Eleanor Clift: Women Need Government

In the latest episode of the McLaughlin Group (10-10-2014), the moderator and his guest discussed the rising tide of libertarian politics in the Republican Party.

At the 2014 CPAC Straw Poll, libertarian-leaning US Senator Rand Paul has won twice in a row.

Libertarianism is on the rise in the Republican Party.

These policies ingratiate young voters, who more socially liberal leanings feel more at home with a live-and-let-live stance from the federal government.

Pat Buchanan concurred that Senator Paul is making libertarianism a mainstream polity in the Republican Party.

He would not be alone in that assessment. Governor Reagan told Mike Wallace in a 60 Minutes interview: "Libertarianism is the heart of conservatism."

Moderator John McLaughlin diverted the discussion to liberal columnist Eleanor Clift, regarding the small number of women who identify themselves as libertarian:

Eleanor, twice as many men as women declare themselves to be libertarian. Can you account for that?

Eleanor Clift

Clift's response:

Oh I think men like to think they can do it on their own. They don't need government. And I think women traditionally look to government for a helping hand because they know they can't count on the men.

Is this remark patently sexist, or a response to statistical reality?

Do women need more government than men do? Or is this a cultural problem, made worse by a growing federal government which has limited opportunities while expanding access to government programs?

Is this a political problem, a cultural trend, or an eternal reality?