Psssttt…The SLiP is in! 4.8.22
Hello, friends! Thanks for allowing me to SLiP into your day! Here’s your rundown - now let’s get to it!
Gut Check: The VP We Deserve?
Is it feminism: The right to sunbathe topless?
The Slip Q & A with RSLC Deputy Executive Director Edith Jorge
In your Free Time!
Gut Check: The VP We Deserve?
It was only a matter of time before we here at The SLiP took on the subject of Vice President Kamala Harris. What better time than now - right after Women’s History Month? Harris did, after all, make history by being elected the first female Vice President of the United States. For that, she deserves our admiration. A special asterisk will live forever beside her name in the history books and that is all well and good. But can we be honest for a minute? Like, real honest?
What a disappointment.
For those of us conservative-minded feminists - the ones who believe glass ceilings ought to be shattered by merit and sometimes an actual male CAN be the best man for the job - Vice President Harris is a bitter pill to swallow.
In the 15 or so months since Vice President Harris was sworn in, her greatest achievement seems to be mastering the art of nervous laughter and awkward pauses. Two months into her tenure, President Biden put Harris in charge of the crisis at the southern border. Why? Because, according to him, “she’s the most qualified person to do it.” Really? Qualified in the same way she was qualified to be vice president? Because, in the words of our president (once again), she was a “woman of color”? If so, we have a problem.
A quick - and incomplete - rundown of some of her cringey moments (in no particular order):
When asked by NBC’s Lester Holt why she hadn’t visited the border, Harris responded by pointing out she also hasn’t been to Europe.
On the anniversary of the January 6 riot, Harris compared the event to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.
She nodded along while a student accused Israel of “ethnic genocide”.
She argued against voter ID laws by claiming Americans in rural areas don’t have access to copy machines.
While holding a joint press conference with the Polish President, Harris laughed when asked if the U.S. would accept Ukrainian refugees.
During a sit-down interview with NBC’s Craig Melvin, Harris actually responded to a question about changing COVID strategy with this jaw-dropping answer: “It is time for us to do what we have been doing, and that time is every day. Every day it is time for us to agree that there are things and tools that are available to us to slow this thing down.”
It’s pretty bad, folks. But before we go any further, I feel I must stop here to make one thing clear: this criticism isn’t coming from a place of deep-rooted misogyny, thank you very much. It’s precisely because I CRAVE more powerful women political figures that I’m so disappointed in Vice President Harris’ performance. It’s easy for White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki to dismiss criticism of Harris on gender grounds because it gives her cover for having to confront the real possibility that Harris simply isn’t cut out for this. It’s easy for the hosts of “The View” to blame disappointment in Harris on sexism and racism because it gives THEM a pass from having to admit that picking a woman for women’s sake isn’t the single best criteria for selecting a vice president. There’s a reason that as a presidential candidate, Harris dropped out before the Iowa caucuses.
We have a policy here at The Slip of supporting women of all stripes and persuasions - if not at the ballot box, then at least in the spirit of sisterhood. But with that also comes the promise of holding each other accountable. Your vagina doesn’t give you a pass for failing at some of the most basic requirements of a job THAT YOU ASKED FOR. Nothing Harris has done since becoming Vice President inspires confidence that she could, someday, handle the presidency. And regardless of political party, that is a shame. Women deserve better. Harris needs to do better.
In picking Harris as his Vice President, I fear Joe Biden has done more to harm female advancement than actually help it. Decades from now, will Americans remember Vice President Harris as a fearless politician who clawed her way to the top by virtue of her own merit and shattered glass ceilings along the way? Or will they remember her as a running mate who simply checked a box for a septuagenarian president more concerned with cementing a legacy than running a country? I think we all know the answer.
Is It Feminism?
In February, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ban on topless sunbathing by women in Ocean City, MD. The beach town is a popular destination for tourists and D.C. residents alike, given its proximity to the nation’s capital. The Supreme Court’s decision was, predictably, met with consternation from women’s rights advocates, who argue that a gender-based ban on topless sunbathing is discriminatory and unconstitutional. In appealing to the Supreme Court, the lawyer for the women challenging the ban wrote that it “perpetuates a stereotype ingrained in our society that female breasts are primarily objects of sexual desire whereas male breasts are not.”
So, we’re here to settle the debate: Is the right to go topless at a beach a feminist right worth fighting for? Answer: No.
Sure, men are allowed to go topless. Men don’t have boobs. It is what it is. I find the never-ending crusade to equate the female and male bodies in every situation a confusing one. The same thing that makes it wrong for Lia Thomas to compete against biological females is also why women don’t run around topless at the pool every summer. Acknowledging those biological differences isn’t a throwback to the 1950’s, it’s a tip-of-the-hat to something I like to call reality. Trust me, ladies: we don’t need to show our boobs to prove we’re just as good as men.
The SLiP Q & A with Edith Jorge
This week, I am PSYCHED to bring you a Q&A with another powerhouse female in the Republican political world. Meet Edith Jorge, Deputy Executive Director at the Republican State Leadership Committee. I emailed her out of the blue a couple weeks ago and practically begged her to do a Q&A, and she agreed immediately - which pretty much tells you all you need to know about what kind of person she is. At the RSLC, Edith works behind the scenes to elect Republicans to state legislatures around the country. Their efforts have been pretty freaking successful lately, to say the least.
Thank you so much, Edith!
First, tell us a little about yourself!
With absolutely no rhyme or rhythm, here I go:
Born and raised in Hudson County, NJ! First generation American, fluent in Spanish, and first to graduate from college in my family. Those are probably some of my greatest attributes. I love the outdoors and am wildly competitive. I’m prone to starting a new hobby every other season, but I’m not the best at keeping it around for long. Considered myself a dog-lover for years until I got a cat and I will now openly say it; cats are pretty great. Got married in Italy a couple of years ago without ever having visited the country, and maybe it’s the key to a successful marriage?! Currently reside in Annapolis, Maryland and while the commute to DC every day is a bit gruesome, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What does feminism mean to you, and do you consider yourself a feminist?
Ah, I hate that word because of what it’s become or has been associated with in recent years. If I had to put it into a phrase that makes me comfortable, I’d call it female empowerment and I’m certainly a big fan of that. I never realized the difference that you make or create when you actively push to bring in more women or culturally similar individuals into the workforce until I started working in DC. After leaving NJ and moving around the country working on campaigns, I was regularly one of the only women or only Hispanic staffers on a team. It wasn’t something I necessarily noticed, until I ended up in DC and started working with a group of people that all had similar backgrounds. It then became pretty obvious that there’s a certain comfort and understanding that takes place when you share specific traits (such as gender or upbringing), and the only way to continue creating these beautiful, diverse and successful business environments was by empowering our teams to grow, flourish, and move on to create similar work environments in other companies, institutions, etc. It’s something to this day I remind myself to consider when hiring or coaching a team member.
Are there concrete things the Republican Party could be doing, or should be doing, to encourage more women to run for office?
I truly believe the party has done a great job in the last 10 years of recruiting women to run, and more importantly highlighting their successes once in office. Much like my experience with feminism (above), it has to be a constant reminder when recruiting, training, hiring, etc that they must continue emphasizing the importance of women candidates, their great policies and successes, and the support they receive so that any woman that is even considering getting involved in politics can be encouraged and driven to do so.
What would you say to any woman who’s considering running for political office, but is hesitant to take that leap?
Absolutely do it. Don’t give it a second thought.
I’d then ask her why she’s hesitant and talk through some of the specifics of the situation, but if there were no major flags, my response might always be the same. What would you have to lose? No matter what, you’re walking away with a brand new life experience and a heck of a lot of stories to tell!
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My father always reminded me that every single person I’ve met, worked with, even looked up to uses the bathroom every day. I think it was his way of reminding me that no one person is better than you because at the end of the day, we’re all human, and we all use the bathroom, so don’t let yourself be intimidated or treated differently.
Now, for a few fun ones!
Go-to Starbucks order?
I’m a simple woman, so it’s usually just a coffee with a splash of milk – but, it wouldn’t be a Starbucks if it wasn’t just a TAD complicated, right? I don’t like their house roast (Pikes place). I find it way too strong/dark and almost always on the burnt side, so it’s a blonde roast for me.
Pick 3 people, dead or alive, that you’d love to get lunch with.
Stanley Tucci – because he’s just so freakin’ cool without even trying.
George Washington – because he had to be pretty chill to willingly give up control of an entire army.
Cosimo Medici – mostly so that I could brag to my wife and tell her I had lunch with him.
Dream vacation spot?
Anywhere tropical. I’m a sucker for a beautiful beach, some palm trees, and a fruity cocktail drink.
Free Time
👂 Listen to this episode of the Megyn Kelly Show on the importance of exercise and the science of longevity with Peter Attia!
👀 Read about the national fight over gender identity in City Journal.
🧑🍳 Make these Mini Egg Marshmallow Cookies and save me one (or 12)!
📺 Watch Inventing Anna on Netflix. Yes, I’m late to the party, but wow.
Want More?
Go back and check out the last edition of The SLiP!
Check out the Not Your Average Feminist podcast
Find us on Instagram (and share those reels!)