Of course Hawley wasn't asking in good faith. I don't think that matters, in terms of the impact that this exchange will have politically. Hawley couldn't have scripted a better exchange to feature in a campaign ad if he'd have tried.
As McArdle says, the point of this sort of Congressional testimony, like it or not, is political gamesmanship. If you aren't prepared to answer any senator's questions, you shouldn't testify, because all you can do is hurt your own side.
Whether the senator questioning you is acting in good or bad faith doesn't matter. You'll still hurt your own side if you're not up to the challenge.
Literally every column Megan McArdle has written on both gender issues and abortion in the past year would have put Hawley in a tighter spot without losing the median TV viewer. The reason McArdle is so good at this is that she reads and understands arguments from many sides.
That's one of the things I like about McArdle. She actually makes an effort to understand what each side is actually saying. As someone from the left, I really wish there was more of an effort to understand the actual reasoning and arguments from the right so that we could actually address people's concerns instead of just saying things that turn people off even more.
Yes, Sen. Hawley's question didn't have anything to do with abortion, which is an issue where the majority of Americans disagree with him. It did have to do with how those on the far left define a woman, which is an issue where the majority of Americans agree with him. The best way to answer is to not give him this opening, and, for just one day, pretend that it's women who get pregnant.
Of course Hawley wasn't asking in good faith. I don't think that matters, in terms of the impact that this exchange will have politically. Hawley couldn't have scripted a better exchange to feature in a campaign ad if he'd have tried.
100% agree. He’s a horrible person. I don’t think he looks good, I think the Left’s argument looks ridiculous
Exactly.
As McArdle says, the point of this sort of Congressional testimony, like it or not, is political gamesmanship. If you aren't prepared to answer any senator's questions, you shouldn't testify, because all you can do is hurt your own side.
Whether the senator questioning you is acting in good or bad faith doesn't matter. You'll still hurt your own side if you're not up to the challenge.
Literally every column Megan McArdle has written on both gender issues and abortion in the past year would have put Hawley in a tighter spot without losing the median TV viewer. The reason McArdle is so good at this is that she reads and understands arguments from many sides.
That's one of the things I like about McArdle. She actually makes an effort to understand what each side is actually saying. As someone from the left, I really wish there was more of an effort to understand the actual reasoning and arguments from the right so that we could actually address people's concerns instead of just saying things that turn people off even more.
Yes, Sen. Hawley's question didn't have anything to do with abortion, which is an issue where the majority of Americans disagree with him. It did have to do with how those on the far left define a woman, which is an issue where the majority of Americans agree with him. The best way to answer is to not give him this opening, and, for just one day, pretend that it's women who get pregnant.