NUTS – AT 9:22 A.M. ET:  Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of my state of New York is a public embarrassment.  Even though she holds the title of "senator from New York," once a prestigious label in American politics, I guarantee that she could walk down a New York street and few would know who she is, such is her lack of eminence.

She was appointed by pathetic Governor David Patterson to fill out the term vacated by Hillary Clinton, when she was made secretary of state by Barack Obama.  Allegedly, she was picked to block the rise of Caroline Kennedy, who wanted the job, but who found it difficult to complete an English sentence in public appearances.  Kennedy is now safely installed as ambassador to Japan.

Gillibrand's extreme form of feminism does not help women at all.  It repels rather than attracts.  Now she is showing her usual insensitivity, this time to the appalling revelations in the recent videos dealing with Planned Parenthood.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) is fundraising off of the Planned Parenthood controversy, condemning Republicans lawmakers for pushing to defund the federally funded organization after video surfaced of officials touting the sale of aborted baby body parts.

The Weekly Standard reported that Gillibrand circulated a fundraising email Monday blasting congressional Republicans for spearheading an investigation into Planned Parenthood following the release of two videos by the non-profit Center for Medical Progress.

“Right now, Republicans in Washington are pushing legislation allowing employers to fire single women for getting pregnant–AND they’re leading an ‘investigation’ to undercut Planned Parenthood,” Gillibrand wrote in the message to potential supporters. “This makes my head explode.”

“I’m confident that if we had more women leading in Washington, we would not still be dealing with the right wing’s efforts to trample women’s health care.”

Gillibrand, who previously deemed it “vital” that a woman become president in 2016, called on voters to support Reps. Tammy Duckworth (D., Ill.) and Donna Edwards (D., Md.) and California Attorney General Kamala Harris , all of whom are running for Senate in 2016.

COMMENT:   As the father of two daughters and a working wife, I certainly favor equality for women and advancement of women.  But Gillibrand hurts the cause with her sledgehammer approach and her failure to respect the feelings and sensibilities of women and men who disagree with her.  Her support of California Attorney General Kamala Harris is especially noteworthy, as Harris has announced she will investigate the practices, not of Planned Parenthood, but of the filmmakers who made the videos exposing the organization.  So much for the First Amendment.

Gillibrand is now notorious for inviting the famous "mattress girl" of Columbia University to the State of the Union.  "Mattress girl" became a news item for carrying her mattress around campus, claiming she'd been raped on it.  Her story had been discredited by very capable people, but Gillibrand continues to believe. 

It's impossible to get rid of Gillibrand in a fanatically Democratic state like New York.  But we can learn to ignore her until she matures.

July 28, 2015