Townhall News Editor Katie Pavlich’s new book “Assault and Flattery: The Truth About the Left and Their War on Women,” is already rising through the ranks on the Amazon bestseller list (get your copy now!) I asked my colleague a few questions about her research process for her latest project and how it’s actually Democrats, not Republicans, who are hurting women with their baseless rhetoric and backward policies.
1. Is there a “war on women?” If so, who’s waging it?
There certainly is a war on women and it’s being waged by the left, and I’m not talking about contraception or abortion. For decades far left policies have made women more dependent on government rather than independent and empowered, ultimately limiting economic opportunity. Liberals have a bad habit of accusing their opponents of what they are actually doing and the war on women is no exception.
2. How did you choose the title?
The definition of flattering is “excessive and insincere praise, especially that given to further one's own interests.” That’s the Democratic Party’s approach to women every campaign cycle. It’s the perfect word to describe their tactics. They offer up compliments and promises that are only broken as soon as the polling booths close. I chose assault in reference to the many literal assaults from liberal men against women. Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton are just two of them, there are many of them detailed in my book.
3. Democrats claim Republicans are waging a war on women, but isn’t this hypocritical considering how poorly Democrats treat Republican women?
It’s extraordinarily hypocritical, which is a big part of why I wrote the book. Democrats claim to support all women, but in reality they crucify, vilify and destroy women who dare offer a different point of view. Democrats want women to fall in line and when they don’t, there’s no sign of chivalry or basic respect.
4. You bravely attended the NOW convention last year while doing research for Assault and Flattery. Was anything revealed about the liberal feminist movement that you didn’t know before? Can you share a few of the most egregious things you heard?
When I attended the NOW conference in Chicago I was shocked not by what the women were saying, but by the materials I found for sale and being promoted at the conference. They were selling Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, Education for Socialists and a whole slew of other Marx based material. It was eye opening and gave me a substantial amount of research, information and new insights for the book.
5. What is the irony of referring to President Barack Obama as the most pro-woman president in history?
If Barack Obama is the most pro-woman president in history, then why does he seek to make women completely dependent on the government? Obama propagated one of the left’s most damaging and egregious offenses against women by promoting the false idea that reliance on government is empowering. He repeatedly lied to women about bogus contraception bans in order to get reelected.
6. Is Hobby Lobby v. Burwell an ideal example of the Democrats’ trying to control and define the “women’s rights” debate?
Absolutely, but they’re doing it dishonestly which isn’t surprising. The so-called “women’s rights” advocates who are trying to destroy Hobby Lobby are interested in one thing and that’s government control. Before Obamacare and before the Supreme Court ruled on Hobby Lobby v. Burwell, Hobby Lobby offered its employees 16 different forms of contraception and will continue to do so after the ruling. Listening to the women of NOW you’d think contraception is banned forever and that bosses are taking it away from women in boardrooms everywhere. They aren’t and never will.
7. What is the most empowering message for women in regards to self-defense? How does the Democratic Party get this message wrong?
Before women had the right to vote, they had the right to own a firearm. There is nothing that puts men and women on an equal playing field like the ability for women to defend themselves with a firearm. It’s an atrocity that Democrats continue to push for more gun control laws that only put women into more vulnerable, more dependent and more dangerous situations against violent attackers by limiting their Second Amendment rights and options for self-defense.
8. How can Republicans debunk the misconceptions that they’re harming “women’s rights” and convince women they belong to the wrong political party?
Republicans have lost on this issue because they’ve failed to address the issue quickly and forcefully. When Hillary Clinton goes on television to claim bosses can take away contraception, it’s the job of Republicans to call her a liar and to set the record straight. It’s also important for Republicans to remind women of who fought for their right to vote and who fought against it. Republicans were supporters of the women’s suffrage movement. Democrats were not.
9. Why is it important that men read this book as well?
Although this is a book about women, it’s a book for women, men, dads, husbands, brothers and boyfriends. If you really believe women should be independent, including independent of government, this book serves as a tool to help influence, debate and set the record straight about the Democratic Party.
10. What do you hope to accomplish with this book?
There are a number of things I hope to accomplish with the book on a range of different topics that are outlined in my chapters. The bottom line is, Democrats have controlled the debate on this issue for far too long. My goal with this book is to expose liberal lies in hopes women will realize that Democrats may tell them they have their best interests at heart, but in the end they’re just skilled in flattery.