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WINDOW DRESSING
We
just can't help but notice because the administration and its media talking-head
- messengers keep bringing it to our attention there are women in the Cheney/
Bush Cabinet! Lots
of them! "See," they tell us, "this means that the Republicans
are really for treating women equally." Does it, really?
Mary Lynn F. Jones of the Chicago Tribune writes: "Women's groups said Bush's effort to name women to his administration is necessary because of his poor showing among women voters last fall. Despite a strong effort to close the gender gap that traditionally has plagued Republican presidential candidates, the gap increased to its widest level yet in the November election vote tallies."
Well we agree that these appointments are just to make time with women voters. This administration is treating women equal in the way most women are treated: as window dressing. Women fought for equal education rights and some of us got them. Women fought for better jobs to get more experience and some of us got them. Women fought for equal pay and a few women actually get paid comparable to what men receive.
Now some of us are well educated and experienced and doing very well in responsible positions near to or at the top, but many of us are still in the low paying service industries. It certainly is a bummer for all of us to see how these smart, experienced, capable women in Cabinet positions are treated.
Last week, Chris Matthews of HardBall gave us a real treat. He took a vacation. For a few days Kathleen Matthews, news anchor for WJLA, the ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C. took over. What a pleasant surprise his wife was. Guests were treated with respect and actually allowed to complete sentences.
When Chris has Patricia Ireland [NOW] on as a guest on HardBall, it is usually with a panel who laughs at her and interrupts her when she speaks. Kathleen put Pat Ireland on a panel with Leslie Jane Seymour, Editor-in-Chief of Redbook. Not only did we hear answers in complete sentences, we saw women respectfully listening to what the other said. We heard some good strong woman-speak and it was refreshing.
Seymour gave a succinct overview, from information obtained by polls undertaken by her magazine, of how most women view the present administration in light of what women are looking for from their government. She was emphatic in stating that the appointment of these women in the cabinet was window dressing.
GenderGappers has mentioned in previous articles how Cheney has taken over the powerful positions that should go to the National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice.
[You can now go to: http://www.gendergappers.org and search for topics and specific names on the 'gappers' own search engine which will lead you to the specific article(s) you're looking for.]
More recently, we wrote about how the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Christie Whitman, was miss-used. Now she is going around to various talk shows to apologize for telling the truth about CO2 emissions and parroting the administration's spin.
In light of the current agricultural problems regarding mad cow and hoof and mouth diseases, it would seem to us that we should be hearing from the Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman. We are not.
In light of the current labor problems that have surfaced in the airline industry, it would seem to us that we should be hearing from Elaine Chao, labor secretary. We are not.
Instead, the White House press secretary is reading the administration's spin on both of these situations. Recently, Secretary of State, Colin Powell, one of the boys, made the mother of all boo boos (he called Jerusalem the Israeli capital) and the White House just pretended it didn't happen. You know how it works. Just like Dubya's past youthful indiscretions it was slipped under the rug.
Meanwhile, Dubya is traveling around the country to let people know who he is by speaking of himself in the third person. He seems to think he must tell everyone who the president is, or maybe he's trying to convince himself.
The New York Times observes:
"Finally, we have a president who knows how to run the government like a business - presuming the business is Pets.com Dick Cheney sat George W. Bush down this week and explained that even though Mr. Bush had promised to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, he didn't really mean it. "
Cabinet women and Dubya = window dressing.
2001-014
Copyright
2001 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished
for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that
this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: twanda@gendergappers.org.
G e n d e r G a p p e r s T M
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