Typical Obamaphile
Typical Clintonista?
What has the public learned from the last couple of months of primaries? Well, it has learned that it is Ok to:
- call a presidential frontrunner “babe”, as Chris Matthews has done on hardball
- heckle a presidential candidate by asking her to “Iron My Shirts!”
- characterize a presidential candidate’s supporters as “older women” even though her appeal cuts across all demographics.
- characterize a presidential candidate’s supporters as “uneducated” even though she appeals to people of all educational backgrounds. (I wonder how my asian colleagues feel about being called “uneducated”?)
- criticize the presidential candidate’s mannerisms such as her applauding for herself
- bait other candidates to attack her during a debate
- ridicule her attempts to be nice to the press
- make her campaign without the support of her spouse.
- forbid her to go negative
- forbid her to even *compare* herself to her male opponent
- make her look unlikeable
- call her laugh a cackle, her tone of voice “shrill”
- use pictures of her that make her look crazy
- present her accomplishment as trivial
- say that her ability to speak on policy is due to ventriloquism
- call the presidential candidate a pimp and her daughter a whore.
The job that has been done on Hillary not only threatens her career, it threatens the dignity and credit for accomplishments for *all* of the women of this country. The media, Republicans and Obama campaign have almost gotten away with clubbing a female into a submission and if any of you women out there think it’s not going to reverberate throughout society so that men can get away with this %^&* when ever it is convenient to them, you’re wrong. They’ve gotten away with it towards one of the most powerful women in the world. Her power means nothing compared to Tweety’s ability to tear her down. In the public sphere, his power is greater than hers. That’s what this episode is telling us.
If she loses, we lose.
PS, lest we forget who we’re talking about here:
Filed under: Gender Equity, Presidential Election 2008 | Tagged: Hillary Clinton, women
I’ve read that the history of sexual discrimination always includes an uptick in it when women begin to gain equal and individual footing in work and pay (e.g., after WWII when women discovered they enjoyed working outside of the home and earning an income).
It’s then that they have to be put back in place – forced to take a back seat to the masculine powers so that the world can be in balance.
I’m glad you’re posting this because I couldn’t agree with you more. What has been done to Hillary Clinton will set all women back another 100 years. Shame on those who have done it and those who have been stupid enough not to realize it.
Obama’s campaign is again calling on Hilary to get out of the race, trying to make her seem like a crank candidate, like Mike Huckabee. How short-sighted is this? Hilary will still be in the Senate–there has even been talk she may run for Majority Leader. Obama will have to work with her to get anything done, if he does want to get anything done. It’s not a good idea to humiliate her. Is he even thinking about what it will take to govern if he is elected?
If she gives in, that makes it harder for all of us.
I hope she’s getting support from the Big Dawg to not give in. Let’s remember that Al Gore was railroaded into conceding as well.
This guy needs to be VP. Sadly he is one of the few who have the guts to go against Obama head on:
http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/02/20/machinists-union-tells-it-like-it-is/
Now he’s being attacked by the media for bashing Obama. GIVE ME A BREAK! That needs to be our new slogan whenever Obama and his cult worshipers start talking about hope and yes we can.
I agree, rd. and i’m not even a woman. This campaign has been a very disappointing eye opener. I have to be honest, if the unlikely happens (Obama winning), I’ll have a hard time voting for him. Even now, I have a hard time enjoying my participation in the Democratic Party given the collective silence on the Hillary pile-on. Even when Hillary wins this thing–and I’m tossing her some cash again–I’m still going to harbor a lot of ill-will toward the party.
I’ve been amazed at the venom directed at her by both the media and the blogs — and the more subtle but just as insulting and disrespectful words from Obama and his wife (Oprah must be so proud). Apparently there is nothing off limits if you are attacking Hillary Clinton.
The only thing more amazing than the lengths to which her political enemies will go in attempting to destroy her is the absolutely stunning dignity and grace with which she has endured these attacks and still continues to stay on message and campaign. This country will have suffered a great loss if she does not get the nomination and prevail in the GE. Bush has made an unholy mess out of everything he has touched, and I truly believe she is the only candidate that has even a remote chance of making any significant improvements. Obama won’t have a clue what to do after his soaring oratory (or whoevers soaring oratory it actually is) fails to accomplish anything of substance.
I won’t vote for Obama or the Republicans. The only way for women to protect the equality they do have in the Democratic party is to make it clear that they will not support candidates who run misogynistic campaigns.
Obama has a history of refusing to vote pro-choice. He lies about his reasons for doing so and then hides behind the very well-tailored skirts of a woman who hadn’t been president of NOW in 3 years when the votes were cast. He demeans his wife by going on job interviews with her (as if she needs his help). And he admires the organizing abilities of anti-choice organizations. And then there is his incessantly misogynistic rhetoric.
Personally, I think Obama is going to appoint anti-choice judges and he will be the president whose appointees overturn Roe V Wade. I don’t want the Democratic party to be shattered the inevitable fall out from the demise of that court ruling so I will not vote for Obama. I’d rather loose the battle with McCain and live to fight again, than watch Obama deal a death blow to women’s rights and equality that saddles our party and our young women for a generation.
The Democratic party should have reined him in. Instead, they’ve indulged and looked the other way as he has attacked the foundations of our modern platform.
Let me fight again in four years. Don’t tell me to look the other way for the rest of my life.
There is something else that I feel Obama has done that will resonate for a long long time…I fear that he has re-opened racial divides instead of contributing to putting that divide further behind us.
Bill and Hillary Clinton have a long and positive history of support for the AA community. In my view, they were the first public figures to contribute so much and bring us forward on that issue. But they have been slashed and trashed in some very vile ways and I think two things have happened: First, the divide is back and in our faces as bad as it was years ago. And second – I fear that it will be a silent partner in the voting both and many bigots (there are still a lot out there), will pull it back up as their reason for not voting for Obama should he be the candidate.
For that I say “Shame”. Shame on everyone who contributed to this situation.
Excellent post riverdaughter.
I agree wholeheartedly with all of the comments.
shainzona, why are you here making comments, instead of sitting in my house having cocktails?…..
I am afraid that i have lost some long term friendships over this issue. I regret to say that I know some people who voted against Hillary just to do so and honestly do not know how I can possibly maintain a relationship with them.
But what the hell, if they were misguided or stupid enough to not see the reality here, do I really want to know them?
shainzona, I agree totally. The really sad part of this is that (and this is just my opinion) the accusations of racism are probably personally very hurtful to both of the Clintons — it’s almost like an old and trusted friend has suddenly turned on them. Obama knew he could not win unless he could get the AA support that was then behind her; and he just made a cynical, calculated decision to do whatever it took, no matter the harm he caused to the Clintons, the Democratic Party or to the country. I am furious with the party for not telling Obama to stop using this tactic when he first began it. I think sheer cowardice has a lot to do with the failure of even one high-profile Democrat to speak up and defend the Clintons. Remember how they all stood silently by as Anita Hill got reharassed by the republicans on the Judiciary Committee. The bottom line is that they are afraid of the AA community but not of us women. We should change that.
tucsonlynn…one word: CONTRACTORS!! But soon you will not be able to get rid of me!
MessyMarcy…spot on about Hillary surviving with grace and dignity. I would not have done so well (hell, I”ve been screaming at people over at MyDD all day today!).
Quite frankly, my respect for her has risen 100-fold as a result.
At the end of all of this mess, we MUST get together to honor her in some way. I hope it will be at her inauguration, but if not, please, let’s do SOMETHING!!!
By the way, can I write her in on the ballot in November? I don’t know if I can pull the lever (or fill in the dot) for Obama with two hands holding my nose!
Lori, Is this true? “He demeans his wife by going on job interviews with her (as if she needs his help).”
Does he really go on her job interviews with her?
Link?
OMG, let’s get this out. Women everywhere will throw up!
Shainzona,
Yep, from richard Wolfe’s News Week story – and this is the campaign version of how it transpired.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/112849
One landed on the desk of Valerie Jarrett, deputy chief of staff to Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. “I interviewed Michelle, and an introductory session turned into an hour and a half,” Jarrett tells NEWSWEEK. “I offered her a job at the end of the interview—which was totally inappropriate since it was the mayor’s decision. She was so confident and committed and extremely open.” Michelle was flattered by the quick offer. But though she came across as supremely confident to Jarrett, she had doubts about whether it was the right decision. She asked Barack to meet with Jarrett to discuss the job before she accepted.
Jarrett, who is now a senior adviser to the Obama campaign, became Michelle’s mentor. She set Michelle to work with businesses caught in red tape between city departments. It wasn’t exciting work, and it paid far less than her law-firm salary, but Michelle saw it as a first step in her new career in public service.
*****
HUH? She asked her husband to discuss the job? What kind of professional woman does this? Everything about this interview sounds weird. An Hour and a Half interview? Jeez, isn’t it more like 30 minutes before you are passed to the next person on the schedule? She was offered the job at the end of the interview? Another faux pas. This doesn’t happen in the real world unless you are applying to McDonalds. A decision like that has to be made carefully so that in-house employees get a crack at it.
Then Obama has to talk to her prospective employer? About what, exactly?
I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill (I’ll let someone at MSNBC do that) but if this is accurate information, it smacks of some kind of patronage job.
Reading this post has made me weep. I’m full of sorrow, and have been for the past few days. There is no way I can vote for Obama after this election. He has participated whole heartedly in this pummeling. I have not watched the news for a month, because I can’t take it anymore. What is wrong with America. My respect for her has grown tenfold through this process. I can’t even imagine standing up to what she has, and this is coming from a woman who has seven brothers and whose father owns a men’s clothing store. I thought I was tough, but I’m weak compared to her. I agree we all must do something to celebrate this woman. I will travel anywhere to be part of it.
mathomas: welcome to The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pantsuit
Women have already been paying this way for a long long long time.
Those who have not noticed their payments, have had their payments made at an earlier time. But the sexist thing is like the loan-shark thing — they keep wanting to bleed you dry, and when you have no more, they break your kneecaps. Just so you know you’re under their power and control.
A metaphor. Don’t get hysterical, new shiny new supporters. Wouldn’t look goo.d
This is an amazing post, and that is an amazing video of her. So compelling; and I love the shot of Chelsea smiling and Maxine Waters looking all attentive and supportive in her hilarious shades.
Oh, I had dinner tonight with a dear friend and another Clinton supporter and we are apprehensive but still fighting. You know, I’ve had only 2 nasty comments at my blog in the last week – but that’s 2 more than I normally get of hate mail – both because I’ve been blogging in defense of HRC or just doubtfully about Obama. And I was stunned that both comments came from men who felt totally comfortable swearing at me and calling me names and signing their names! It’s unbelievable – and I’m discomfited by those 2 emails, and HRC just doesn’t stop. I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT….What an amazing fighter! Our country should be so lucky….
[...] Via riverdaughter [...]
I cannot for the life of me understand what it is that people are not getting here. She is utterly amazing, not in a messianic way, in an incredibly intelligent and experienced way. Get a grip America!
Hi,
your post is excellent and I agree completey. Is there anyway you can put this into a YouTube format…take all those comments as listed in your bullet points. It’s great that we communicate on the blogs – but we need to get both Hillary’s message as well as your out in the larger community.
Go Hillary – and she got a standing ovation last night – however no mention of it on this morning’s round of pundits / mass media. Instead they higlighted her “xerox” remark [which I thought was good] and that some in the crowd booed this response.
Time to pitch in and really make some waves.