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.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

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

Thank you for reading The Nation!

We hope you enjoyed the story you just read, just one of the many incisive, deeply-reported articles we publish daily. Now more than ever, we need fearless journalism that shifts the needle on important issues, uncovers malfeasance and corruption, and uplifts voices and perspectives that often go unheard in mainstream media.

Throughout this critical election year and a time of media austerity and renewed campus activism and rising labor organizing, independent journalism that gets to the heart of the matter is more critical than ever before. Donate right now and help us hold the powerful accountable, shine a light on issues that would otherwise be swept under the rug, and build a more just and equitable future.

For nearly 160 years, The Nation has stood for truth, justice, and moral clarity. As a reader-supported publication, we are not beholden to the whims of advertisers or a corporate owner. But it does take financial resources to report on stories that may take weeks or months to properly investigate, thoroughly edit and fact-check articles, and get our stories into the hands of readers.

Donate today and stand with us for a better future. Thank you for being a supporter of independent journalism.

Thank you for your generosity.

Ad Policy
x