An open letter to Maureen Dowd

 As only an intelligent woman like Dana Perino can write one.

Mean Maureen

October 16, 2010 9:31 P.M.

By Dana Perino

I used to enjoy reading Maureen Dowd. I think she has a way with words and at times she even promotes thinking outside of conventional wisdom. Unfortunately, those columns are few and far between. Reading her column in the Sunday New York Times irritated me. I guess that’s her specialty — irritation.
I remember once after I’d left the White House I mentioned one of her columns to a friend and the friend said, “You know, you don’t have to read that stuff any more . . . you graduated.” But I’m a news junkie; I can’t help myself. Kind of like some women and chocolate. Whoops! Sorry — did I say something stereotypical and uncalled for?
That’s exactly what her column about mean Republican and conservative women is — stereotypical and uncalled for. She lists the usual suspects — as in, those expected to win. Yet reading her piece I keep thinking, has she met any of those women? Does she still feel that way after walking away? I’m fortunate to meet a lot of women from both sides of the aisle — and with few exceptions I like them all. I certainly don’t think any of them are mean. Can women have moments they aren’t proud of? Sure. But to write all conservative and Republican women off as mean is . . . mean.
One night her name came up at a dinner attended by members of both parties. Someone told a story about how at a past dinner she’d been a guest and had been droning on and on in a catty way and that one of the men at the table wrote on a cocktail napkin and passed it to another. It said, “What happened to her?” Sigh. Who the heck knows?
Perhaps she was a mean girl. Or maybe mean girls picked on her. Not in high school, but in adulthood — and now she can think how powerful she is by writing catty columns on America’s most liberal editorial page. A column like today’s keeps those cocktail-party invitations coming.
After the mid-term election, you can guarantee that she’ll write about how the Republicans are standing in the way of progress and so pig-headed they just won’t compromise and support the liberal agenda. And she wonders why conservatives increasingly believe that liberal elites can’t relate to America?
Usually I’d ignore her. But most conservative women running for office don’t have time to stop and be petty. I can do that for them.
As I’ve said about Maureen: It must be hard to be that angry all the time. That’s why I stay cheerful — just to irritate her. Two can play at that game, sister.