Contempt Party: Ageist and Sexist

In all the hoo-ha over Shelley Glover's not at all surprisingly idiotic ageist slur, I'm surprised no one has yet noted the sloshing sexism.

My immediate reaction was: Would anyone say this about a 68-year-old MALE politician?

No. Because under patriarchy, men are rewarded for aging, while women are punished.

So, how many retirement-age pols have we got in the House?

Getting an answer was a doddle. There are 14 men and 3 women aged 65 and over. (And five for whom we have no birth date? That's odd, isn't it?)

Contempt Party ® apologists insist Glover was referring to Anita Neville's length of service. So long has she been in the job?

Again, the answer was easy to find. From newbie Julian Fantino who at 68 is Minister for Seniors, but has served just 3 months, to Louis Plamondon who at 67 has served 26 years, Anita Neville is mid-pack at 10 years.

There seem to be better candidates whether the criteria is 'long of tooth' of 'long of hanging about' than Neville.

Why Neville then?

Look at this first comment on the Notional Pest piece on the row.

Maximum Cat: The NDP's deputy leader, Libby Davies, passed her expiration date the second she proposed that 9-11 is an inside job to Parliament.

It has nothing to do with her age. It reflects on her sanity, or lack thereof.

Forbye 'expiry date' has nothing to do with mental health -- unless my yogurt is going quietly batzoid in my fridge -- why pick on another female politician?

I suggest that the sexism implied in Glover's smear is so engrained, so well understood that patriarchal minds leap naturally to another FEMALE target.

And there's also the not-small matter that neither Davies nor Neville ranks very high on the Contempt Party's 'busty-hooker' standard for female appearance.

And people wonder why more women don't go into politics. . .

Did Con candidate pull a Palin?

Shelly Glover, who has become infamous for driving her mouth before engaging the braingear, has done it again.

In an interview with Global News Monday, St Boniface Conservative MP Shelly Glover was responding to questions about the party’s difficulties nominating a candidate for the neighbouring riding of Winnipeg South Centre. That riding has been represented since 2000 by Anita Neville, who is seeking re-election.

Glover launched into this attack on Neville: “We need some fresh blood we need some new people who have some new ideas and who are willing to stand up for their constituents. And I’m afraid Ms. Neville has passed her expiry date.”

Con-temptuous indeed.

Past observations from the Contempt Party candidate, expressed in a rhetorical style reminiscent of Sarah Palin, cover a range of dumb, dumber and dumbest. And don't expect any demonstration of sisterly solidarity for murdered Aboriginal, Métis and First Nations women from Glover either.