GOP Writer: Women Shouldn't Vote

| Wed Oct. 7, 2009 2:44 PM EDT

National Review columnist John Derbyshire has made a name for himself saying really stupid things. Like when he lamented America's Hispanic "invasion," or called affirmative action "hideous," or criticized Virginia Tech victims.

His latest insane claim: Society would be better off if women didn’t vote. No really, he thinks that. The statement comes from the chapter "The Case Against Women’s Suffrage" from We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism.

When pressed about this view on a radio show yesterday, he replied:

(The) logic of that chapter, that chapter five in my book, rests on the proposition that women voting is bad for conservatism, and as a conservative, of course, I think that’s bad for society.

A ridiculous statement, of course, and one that does his party zero favors. The GOP is floundering; the last thing it needs is some bonehead publicly suggesting gender inequality as a party antidote.

So why provide him a high-profile platform in a major right-wing publication? News flash, Repubs: What's bad for conservatism is people like John Derbyshire.