The Republican War Against Women: An Insider's Report from Behind the Lines

By Tanya Melich

Book Overview

In 1980, Republicans used appeals to sexist and racist bigotry to win the Presidency. The party adopted an electoral strategy that included getting votes by playing on the fear and uncertainty engendered by the civil rights and women's political movements, and continued to use this strategy in the campaigns of 1984, 1988, and 1992. Under the Reagan and Bush administrations, this strategy became a crucial part of the party's governing policies. This book is not a political science treatise nor a description of political campaigns; it is a documented account of a grab for power that, as the years pass, continues to intensify antagonism between the sexes and to sow unnecessary division among the American people. As a longtime Republican activist and a delegate to the 1992 convention, Tanya Melich has observed these actions from within; and documents this takeover and the Party's ongoing practices (such as embracing the Christian right) in a devastating, factual, and often hair-raising report. A combination of history, expos , reasoned polemic, and call to arms, this book has now been enriched by two completely new chapters that assesses the outcome of the 1996 election in terms of the book's thesis and realistically lays out the future: both in terms of what it will be if the right-wing elements of the Republican party continue to set the agenda, and how it can be changed if centrist women (and men) take charge of that agenda. The heart of such change lies with Independents, who now constitute a startling 39 percent of Americans (31 percent identify themselves as Democrats and 30 percent as Republicans). We are not a country of strong party loyalties, and the enormous growth of independents is the signal that change is not only possible but achievable. As a superb political pro, the author offers hardheaded strategies for such change.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553378163
• ISBN13: 9780553378160
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The insider's view

Republicans might write this book off after reading the title, but this is not some "undercover" investigation by a reporter or (worse) a democrat. The author is a lifelong republican, who rose in the party to become a serious activist and repeated delegate to the national convention. Her experiences at the conventions during the 1970s that changed her view of her own party and led her to fight from within to save the "party of Lincoln" from itself. This is a fastinating read...much better than anything written by an outsider or nonpartisan academic.

Confirms your worst feelings

In painstaking and non-partisan detail, Melich proves the Republican party (and not the American public) as it presently is incarnated is the real threat to American families.Although a majority of Americans regardless of political affiliation are pro-choice and favor GLBT rights, the GOP has capitalized on fear regarding the civil rights movement and social change to win elections. Melich explains why this tactic has roundly backfired on them. From the Silent and Moral Majority to the Christian Coalition, these social conservatives have been allowed to warp the electorial system for their own personal benefit. 1192 was the first year a majority saw through the blinders and took a real stand for America. Evem if I disagree with Melich on identification, it is refreshing to know that it was not just myself who sensed the misogyny at the 1992 Republican National Convention. It is impossible to have a serious discussion about individual rights with opposition to legalized abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment.

Wonderfull reality check

I was in junior high when the infamous 1992 convention rolled into Houston, and seeing all of the hate on TV was very scary.Although my parents were not political, they were opposed to the religious right's agenda.....We became staunch Clinton advocates that year, and do not regret a minute of it.

A Review from Someone on the Other Side of the Lines

As a bookstore employee, I see more books than I have time to read. When I saw Ms. Melich's book, I was immediately interested. I was surprised by the title, coming from a woman who has been a Republican for so many years. As a Democrat, I was anticipating a book full of mere justifications from a woman who would voluntarily be a Republican. After reading the first paragraph, I knew I would insist that all women I know should read this book. The book is, at times, very dense reading as I had to stop every few lines to tell someone how passionate I felt about the situations Melich describes. I admire her fight. Although she may not subscribe to the same political philosophy as I do, she has fought the good fight against the establishment. To conclude, I placed the book on our "What We're Reading" shelf at the bookstore. We sold quite a few. Many times, however, I would walk by and notice the book had been turned over to hide the cover. Some people refuse to face reality

A contemporary history of misogynism in the Republican party

Although I am a Democratic woman, I found Tanya Melich's book to be a sympathetic and provocative history of misogynism in the Republican Party -- which was the party of choice for my parents, and, which I expected to embody Democratic principles, because -- well, this is America. Author Melich describes the platform and other battles during Republican conventions and the rise of such anti-feminist leaders as Phyllis Schlafly and Newt Gingrich. Pertinent to Americans of both sexes is the concurrent rise of power of the Religious Right and the attacks being made on the separation of church and state -- fundamental to our Democratic principles. The book serves as both an historical overview and a call to action for Americans of both sexes who want to maintain the freedom and equality instilled in our political system by the Founding Fathers.