WHEN “WAR ON WOMEN” RHETORIC JUMPS THE SHARK: Think Progress claims Ted Cruz is anti-woman because he supports a flat tax.

The liberal website Think Progress is out with a hit piece claiming Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas is the most anti-woman politician in America … because he supports a flat tax.

No, really.

In an article titled “Ted Cruz just laid out the most anti-woman agenda yet,” TP author Kay Steiger sought to begin the “war on women” chant against Cruz by attacking policy positions few would think of as specific to a gender.

Steiger achieved this by looking at certain polls showing women split on issues or less enthusiastic than men about certain issues, as if that makes Cruz’s stance anti-woman.

Steiger lists the repeal of Obamacare as somehow being anti-woman — not only because of the contraception mandate, but also because “Women have decidedly mixed views on Obamacare, but some recent tracking polls have shown approval of the health care law getting a slight edge among women.” (Of course, if women are that closely divided on the issue, couldn’t Obamacare itself be considered “anti-woman?”)

Steiger also claims that Cruz’s agenda is anti-woman because he’s for the flat tax and abolishing the IRS. After admitting that “There’s little polling” on these matters, Steiger found one poll from 2012 that showed the flat tax was 10 points more popular with men than with women.”

Steiger uses similar polls showing women support a path to citizenship and gun control to show that Cruz’s views are somehow harmful to the gender.

Note to Think Progress: Just because you don’t agree with someone doesn’t mean they are actively trying to hurt you.

Well, to be fair, Think Progress spends its time actively trying to hurt people who don’t agree with it, so it’s an understandable mistake.