Dear Romney Supporters

Dear Romney Supporters,

I read on Shakesville that those of you who've been very generous to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign are being invited to a retreat.  It'll be "two days of policy sessions and campaign strategy discussions at a Deer Valley resort."

That sounds like a lot of fun.  Well, not to me, but presumably to you.

I'll admit, when I heard that the people who've garnered the most money for Romney's campaign were invited to a retreat, I thought to myself, "Great!  I wonder if I can get my hands on the guest list!  That'll be a handy way to know which people to avoid in life!"

Which was a silly thought to have, because it's not like you and I will ever cross paths.

It was also an unfair, unproductive thought.  It's part of my personal/political philosophy to expect more, to believe in hope, and to push people to be more considerate and empathetic in their dealings with the world.

I don't want to avoid you.  I want to help you.  If you're willing to donate to Romney's campaign and/or get your friends to donate, that means that:

a.) You have a certain amount of disposable income and you're willing to use it to effect change.
b.) You're politically involved.
c.) You're willing to speak up and encourage others to get involved in political causes.

That's great!  Those are great things!  Unfortunately, you're using all of that money and activism in the wrong direction.

Instead of attending "two days of policy sessions and campaign strategy discussions," why not attend something else?  I'd like to invite you to spend time with progressive feminists.  Now, I don't have the resources to throw together a resort retreat at the moment.  Maybe next year!  For now, I'd suggest that you sit down and read this.  All of the posts.  All of the comments.  Once you've finished, visit this site.  Read.  Get familiar with the people and discussions there.  Then go to Feministe and page through all of the comments sections, reading every discussion DonnaL's ever been in.

Finished?  Great!  That should have given you some solid background 101 stuff.  Now it's time to start some hands-on work.  I think that taking a tour of the USA, spending a week with one feminist after another, would be a good place to start.  Most of us should at least have a couch you can sleep on.  You can shadow us, watching how we live and what we deal with, and talk with us about whichever issues come up.  I'd recommend visiting at least one in each state.  Add in D.C. and Puerto Rico, and that'd be 52, so the whole trip should only take you a year.

Is that longer than two days with Romney?  Yes.  Will it involve a lot of discomfort and self-examination?  Yes.  Will we all be better off for it?  Yes.  And if you don't believe me, work through the first few steps and see how it goes.

With love,
Frank Lee