This week’s issue of Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter took a break from the usual pro-Hillary Clinton propaganda to tell readers why Bernie Sanders would be a great president, because: “Who wouldn’t want to live in an America with universal health care and a $15 minimum wage?”
The publication, which markets itself as a feminist newsletter, often features interviews with Democratic women, such as Hillary Clinton and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, but has yet to highlight a single Republican woman.
In the name of “honoring different opinions,” this week’s letter helped rally support for Sanders.
“From the day Lenny officially launched, Lena and Jenni have been honest: they’re in the tank for Hillary Clinton,” the letter reads. “But at the same time, one of our founding principles has been to honor different voices and different views. When we share our views, we’re not trying to tell you how to think. After all, there’s nothing feminist about telling other women their beliefs are silly.”
But rather than showcasing a Republican woman and focusing on her success in what is still a male-dominated party, the letter featured a piece by Sarah Silverman explaining why she supports Bernie Sanders, who is not only another Democrat, but is also not a woman.
“Hillary was my choice before Bernie came along,” Silverman admitted. “But she takes money from super PACs, as most candidates do, as Obama did before her. … Where the other candidates are receiving gigantic sums of money from billionaires in an unspoken, but inevitable, exchange for favors and influence over policy, Bernie isn’t for sale.”
Millennial Republican Amanda Bailey said that while she enjoys reading Dunham’s newsletter, she often feels left out when it comes to their political pieces.
“They tend to ignore the fact that there are so many strong conservative women in politics,” Bailey said.
“I was disappointed to find out that their idea of a different view is just supporting a different Democratic candidate,” she continued. “It’s as if they had said, ‘It’s okay if you don’t agree with us, but only as long as you’re still a liberal.’ If they really wanted to spark a real strike for feminism, then they should include the messages of both liberal and conservative women. There’s no way that we can stand united as women if we don’t take the time to hear from both sides.”
