Pirate's Cove

Obviously, the article is meant to portray the Republican Party as a Patriarchy, with women as second class citizens. But, really, how many women would want to run after the way the Democrats and liberal media treated, and treat, them? O’Donnell, Fiorino, Whitman, Angle, and McMahon are just a few of the GOP female candidates treated like “sluts and nuts.” Interesting how 4 of the 5 lost to Democrat men (not to mention some others, such as Ruth McClung). You’d think liberals would practice what they preach. Alas, no. Anyhow

You could look at Rep. Michele Bachmann’s long-shot leadership bid as the first real test of the Tea Party versus the GOP establishment.

Or you could look at it another way: It’s Bachmann versus John Boehner’s boys – an early test of how newly empowered Republicans deal with a huge gender gap in leadership positions and chairmanships.

But while Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), has the inside track on the Republican Conference chairmanship, Bachmann’s bid illustrates a long running problem for the House GOP – despite electoral gains in the lower ranks, women have had virtually no success penetrating the inner circle of the Republican congressional hierarchy.

There are already signs that Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner (R-Ohio) is trying to do something – on Monday the GOP created a special freshman leadership position, and the insiders pick for that job is rising star Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

Oh, so he is trying to do something? Hmmph. Let’s all remember the way the Condolezza Rice, first female ever to serve as National Security Advisor, was treated. And the Democrats who voted against her being Sec. Of State.

But the gender numbers are still startling: There are 56 female Democrats in the current Congress and there will be 51 in the new House. There are just 17 Republican women in the House, with at least seven joining the new majority – only about 10 percent of the Republican Conference. There will be one female GOP House chairman in the new Congress, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and one woman in the leadership ranks – Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who will keep the no. 5 slot as vice chairman. In the Senate the record isn’t much better-Lisa Murkowski, the only woman in Senate Republican leadership, was ousted from the hierarchy last month.

This appears to be just another in a long line of slurs against the GOP, a way of the media diminishing the Party. Perhaps they should look at their own record on treating female Republicans, such as Sarah Palin. Who, BTW, has destroyed a Wall Street Journal writer.