"You can put that on the record," he said into a phone recorder. "She is (an) elitist 1 percenter, an elitist who's a bitch." Watch video
The sitting president has given the imprimatur of a major political party to misogyny and sexist vulgarity, which is probably the main reason why New Jersey still allows people like Parker Space to park his pants at a desk in the state Assembly.
The pride of Sussex County delights in spreading the polluted Trumpian culture by sharing whatever nugget crosses his mind - such as taunting Facebook users by publicly fondling a Confederate flag ("Hope no one is offended! LOL."), calling for public executions of drug dealers, and claiming that a Colorado city was filled with drug-addicted "zombies" even though he's never been there.
Now the happy troglodyte has been caught on tape referring to his Democratic opponent Kate Matteson as a "bitch" - three times in 33 seconds, in fact - and Space has neither apologized nor explained what it was about this mother of four young and probably baffled girls that led to his learned deduction.
The word has caused a mostly partisan stir, with some Democrats calling for his resignation, but they should not be surprised by Space's deprecation of a person he hardly knows.
His voting record, in fact, reflects a conspicuous contempt for women:
- There was a bill last year that restored the funding for women's health clinics - providing cancer screenings, birth control, STD testing, etc. Space voted no.
- A companion bill would have provided family planning coverage for thousands of low-income women. Space voted no.
- A bipartisan bill from February sought to expand infertility coverage under certain insurance plans, providing benefits for women denied under their own plan. It passed by a 58-6 vote in the Assembly. Space was one of the six nays.
- There was a proposal in November that protected domestic violence victims by restricting firearm access for their assailants. Only two of the 80 members of the Assembly voted against it. Space was one of the two.
- In March 2016, there was a vote to promote equal pay for women and eradicate employment discrimination, delivering some measure of economic security and justice. It passed easily, 54-14. Space voted no.
These are but a few examples, though one assumes this lawmaker isn't exactly steeped in policy issues that relate to women.
NJ Assemblyman seeks safe space for Confederate flag fetish | Editorial
New Jersey has had many needless debates over women's health. It is not one of our proudest boasts.
We have a governor who placed this priority below his own presidential ambition - first by defunding clinics that provided prenatal care and cancer screenings, then lying about how it was for budgetary reasons, and then gloating that it was really about his pro-life belief after he hit the campaign trail.
Such antagonism toward something as sacrosanct as reproductive health should be tattooed on the memory of all voters, not just women who have been called the B-word.
Because if you think Space is capable of redemption, here's a clue: "I will resign when every Democratic legislator and every Democratic candidate up to and including Phil Murphy, take a polygraph to determine whether or not they have ever used the same word," he said. "Afterwards, we can all resign together."
In the political box of hammers he occupies, that's checkmate, apparently.
True, the existence of people like Trump and Space lends little credence to the old political shibboleth, "If only people knew the truth, they'd do the right thing." And the denizens of the 24th District (Sussex and Warren) probably aren't alarmed when a third-term back-bencher like Space spits out a term that has been used to demean women since the 15th century.
But if they agree that his use of this word reflects a troubling disrespect for half the population, they should put this enlightened gentleman on a bus.
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