At last, a truly bipartisan issue has been found. President Obama and Mitt Romney agree the Augusta National golf club should open its membership to (horrors!) women.
The president spoke through White House press secretary Jay Carney. Carney said Obama said that while it is up to the club to decide, he personally thinks women should be welcome.
“We’re kind of long past the time when women should be excluded from anything,” Carney added for himself.
Romney said of course he would allow women in “if I could run Augusta.” Then he thought a minute and said he doubted if he could qualify for membership. “My golf game is not that good, but if I could run Augusta, which isn’t likely to happen, of course I’d have women.”
Well, it doesn’t much matter what Obama and Romney think — not to mention Carney. Augusta National only has its 19th century sexist policies and the Masters golf tournament to claim as distinctions. Why would it want to give up either before it must?
And that thought provokes another: Come January, President Whichever should suggest, very publicly, the Masters be adopted by a 21st century club that respects the other half of the population.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
