I donโt 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 couldnโt possibly be opposed to women. As one commentator put it, โShe doesnโt 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 canโt claim to speak for blacks; a Hispanic candidate cannot speak for his group, etc etc because groups donโt 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, Landโs 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 โIโm fighting a โwar on womenโ? Really?โ






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