Talking Tea Party Feminism on the ‘Brian Lehrer Show’

Talking Tea Party Feminism on the ‘Brian Lehrer Show’

Talking Tea Party Feminism on the ‘Brian Lehrer Show’

Betsy Reed and Rebecca Traister talk about the rise of conservative women in the 2010 elections.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

This election season, Republican women have been thrust into the spotlight at a time when there’s still remarkably few women in congress to begin with. On yesterday’s Brian Lehrer Show at WNYC, Nation executive editor and co-editor of Going Rouge: Sarah Palin—An American Nightmare Betsy Reed and Salon senior writer and author of Big Girls Don’t Cry: The Election That Changed Everything for American Women Rebecca Traister argue that the GOP is masking their track record of anti-woman policies by promoting celebrity women candidates.

While Republicans are recognizing the benefits of appropriating feminist rhetoric, Democrats are shying away from over-feminizing themselves, and are leaving a lot of crucial voters feeling alienated, argues Rebecca Traister, author of the Nation article "Democrats: Remember the Ladies!"

"Non-college educated women are the swing voters in this election, and they don’t feel like people in Washington care about their lives," says Betsy Reed, whose recent "Sex and the GOP" examines the appeal of conservative female candidates to male voters.

Reed and Traister also talk with a caller who considers herself a feminist, but feels like the Tea Party speaks to her interests.

Braden Goyette

Time is running out to have your gift matched 

In this time of unrelenting, often unprecedented cruelty and lawlessness, I’m grateful for Nation readers like you. 

So many of you have taken to the streets, organized in your neighborhood and with your union, and showed up at the ballot box to vote for progressive candidates. You’re proving that it is possible—to paraphrase the legendary Patti Smith—to redeem the work of the fools running our government.

And as we head into 2026, I promise that The Nation will fight like never before for justice, humanity, and dignity in these United States. 

At a time when most news organizations are either cutting budgets or cozying up to Trump by bringing in right-wing propagandists, The Nation’s writers, editors, copy editors, fact-checkers, and illustrators confront head-on the administration’s deadly abuses of power, blatant corruption, and deconstruction of both government and civil society. 

We couldn’t do this crucial work without you.

Through the end of the year, a generous donor is matching all donations to The Nation’s independent journalism up to $75,000. But the end of the year is now only days away. 

Time is running out to have your gift doubled. Don’t wait—donate now to ensure that our newsroom has the full $150,000 to start the new year. 

Another world really is possible. Together, we can and will win it!

Love and Solidarity,

John Nichols 

Executive Editor, The Nation

Ad Policy
x