My dad, a brilliant albeit somewhat eccentric, cantankerous man, had several bon mots. My favorite is You women are all alike. You think with your glands. Not too long ago, Iowa Republican Senate candidate Mark Jacobs outdid that comment.
In an interview with Iowa's WHO-TV in Des Moines on Sunday, December 8th, 2013, Mr. Jacobs stated that the best way to connect with women is on an emotional level.Jacobs' comments came shortly after it was reported that the National Republican Congressional Committee met with aides of incumbent lawmakers to coach them on messaging against women opponents, according to Politico.
My dad was highly educated, a lifelong Democrat, and, like every male on either side of our family, a union member. Despite his wry reaction to having to live in a household otherwise populated entirely by females (my mom, sister, me, and two cats), he would have been aghast at Jacobs’ remark. Dad regularly supported his female colleagues on the teaching staff of our school district. He campaigned and voted for Shirley Chisholm. He supported and campaigned for women in his and other local unions. He once threatened a neighbor with, shall we say, serious bodily harm, because the dude was rude to my mom.
It’s a good thing for Mr. Jacobs that the Munch, as I
called him (short for Munchkin – he was 5 feet 4), is no longer with us. If he were, he’d be working, as we all
should, to defeat not only such candidates but such attitudes.
