Rep. Blackburn Excuses Lack of Women in GOP Leadership - Dems Have More Career Politicians
Rather than admitting that Republican's policies just aren't that attractive to most women, and that maybe they should take a look at those policies if they ever intend to change that dynamic, Rep. Marsha Blackburn twisted herself in knots and came up with some pretty ridiculous excuses for the lack of women in GOP leadership roles.
After being asked about the backlash to House Speaker John Boehner putting 19 white men in charge of their committees before finally appointing Rep. Candice Miller to lead the House Administration Committee, Blackburn did her best to try to put a positive spin on the situation.
JANSING: Well, there is a perception out there that there's not an opportunity for them to move ahead. When I talk to women who try to recruit other women to fun for Congress, to run for higher positions, one of their concerns is that they won't really have a significant place at the table.
BLACKBURN: Well, I think that that's always a concern. But you know, one of the things that I have found is that, number one, you don’t have to be entitled in order to lead, and that is something that we see happening. Women jump in and take the leadership role and they get in there and it’s kind of the lead from behind and move to the front. They take the responsibility. They perform beyond expectations and by doing that they have the ability to change the debate.
My goodness, look at what has happened in the tea party movement. Every time I go to a tea party rally, I'm amazed. The crowd is primarily female. The organizers are female, and I think that that bodes well for participation, grass roots participation and policy making participation.
When asked about the fact that women organizers or participants at the grass roots doesn't change the fact that their numbers in leadership positions on the Congress are still sorely lacking when compared to their Democratic counterparts, Blackburn responded by saying that Democrats have more women in their ranks and who have served for longer lengths of time. She also came up with this doozy.
BLACKBURN: They have women that have had more of a career in the political process. Those of us who are conservatives, we kind of have a circuitous route in our lives. Politics is not something that is a lifelong job for us. We have careers in the private sector. Look at the women that are in the House. You know we've been marketers and nurses and we've been teachers and we're education specialists. And we bring all of that expertise to bear in the public sector.
Yeah, they have careers, unlike those Democratic women who are all just lifelong politicians. And what is it with Blackburn suddenly loving the idea of "leading from behind?" I thought that was what that Socialist, Marxist, Kenyan usurper, evil, Democratic President did.
