Tallywhackers need not respond.

Dear Male Voter:

I'm writing to ask for your vote. I'm concerned that we don't have enough men in the legislature.......
I think if I wrote a letter like that, I'd risk being run out of town on a rail, because it's horribly sexist. So, tell me, why is it o.k. for legialtive candidate Nancy Turbak to address a letter to "Fellow female voter?"

(Click to enlarge)

Now, don't get me wrong, I written several times that Republicans need to have more women in office. But this letter comes across borderline crass, and more than a little condescending.

Aside from the female argument, the letter is strictly devoted to healthcare and abortion.

Uh, I think those of the female-type gender care about much more than that. Women care about owning homes, salary policy, economic development, gas prices, and a plethora of issues outside of their reproductive status.

If you think about it, this letter is little better than something you'd expect from a political letter in the 50's or 60's from the candidate's wife to the women of the district urging them to vote for her husband to maintain the integrity of their families.

Over the years in campaigns, I know I've spoken to more than one woman who had gotten miffed because when they made a donation, it might be recorded as a donation for "Mr. and Mrs. Joe Smith."

Big mistake. What would I get an earful of when that would happen?

"I'm capable of making my own donations without my husband's permission. Make sure the corrected thank you comes to ME."

And when you think about it, that's ok. That's just fine by me. These people didn't consider themselves as "Fellow female voter" They considered themselves as "donor" or "voter" without the adjective.

Maybe Nancy needs to review how she would want people to think of her before she starts categorizing people as "fellow female."

Comments

Anonymous said…
look up ultra-liberal feminist trial lawyer hack in the dictionary and you'll find Nancy Turbak
Anonymous said…
what I like best is how she starts by saying she's too important and too busy to bothered with serving the bozos of Watertown

and then talks about how we need to focus on the terrible economic situation in the state when the Argus today reported that South Dakota has the best economy in the nation
Anonymous said…
I am a woman and I'm offended by this letter. She does not represent my views or any number of my friends views. Sounds like the only women she represents are Stephanie and herself.
Anonymous said…
What I find interesting is that she totally ignores contributions of the Democrat woman who cosponsored HB1215 and all the women of both parties who worked so hard to get it passed. Because they don’t toe her and Herseth’s liberal line, they don't count, huh?

This letter is not only condescending and sexist, it’s also way to the left of most South Dakota voters, male and female.
Anonymous said…
Boy...all you guys are going to be pissed when Nancy wins.
Anonymous said…
I agree with 7:11 - She seems to not recognize the fact that the Senate primary sponsor of HB 1215 was a woman.
Anonymous said…
Actually, if you were from the SF area, your heading could be correct, most of the women in the House are from Sioux Falls. It's obvious from this letter how elitist she is and how out of touch she is with the average SD voter.
Anonymous said…
I think she had a great chance of winning until this came out.

As a female voter, I'm insulted !!

Should I ask my husband if it's OK to read her next mailing??
Anonymous said…
I'm a female, South Dakota resident, and I found nothing wrong with the letter. Of course the difference might be that I agree with her!
If male-female ratio numbers were switched, I would have no problem with a man writing that more men were needed in Pierre.
Anonymous said…
Turbak is not only a raging liberal, she's a BERKELEY liberal from California. She despises men, it's clear from such letters. And she's just another trial lawyer leaching off our insurance payments every month. I'm glad she exposed her true heart with this insulting letter.
PP said…
Anon 8:53, since it's been widely written that men are falling behind in school and college admissions, then I'm sure you'll support making standards more lax for men only.
Anonymous said…
Actually, she's originally from Kranzburg, like Dave Kranz. If she wants to something about health care costs, how about fewer lawsuits?
Anonymous said…
Turbak is not an ULTRA-liberal, she's a TURBO-liberal, and never met a big lawsuit or abortion or liberal cause she didn't love...I hope she gets elected because then it will be evern easier to expose how left-wing she is
Anonymous said…
oh, she's from Kranzburg, home of Daschle/McGovern loving Dave Kranz, that makes it that much more sweet! But she still spent lots of time in Berkely and that's never good
Anonymous said…
I find that letter to be very condescending. And I would echo what was mentioned by several other posters - it is stupid to assume that WOMEN are pro-choice and MEN are pro-life. Julie Bartling, Maggie Gillespie, Kathy Miles - all WOMEN (and Dems, by the way), supported 1215 - Bartling was the PRIME SPONSOR. How does Turbak know that if "more women's voices had been heard," they would not have been women who were PRO-LIFE. I think that kind of stereotyping is dangerous and indicative or a person who does not respect the views of others.
Anonymous said…
My mother-in-law is from Watertown and very pro-life, and she received this letter. Boy, is she mad!
Anonymous said…
Someone should run a quick poll:
1 did you get Nancy's letter
2 does it make you more or less likely to support her.

I wouldn't be surprised if Nancy hurt herself here.
Anonymous said…
pp - I never said anything about changing standards - only that there should be more women in the legislature. More women need to run, and it's up to the voters after that.
I find your idea of relaxing standards to attract more men interesting though. Maybe it's going to come to that, do you think?
Anonymous said…
Good thing "it's about people, not politics." I'd hate to see what this looney-toon would come up with if she were political.
Anonymous said…
Turbak is almost making Mary "abulance-chaser" Giebink look good....isn't Giebink's platform that all our problems are caused by Rounds not appointing more women judges?

I can't wait for the Turbak-Giebink ticket down the road
Anonymous said…
I guess we should all thank Herseth for begging Nancy to run because if she would have made up her own mind, she is too busy and not interested enough to run.
She must be so busy that she isn't sure of how many boards and committees she is on.
Did anyone else pick up the endorsement for school consolidation?
This is one of the worst letters I have read and I have read a lot of bad ones.
Anonymous said…
I am a white male republican voter in District 5. My wife and voting aged college kid have seen three letters apiece from Nancy.

I am feeling under represented already.

Also wondering what issues she will purport to support in my much-anticipated "Dear male voter" letter?

Still waiting to hear from Nancy in District 5.
Anonymous said…
Hey 9:15,

Word is Nancy was asked by Johnson and Daschle first and said no. Then when a women (Herseth) asked her about running she agreed.

You can add the word sexist to the list of words in the dictionary with her picture behind it.

The list seems to be getting kind of long.
Anonymous said…
Turbak-Heidepriem-Hildebrand-Daschle are all big buddies...it's like there are about 20 liberals in this state who control Democratic politics....it's very sad....
Anonymous said…
I'm still awaiting my "Dear Native American" letter, as well. I wonder if that will come before or after my "Dear Individual Who Wears Corrective Lenses" note.

Love those liberals...always seeking to turn one group of people against another....
Anonymous said…
Anon 5:06 - How did you come up with the bit about liberals trying to turn groups of people against each other? Is wanting more women in the legislature an attempt to turn women against men? Would you say that if the situation was reversed?

Is opposing HB1215 an attempt to turn people against each other? Not any more than supporting the bill is an attempt to do that.

If people would have left things alone, our state wouldn't be split on this issue. You can't blame the liberals for that.
Anonymous said…
26 comments about a letter written to a segment in the constituency.

Now what really and truly is the outrage about?

What age range of male huffs and puffs over this. I think younger men might wonder what is the big deal.

Of course, certainly, there should be balance in the legislature.

Grow up, or better yet, join the new generation.
Anonymous said…
Nancy 12:01, if you would have been interested enough to read the comments, you would have noticed that many of the responses came from women.
Anonymous said…
What difference does it make whether it was males or females? The general reaction to this was ridiculous.

Some women are just as threatened by men when they encounter a woman who has rejected the traditional female role. Look at Phyllis Schafly who fought of the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA never passed, but most, if not all, of the things that Schafly warned would happen have happened anyway.

Many of the women who yell the loudest are the ones who rule the roost at home. They just do things differently from the women who openly refuse to take a secondary role.

These traditional women let everyone think their husband calls all of the shots. Sometimes the husband even thinks he does. He just doesn't recognize manipulation when he sees it.

There will always be women like Schafly who preach to women about how they should remain in traditional roles. Their message contradicts with their own lifestyle of traveling and living and dining in 5-star hotels. Their hands seldom touch a dirty dish, and someone else does their laundry.

But they say what other women want to hear. People pay big bucks for that message, and they either don't notice the contradictions or choose to ignore it.
Anonymous said…
Should we be like Norway and demand women hold half of the seats in our supposedly democratically elected Legislative body? Turbak is assuming that men and women never represent the same ideals. As a woman, I think that she should be targeting all voters... because from my experience just as many women are as pro-life as men.
Anonymous said…
Tallywacker?
Anonymous said…
U have never heard of a "tallywhacker"? It is the male anatomy. When we didn't say the physical anatomy word to our kids, we called them tallywhackers or peepees or peepers. Sex Ed 101 basic level home edition for 2 and 3 year olds.

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