XDA

The right in this country, and right thinking people of any political stripe, are not down on Candidate for Texas Governor Wendy Davis because she is a woman, or because she is a single mom, or because she supports a woman's right to choose to dismember her viable baby in utero (well, some are down on her for that). We're down on her because she lied about herself--lied about essential details of her essential appeal and raison d'être for being in the race to replace Gov. Rick Perry.

The left is rallying to her defense but missing the point. Some play the "men do it all the time" defense from Adam's Rib (still wrong to do) while others blame the criticism on other forms of sexism, such as right wing knuckle-draggers can't stand strong, independent women (yeah, we RWKD really hate us some Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Mia Love, Nikki Haley, Jan Brewer, Susana Martinez, Mary Fallin and Cathy McMorris Rogers, among others) . But let's look at the short bio Ms. Davis first put forward but has since erased.

Like any true Texan, Wendy Davis has taken on her share of tough fights.

Raised by a single mother with a sixth grade education, Wendy began working after school at age 14 to help support her mom and three siblings. By 19, she was on her way to becoming a single mother, working two jobs just to make ends meet.

Knowing that education was the only path to creating a better life for her young daughter, Wendy enrolled at Tarrant County Community College. After two years, she transferred to Texas Christian University. With the help of academic scholarships, student loans, and state and federal grants, Wendy became the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, graduated first in her class, and went on to Harvard Law School.

I won't bother with the little details wrong, but I will point out the major flaw in the narrative: Ms. Davis was not single at the crucial times, and in the end, not much of a mother. And don't start with if a man left his wife no one would bat an eye. A man would not trumpet his leaving his wife as an important biographical feature but would rightly think of it as a failure and a shame. Two prominent Republicans, Gingrich and McCain, received a ton of criticism for abandoning wives, and a lot of it came from fellow Republicans.

What's really bad about the unraveling of the single mother bio is Ms. Davis' reaction to the article that pointed out her lies. She lies again, first generally and the specifically. Her campaign lied too, saying that the reporter was doing his work at the direction of her opponent's campaign. Her campaign said they had proof of that. I'll skip over the common liberal whine of "they're attacking me with the truth" and say that the reporter who first showed the fibs and omissions had nothing to do with the campaign of her opposition, Attorney General Greg Abbott. I'll also skip over the pathetic attempt of Ms. Davis to compare her middle class married and supported "struggle" with the real struggle of Mr. Abbott, paralyzed by a falling tree as he jogged by 30 years ago. Not good on Ms. Davis' part.

I had seen an old picture of her showing a frizzy haired brunette, with not that attractive a face and a modest bosom. Now she's pretty hot and stacked. I was going to ask if plastic surgery to make oneself more attractive to the opposite sex was a modern feminist value and show the before and after photos. I've decided not to do this as it's not a very nice thing to do, it's not a very important issue in this story (although the irony of the successful physical makeover versus the failed makeover of the bio is kinda sweet) and I can't find that old photo on the web anymore.

(h/t John Hinderaker)

Labels: Wendy Davis; Fake Feminist Hero