"No more dynasties"--for women, that is

[BainsBane]

How often have we heard what great progressive heroes the Kennedy's are. JFK, RFK, Teddy Kennedy, and subsequent generations still holding elected office. FDR followed Teddy Roosevelt, and he is hailed as hero. We hear no allegations of dynasty for either family. John Adams and John Quincy Adams, a prominent family at the foundation of our nation. No problem. But dare a woman try to seek elected office after her husband held it, or anyone suggest his daughter might some point in the future run for office, and we suddenly hear calls of "no more dynasties."

Chelsea was raised in a wealthy family. Hillary became rich. That, we are told, makes them unfit to serve. Meanwhile, FDR and JFK, born into far wealthier families, are heralded as icons of progressivism.

I'm here to call bullshit. Attacking women for what causes no comment in men is sexist, pure and simple. Oh, I can't be sexist. I support Liz Warren and Tulsi Gabbard. I don't disparage every woman on the planet. How could I be sexist? Plenty of people like Obama and liked Bill Cosby back in the day but still insist black people are by nature lazy or criminals. Respecting one woman or person of color doesn't mean one is immune to racism or sexism.

When people repeatedly condemn women for what they excuse in men, that's sexism, pure and simple.
And using sexism because you resent one woman--like Hillary Clinton--is no better. It's till sexism.

The whitelash that Toni Morrison wrote about as sweeping Trump to power is not limited to the GOP; nor is the malelash. Millions of women and men see through the bullshit excuses. We know that sexism was no small part of the busters and other third party voters' decisions to put Trump in office rather than vote for our nominee. We noticed that men whose main political focus had been what they insisted was male oppression refused to vote for Clinton in the GE, and we know it was because of gender. The millions who participate in Pantsuit Nation talk about this stuff all the time.

The MRA contingent has largely been banned or moved on to more misogynist pastures (I'm talking about you, Jackholes), but sexism (and racism) continues to play a force in politics across the political spectrum. If it didn't, we would not have a sexual predator in the White House using his position to excuse another sexual predator. And we wouldn't be hearing about how "dynasties" are un-American while hailing the Kennedy's and Roosevelt's as heroes.