In the context of this election, nothing is truly sacred. We don’t even bother bleeping out the words anymore I mean, why bother? Bitch, Pussy, N****r? They’ve all been used during the course of this election either by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump himself, or by those close to him.
Not to be outdone, Texas Republican Party leaders this week added to the 2016 election lexicon of shame, a word that is generally reserved only for the harshest moments. A word that has no place in political discourse.
You know, that bad word.
Hacked Off
On Tuesday, an unnamed person using state Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s Twitter account used the word to describe Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
After initially claiming that he was the victim of a hack, Miller eventually admitted that the tweet originated with a member of his staff. According to the Texas Tribune, he had instructed them to send out a pro-trump tweet saying:
“Why don’t y’all just do some retweets?
He added:
“They didn’t notice it had a derogatory term in it and they tweeted it out.”
Of course they didn’t. It’s such an inconspicuous word; it’s so easy to miss.
It took a full 15 minutes to realize what they had done and take the tweet down but the damage had already been done.
Texas Governor Greg Abbot took time out of his busy day job of trying to deny same-sex couples their constitutional rights to condemn the message, claiming that:
“No true Texas gentleman would ever talk this way.”
Republicans Revolted
For some, it was all too little, too late; the Texas Republican party had been skating on thin ice for some time and the excuses were beginning to wear as thin as the hair upon Trump’s head.
Jennifer Waisath Harris, an Austin-based public relations consultant and life long Republican was genuinely shocked:
“When I heard about the tweet, I was stunned … I have not been surprised with some of the words that came of the commissioner’s mouth … but it’s one of those words you just don’t utter.”
Former Texas Railroad Commission chairwoman Elizabeth Ames Coleman was in complete agreement. Writing to the Texas Tribune told them that she couldn’t:
“…Believe he even employs anybody who would post such a thing if he didn’t do it himself.”
She added:
“Is everybody just so desensitized by the barrage of gutter-level talk that they don’t recognize it anymore? How embarrassing to have any Texas elected official perpetuate this kind of discourse.”
Breaking Sad
Coleman has a point. It doesn’t matter that they took the tweet down when they realized the gravitas of the situation.
What matters is that this how they think.
To them, their opponent is a bitch. She is a nasty women and yes, despite it being the worst insult that exists in the English language, the ‘c’ word is exactly what the think of her. It’s what they call her when they snicker at one another behind closed doors.
Some of them hate her so rabidly, that they want to see her executed. No blow is too low, no tactic too dirty; the mantra is always win, win, win, at any cost. To them, this is not an election, it’s a war. A war of culture. A war they are losing.
And so, in their desperation, they create this new normal. When a political candidate uses words like bitch or c**t to describe female politicians, there is a hidden meaning. There is a subtext, and a vile, misogynistic, violent one at that.
Successful woman? Must be a bitch, right? A nasty woman? Sure.
But we all know what crosses their mind the second they think they have been overheard.
Room With A View
Because what is locker room banter to them is anathema to the rest of us. My mother would turn in her grave if she heard me refer to a woman using such a word. I’m guessing that theirs would too.
To many, Hillary Clinton is the opposition; a political rival who represents views they simply do not share. That’s OK; disagreement is the basis of all political discourse after all. You don’t have to like her.
But you do have to show her a little respect. Because there’s more to being a Texas ‘gentlemen’ than paying lip service to ideals when, and only when the locker room bullshit gets out into the open.
It’s one of those 24/7 things.
Watch this report for more information about Sid Miller, the tweet that got him into hot water, and his lame denials:
Watch the man who brought sexism to the surface – Donald Trump – and how he normalizes abusive language towards women:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
