Naomi Wolf is fixing to turn in her feminist credentials

This load of crap she dumped on the unsuspecting public is just appalling. It's all about Teresa Heinz Kerry needs to suck it up and turn into the adoring housewife if she wants her husband to win.

Wolf obviously doesn't remember the cookie fiasco of 1992. You know--where the Democrats, desperate not to scare off anti-feminist voters made poor Hillary Clinton submit a cookie recipe in a blatant attempt to "soften" her image up? A hard lesson should have been learned from that. Yes, there are a lot of people who romanticize housewives, and that means that they sincerely believe that women really are happier baking cookies in pearls, thinking only next how to make their husbands and children happier. Someone who fakes it badly, like Hillary Clinton, not only comes across as a phony but also threatens to destroy the romantic image. And now those people who they were trying to appeal to hate Hillary Clinton with a focused rage that's really astounding.

And that's why Teresa Heinz Kerry isn't being reined in, because they are hoping that her honesty appeals to people. And while I don't doubt there were a lot of conservative housewives who are appalled by her, it's important to realize that there's also women like me who started liking John Kerry way more after realizing that he managed to get such a spitfire to marry him. Believe it or not, there are some of us who don't think that a real man is defined by how well his wife is cowed.

If nothing else, this quote is beyond irritating:

Contrary to RNC spin about “earth tones” and “alpha males,” I was actually an adviser on women’s issues for the Gore campaign. But any cultural critic can tell you that a presidential campaign involves powerful gender archetypes, and presidents are archetypes of male potency.

RNC spin it may have been, but quit throwing yourself a pity party, Wolf. You were made an adviser on women's issues and decided that instead of telling Gore to talk about women's issues, that he needed to pretend he was some alpha male stereotype. It's insulting to women to be treated that way. Look, it's not women really that are all that impressed with the cowboy crap that Bush does--if they were, they would have voted for him when he was working the cowboy crap way harder in the 2000 election. The alpha male imagery is aimed straight at men who like to feel like they identify with it.

Anyway, all this hand-wringing about losing the women's vote for the Democrats is way premature. I agree that Kerry could win it in a walk if he started addressing women directly on issues that they find important, but there's no way to know that he's not going to do that. Bush is polling high with women now but only because they are going into the 'burbs and telling women that if they don't vote for Bush the Muslims will kill their children. This strategy could very well blow up in their faces any day now.

And Naomi? Um, just because you're a sneakers-wearing suburban mom doesn't mean all women are.

Thanks, Avedon Carol!