White Privilege and Performative Purity

This thread was originally published October, 2017

Someone said at dinner, “Sally, do these women understand what a white feminist/privileged position they’re taking on litmus tests?”

I said I touched on it but I try to keep my arguments about facts and straight logic, and I don’t want to be performative.

She said, “THEY’RE being performative!”

And she’s right. “Taking a stand” demanding a litmus test on Twitter has no real life significance. It accomplishes nothing beyond moral vanity.

And you’re saying to women of color, all women, even pro-choice, that you’re fine with empowering GOP if their nominee isn’t perfect.

You don’t hear anyone in red states saying this. We know we are at the mercy of GOP and the Democrats are the only ones fighting for us.

There’s no way to impose a litmus test on nominees in advance. Only enforcement mechanism is withholding funds so they will lose to GOP.

Democrats in red districts are our most vulnerable Members. We HAVE to support them or they will lose.

That’s why this “OK fine, they exist but we shouldn’t have to fund them” attitude is a complete cop out. It’s also very “Hyde amendment.”

These are Democrats in red districts. They’re our most vulnerable Democrats, first on GOP’s…