Michelle H. Davis writes a lively blog about Texas politics, called LoneStarLeft.
In this post, she writes about the claque of Republican women in the legislature who regularly step forward to sell out the freedom and rights of women. Michelle compares them to the wives of Gilead in Margaret Atwood’s prophetic The Handmaid’s Tale. She names them and names the Democrat who is running against them.
She writes:
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, both in its book form and TV adaptation, narrates the plight of women in a dystopian world that eerily mirrors potential realities. Set in Gilead, a nation born from the collapse of America due to the rise of far-right extremists, the society is a strict patriarchy, stripping women of any rights. Women are categorized into distinct roles within this regime.
Handmaids, identified for their fertility, are allocated to Commanders and their spouses for forced impregnation and childbirth, with their offspring subsequently removed from their care. Marthas serve as domestic workers and laborers. Aunts enforce discipline among the Handmaids. As for the wives, they actively participate by holding the Handmaids down during the acts of rape by their husbands.
Republican women in the Texas House play similar roles to the wives of Gilead. These are the women who author and push bills to strip the women in Texas of bodily autonomy. This is why they are the Gilead Wives Club because if it were Gilead, they undoubtedly would hold other women down as they were raped, similarly to how they use their time in the Legislature to oppress and violate the women of Texas.
The Gilead Wives Club is the woman responsible for getting abortions banned in Texas.
The Gilead Wives Club is the woman responsible for the high maternal mortality in Texas.
The Gilead Wives Club is the woman responsible for blocking insurance access to women in Texas.
Republican men in the Texas House use these women to push all the bills that harm women.
That’s how it’s been for the last two legislative sessions. I believe it’s an optics thing. Perhaps the Republican men feel as if oppression against women should come from other women to make the debates easier as they make it through the House. And the women of the Gilead Wives Club happily comply…
Valoree Swanson – the HBIC.
Representative Valoree Swanson (HD150-Harris County) is the puppet master of these ladies. She’s the Regina George, the Tony Soprano, the Cersei Lannister of these women. She should be the number one target to vote because the entire club would fall apart without her.
Most women who follow her around like little puppy dogs do so because they aren’t smart enough to handle the legislative process independently. Swanson directs them on legislation and what to say during debates.
Taking out Valoree Swanson would completely cripple Republican women in the Texas House.
Running against Swanson is Democrat Marisela “MJ” Jimenez.
Jimenez became a US citizen in 2005 after pledging to support and defend the Constitution. She’s received endorsements from the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation and the Climate Cabinet.
You can find out more about MJ Jimenez on her website or Twitter.
Michelle goes on to describe the other members of the Gilead Wives’ Club and the Democrats running against them.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
modern writers are producing a lot more dystopian literature than they are utopian literature. I find this interesting. Not surprising, just interesting.
I’ve long held that you can tell what people are actually thinking by the movies that are being made. These are generally formulated by marketing teams with their fingers on the pulse. So, we have seen a lot of movies about the rich creating an extreme dystopia and killing off everyone else and about the government hiding terrible things from the people (which goes to the current distrust of our government, which doesn’t enact the people’s will but, rather, is either completely dysfunctional or, when it does function, serves only the fat cats who donate to political campaigns.
Oh, and there is the new and inevitable one about the Second American Civil War.
AGREE,
“…which doesn’t enact the people’s will but, rather, is either completely dysfunctional or, when it does function, serves only the fat cats who donate to political campaigns.
Perfect. And if there is anyone here who has not yet read The Handmaid’s Tale, do. It really speaks to this moment in our history.