According to Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman on the Republican National Committee (RNC), women aren’t underrepresented in her party, and yet her “proof” of that so-called fact only serves to reinforce that Republicans are far from being pro-woman.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning, McDaniel was asked about a column by Nancy Cohen published in the New York Times that shows Republicans only have 13 women serving in the House and eight in the Senate. Democrats, on the other hand, have 88 women in the House and 17 in the Senate.
Rather than actually respond and promise to do better, McDaniel fell back on a favorite talking point of President Donald Trump whenever he doesn’t like something:
“I think this is fake news. (Rep.) Elise Stefanik (R-NY) had a great response to this. The House has recruited 181 women to run for Congress heading into 2020 — it’s a record.”
However, recruiting someone to run and getting them elected are two very different things.
Then McDaniel began crowing about the strong economy, which she neglected to mention Trump inherited from his predecessor, Barack Obama:
“Why are Republican women lining up to run for Congress? Because we have a message across this country that President Trump’s policies have worked for them. Doubling the child tax credit, federal leave we have seen for workers, over half the new jobs, over 4 million jobs, have gone to women, and record low unemployment.”
But it was what McDaniel said next that drew the biggest laughs on social media:
“While they keep pushing this narrative, they always ignore women that are leading the way in the Republican Party, like a Kellyanne Conway, like Ivanka Trump, like Elaine Chao, Gina Haspel, me being only the second woman ever to chair the RNC, raising record money. So I think that’s a false headline, and women all over this country recognize that President Trump’s policies are working for them.”
Problem with that flawed logic is that Conway, Ivanka, Chao, and Haspel were all appointed, not elected, which means McDaniel is spreading “fake news” of her own.
.@GOPChairwoman tells Fox News that it’s “fake news” that women are doing poorly in the Republican Party — and then cites a number of women who weren’t elected to their positions (like Ivanka Trump and Kellyanne Conway) as counterevidence. Reality: https://t.co/MzpMInf55f pic.twitter.com/aKC1WgbNMh
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) January 2, 2020
Reaction on Twitter was swift and on point:
“[Rhona McDaniel] tells Fox News that it’s ‘fake news’ that women are doing poorly in the Republican Party…” pic.twitter.com/wZmNj4pEn0
— Scott Cromwell (@aLifeOfItsOwn) January 2, 2020
Sadly, @GOPChairwoman is just another lying fool. She appears on a network that won’t question her or push for facts. Ivanka & Kellyanne were not elected. The Republicans added 1 woman to Congress in 2018, but lost others. It’s a men’s club, that’s a fact!
— lauren girard (@laureniscooking) January 2, 2020
Do you want to know why? Our current President is sexist, grabs women by the ***** and the Trump pack falls right into abusing Women’s Rights. #RepublicanWomenfightback against these sexist pigs.
— LMB (@LMarieB1978) January 2, 2020
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