Logically Speaking, the War on Women Must Be a War Without End

I think I've narrowed down the reason for the War on Women -- this whole childbirth thing freaks conservatives right out. Watching the video above, I can't come up with a better explanation. In it, Republican consultant Alex Castellanos denies that women are paid less than men, despite the plain, indisputable fact that they are. As always, Republicans hate math and math hates them right back.

But Castellanos backs up his assertion with creative accounting -- women run off and do crazy things like have babies, so if you count that time off, the pay gap disappears. Therefore, women should take the hit for their frivolous hobby of, you know, perpetuating the human race. You don't see men running off and having babies. Because men are serious and grown up.

This is all about as silly as it gets and it demonstrates how weak the conservative arguments are in defense (and denial) of their War on Women. But consider this argument in relation to the other fronts in the war -- abortion and contraception. In Conservative World, women should be punished by law for avoiding childbirth and punished economically for engaging in it. Republicans are busy reinforcing a no-win situation for women, where both pregnancy at its avoidance have negative -- but in their minds, completely justified -- consequences. We've already established that women who use birth control are sluts. The less said about women who seek abortions the better. And women who get pregnant are bad workers. I guess the logical conclusion to all this is that women are just naturally bad people.

Inconsistency in conservative reasoning is nothing new. But the belief that half the American adult population needs to suffer the consequences for merely existing is another thing entirely. And, like Castellanos, they're all denying this is happening at all. Of the War on Women, John Boehner said, "Give me a break!" and claimed the whole thing was a fiction created by Democrats for "political gain."

John McCain made a floor speech in the Senate last week where he said, "My friends, this supposed 'War on Women' or the use of similarly outlandish rhetoric by partisan operatives has two purposes, and both are purely political in their purpose and effect: The first is to distract citizens from real issues that really matter and the second is to give talking heads something to sputter about when they appear on cable television."

To see women's rights being reversed around the nation and then see these clowns deny it's happening should insult any voter and women especially. Their opinion of you is very, very low. They obviously believe you're brainless. And the people who buy these arguments are.

But the broader implication of all this is that the War on Women will never end because, as a War on Reality, it can never be won. Women will always be both having and not having babies. When they aren't pregnant, they're terrible. When they are, they're terrible. And, if conservatives have their way, they'll forever be paying the price for the inexcusable condition that is female existence.

Wisco