Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard

In doing so, she was speaking not only for herself, or her fellow Australian women, she was speaking for the women of the world. The time for men treating women as second class citizens is over. I won’t deign to explain why, the reasons are obvious to everyone with a mother. Women are half the world, and we’re tired of being treated as if we’re not equal to men.

What struck me immediately as I watched PM Gillard, was how impressed I was with the power of the woman. I’ve seen powerful women speak before, not nearly as many as I should have, not for lack of looking, but lack of opportunity. However, today I was treated to a powerful woman speaking the bald faced truth to the very bullies (yes, sexism and especially misogyny are bullying) who have tormented her every day since her election, in front of a room of her peers, and being cheered for doing so.

The first thought I had was, “Every woman should see this.” For that reason alone I was going to share it with you all. But then I thought, “Everybody should see this, not just women.”

And THEN I thought, Joe Biden needs to see this! Before he steps out on that stage he needs to watch this woman shred apart the lies and denial of deliberate cruelty, because he can use the same techniques to call out Paul Ryan on his, what is politely known as, mendacity when it comes to Social Security, Medicaid, women’s reproductive rights, health insurance, and everything else he’s been baldfaced lying about over the course of the election.

Of course, I hope Barack Obama will also watch this video. There are two more debates with Romney, and this is a political stance that is seen as strongly assertive, rather than politely removed. It’s time to take the gloves off, Mr. President, and call the opposition leader OUT.