Not All Anger is Created Equal, Says Feminist Author Rebecca Traister
*By Conor White*
Women on both sides of the aisle may be enraged, but that anger is still sharply divided. Women are running for office in record numbers this year ー yet the outcome hasn't been the same for Republicans and Democrats, said author and political columnist Rebecca Traister.
"Numbers of women running for Republican seats also went up ー\[but\] they didn't win their primaries at the rate that women and people of color on the Democratic side did," Traister said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
"Anger is very combustible force, it can kick political and social movements off the ground, but it can also blow up between allies," she said.
Party aside, the numbers are still striking.
476 women ran in Democratic and Republican primaries for Congress, and there are still 323 races in which at least one woman is running.
To Traister, the numbers are "unprecedented," but women's impulse to change their government has a historical basis.
"Women are activated as door knockers, registering voters, volunteers with campaigns, and again as candidates in ways that are pretty unprecedented in recent decades," Traister said.
But, she added, social movements "often started with women who were angry about injustice at the beginning and wanted to change something."
Traister has called women's anger both "catalytic and "problematic," but she said it's "mostly potent from a political perspective" as the midterms loom.
In the last month, women on the right have raised the decibel on their political voices, especially during Brett Kavanaugh's divisive Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Even in the face of Christine Blasey Ford's dramatic testimony, many Republican women believed the sexual assault allegations against the now-Justice were part of a political hit job ー and many among them expressed concerned that their husband or son could fall prey to similar and potentially unfounded claims.
"That was an instance of white conservative women's anger being used by the right to send a particular message to the electorate," Traister said of the conservative response to the hearings.
Traister, a National Magazine Award-winner, is the author of the new book "Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger," which examines progressive movements throughout history, from the abolition of slavery to women's suffrage, that started with women getting mad.
The upcoming elections, at whatever level of government, are no different.
"Many of those candidacies started in the anger of post-Trump," Traister said.
"Women were so angry at Trump's presidential win that they were like, 'I'm going to go run for office,'" she said.
"Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger" is on sale now.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-power-of-womens-anger).
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that she has tested positive again for COVID-19 and will not accompany President Joe Biden to Europe for meetings on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reshma Saujani, the founder of the nonprofit Girls Who Code, discusses the workplace inequities further exposed by the pandemic and her latest book, "Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It's Different Than You Think).
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States, along with much of the Western world, has imposed economic sanctions on Russia’s economy and its oligarchs. And these measures are costing these oligarchs — billions. So what exactly is an oligarch and what are their ties to Putin and the ongoing invasion? And will sanctioning them work?
Ketanji Brown Jackson is forcefully defending her record as a federal judge, telling senators she will rule “from a position of neutrality” if she is confirmed as the first Black woman on the high court.
Ukraine remains defiant as the Russian invasion is approaching its fourth week. Cheddar News speaks with Former Obama Campaign Foreign Policy Advisor David Tafuri, on Russia’s war efforts so far and how it might shift tactics moving forward.
While investors soured on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's remarks on interest rates Monday, Anthony Saccaro, Founder and President at Providence Financial explains why he is supportive of the Fed's approach on Cheddar News' Closing Bell.
As Russia continues to wage war in Ukraine, 10 million of its citizens have fled their homes according to the UN, with more and more refugees flooding into other European countries. Nancy Dent, senior global communications officer for Europe and Asia at the aid group International Rescue Committee, joined Cheddar News to discuss the deteriorating conditions. “What's really clear from my time at the border today, in particular, is that people really are fleeing for their lives now," she said. "Two million people, 60 percent of the refugee population from Ukraine is now in Poland, and people are arriving with smaller bags really unprepared."
Will Larkins, president and co-founder of Winter Park High School's Queer Student Union and one of the organizers of its
'Say Gay Anyway' walkout, joined Cheddar News to discuss their recent opinion piece for The New York Times titled "Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Will Hurt Teens Like Me."
Russia's military advances in Ukraine appear to have stalled, as heavy casualties, equipment losses, and a lack of progress on the ground take a toll. Despite the horrific damage caused by the attack, Ukraine's military has held up better than many experts predicted. Elliot Ackerman, author and Marine Corps Veteran, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss why Ukraine's defense response been such a surprise, and what a stalemate in the war might look like.
