Rush Limbaugh sat down with Gretchen Carlson of “Fox and Friends” this past weekend. The conversation was loaded; Limbaugh spoke about his recent health scare, what he learned judging the Miss America pageant, referred to himself as Mr. America, defended his position on feminism, touched on the SOTU, and discussed the implications of the Scott Brown victory (check out the full interview here).
Discussing Limbaugh’s position as a judge at this years Miss America pageant Carlson inquired, “for those who were critics of you-in judging this pageant and saying that you haven’t been a supporter of women in the past…”
Echoing many conservative minded women (and men), Limbaugh responded: “I am a huge supporter of women. What I’m not is a supporter of liberalism. Feminism is what I oppose. Feminism has led women astray.” Unfortunately, not ascribing to the mainstream modern “women’s movement” gets individuals like Limbaugh labeled as someone who does not support women overall – a charge that is unevenly applied, and therefore hard to combat.
Limbaugh may be on to something, however. IWF’s Carrie Lukas has written how feminism has failed women, and calls for a women’s movement that truly supports women by not spreading and using misinformation, that does not view women as victims, and that recognizes the agency and responsibility of the individual woman to make informed choices for herself and her family.
There are women around the globe who have not yet won the battle of equal treatment under the law, who are still in need of equal rights (human and legal). They deserve the chance to pursue happiness and to compete in a global marketplace. Fighting for their rights should be the next front in the women’s movement – not Rush Limbaugh.