Feminists don't let feminists target other women

For quite some time, I have consciously resisted writing about Republican rock star Sarah Palin.

I see former Governor Palin as a celebrity riding the public gravy train for all its worth. And bless her heart for making money. I hope she's being taxed on it, I hope she's spending it. So many Americans can't do that right now, we need more six- and seven-figure incomes to pump up our economy.

But now, Ms. Palin has set her sights on keeping women who don't agree with her out of public office. And according to a recent essay by Kasie Hunt, published at Politico.com, she's done it while calling herself a feminist.

With so few women in office, this is not a time to devolve into the same muddy partisan mess that got us here. We need more women in Congress to change the conversation.

You don't have to be a Democrat or a Republican to do that. You just have to be someone is willing to listen and learn, to think in new directions, to reach across the aisle, to have the robust and honest conversations about how to best serve the American people, rather than power or political ideology.

Someone who rolls out a map of the United States with gun sights trained on certain states is probably not in that frame of mind.

Hunt noted that Palin says she feels connected to "gun-totin', pioneer feminism," but nothing about her hard-core conservative political activism resonates with feminist history. Early suffragists came together to better the lives of all women. As the movement progressed, prominent suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton promoted the idea that women should take up activism on other political issues.

Her sister-in-arms Susan B. Anthony disagreed, for a simple reason:

I have maintained my original attitude, believing that for the leaders of the work for woman suffrage to identify themselves with the other issues of the day is to create animosities and alienate supporters of a cause which can achieve victory only through the assistance of all religious bodies and political parties.("Woman's Half-Century of Evolution", North American Review 175 (Dec. 1902): 800-810. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library.)

(If you read this blog regularly, you know that's my favorite SBA quote. Keep reading, you'll see it again.)

As 19th century women chose to unite behind the cause of suffrage, women today must work together to achieve equal representation in government and leadership across all sectors. In the spirit of Susan B. Anthony, I submit the feminist thing to do is to support all women running for office. I know it's a lofty goal in today's divisive political climate.

But at the very least, could we all refrain from drawing targets on the backs of women with whom we disagree?

(If you'd like to support an organization that works to support all women running for office, by teaching them the nuts and bolts of campaigning, take a moment to learn about (and contribute to) The White House Project.)