Monday: Feminism’s Lack of Leadership

Alegre gives us a heads up this morning about the Fem2.0 conference going on in Washington DC this week.  Feminism’s lack of leadership is on her mind this year:

We met for coffee this morning and spent 3 hours talking about the lack of leadership from the folks in the women’s rights movement.  The fact that none of them have taken the White House to task for that stunt of theirs last week regarding the Medicaid funded reproductive health services…   Silence is one thing, but when a group ignores this sell-out by entirely re-writing the story of what went down it’s quite another.

Kim Gandy from NOW will be there.  Ooohh, to be a fly on that wall.  Go get’em, Alegre!  Someone needs to ask these women what they got for their endorsement of Obama when a woman was running who would have met all of their needs.  And if the answer was they were afraid she couldn’t win, then they need to have their feminism credentials stripped.

Lest we need more proof that Obama has no intention of listening to women, a new “special interest group” that comprises 51% of the population, check out this little bit from Jodi Jacobsen of RH Reality Check (H/T Lambert):

Apparently, bi-partisanship and the new politics means never having to have your own House Majority Leader’s back and that the White House spends more time making “common ground” with Republicans than figuring out what they stand for with their own party.

The White House signals they are ready to take the contraceptive piece out.  Because it is all about bipartisanship, right? This will get them the votes to do “more important things,” right?

Phone calls placed to the White House Press Office Monday night are not returned.

OK, to recap: Barack Obama is not a liberal or a Democrat.  Barack Obama is a political opportunist.  His principles operate on a sliding scale and he signaled *during the primaries* that everything was on the table with his post-partisan shtick.  His campaign made a big deal about abortion rights but the people actually running the party, ie Obama’s people, made sure that most downticket Democratic candidates scrubbed any mention of reproductive rights and abortion from their web sites.  And if you weren’t on his Blackberry contact list before the election, there is absolutely no reason to expect him to want to hear from you now.

This should have been pretty clear to the feminist leaders out there.  There was no excuse for everyone caving to Obama without extracting one concession- publicly and loudly so that the whole country could hear it.  Without that, you got nuthin’.

As far as I’m concerned, feminists HAVE no leaders.  We have a few promising ones emerging, like Amy Siskind of The New Agenda and Heidi Li Feldman of 51%.  And we have some very talented writers like our own madamab, Reclusive Leftist’s Violet Socks** and action powerhouse Darragh Murphy of PUMAPac.  We’re out here and we are keeping things together.  Had I known about this conference, I might have gone down there myself to give the a leaders piece of my mind and a dope slap or two. Leaders LEAD.  They don’t ask for someone to pass the Kool-ade.

Snap out of it, women.  Four years is a long time.

** Whoo-hoo!  Violet has a hair singeing rant from yesterday that shouldn’t be missed.

Here’s what I’d like to do to the *leaders* who sold us out:

Oh, WOW! Murphy burns the house down.

This post, The Personal is NOT Political, will sear a hole in your monitor.  Here’s a sample but I encourage you to read the whole thing:

And how enormously stupid are we to have bought the lie that only “I” am a woman. That only “I” have the authentic experience and the true understanding of what it actually means to be a woman. Because I was raped; because I was passed over for a job promotion; because I’m a lesbian; because my father abandoned the family; because I couldn’t go to college; because I’m a single mother; because I’m black, or asian, or from the third world; because I’m a success in a man’s world; because I had a sex change operation; because I am a mother; because I had an abortion. Only “I” define womanhood and feminism and right thinking. Well, me and all my friends in my pretty little corner.

Why is the statement “The personal is political” a lie? Because of what the word personal means. It means our bodies and our beds. Pregnancy, breasts, motherhood, weight, ugliness, sex, sex, sex, and more sex, rape, abortion, birth control, marriage, weddings, wives, ex-wives, dumped wives, pornography. It puts the bit of womanhood between our teeth and sets us on an endless loop around the bedroom bridle path where the yellow wallpaper is just as mesmerizing but the presence of a few sister horses beside us makes us feel less lonely. The personal is political is a lie because it limits the scope of politics to a world comprised of stirrups and orgasms.

No thanks. Not until we spit the bit out of our mouths and take up our rightful identities as PERSONS will we see a woman in the White House. Not until we leave our god-forsaken beds back in our bedrooms where they belong and put our never-ending FEELINGS in a big black box with the inscription “ONLY OPEN IN TIME OF GREAT NEED” marked in deep gold lettering on the lid and store that private box on a shelf in our private closets of personal experience will we be anything more than the pathetic bunch of losers that men want us to believe we are.

The world’s greatest SWINDLE sent us to our bedrooms to look at ourselves naked in the mirror FOREVER and tricked us into thinking that our only importance to the world is what we think and how we feel about the image looking back at us.

Get with the program, ladies.  If you want to have power in this world, if you don’t want the Jon Favreaus of this world acting like an adolescent male hooligan while he pens Barack Obama’s speeches,

Jon Favreau (left), Obama's speechwriter, keepin' it classy

you are going to have to do like Lady MacBeth and unsex yourself, conjure the evil spirits and fill yourself with dire cruelty.  You need to harden your heart and practice cold blooded pragmatism.  You need to let the jabs and criticism roll off of you and learn how to run interference for each other instead of collaborating with the enemy.  And they ARE the enemy.  Not men per se, because there are a lot of women in on this, but the political system that has been created by men and custom.

This holiday season, go to that gender segregated party in your suburb, walk into the kitchen where the guys are all clustered around the keg of Sam Adams and express an opinion.  Hang out with the ladies in the family room who are talking about their menstrual cycles and their labor stories and say something completely unrelated, like, “Do you ever expect to see a woman president in your lifetime?”

Shake it up, baby.  It’s time.

Monday: We are not alone

There are signs of intelligent life.  You just have to know where to look.  You won’t find them on TV.  They’re harder to spot in the nation’s newspapers.  But they’re out there.  They are *us* and people like us.  Our challenge is to find each other and connect.

Sometimes, the most effective technology is the simplest one.  It could be that all we have to do is print some flyers that say nothing more than:

“Don’t like Obama?  Not a racist?  YOU ARE NOT ALONE!”

Put your favorite URL in some tear off strips at the bottom and hang the flyer on your local grocery store bulletin board.

Here are some other nifty ideas on how you can connect with others:

• Check out Murphy’s PUMAPac Action Center for graphics, flyers, postcards, and other ideas on getting the word out to the non-nethead.  Sign up for her Daily Growl for mass action alerts.
• Help Heidi Li and Marc Rubin get more ads on the air.  Visit Democrats for Principle before Party and make a donation.
• Visit JustSayNoDeal’s DailyDos page for events and activities that will get people’s attention. (Note: Some of these activities coordinate with McCain’s campaign so do it only if you feel comfortable with that concept.)
• Meet Harriet Christian in Manhattan on Saturday and Sunday from now until the election.  She is rounding up a posse to go to Scranton, PA to canvass in coordination with Democrat’s for McCain.  If you’re interested, send her an email at hchristian at infnyc dot com.  The buses leave from 31st Street and 8th Ave at 9:00AM.
• Tell your friends to tune into blogtalkradio programs.  There are a wide variety to suit everyone’s taste and you will get to meet a lot of new friends from all over the country.  Tonight, you can Chew the Fat with Ophelia, from The New Agenda tonight at 10PM EST.  Join Amy Siskind and Dr. Violet Socks talk about how women from both sides of the aisle can find common ground, work towards the 30% solution and move women’s issues forward for a better society for all.
  

  Chewing the Fat with Ophelia

The Obama Haka only works if friends and neighbors get discouraged and stay home on election day.  There is an illusion that Obama’s victory is all but assured but that can’t happen if everyone who is angry about the strong armed tactics, intimidation, peer pressure, misogyny and accusations of racism fight back.  There is strength in numbers.  Spread the word.  All you have to do is say, “You are not alone.”

Time is short.

Sound off, Conflucians.  Tell us where you’re from.

Friday Fast: Fundraiser

Today, we dust off an oldie but goody.  To you new readers, last spring we fasted on Friday and sent our lunch money to Hillary for her campaign.  She still has a debt to her vendors left over from the primaries and for all we know, that is what keeps her indentured to Obama.  His fundraisers were *supposed* to help her pay it off.  I suspect they held back so they could continue to get her to carry their water on the campaign trail for Obama.  I don’t know about you but I think it’s time for Obama to carry his own damn water.

So, here’s what we’re going to do:

Save your breakfast, lunch and dinner money and send it to Hillary here:

You don’t have to send a lot of money.  Your $10 in combination with someone elses yuppy foodstamp times thousands can go a long way towards paying down the primary debt.

Now, if you are so inclined and you have extra money to burn, you could also make a contribution to Feeding America, (formerly known as America’s Second Harvest), which is battling the war against food insecurity in this country.  Gas prices are still pretty high and millions of families in this country have really hard decisions to make about how they spend their money.  Think about throwing in an extra $10 to help a family get through the week.  You can contribute here.

Finally, if you still have a few cents, send them to Murphy at PUMAPac.  She’ll turn them into flyers, stickers, movies and get the word out to other disaffected Democrats that they are not alone and People United Mean Action.  Contribute to PUMAPac Here.

Let’s turn these little raindrops into a mighty flood.

For your reading pleasure:

• Anglachel writes two new beauties.  In Audacity Deficit, she asks how it is that this presidential contest has come down to a battle between Obama and Palin? Er, the DNC took the bait?  Just a guess.  In Why Your Party Loses, she shows that Democrats don’t stick up for their own and that gets us every damn time.  Parties with a history of stupidity and inability to learn from their mistakes deserve Darwin Awards.

Alegre has the post of the year.  18 Million Voices Silenced has some harrowing tales from the Hillary delegates who were harrassed at the convention.  Every primary voter needs to read and understand what happened here.  It is disgraceful.  Here’s an example:


PENNSYLVANIA: An elderly weeping delegate who wanted to vote for Hillary was consoled by several fellow delegates who said they were all sent to Denver by their friends and neighbors to vote for Hillary but, “no-one seemed to care”.

 Your party at work.  Sickening.  When it comes to a discussion of the content of Barack Obama’s character, Martin Luther King must be rolling in his grave.

• Finally, Heidi Li’s Potpourri has moved.  We are updating our links.  Her newest post, Looking Past The Heat of the Moment is about looking at the broad political landscape from where we stand now.

When Democracy returns to the Democratic party, so will we. Until then, PUMA!

Hey my Conflucians!  Waiting for reports from RiverDaughter, who’s at Denver’s Cheesman Park “The Beautiful Protest and Rise 2008” (see flyer on the right hand column), followed by candlelight vigil and from our PUMAmobile Dynamic Duo, Gary and Mawm – stay tuned!  In the meantime, add your Conflucian snark by captioning these photos and read post below if you like:

PHOTO 1

PHOTO 2

 

PUMAs are having a BALL in Denver!  “WE are the one no was expecting,” as the lovely Darragh Murphy from PUMA PAc states.

Here’s a snippet from the New York Observer:

Clinton’s Wishes Don’t Spoil PUMA’s Fun –by Jason Horowitz  |  August 25, 2008

In a flat, windswept part of Denver known, depending who you ask, as LODO, for lower downtown, or RINO, for River North, where the city’s yellow cab company once had their depot and where office and loft space now sit in the middle of parking lots and tall body-dumping grass, the PUMA women, and a smattering of PUMA men, held a premier of the anti-Obama movie, “The Audacity of Democracy.” Under pink and yellow neon lights at the sleek Fuel Café, the group’s organizers offered a respectable spread of sautéed spinach, prosciutto-wrapped dates, seasoned mushrooms, falafel, mushrooms and assorted salads, including one fattened with steak. The party had a cash bar, but it carried all sorts of top-shelf alcohol served by a handsome wait staff dressed seriously in culinary whites. A large contingent of foreign press, nearly outnumbering the Clinton loyalists, gave the proceedings an even greater air of sophistication.

A reporter from Le Monde interviewed Edwin Paytner, a round man who blogs as Texas Hill Country, for more than a half an hour. Two German reporters flanked Darragh Murphy, the founder of PumaPac, who has accused Obama supporters of killing bunnies as a scare tactic, scribbling her every word into notebooks. A glamorous Italian reporter talked sympathetically to a white-haired woman in a white Hillary t-shirt .

Taku Tsuchiya, a Japanese television reporter explained the intense international scrutiny.

“It’s interesting,” he said, “Because Obama’s popularity is declining right now and they might have something to do with it.”

And yes for those viewing – IT’S NOT about Senator Clinton, it’s about DEMOCRACY.  We’re not bitter dead-enders.  We are about ACTION.  We are the Democratic Base.  We make things happen in the USA, and we come in every color, size, gender, age, physical ability etc. etc. you can think of.    I wrote this yesterday, posting again because – well, it just says what I want to say:

I stand by my Floridian voter’s opinion:  

If a bank robber was caught stealing money and at their trial, they made a plea bargain to give most of the money back – it still doesn’t exculpate them from the crime they committed.  The robber should be punished regardless.  PUMA was formed to protest the DNC’s hijack of Democracy.  We want Democracy back in the Democratic Party, and you will not get our support and votes until our Democratic leaders start acting Democratically again. 

In Florida, our votes are used like toilet paper since 2000, and since the DNC’s leadership mostly ignores its voter base, they thought the best way they can win an election is by copying the Rove playbook.   How about counting our votes and LISTENING to your voters for a change?   Everytime they do listen, Democrats win the General election.  Had Ted Kennedy been the 1980 DNC candidate, Reagan would have never won nor started the Neo-Conservative movement.   I still resent that the Democratic leadership did not fight for Al Gore’s votes in 2000, had they fought like their Democratic voter base asked and pleaded them to, we would not have 8 years of the most destructive presidential administration in this country’s history. 

We put our trust in a party that we thought valued and represented Democracy and that would fight for our votes and for clean and transparent elections processes.   But since they won’t fight for Democracy, we will.

What happened on May 31st, 2008 was a crime against Democracy.  4 delegates and 600,000 votes were STOLEN in order to cushion Obama’s popular vote and delegate pile.   Had Obama won fair and square, if he had a popular vote lead (which Hillary does and Obama doesn’t)  and had won his delegates without the caucus fraud and DNC/RBC fiasco on May 31st, we’d be a united party. 

As far as I’m concerned, this changes nothing.  We still have an illegitimate candidate that won through illegitimate means.   And PUMA will continue to be a consciousness that lives in all of us here at this little corner of the blogosphere until Democracy is back in the Democratic Party

 

As Carol Diamonds says: PUMA HAKA!

¡Que viva los PUMAs!  (Long live PUMAs!)

Superdelegates also work the oldest profession in the world

UPDATE:  Internet Radio Show Site:  www.plainsradio.com – Listener call in numbers:  888-447-0270   or   806-447-0270 – Will be guests on an internet radio show TONIGHT, Mon 8/18/08, 8pm-10pm Eastern Time.
* POCPUMA.com* NativeAmericansAgainstObama.com* PUMALatinos.com

Democracy, Schmocracy, turning tricks at the Convention is where the money’s at, especially if your john is Madame Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, video courtesy of Dr. Lynette Long & Geeklove:

Awww, don’t you feel for these SuperDelegates, though?  They really think Barack Obama is going to “Pretty Woman” them and drive off in a limo straight to the White House.  After they sold out their constituencies’ votes, SuperDelegates are certain that Obama’s going to marry them with DNC funds for down ticket elections.  Hey SuperSweeties, if you really think that Obama’s Chicago-based DNC will help you fund many of your November re-election campaigns, I got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.   PUMA Priestess Alegre at Alegre’s Corner has the scoop, plus ACTION ITEMS.  Democracy should not be replaced by “Quid-pro-quo-ocracy.”

Another action item: WIll Bower, PUMA Chieftan Supreme issued his PUMA Prowl at the suggestion of the fabulous Heidi Li Feldman from The Denver Group and Heidi Li’s Potpourri:

Yes, we’ve been told that Hillary’s name will be placed into nomination…but now we need to help make sure that that actually happens… and that it MATTERS !! 

First, we need to let Hillary know (in a heartfelt and respectful manner) that we want her to retain her delegates… and that we do *not* want her to discourage them from voting for her!: 

http://www.hillpac.com/action/issues/?sc=2498&utm_source=2498&utm_medium=e

Next, we need to contact Phil McNamara (Director of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection) and (respectfully but firmly) “ask” that the delegate voting process be a *fair* and *legitimate* one!:

http://www.demconvention.com/ask-phil

Finally, for more information on these matters, please read Heidi Li Feldman’s latest articles at: /http://heidilipotpourri.blogspot.com

For those staying put during the Demagogue, oops, I mean Democratic Convention, our PUMA Infantry Co-Commanding Cat-Wrangling duo, Gary & Mawm, still need help filling up the PUMAmobile!  Click on Gary & Mawm’s PUMAmobile below to donate to the G & M Excellent Adventure fuel fund – or click HERE. 

 

The next week is going to be filled with activity, every Just Say No Dealer is working furiously to PUMAtize Denver.  Please keep up with the PUMA Prowls at PUMAPac and Just Say No Deal.  

¡Que viva los PUMAs!

(Long live PUMAs!)

The Audacity of Democracy Teaser

Lori sent me this trailer earlier and asked me to hold it but it looks like the cat is out of the bag so I am posting it here. Now, remember that this is just a little bit of what Brad and Lori are constructing. The narrative is just beginning to develop. We will be having a fundraiser to make sure that movie is completed and the vision of the film makers is realized. If you would like to help ot in getting this film out to the general public, click here to donate.

In the meantime, enjoy the show:

The Scratching Post Saturday Night – PUMA Summer Blockbuster!

Don’t forget Meet Me in Denver with Darragh Murphy and Friends with John West and Michell of the 300 Delegates tonight at 9:00 PM EST on NQR!

 The summer blockbuster sleeper hit is finally here!

Run!  Run for your lives!!  PUMAs are everywhere and the Obama favored polls sense the PUMA ATTACK!  Gallup has very sobering numbers to report:

Meet Me In Denver with Darragh Murphy and Friends

Set your batchannels for tonight’s premier of Meet Me In Denver with Darragh Murphy and Friends on the NQR network of Blogtalkradio.

I’m predicting that Darragh will be discussing the details of the rally in Denver including how to arrange to get on a bus.  She will probably also be discussing what is being planned for a pre-Denver PUMA conference to be held in DC on August 8-10.  And there’s lots more.

The party starts at 9:00pm EST.

You know, Darragh made a good point about friends the other day in Princeton.  Who are Obama’s friends?  We know that Bill and Hillary have thousands of them.  Some of them have been lifelong friends.  Mack McClarty and Vince Foster had been Bill’s friends since elementary school.  Hillary too has a coterie of friends she has known since she was a girl.  Loyal friends who share mutual admiration and respect for her.

But who are Obama’s friends? Who knows him, vouches for him, is loyal to him?  Where are the FOBs for Barack?