interests, then we would have nothing to fear from the GOP for years.

-- Mal

[1monster]

2. She made to effort to write that. I'd say she is engaged. And by publishing her

letter, she has done more than most will to make sure they are not elected.

Why cast doubts on her commitment when she is already acting?

[brer cat]

3. +1

[malthaussen]

9. It's not a personal remark.

It's an observation that the vote needs to be gotten out. I have no doubts of her personal committment or sincerity, why should I? I don't even know her.

-- Mal

[brer cat]

4. I have faith that this generation

is going to do us proud. Glad to K&R

[daleanime]

5. K&R....

[CrispyQ]

6. I know smart republican women who express concern over the statements some of the GOP have made

regarding women, rape, reproductive choices & they still vote repub.

Hopefully the younger women are not so set in their ways. I don't know what else it could be that these women vote repub - just that they always have. ???

[YoungDemCA]

11. In my experience, the women who vote Republican...

tend to be older, married, highly religious (read: conservative Christian - especially "born-again" evangelical Protestants, conservative Catholics, and Mormons), and - and this is almost universal among both men and women who vote Republican - white.

They very often either grew up in an especially right-wing, patriarchal and culturally homogeneous environment, where in a household, the man was expected to be the breadwinner and the woman was expected to be the homemaker. Additionally, they typically aren't as well-educated or (for lack of a better word) "worldly" as liberal women. I have an aunt who never went to college (but went to beauty school! ), whose parents were right-wing Republican activists in Southern California and took her to Republican rallies when she was young. Fast-forward to adulthood, and my aunt married my uncle (who is also a Republican, albeit of the country-club/business variety); my uncle later became a top executive and partner in his company and when he helped sell his company...well, let's just say they are doing very well now. That's kind of an extreme example, but you get the idea.

So to sum up: A lot of it is internalized sexism and privilege in areas other than gender (race, class, etc.), IMHO. Add in religious fundamentalism to the mix, and you have yourself a lot of of very right-wing women.

[Hayduke Bomgarte]

7. will she act with her peers to make sure they aren't elected?

Excellent question, and I'm terrified of what the answer may be. Here's why:

During the run-up to this last midterm election, my 29 year old daughter and, according to her, all her friends were outraged by the attacks by the rw on womens choices and rights. The equal pay. The healthcare issues. And with her being a fairly recent college grad and owing a ton in student loans, as do many of her friends, that issue was near the top of importance to her/them. Then the warmongering MIC issues, the racism and irrational phobias and fears. They were aware and seemed sufficiently informed as to who was doing what, to who, and for what gains at what costs.

Despite all the anger and outrage, when election tuesday rolled around, she and, again according to her, her friends also, could not be bothered to take 15 minutes from their day to go vote against the people and policies they all recognized as being so oppressive to them. She believes the system is rigged against her, that her vote really doesn't count. That no change is likely and expectations or hopes, otherwise are futile.

Go figure, huh?

[CrispyQ]

10. Ouch. That was some sad reading.

However, I also have close friends whose adult children don't vote, to their dismay.

She's right that the system is fixed, even so, if every eligible voter showed up to vote, it would make a difference. They can't steal a landslide.

[SCVDem]

8. Don't stop there!

You're on a roll!

[DesertRat]

12. Awesome! k&r