I donโ€™t know much about Terry Lynn Land. She may be a great candidate. But this commercial, which is getting some praise, strikes me as completely wrong! She encourages us to believe that a woman candidate couldnโ€™t possibly be opposed to women. As one commentator put it, โ€œShe doesnโ€™t have to answer it because she IS the answer.โ€

This is the essence of identity politics and most of us on the right adamantly reject it. A black candidate canโ€™t claim to speak for blacks; a Hispanic candidate cannot speak for his group, etc etc because groups donโ€™t have interests, only individuals do. And because groups are not monoliths.

I can easily imagine a woman candidate whose policies and beliefs would do harm to women โ€” an Islamist, for example, or stay with me here, a believer in preferences (which have the effect of harming their intended beneficiaries).

Anyway, Landโ€™s commercial should have listed some of the things she believes women want and need โ€” like good jobs, public safety, less bureaucracy, better schools, a replacement for Obamacare โ€“ and then looked into the camera for her tagline โ€œIโ€™m fighting a โ€˜war on womenโ€™? Really?โ€