Minding the Gender Gap

From the mission statement of the brand new Liberty Belles blog:

In March 2004, Comedian Drew Carey wrote a letter to Reason Magazine Editor-in-Chief Nick Gillespie suggesting some strategies for improving circulation:

"To start with, how about some near-naked starlets? 'The Girls of Reason' or something like that. To justify them editorially, you could have them holding pencils between their pouty lips while reading books on privatization. You could also note how much perkier their breasts are without government interference."

While we may not be naked and pouting, our ideas are on display for all to see. We stand for free minds, free markets, free… Well, let's say we don't mind you holding the door for us, we just don't want the government doing it.

Comments

[smacky]

Drew Carey was hanging out in his and my hometown a few months ago at all the local bars I go to, in the wake of his mother passing. I didn't get to see him myself, but I hear he knows how to party, and I heard he was leaving, like, $100 tips to the bartenders at all my favorite watering holes.

[Jeff]

"The Girls of Reason." Brilliant.
I picture Julian in a smoking jacket walking in the middle of them.
I could also see them on Daily Show, a regular segment like the Punditry Read by Kids gimmick.
Eagarly awaiting the Reason Swimsuit Issue.

[Number 6]

If I act quickly, perhaps I could be among the first to e-mail them a blanket marriage proposal.

[Jeff]

Of course the left will co-opt the idea with Unshaven Hippy Chick Monthly.

[R C Dean]

Way to take the lead right out the pencil, Jeff.

[raymond]

Virginia Postrel.

[phocion]

No one's made a joke at Ayn Rand's expense yet? You guys are slipping.

[Anastasia]

#6, we accept platinum bands and/or lifetime subscriptions to reason.

[smacky]

Way to take the lead right out the pencil, Jeff.

Jeff?! I thought I did it right off the bat when I mentioned Drew Carey.

[tomWright]

Any comment from http://www.liberty-belles.org/?

/pig-on
Hey, a good cat fight can be very entertaining...
/pig-off

[mediageek]

Ayn Rand?

Cracked, cold, marble slab indeed.

[Ken Shultz]

Jeff, unless I'm mistaken, has a libertarian girlfriend?

...The rest of us have to struggle with the soft sexism of lowered expectations.

I've heard there are heterosexual, libertarian women out there somewhere, but, personally, I've never seen any of them in the wild.

P.S. No, Objectivists don't count.

[Anastasia]

i've seriously been anticipating a lawsuit any minute now. but when we got started, we had no idea about the 2nd amendment girls. the name for our blog was conceived underground, somewhere between farragut north and dupont circle.

[Franklin Harris]

Anastasia, that's all? Geez, you ladies are easy!

[Anastasia]

franklin: well, you know, apparently, we must adapt to ken's "struggle with the soft sexism of lowered expectations."

[dhex]

i've never met a self-identified libertarian in "teh real life" ever. then again, it's a pretty dumb sounding label.

"hi, i'm a libertarian. can i transmogrify your wall adaptor?"

see?

i do meet a lot of anarchists in favor of universal health care lately. that's kinda doing my head in big time.

[Jeff]

Correction, Ken: I have a HOT Libertarian girlfriend. We've been apart all week as she is on a business trip, and I'm picking her up from the airport today. I doubt we'll posting much this weekend...

Also, Jen has accompanied me to both science fiction conventions as well as the American Atheist convention couple years back. I sit back every time and watch guys haplessly hit on her.

Lastly, despite what any of us might say, at least Ayn Rand put out.

[Ken Shultz]

"well, you know, apparently, we must adapt to ken's "struggle with the soft sexism of lowered expectations."

What I meant--and it was partially tongue in cheek--was that there seem to be so few female libertarians. That is to say, a lot of libertarian guys have to lower their expectations in regards to political proclivities in their search for a loved one.

...Please don't adapt! I've moaned about our lack of an effective libertarian appeal to women for a long time. Indeed, Soccer/Security Moms seem to be the libertarian's natural enemy. ...Maybe y'all can reach 'em?

[mediageek]

I've heard there are heterosexual, libertarian women out there somewhere, but, personally, I've never seen any of them in the wild.

They do indeed exist, they're just hard to find. Probably because libertarianism has that whole Dungeons & Dragons/Mountain Dew/Prog Rock vibe associated with it.

[mk]

I'm going to suggest a libertarian co-ed indoor soccer team for the DC area. Will Reason(tm) spring for our jerseys?

[Jeff]

Movie Idea: Libertarian Bikini Carwash.
Premise: A group of willful liberty-lovin' babes hold a series of sexy charity events in order to shut down a tax-funded ballpark.

[Tonio]

Chicks who love guns, mmmmm...

The pics on libertybelles dot org are great! Classic American cheesecake, which is so much more effective than explicit raunch.

[mediageek]

Jeff- While I applaud your idea, and would go catch a screening at the local cineplex, I don't quite think a bikini carwash movie is going to attract more women to the cause.

Hmmmm...

[Jeff]

Mediageek: Bikini Carwash will be a double feature with some Libertarian chick flick.
Such as:
The Privatly Owned Bridges of Madison County.
You've Got Mail Delivered by a Non-Gov't Agency.
Taxless in Seattle.
Reardon Metal Magnolias (sorry 'bout that one).
When Harry and Sally Entered into a Mutually Beneficial Contract (Properly Enforced by State Law) for the Exchange of Goods and Services.

And so on and so on...

[Stevo Darkly]

Jeff: Brilliant.

[free form]

Yeah, Jeff, second that emotion. That's the best laugh I've had all day!

[free form]

Anastasia, I'm looking forward to visiting this blog frequently. And I would proudly wear a Liberty Belles t-shirt in public, were such a thing available.

Hey, as an aside, I think I just convinced my beloved that he is libertarian!

[Anastasia]

ken: we're cool. i know you were being tongue-in-cheek. right back at ya. i started liberty belles because i noticed the lack of ladies in the libertarian "movement". but we're here and we have a really loud microphone, so pay attention!

free form: fabulous idea. i'll be looking into it. you get yours free.

[the regulator]

I look forward to the Liberty Belles man-thong myself.

[Jeff]

Is there a more horrifying word in our beloved language than "man-thong?"

[mk]

Good ones Jeff. You're on fire today.

[Jemez Hobbit]

Is there a more horrifying word in our beloved language than "man-thong?"

.. I couldn't do a thong .. I spend all my time trying to pull my underwear *out* of the crack of my ass as it is ..

.. Hobbit

[the regulator]

Well I would have used "banana hammock," but I didn't want to be accused of ripping off whoever used it yesterday in some other thread. Next time I'll use "sausage sling."

[Mo]

Great blog Anastasia!

I will be accused of lying, but I just found out at lunch one of my female coworkers* is a libertarian too (her quote, "pretty much nog government is what I want"). That makes 3 female Southern CA libertarians I know, which now makes it a tie between male and female in my circle of acquaintances. If I can find 3 libertarian girls in the People's Republic of California, I should have no problem in the less statist Midwest, right? [crickets chirping]

Jeff's comic brilliance today has caused me to believe that Jennifer is a task master** holding back his genius. Witness her reaction to the fez. 🙂

* Unfortunately, while she is young and quite attractive, she is also taken. Sorry fellas.

** Not that it's a bad thing. I could use a task master myself.

[mediageek]

Good ones Jeff. You're on fire today.

+1

That list of titles nearly had me spewing Pepsi on my monitor.

[Jennifer]

Just wanted to brag to everybody here: the fabulous Jeff posting above is indeed mine. And very hot, besides. Did I hit the relationship jackpot, or what?

Now if y'all will excuse us, we've got some Reunion Sex to attend to.

Mo-
Let's just call it "mutually beneficial suggestions."

[kevrob]

Both the pistol-packing Liberty Belles and their lovely libertarian counterparts have to bow in precedence to the heroine of Star Spangled Comics from the 1940s, Libby Lawrence, aka Liberty Belle!

I'd like to think that Ms. Lawrence would approve.

Kevin