Have you heard about the all-important tampon controversy on Capitol Hill?

Apparently, there's a dispute about who pays for tampons in dispensing machines and whether tampons should be provided free of charge in the congressional women's restrooms (and I guess, men's, too, given the sensitivities to the transgender population these days).

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) is making this his business, teaming up with lefty Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), stating together in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan:

“We implore you… [to] make feminine hygiene products available to those who need them,” the letter reads. “It is a simple change that can bring sanitation and relief to thousands of Congressional employees, visitors, and Members of Congress alike.” 

Maloney got really goofy about it, showing he's definitely embraced the role of the House Democrats' new tampon-champion-man, with this addition:

“Women have been treated as second class citizens for far too long. We have an opportunity to fix that problem here in the House, and the Speaker should take it,” Maloney said in a news release.

Cripes, can't this guy and his Queens-based sidekick get some low-level staffer to take care of this issue? Do Democrats have that little to do? Are they that out of ideas? Being Democrats, what the rest of us are seeing is a call for more free stuff, and there's a question as to whether they should get free stuff on this front, because for the rest of us women out there, the ones they purport to represent, do pay for it. Being smart, we carry secret stashes in our purses and glove compartments and office drawers, so we are never without when such things are needed. But these guys want to make it a loud womyn's issue and shake out money - this time, for themselves, or at least the females among them. One wonders if Maloney will use this as a launching pad for a free-tampons movement across the country.

Here's where it gets really ridiculous: 

Ryan says he never denied anyone tampon money and the two Democrats are just grandstanding in a bid to make political hay.

Which is likely true. Ryan's office said:

“The Committee did not send Rep. Maloney a rejection letter for his purchase of feminine hygiene products. To claim so is false. The Committee did respond to his complaint letter he sent last week with the attached letter,” the spokeswoman said.

Roll Call did not link the letter, but I doubt they would have reported this if they thought it were untrue.

Which calls to light how stupid this issue is. Turns out Meng has a lot of activity on the tampon-provision front, with The Hill reporting several other acts from her to provide free tampons on this front. With Maloney joining in, a political movement has been established.

And it's not that surprising it's come to this. After all, the opening scene in Norma Rae was about the union organizer's bid to install a tampon machine as a signal feminist statement.

Democrats are trolling for the 'women's vote' as if that were a thing, and calling this midterm election season another year of the woman, something that seems to be having at best limited mixed success for them based on the primaries. They're also up against their blocking and assaulting record on Trump administration-linked women.

What better way to win women by speaking up about tampons? I suppose it represents progress for Democrats, given their exclusive focus on abortion, but does it have to come to this? There's a significant 'ick factor' in a man championing free tampons for women. Can we get away from this as soon as possible? Is this really the best new cause the Democrats can come up with?