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The Misogynist Threshold

A misogynist is, quite simply, one who hates women.

A person known to be a misogynist cannot be elected to high office in California. Women are a powerful political force here.

But at what point does a public figure cross the misogynist threshold?

Hold on to your seats folks - we are about to find out.

Rather that ask "is Arnold a misogynist?" I'd like to ask "has the threshold moved?" I am a man and can't speak for what it is like to be a woman and judge who is and is not a misogynist. I can fathom guesses, but I won't. As a political observer, I can speculate on "has the threshold moved?" The entire context of the Lewinsky scandal, with the Paula Jones and Kathleen Wiley situations applied, seemed to provide a test of that threshold.

Through that lens, one can judge this voting block called "women" (which does not include all women) is very shrewd. Extremely shrewd.

Bill Clinton was judged to not be a misogynist. Women ended up supporting him. Many observers thought that feminists would leave him when his workplace behavior seemed to contradict standards of appropriateness. They were wrong. Why? Because women's groups largely put distaste behind them to make politically pragmatic decisions - support the guy who supports our issues even if he is a creep. "Sex and Lies" was a way to compartmentalize the issue and place pragmatism before passions.

CNN political analyst Bill Schneider sets up what he thinks is a clever juxtaposition in his weekly "play of the week" today. He rightly observes that women switched from Bustamente to Arnold since their debate, and that is a big reason for Schwartzenegger's gains. But he wrongly assumes that they may be inclined to move back.

Has the misogynist threshold moved? I doubt it. To the extent that they move as a group women will do so in their interests. They will back the one who can win who is committed to their issues. Committed. Not tepid. Committed. That was Bustamente. It is now Schwartzenegger.

He staked out the center of the field early. Bustamante went left. McClintock went right. Arianna went in circles. The rest just went away. For being a centrist, Schwartzenegger has taken big flank shots from social conservatives. it would have been easy for him to have a "change of heart" as Gov. Ronald Reagan did after signing California's liberal abortion bill into law.

So what choice does this group have? Right now, the group's leading voices are screaming for a miracle. But with the "yes" on recall numbers still climbing will women risk a loss on stopping that momentum?

For the threshold to move in the form of women leaving Schwartzenneger, it would have to be in the direction of a higher standard - one that Clinton may not have survived. It would entail them going back to Bustamente, who is now viewed (as signaled by the Davis camp's witch to a "Gray vs. Arnold" strategy) as a loser. They would choose to lose their power on the basis of principle.

By past events, an unlikely outcome.


Adam Sullivan, 19:00 | 0 comments