The Irony at the Heart of the Amy Coney Barrett Fight
Republicans are pitching Donald Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee as a feminist icon at a time when the party is intensely unpopular among American women.
By Emma Green
Judge Amy Coney Barrett sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee today in a fuchsia dress and pearls, listening quietly as Republican senators depicted her as the ideal modern feminist. “How do you and your husband manage two full-time professional careers and, at the same time, take care of your large family?” Senator John Cornyn of Texas wanted to know. “I’ll bet there are many young women, like my own two daughters, who marvel at the balance you’ve achieved between your personal and professional life.” Barrett is “an inspiration to millions of young women in this country,” Thom Tillis of North Carolina said, and Joni Ernst of Iowa welcomed Barrett to the conservative sisterhood: “As a fellow woman, a fellow mom, a fellow midwesterner, I see you for who you are.”
Republicans have a strong interest in selling their Supreme Court nominee and their party as true advocates for women. President Donald Trump consistently trails Joe Biden among female voters, falling anywhere from nine to 31 percentage points behind the former vice…
