Keller @ Large: Foolish Argument For Wage Discrimination

BOSTON (CBS) - As a general rule, I don't much care for identity politics, the art of generating support for a candidate or an issue by appealing explicitly to gender, race or ethnicity.

It usually comes off as crude manipulation through stereotyping, pretty much the opposite of what responsible political leaders – as opposed to lazy, exploitative ones – should be doing.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

But those who do like to play that game, especially Democrats who want to portray some Republicans as sexists actively engaged in a "war on women," are justifiably in their element today after remarks on the floor of the New Hampshire House this week by Republican State Rep. Will Infantine of Manchester.

During a debate over a bill barring gender-based wage discrimination, the representative argued that sometimes, such discrimination is warranted.

"Men, by and large, make more because of some of the things that they do. Their jobs are, by and large, riskier. They don't mind working nights and weekends. They don't mind working overtime or outdoors," he said.

Really?

Rep. Infantine is hereby invited to hang out for a day here in the WBZ newsroom, where my female colleagues work every bit as hard as the men, including nights, weekends and overtime, and routinely take on assignments every bit as "risky" and exposed to the elements as those taken on by men.

And in the annals of cluelessness, it'll be hard to top the rep's claim that men are "more motivated by money than women are."

Apparently, he's never seen an episode of "The Real Housewives."

Time to dust off that famous quote, allegedly from Abraham Lincoln: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

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