Inside the Beltway: Voters now cringe over feminist candidates

NEWS AND OPINION:

So have you ever heard of “Femocrats?” The term has been around since the late 1980s and designates “a female government official who advocates feminist policies” according to the Oxford Dictionary, or alternatively, “Women who vote for a female candidate regardless of platform or position, because she is female” — this according to the Urban Dictionary. But wait. The cultural and political influence of this designation could be on the wane as weary voters cringe over feminist rhetoric which may not yield much.

Now comes a timely new essay from Amber Athey, White House correspondent for the Daily Caller. It is titled “The sad death of the Femocrats” and makes the case that the novelty of a female presidential candidate has worn thin, and that being a woman is no longer the primary qualification.

“You also have to be good enough to win,” Ms. Athey writes in Spectator USA, referring primarily to the Democratic ladies who are indeed running for U.S. president at the moment.

“None of these women will be prepared to go up against the brash and unfiltered Trump, and Democratic voters are getting sick of watching so-called empowered women explain away their failures as bigotry. The Femocrats have used their gender to avoid grappling with the fact that their political styles and personalities have largely fallen out of favor with the average Democratic voter,” writes Ms. Athey.

“Thus middle-aged establishment female Democrats have mirrored the decline of the Women’s March, which disappointed so many last weekend. In 2020, a power woman with all the correct opinions and a well-tailored suit jacket may earn a shiny news cut in Elle magazine, but she will not capture the White House,” she observes.

IMPEACHMENT GOES HOLLYWOOD

Deadline Hollywood reports that FX — a Disney-owned cable channel — is producing “American Crime Story: Impeachment,” which will dwell on former president Bill Clinton’s impeachment and his involvement with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The production, which should premier late this year, will be based on CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin’s 1999 book “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President.”

The industry source also notes the cast: “Beanie Feldstein will star as Lewinsky, Clive Owen as Bill Clinton, Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones and Billy Eichner as journalist Matt Drudge.”

And one more thing: Ms. Lewinsky, the news organization says, is one of the producers.

AN AVALANCHE OF LIBERAL BIAS

There is so much biased reporting emanating from the impeachment “process’ against President Trump that the Media Research Center has designated an entire new section to chronicle all the liberal rants by major news organizations and individual journalists alike. The section now contains some 600 analytical reports from the conservative media watchdog’s very canny and tireless staff. Some of the reports are not just disquieting — they are downright alarming.

“The impeachment trial of Donald Trump should begin with an indictment of the media. The alleged crime committed by President Trump revolves around his request that the president of Ukraine investigate the shady business dealings of Hunter Biden with a corrupt Ukrainian oil and gas company. That investigation might have been unnecessary had the news media chosen to do what they’re supposed to be doing: investigative journalism,” write Brent Bozell, founder of the organization, and Tim Graham, the center’s director of media analysis.

“Why would Trump have to ask a foreign official for an investigation into Biden sleaze? Because when politicians have a (D) next to their name, the idea of the press ’holding people accountable’ goes out the window. It is unfathomable that the American news media would choose not to investigate the activities,” the two learned gents note.

ROMNEY’S MOMENT OF CLARITY

One Utah Republican has a prudent warning for Democratic lawmakers who get too dramatic in their demands or fail to check their personal behavior as the Senate impeachment trial continues.

“The Democrats are making a mistake when they cry outrage time and time again. If everything is an outrage, then nothing is an outrage,” Sen. Mitt Romney tells CNN.

FOX NEWS WEBSITE: 19.5 BILLION VISITORS

Fox News remains the most watched network in the cable realm, and it has bested close rivals MSNBC and CNN in the ratings for 18 consecutive years. Now comes another media victory: 2019 was a very good year for Fox News online, and it wasn’t even an election year.

The nation’s leading cable news network enjoyed a record 19.5 billion visits to its website last year. Yes, that is billion with a “b” — making Fox News the most visited news organization in the world according to industry numbers from Comscore Media Matrix and other sources.

Yes, the world. That online popularity increased by 12% over 2018, by the way.

Among its competitors, Fox News slipped by CNN, which drew a total of 18.6 billion visits last year, the New York Times (13.1 billion) and the Washington Post (6.1 billion.).

“Our enterprise reporting propelled Fox News Digital to its best year ever, averaging over 100 million monthly unique visitors for the first time in history,” says Porter Berry, Fox News Digital editor-in-chief — who also lauds the dedication of staffers who consistently and quickly produce “compelling and informative content.”

And what about all the social media? For the 64th consecutive month, Fox News remained the top “most engaged news brand” on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well.

POLL DU JOUR

• 58% of Democratic voters say they could still change their mind about which candidate to support in the presidential election.

• 58% want a candidate who would advocate for policies that have a good chance of becoming law.

• 57% want the Democratic Party to nominate the candidate with the best chance of beating President Trump.

• 42% have definitely picked a particular candidate to support.

• 36% want a candidate who favors policies that would result in “big changes.”

• 35% say they want a candidate who shares their views on major issues.

Source: A CNN/SSRS poll of 500 registered Democratic voters conducted Jan. 16-19.

• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.