Rand Paul's Woman Problem

There are myriad problems with Rand Paul's presidential candidacy. Among those not receiving enough attention, in my opinion: women. Specifically, the manner in which he speaks to woman journalists interviewing him. In February, Sen. Paul shushed CNBC anchor Kelly Evans when he evidently didn't care for Evans' inquiries. This morning on "Today" on NBC, the senator's nasty habit of condescension toward women reporters reared its head again, when Savannah Guthrie questioned the newly announced Republican candidate concerning his many positions that have changed now that he is running for president.

We as a country have much work to do toward gender equality. Women earn 78 cents for every dollar their male counterparts do. Women's reproductive rights are under continuous assault. Sexual harassment, in the workplace and elsewhere, still occurs with infuriating frequency, as even one incident is one too many.

We have, however, made substantial progress. The frontrunning presidential candidate of one of the two major political parties is a highly accomplished, deeply experienced woman (and arguably the sole person who could present her a legitimate challenge is also a similarly accomplished and experienced woman). There are now 84 women in the U.S. House and twenty in the U.S. Senate, both all-time highs. Three women sit on the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time. Women currently govern some of the country's major cities, including Washington, Baltimore, Minneapolis, and the fourth largest American city, Houston (whose mayor happens as well to be lesbian).

One strains to imagine Sen. Paul speaking to a male reporter the way he spoke to Kelly Evans and Savannah Guthrie. Treating women as Sen. Paul has done was never acceptable, even if it was tolerated in past generations. If his conduct in this regard continues, voters should and will draw conclusions as to what to expect from his policies toward women were he to be elected president. I am not one to render counsel to Republicans, but common sense dictates that Sen. Paul would be well-advised to learn to conduct himself toward women, journalists and otherwise, in a fashion befitting the present decade; women deserve no less.