When Donald Trump sets out to nominate someone for a position in his cabinet or another office, it often feels like his goal is to find the absolute worst person for that particular job. Such is the case with Stephen Moore, his recent pick for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.
Betsy DeVos, his pick to run the Department of Education, famously had zero experience with the public school system. His nomination to run the Department of the Interior was, at the time of that nomination, embroiled in at least 17 active corruption scandals. His first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, is the living embodiment of civil liberties restrictions. And it seems like Trump simply refuses to consider any appointments to federal courts unless the prospective nominee has expressed some terrible opinions about women.
Trump’s nominee for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors—an incredibly powerful position—is no different. Stephen Moore is under fire for some articles he wrote back around 2000 to 2003, and while that was a while ago (he was only a young man of 40 at the time, after all!), the articles are bad enough that even the White House is, well, not denouncing him, but “sending conflicting signals,” as CNN writes.
Some of Moore’s past opinions he felt comfortable sharing in the conservative shit-rag National Review included complaining that his wife was voting Democrat and saying “Women are sooo malleable! No wonder there’s a gender gap.” He also said that female athletes don’t deserve pay equality with male athletes, and that that would be “equal pay for inferior work.” He called it a “travesty” that women and girls want to play co-ed sports and also bemoaned the mere presence of women at sporting events in the form of coaches, referees, and even bartenders, asking if there was no place “where men can take vacation from women.”
When CNN’s KFile dug up the old stories, Moore told them, “This was a spoof. I have a sense of humor.” To that first point, I don’t doubt that these were intended to be humorous. To the second point, he absolutely does not. And filing this poorly written dreck under “humor” does not exonerate him from criticism. In fact, that he would find this level of misogyny grounds for repeated mockery says all we need to know about him.
Moore has also repeatedly said that the media is “pulling a Kavanaugh against me,” so clearly, he’s a classy guy.
At a press briefing Monday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said of Moore’s articles, “Certainly we’re reviewing those comments and when we have an update on that front we’ll let you know.” That’s a nothing comment but it may very well be the hardest stance the White House has ever taken regarding the terrible opinions and actions of a Trump nominee.
But then a few hours later, National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow said Trump was still 100% behind Moore. “He still supports Steve’s (nomination),” Kudlow told reporters. “People are being awfully hard on him. We are fully behind him.”
By the way, it’s not just Moore’s views on women that should be disqualifying. He also has terrible opinions about the economy!
Stephen Moore wants the media to pay less attention to his idiotic comments about gender and more attention to his idiotic comments about the economy.
Sure thing, bro. Happy to help out.
https://t.co/aLlXlQr9MB— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) April 29, 2019
I don’t think this Stephen Moore line has gotten enough attention. He said he wanted to RAISE taxes for the working poor. Yes, he said that:https://t.co/9MIYE3bghQ
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) April 30, 2019
Stephen Moore—Trump’s Fed pick—wants kids to be working. “I’m a radical on this,” he said in 2016. “I’d get rid of a lot of these child labor laws. I want people starting to work at 11, 12.” This guy really has tried to be publicly wrong about everything. https://t.co/Rvlz5jfb36
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) April 30, 2019
(image: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
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