The Republican party is often criticized for what appears to be a lack of women participants. The right-wing's desire to defund Planned Parenthood, fight abortion, and repeal Obamacare has made the relationship between conservatism and females difficult at times. Sometimes, it boils down to visibility; the most famous political women tend to be liberal. Elizabeth Warren, Hillary Clinton, Amy Schumer, Emma Watson, and more. But the question presented here is this: is conservatism really all that terrible for women?
The answer is clearly no. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit CPAC, a conference geared towards conservatives and Republicans of all shapes and sizes. Blacks for Trump, Gays for Guns, Future Female Leaders, Network of Enlightened Women. These people, empowered in their beliefs and their ability to express those ideas, talked and promoted. Women were manning dozens of booths, recruiting people, handing out freebies and spreading opportunity. It was the freedom of being surrounded by like-minded individuals, a community that would support you.
The power of the women at CPAC was also shared in the form of strong speakers like Carly Fiorina, Kellyanne Conway and Kimberly Corban. The rejection of the modern "feminist" title was instead replaced with discussions of equality founded in our rights. Founded in our ability as women to pursue opportunities and stand by our values. "We are a product of our choices, not a victim of our circumstances. That encompasses what Republican women are really all about." Quoting Kellyanne, these were the sentiments expressed by Dr. Kelli Ward, a former candidate for Senate in Arizona against John McCain. In an interview with me during the convention, we talked about her decision to run against the incumbent McCain, whom she criticized for voting to increase taxes and raise the debt ceiling. As a "liberty-loving, conservative Republican", Ward has been an avid supporter of Donald Trump whereas her 2018 Senatorial opponent Jeff Flake has delivered nothing but attacks to Trump. Ward hopes to help Trump deal with immigration and serve as a voice of conservatism in the Senate.
What an experience for my first @CPAC! Thank you @mschlapp and @mercedesschlapp for hosting the #NRA panel #CPAC2016 pic.twitter.com/DtCMfSKsS2
— Kimberly Corban (@Kimberly_Corban) March 6, 2016
CPAC, for myself, was amazing. I had a chance to mingle with people who will influence policy decisions, direct media stories and meet those people who work behind the scenes. I reconnected with old friends and made some new ones. I tried to be the strong woman I want to be. Conservative, America-loving, and fair. I hope to see our country progress and for the right kind of female leaders emerge in the future. It's a dream, but a fair one. Until then,
Good Luck America.
