According to MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross and her Saturday The Cross Connection guests, Republican women support the oppression of women through their support of the patriarchy and could be credibly accused of racism and having white privilege.
While a segment reflecting on the 103rd anniversary of Congress passing the Nineteenth Amendment seems innocent enough, Cross wanted to talk about what it means for today, “look, we do have to call out our sisters in this struggle who don’t always vote in alignment with the folks you see in the screen here. That is very frustrating.”
Cross then compared today’s Republican women to some women of the previous century:
We saw a lot of, we think about, this is when Congress passed the 19th Amendment, but when we go back to look at what was happening around that time, there were people like Elizabeth Stanton and other people who were really focused on white women and thought white women were the priority. Never mind what black men are going through, never mind what people of color were going through and actually said that out loud.
Addressing Carmen Perez-Jordan, who MSNBC described as a “civil rights leader,” Cross continued, “I feel like there’s still a divide today in the conversations that we have about women's rights. With some of, you know, white women continuously voting overwhelmingly Republican.”
Cross then teed up a clip of her May 7 show of political strategist Lucy Caldwell for Perez-Jordan to react to:
A real problem is that Republican women are in this mode and specifically white women, where, in a way, they do benefit from the patriarchy, right? And so they are feeling or participating in the same kind of story of economic insecurity or, you know, a right or a privilege that they believe that their white husbands, and sons, and fathers, deserve is going to a person of color, right? So, they have a stake in the old paradigm that is harmful. They also, at the same time, it's--it's-- good to be a white woman because white women benefit from the progress that Democrats have worked to assure for white women.
This race-baiting and mass character assassination delighted Cross, who back live told Perez-Jordan, “I love her, the honesty in that answer. She says it is good to be a white woman.”
After Cross asked if the country is in the same place it was 103 years ago, Perez-Jordan declared that if you do not support expanding abortion beyond Roe v. Wade, then you are upholding the patriarchy, “Well, I think we have to understand that patriarchy isn’t upheld only by men. Not one of the eight women who are the Republican members of Congress voted for the Women's Health Protection Act.”
She too played the race card, “And meanwhile there are male allies, we need to be in solidarity. We know the historical context of women having access to privilege through their husbands, sons, fathers.”
Good luck to Tiffany Cross on convincing Republican women to vote for Democrats after labeling them racists and patriarchy-enablers.
This segment was sponsored by Wayfair.
Here is a transcript of the June 4 show:
MSNBC The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross
6/4/2022
11:08 AM ETTIFFANY CROSS: Yeah, I mean, I think we are seeing that play out in real time and, you know, look, we do have to call out our sisters in this struggle who don’t always vote in alignment with the folks you see in the screen here. That is very frustrating. Carmen, we saw a lot of, we think about, this is when Congress passed the 19th Amendment, but when we go back to look at what was happening around that time, there were people like Elizabeth Stanton and other people who were really focused on white women and thought white women were the priority. Never mind what black men are going through, never mind what people of color were going through and actually said that out loud.
It was, of course, Sojourner Truth who gave the--the-- famous speech in “I Woman” at the convention when they were discussing the 19th. I want to ask you, Carmen, I feel like there’s still a divide today in the conversations that we have about women's rights. With some of, you know, white women continuously voting overwhelmingly Republican.
Lucy Caldwell’s a show regular and she gave one of the best and most honest answers, I thought, about why this happens. I want you to take a listen, Carmen, and then I’ll ask about it on the other side.
CARMEN PEREZ-JORDAN: Okay.
LUCY CALDWELL [MAY 7]: A real problem is that Republican women are in this mode and specifically white women, where, in a way, they do benefit from the patriarchy, right? And so they are feeling or participating in the same kind of story of economic insecurity or, you know, a right or a privilege that they believe that their white husbands, and sons, and fathers, deserve is going to a person of color, right? So, they have a stake in the old paradigm--
CROSS: Yeah
CALDWELL: -- that is harmful. They also, at the same time, it's--it's-- good to be a white woman because white women benefit from the progress that Democrats have worked to assure for white women.
CROSS: Carmen, I—I-- love her, the honesty in that answer. She says it is good to be a white woman. You know, we are not impacted in the same way as--as-- other people. You dealt with a little bit of this in the Women's March. Talk to me about where we are today. Are we more unified today than we were 103 years ago? Or do those still, those same divides, do they still exist?
PEREZ-JORDAN: Well, I think we have to understand that patriarchy isn’t upheld only by men. Not one of the eight women who are the Republican members of Congress voted for the Women's Health Protection Act.
CROSS: Wow.
PEREZ-JORDAN: And meanwhile there are male allies, we need to be in solidarity. We know the historical context of women having access to privilege through their husbands, sons, fathers. Women of color have always fought alongside our men, have always fought and showed up for our—our-- children, our fathers.
