As usual, wingnuts don't realize everyone else has the internet too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaslighting is a form of mental abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory, perception and sanity.^[1] Instances may range simply from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.

The term "gaslighting" comes from the play Gas Light and its film adaptations. The term is now also used in clinical and research literature.

You may, by now, be aware that Mike Huckabee said this today:

“I think it’s time Republicans no longer accept listening to the Democrats talk about a 'war on women,'" Huckabee said during a speech at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting in Washington. "The fact is the Republicans don’t have a war on women, they have a war for women, to empower them to be something other than victims of their gender.”

Huckabee said Democrats rely on women believing they are weaker than men and in need of government handouts, including the contraception mandate in Obamacare.

"If the Democrats want to insult the women of America by making them believe that they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of the government, then so be it," Huckabee said. "Let's take that discussion all across America."

Needless to say, the reaction by the lefty blogosphere was swift, and hilarious. But equally needless to say, defenders of Huckabee came out in droves, with their cheap gaslighting tactics. Here are a couple trying to convince me not to believe my lying eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truly fascinating, isn't it, how Huckabee's ignorant, slut-shaming statement is transformed into a "prevalent position" among Democrats? Gaslighting has been the go-to strategy by the Right for the past couple of years to avoid having to address their attacks on women's rights directly. "War on Women? What war on women? You're just imagining things! Why are you guys so obsessed with abortion and birth control, huh??!?" 

Only thing is, unlike in 1880 when Gaslight takes place, information travels a tad faster than by letter or telegram and we have these newfangled fancy computing machines that capture and save data and make it easy for just about anyone to summon it, instantly. Ladies who, a century ago, might have been successfully bullied by right wing gaslighters into silence about what a prominent man actually said about them merely have to type some words into a search engine about Mike Huckabee today and learn that he's got a history of being hostile to contraception and quite paranoid about it. 

 

 

 

Comments

[Frances Perkins]

Never, never land. You have to live in a complete alternative universe to believe what right wing Republicans say. Up is down, freedom is slavery, war is peace, white is black, lunacy is normality, controlling women is giving them freedom.

[Pamela]

I was shocked and amazing, while watching MSNBC last night. Both Maddow and Hayes reported that Republicans are being coach to run on an anti-woman strategy again in 2014. Do they not want any women to vote for them? They are so out of touch with reality.

[Bess1919]

Hold on to those libidos, ladies. Men, not so much.

[AZ BlueMeanie]

Excellent point. It is incessant Big Pharma advertisements for erectile dysfunction drugs Cialas, Viagra and Levitra on the tee-vee machine. For women, not so much. http://news.yahoo.com/female-libido-drug-remains-limbo-130637367--finance.html

[AZ BlueMeanie]

How's that GOP rebranding working out? http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/21/first-on-cnn-gop-urges-candidates-to-stand-ground-on-abortion/

Read the full text of the RNC resolution below:

RESOLUTION ON REPUBLICAN PRO-LIFE STRATEGY

Whereas, The Democrats have waged a deceptive "War on Women" attack against Republican pro-life candidates, demonizing them and manipulating American voters;

Whereas, The Republican Party is proud to stand up for the rights of the unborn and believe all Americans have an unalienable right to life as stated in The Declaration of Independence;

Whereas, Pro-life Republicans should fight back against deceptive rhetoric regardless of those in the Republican Party who encourage them to stay silent;

Whereas, Candidates who stay silent on pro-life issues do not identify with key voters, fail to alert voters to the Democrats' extreme pro-abortion stances, and have lost their elections;

Whereas, According to the extensive polling conducted by Gallup since 1975, many Republican stances regarding abortion garner at least 60 % support from the public and across the political spectrum:

· 87% support informed-consent laws about certain possible risks of the abortion procedure;
· 80% support banning abortion during the 3rd trimester;
· 71% support parental consent laws;
· 69% support imposing a 24-hour wait period before an abortion;
· 64% of Americans support banning abortion during the 2nd trimester;
· 64% support banning partial-birth abortion;
· 64% support spousal notification laws that require the husband to be simply notified if his wife seeks an abortion;

Whereas, Staying silent fails because this strategy allows Democrats to define the Republican brand and prevents the Republican Party from taking advantage of widely supported pro-life positions listed above to attract traditional and new values voters; and

Whereas, Staying silent fails to alert voters to the Democrats' extreme pro-abortion stances, which voters are repelled by; therefore let it be

RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee condemns the Democrats' deceptive "war on women" rhetoric;

RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee will support Republican pro-life candidates who fight back against Democratic deceptive "war on women" rhetoric by pointing out the extreme positions on abortion held by Democratic opponents;

RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee will not support the strategy of Republican pro-life candidates who stay silent in the face of such deceptive rhetoric; and,

RESOLVED, The Republican National Committee urges all Republican pro-life candidates, consultants, and other national Republican Political Action Committees to reject a strategy of silence on the abortion issue when candidates are attacked with "war on women" rhetoric.

Chief Sponsor: Ellen Barrosse, NCW, DE

Co-Sponsors:
Debbie Joslin, NCW, AK
Ed Martin, Chairman, MO
Morton Blackwell, NCM, VA
Kathy Hayden, NCW, VA
Donna Cain, NCW, OR
Solomon Yue, NCM, OR
Demetra DeMonte, NCW, IL
Melody Potter, NCW, WV
Kris Warner, NCM, WV
Ron Philips, Chairman, DC
Pat Longo, NCW, CT
Bruce Ash, NCM, AZ
Steve Scheffler, NCM, IA
Dave Agema, NCM, MI
Robin Armstrong, NCM, TX