"I learned something from the experience. I never take vacations."
-- Warren Zevon
So now a little Wednesday Morning overdue and/or unasked for light housekeeping.
On the subject of All Fools' Day:
So I awoke yesterday to find that my friend Hubris Sonic at the GNB had tried to sneak a knuckle ball across the plate yesterday. Thing is, I like knuckle balls, so I thought I’d try in the very few minutes allotted to me to line a high, hard one right back at the mound.
Whether I succeeded or failed deponent sayeth not. What I can say is that no buxom Conservative do-gooders have recently shoved a valise full of cash in my face.
I have not been offered a rent-to-own deal on my soul to take me away from the ragged monastic joys of blogging in exchange for a job in the New and Improved RNC.
I do not think the political yarrow sticks will fall into a three-party hexagram come September, but rather that the Democrats will unite behind their candidate and go on to a narrow but defining victory in November.
I know of no Sekrit Polling Protocols that are being run through men’s, women’s or soft-core porn magazines.
Oh there was some truth stitched into the post. Howlin’ Wolf, for example, really does kick ass. There were half-truths. Verisimilitudes. Lies. But mostly it was a fast pickup game of All Fools' Day pitch-n-catch.
Shorter: Hubris made me do it, Ma!
On the subject of Mom:
My mom absolutely rocks. Actually, my whole family does: I completely lucked out in that department. In addition to being an fightin’, cussin’ Liberal, Mom also has more energy and sense of play and adventure than most people of any age. She is also a much better and nicer person than me, and very old school; if a wild bear ever crashed into her living room, I kinda believe that either she’d have it helping out serving juice at a local church within a week…or we’d all be eating bear-meat scones off of bear-bone china for a few months.
On the subject of the Blogiversary:
A Very Big “Thank You” to one and all for coming by, emailing and all the rest. It meant a lot.
Thanks to Crooks & Liars, Blue Gal, Shakes, Cannablog for the, uh, cunning link us :-)
On the subject of time, time, time (partially reprinted from a recent email):
These days I blink…and a week was gone. A strange and terrible power to be sure, but one that comes with a back story.
I spend most of my time doing my other gigs.
The ones that keep the wolf from the door, and do some little good in the world. Many., many, many hours/week. Then comes laundry, shopping, sleep, reading, etc. There is no staff or wenches to attend to the maintenance of the castle; just me.
After that it seems I have about 11 minutes to blog on any given day, usually on the run, or light-fingered from my sleep bank.
Also, since I must remain cloaked, I can’t “harvest” any of the cool, meaty stuff I may or may not do during my day jobs – as awesome as that would be – for online material: to continue to blog, I need to keep a separate schedule, separate reading list, separate study habits, email accounts, etc. and keep current with what’s up in the liberal blogosphere enough to stay relevant which is fairly concentration-intensive.
And every day I get I get very nice email from very nice people inviting me to “participate” in something.
Endless kindnesses and “thank you’s” from strangers, for which I am terribly grateful, but which sadly do not change the irreducible fact that I still have just those “11 minutes” to spend and no more.
On the subject of an eventual Book:
Love to do one one of these days. Cull some old posts, cut ‘em together, and get crazy rich overnight! Rich! Rich as a pirate’s mortgage broker!
Have a title picked out and everything.
So when the day comes when my spare-minute count doubles, I’ll get right on it.
Or maybe a Space Opera?
On the subject of the relative sober level-headedness of Hillary Clinton supporters vis-à-vis the scarily “intense” Barack Obama supporters:
Two Words: Taylor Marsh.
Here for you viewing pleasure is a very light sampling of a fraction of the comments, from a single post:
...
I cannot wait for his speech tomorrow. I don't think he will recover from this. Truly. Even my non-political friends are talking of nothing else.
Go Hillary!!
…
More good news: FOX News had the headline just now, "Hot on Radio: Concerns Over Obama's Ties to Former Pastor."
…
Never in my 63 yrs old on this earth have I witnessed a more horrible political race and never have I seen so many supposed Democrats backing away from the one person (Hillary) that has the ability to win the white house...It is despicable.
...
Someone really needs to get this out to the media. Wright is NOT Obama's only link to very radical and militant views. He is supported by the New Black Panthers.
…
You could perhaps ask your friend why Obama waited to give this speech now. You may also tell him that it smacks of ultimate hypocrisy
…
Now, as far as bamboozling goes, this is definitely one of the gems.
Soon, though, I predict there will be a new game in town - How quickly can you distance yourself from Obama?
…
Anything to prevent more Obama BS from getting out. I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF THAT 'PERSON'.
…
Yes, we all need some comforting words about race as the economy spirals down the crapper. So glad to see Obama has his priorities straight.
…
They are a joke, just like their candidate. They are in fantasy land.
I can tell you this: There is no way that BHO is getting elected this year, probably never. These ads — and they’re the work of amateurs — are devastating. He is
toast, even if our leaders are STUPID enough to nominate him.
Hope everyone’s having a nice day.
…
Dean, with all due respect, should have stay with his medical pratice...HE IS A HORRIBLE LEADER, he never should have been the chairman od DNC....
because of him and peolsi, they think theyhave expanded the democratic base, but minorities like me have already switched our party affiliations... why are they so oblivious?? DO THEY LIVE IN A BUBBLE???
and the FRAUD-OBAMA's speech...
…I for one won't be watching... I'll just watch fox's analysis...you guys should have seen them on fox.... they know obama will never get over this in the general
…
I LOVE IT...FOX IS REPEATING THE WRIGHT STUFF EVERY HOUR!!!!!!
I can't beleive I love fox news now!
…
McCain will win it. BO simply cannot win the general. He cannot. Our party does not deserve to have the whitehouse. Democrats do not deserve Hillary Clinton.
…
Are they on CRACK???
Besides requesting that I be unsubsribed to that idiot's requests yet ONE MORE TIME I wrote about my gazillionth extremely ANGRY email stating my reasons for never giving them another PENNY!! I figured while I was on fire I would write about pelosi, dean, florida disenfranchising, misogynists and the "hope for hate" candidate and how the dems. leaders will have only themselves to blame for 4 more years of republican occupancy of the White House...and that I will only donate $ to Hillary's campaign and if she should be robbed of the nomination, McCain will receive my $ for November!
…
I honestly don't care what Obama says tomorrow. He is such an arrogant liar, I've started to get the same viseral antipathy I get whenever I see George Bush's face or hear his voice.
I just can't bear to listen to his dissembling, parsing, and outright lieing.
I have the sinking feeling that the Dem leadership is going to continue to try to force him upon us as the nominee. I think these idiots really believe that we'll all just fall in line behind him when it comes down to the wire. They are completely divorced from reality.
I just KNOW that if Obama is the nominee, we will lose to McCain. At least with Hillary, we would have a fighting chance.
…
He is a classic machiavellian. When people like him are allowed to run free no one is safe.
…
I think it is telling that Obama didn't say a thing after Chris Rock said to Obama's audience at the Apollo that they shouldn't think of voting for "that white woman".
…
Can you imagine if the converse had happened at a rally for Senator Clinton - someone introducing her and referring to Obama as "that black guy"?
…
Watching him do the "bamboozed" schtick is stomach turning for anyone who loved Malcolm X.
…
This is a man whose mother was white. Any irony there? The fact is that the Obama campaign started this whole stanky race baiting bs long ago.
…
This is the most hypocritical, pandering person who has ever run for President as a Democrat. What next? This is not change. This is not hope. This is vacuous and hateful political pandering. Can I believe anything the man has said two days or two weeks ago?
Would someone please tell Donna Brazile and Nancy Pelosi that they work for the Obama campaign?
…
Obama is a puff of smoke who has been allowed to become a forest fire because everyone has been afraid to call him out.
…
Everyone should contact Teddy's office and tell him if you stand against racism then you must stand against Obama. I think if Kennedy came out now it could quiet this nation and quell the violence which Sharpton and others have said is sure to come.
…
THE AUDACITY OF HYPOCRISY.
…
To repeat, this was a tiny fraction of the hundreds of responses to one post.
Just a single one of the post after post after post on this very high-traffic “Democratic” blog that amount to little else than an increasingly-hysterical litany of the horrible horribleness of Barack Hussein Obama.
Fox News is lauded as being fair and balanced…as long as they go after Obama.
Critics are pooh-poohed as suffering from “Clinton Derangement Syndrome”
Reading the site you would never know that Florida and Michigan were state-level Party fuckups. States that the candidates all promised to bypass…until the minute Hillary stopped being “inevitable”.
Until she abruptly needed a sack full of delegates.
Then suddenly we are treated to Hillary as Outlaw Folk Hero.
Breaking the rules for the Little Guy and stickin' it to The Man
While Florida and Michigan are magically transformed into innocent bystanders being cruelly disenfranchised by weasely Obama minions and "party elites".
There are, of course, heaping helpings of “Rezko, Rezko, Rezko!” and any effort to lay a glove on “our girl” or defend Obama in the slightest will get you tagged and bagged as a “Troll”.
Page after page after page of posts like this, each with hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of comments that are one long, primal, bone-shattering scream of rage that anyone has dared to stand athwart "our girl's" rightful ascension the the White House.
Which is fine by me; I say God love all us mangy sinners.
But what it isn’t -- remotely -- is either sober or level-headed.
What it is is Little Green Pantsuits.
46 comments:
You seemed like such a happy guy lately, you just didn't seem like a guy who was about to pull the plug. We truly understand the limitations of time drifty, and really enjoy the "eleven minutes" you do have for this thingie. Hope you have a little time, for a long time to come. It's always a pleasure. Happy anniversary.
Love ya....will continue to love ya.
Always so glad to see a new post. Time, it's a harsh task master, isn't it? If only we had more....just so we could do the things we love the most.
"Little Green PANTSUITS"?
Tsk, flirting with misogyny again.
Thanx for the list of equally insane Clintonoids. But then, I DID say, "I am disgusted with the level of outright hatred I see from all too many supporters of EACH of the Democratic candidates toward the other Democratic candidate."
HI Driftglass,
I love your blog, keep doing the 11 minutes! I have to stick up for my gal Hillary here, I know there are rabid fans on both sides but " they started it " , ( just kidding )
It's nice to get all hotly partisan.
But I hope everyone settles down and remembers:
You don't shit where you eat.
To be blunt.
McCain? What thinking person would vote for McCain?
Don't be petty, people. Neither of the Democratic candidates is our enemy.
The Republicans are our enemy.
To those who are thinking of voting for someone who has sold his soul to the Republican party, and has shown himself to be the most craven of opportunists:
Get a grip.
The Republicans must be stopped. They are what we are fighting against.
My own small minutes are up, but just gotta say:
Little Green Pantsuits.
Oh, you are a wordsmith.
It's not the rethugs that have to be stopped, it's the insanity in both parties that has to stop. It's just that the rethugs are more overtly insane and, as DG always reminds us, simply do not have the desire or ability to govern.
But ultimately NOBODY gets a pass on BS. For my money HRC is continually taking the low road, both in her campaign and her political decisions as a Senator. And if BO does the same stuff he doesn't get a pass either, but up to this point, I haven't seen it from him.
Most importantly- DG you make better use out of your 11 minutes than most folks can make out of a day. And thanks for a great April Fool's Day.
PS- One order of revenge, icy cold, for Hubris. ;-)
Fox News is lauded as being fair and balanced…as long as they go after Obama.
This phenomenon came up at the Media Bias panel at EschaCon this past weekend, e.g., Dems lauding Fux for going after the "wrong" Dem, Dems quoting Drudge when he prints some crap that tarnishes the "wrong" Dem. It was all pretty depressing, but it's happening (and not just at Taylor Marsh's site, I'm afraid). Still, I think (hope) dg is right (that we'll all unite come November). The alternative is too frightening to contemplate.
I agree with bill g. You seem like such a happy guy lately. That's a good thing...one does not need to suffer (too much) for art. And I will laugh for the rest of the day over "little green pantsuits"--gawd!
I will vote for Hillary if she is the nominee over McCain but I will never vote for Taylor Marsh. At least she gives us an easy example that your genius can cull in less than eleven minutes.
You're welcome for the linky love of course of course.
Perhaps I could inquire after your Father.
Welcome back, Drifty! Thanks for all the fish!
the question: Why is it that some "liberal" blogs like Taylor March and TalkLeft are not just opposed to Obama, but are utterly furious and vituperative about a guy who, after all, was endorsed by Barbara Lee, Ted Kennedy, and Cornell West.
I can't think of a credible answer that does not involve the word "racism".
Little Green Pantsuits? OH MY. You might get Driftglass strikers now....
I darn near ruined another keyboard with coffee spew.
Thanks for all the lovely posts, DG.
You should take a look over at Noquarterusa... they make Marsh's commentors look like the voice of reason.
It's interesting that the term "Clinton Derangement Syndrome" can now be more aptly assigned to her supporters rather than her detractors.
As a person of a certain age, gender and sexual identity I find myself somewhat among the minority among my peers as an Obama supporter. I have never seen such heated fervor from the women I know ... and such naked fear that their girl is not going to fulfill what they feel is her rightful destiny. That is what is making them so harsh and hateful - fear.
They are mad at me and everyone else who hasn't lined up for the coronation and spew stupidities like "if Obama hasn't got this wrapped up by now, how can you say he can beat McCain in November?" To which there is only one response: "good question and back at ya, re: Hill."
At this point it is too late to put the toothpaste back in the tube, the Entitlers are on a rampage and they are feeding on their own impotent rage. So rather than having any more calls for Hill to step down, this melodrama must now play out completely so she can lose fair and square. And then she BETTER damn well get to work to repair the damages and get her supporters back on board to beat Grampa Mickey in November.
There are TWO Republican candidates so it is beyond me why or how anyone can defend the one masquerading as a dem. I will vote for Obama in November regardless of who is the official nom. I will never vote for a republican. That's just the way it is.
11 minutes...... dang.... You ARE good!! Thank you.
Though I've never read at Taylor Marsh, at least she's out there with her (wrongheaded) choice.
"Little Green Pantsuits" :D :D
Indeed.
One could catalog a similar range of noxious spew from Obama partisans trashing Clinton (try AmericaBlog or the Great Orange Satan). I'm still of the opinion that a lot of it is contrived wingnut trolling designed to make Dems hate each other. (For example, I think "HillaryIs44" is a right-wing disinformation troll blog.)
Admittedly, Clinton does more to inspire it than Obama, but that doesn't change it's fundamental nature. And as one commenter said above, "they started it". Hillary trashing by the Left has a much longer lineage, going back way before this election, all the way to the Clinton presidency days. As soon as Hillary began floating a presidential run, by rock-ribbed Liberal neighbor began expressing to me her basic mistrust of all things Clinton, and that she would have a hard time voting for Hillary Clinton. It wasn't "derangement", she had good reasoning behind her mistrust. But there it is. It existed. They started it.
And when the volume amped up to glass shattering levels in many Lefty blogs, Hillary people finally exploded in frustration. They saw Hillary hatred on the Left rise in exact proportion to Obamamania. So they reacted like the all-too-humans they are.
And a lot of them are justifiably worried about Obama being swiftboated ("preacher-boated"?) by the wingnut noise machine with some previously unrevealed faux-pas. The Wright nonsense proved them prescient. With Clinton, they could say, there's not a damn thing that can be thrown at her that isn't already a known quantity, vetted, analyzed, and with the appropriate riposte prepared in advance. In comparison, Obama is a gamble, who might have a hooker, a drug bust or a crazy preacher buried in the closet. The "scandal" forced Obama to shift gears, to play up the racial politics that he had previously (and deliberately) kept at arms length. He handled it well, but the next time (if there is a next time) he may not.
They also (quite justifiably IMHO) fear the Bradley Effect, yet another unknown quantity. At least we have had the precedent of a female major party VP candidate (even though it was one whom now can't STFU.)
So yes, there is a "Little Green Pantsuits" thing going on (though that was a wee bit sexist, drifty - a finger wag to you), but it's not all there is.
A pox on both their houses, I say.
Bill and Hill have done a kick ass job to MAKE me dislike them.
I'm a lifelong, liberal, progressive Democrat. Original mint-issue feminist from the same year Gloria Steinem hit the newstands as "The Pretty Not Butch Feminist." :)
And I've hauled a lot of water for the Clintons since the day they unpacked in the White House ... especially after the day I followed a link in 1998 in California for some group called "Censure & Move On."
Oh, Hillary is also my junior senator from NY.
And screw all that noise now.
The Hillary-sanctioned, Mark-The-Rove-Penn-directed, Hubby-Bubba-backed Slash and Burn style of primary politicking -- with the racist dog whistles (no "skin" in the game there; I'm allegedly White, but barely when you're talking southern Italians) and the Scorched Earth Fuck You I'm Getting This no matter what the price to the Commons -- THAT makes me Hate the Hills.
When I see blog comments like those you presented from Taylor Marsh's site ... when I see people calling people like me Longtime Clinton Haters or Sexists or Traitors to I-Don't-Know-WTF ... I have to laugh.
Hillary Clinton has worked very hard for my disdain. And she certainly earned it. Does that mean she wins?
"...the Scorched Earth Fuck You I'm Getting This no matter what the price to the Commons..."
You have exactly described the campaigning philosophy of today's GOP.
We saw that Bush adhered to it, and Gore (with his capitulation of the Florida recounts) did not. He thought at the time that the price to the Commons was too much to protract the battle any further.
So Gore "lost". And we know what happened next.
I happen to think that, in this political juncture, we need some "Scorched Earth Fuck You I'm Getting This No Matter What" political attitude or we're going to LOSE AGAIN. (Our host driftglass has said as much, more than once.) The cries of the Lefties over how "Gore gave up too easy" still ring in our ears.
No more Mr. Nice Lefty.
"Little Green Pantsuits" is a classic.
Look, I know there are crazy supporters for every candidate, and I try not to hold it against the candidate (or against the more sane supporters). Your mileage may vary depending on what sites your frequent, but so far I've read or run into far more crazy Clinton supporters, especially when one counts posts and not just comments.
But it's gotta be a Dem in November, and all the Dems need pressure to (radical idea) respond to the will of actual liberals, which (golly gosh) happens to coincide with the will of the American public overall on many issues. Avast, McCain!
Little green pantsuits for you and me ... Yeah baby for you and me.
Sorry I'm back.
Little Green Pantsuits is just clever, not hateful. Stop it. Hillary her own self makes fun of the pantsuit thing. Get a sense of humor already.
But in light of that I would really, truly like a Hillary supporter to explain to me, in ISSUE ORIENTED fashion, how her Middle East policy is an improvement over Bush. I hear the same warmongering (nothing is off the table) from Hillary vis a vis Iran that I hear from Fox.
I think we know that the Arab world, the entire world, is going to see a different America under Barack Obama and yes dammit it's in part because he's Black. If Hillary Clinton could please focus more on how her feminine way of thinking (not an ugly term imo) gives her new perspective that will improve things over Bush, rather than trying to out tough every imaginary opponent, I'd think more kindly toward her. In the end, I think her remarks to AIPAC were unconscionable.
Does that make me misogynistic, or am I actually taking her seriously as a candidate? Taylor Marsh and her ilk, and I do think TM is nuts, seem to want the first and not the second.
Much as I enjoyed all the good Driftglass, my 2c, the core of THAT thread was:
"Democrats do not deserve Hillary."
To which, I can only add;
FUCKING A!!!
The speaker of that was absolutely right. We don't deserve the title of "progressive warpimps" either.
Nor, I submit: "Fellators of John McCain."
Nor: "Well-wishers" for FauxNews'
10th anniversary birthday bash...
Nor: Co-sponsors (along with one of the staunchest Gauleiter/supporters of bush's cluster d'phuque in the U.S. Senate, Robert Bennett) of that amendment to make burning the flag a federal crime...
Nor: The nom de guerre of supporters of Keil-Lieberman, the best and tastiest "Fukkit!-Let's-double-down-on-this-misery-and-see-what-happens-THEN!" koolaid to come down the pike since the Yellowcake variety.
Too right!
We DON'T deserve Hillary; and with any luck (and if the endorsements for Obama keep coming)
we won't get her. :o)
"He is supported by the New Black Panthers."
If true, I gotta say "GOOD ON YA MR. OBAMA!"
Back in the day (I was white back then too), I remember the Black Panthers driving by the free school we ran on Capital Hill in Seattle. They would cruise by just to keep an eye out for the kids. RADICAL, MAN! The Panthers were for justice and equality. Of COURSE that upset the shit out of J. Edgar and his brownshirts!
BARACK!
Checking in to find out you're sticking around made my day. It was a bad, bad day. Nice to have something tasty to take away the ick.
As for Taylor Marsh-- it makes me really sad to see smart, dedicated liberals go batshit insane. I've been sticking up for the Clintons ever since 1992 but I'm finding that I like them less and less the longer this campaign goes on. I'll vote for Hillary if she somehow ends up as the nominee, but I don't think I'll send money or put in time to help elect her.
driftglass your post truly encapsulates all that is wrong with the so-called progressive blogosphere.
The "Little Green Pantsuit" ending is that silent dog whistle of sexism women of my generation have been hearing all our lives.
I don't expect you to understand, because there is no way you could have ever faced it.
I would respectfully suggest that if you want to examine comments, why not start with almost any comment thread about Hillary Clinton (or Taylor Marsh, for that matter) on Daily Kos or AmericaBlog. You will find that they includes multiple uses of the words "cunt", "slut" or any number of other derogatory remarks made with the sole purpose of trying to get women to just shut the fuck up.
Well, I for one do not intend to shut up. And thank God Taylor Marsh is not keeping quiet either.
I would encourage you and your readers to take a look at the evolution of Taylor Marsh's support for Sen. Clinton. Unlike me, Taylor didn't start the primary season as a Clinton supporter. Her support evolved from watching the unfair treatment Clinton has received from the MSM.
It's one of the reasons you find women like Rachel Maddow standing up for Sen. Clinton, even though she personally does not support her. Sometimes there is just so much sexism a woman can take before she has to speak up.
I'm sure you have heard the old saying if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem ... take a look at some of the comments on this thread alone:
"Taylor Marsh ... batshit insane"
"...and I do think TM is nuts"
"...crazy Clinton supporters"
I strongly support Sen. Clinton. Does that make me "batshit insane," "nuts" or "crazy?"
Just askin' ...
BAC
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, driftglass, but it seems that one Mr. Kevin Federline has appropriated your book title for his upcoming autobiography.
Bac; I have been arguing this subject, about triangulatin' Hillary for about two years now, all over the progressive blogosphere, and I think I have seen two, maybe three, instances of someone using "cunt" or "slut" with reference to Hillary, or any other female, for that matter.
Those posts lasted a matter of minutes, until the bloggers spotted them and dumped them; just as they would last that (if that) on here.
I am sick to the point of nausea about hearing what a victim Hillary is.
And I am awfully damned tired of being called a misogyist, when I post the clips and links proving what a republican-lite Hillary is.
I have a daughter and three granddaughters. I don't think there is a women's issue you can name that I don't support.
She WAS ill-treated by the MSM and the right, during the fireworks of Bill's presidency, but we do NOT owe her the democratic nomination as a bandaid for that. She has not risked one fucking micron of political capital on behalf of a genuinely progressive agenda. Especially, about bush's lunatic crusade.
In point of fact, since the run-up to the invasion of Iraq she has sucked up to the right wing so many times, and they are so well documented, that it would a be waste of bandwidth, time, and energy, to go back over them for the umpteenth time.
That is why, for the past two years, as the jockeying for the primaries got going, she has consistently been HAMMERED on practically ALL of the progressive straw votes that have been taken. As she demonstrated her "political savvy", and moved to the right in pursuit of conservative votes that simply do NOT exist for her, we sat, appalled, and then, as surely as we promised it for george bush and the petro-turds, we promise political payback for her, too.
And that's her problem, and it's of her own making. As the wheels continued to come off of the mayhem-mobile in Iraq, She continued to support it, up until the midterms, when she saw the poll-writing on the wall. Getting her to eat that vote to enable was like trying to pull one of her molars with a pair of
chopsticks. 20 debates into the race, with her campaign in trouble, and with bush's poll numbers swimming with the tidy-bowl man, she finally indulged in some dainty gnoshing. But the fact remains: Two of the three candidates have blood dripping off their hands, up to their elbows.
One more time, this is not rocket science; we can't win this election without hammering on bush, the GOP, and especially John "Let's have the War of the Roses again!" McCain, for the clusterfuck; and Hillary aint got no hammer. She cut it up into small pieces and tried to trade it to the conservatives for votes, but they weren't interested.
When she said that she and McCain were the stuff of Commander in Chief material, but NOT Obama, you guys supporting her lost your right to pre-emptively piss and moan about progressives' moral duty to support her, IF there are enough democrats willing to commit political suicide to give her the nomination.
She is (it should be obvious to everyone not so obsessed with the idea of having a woman run for president that they might speak well of Ann Coulter's running) not part of the solution; she's part of the problem. And the sooner we can get her out of the race and back to the Senate, the sooner we can get on with beating the republicans and John McCain
senseless, in the general.
you know, all the misogynistic attacks on Hillary activate the same impulses that the insane, winger, conspiracy against Bill Clinton did. But I'm not falling for it this time. Just having enemies who are creepy is not good enough.
Tanbark if others in the blogosphere made their point in the same way you have here, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
I think what cannot be denied is there are two "isms" that have surfaced in this campaign, yet there only seems to be a national dialogue about one of them.
Do I think racism exists in this country? Yes.
Do I think sexism exists in this country? Absolutely.
Are we finally hearing some constructive discussion about the racism that exists in our country? Yes.
Is there also a discussion about the sexism that exists in our country? No.
Is one "ism" worse than the other? No.
Should both be addressed? Absolutely.
For me, it's not about "hearing what a victim Hillary is" ... it's about how the sexism that has been directed at Hillary hurts ALL women.
Hillary can't deliver a 40 minute speech addressing sexism, because if she did she would be berated as the woman who can't take the pressure of a presidential campaign.
There are still some harsh realities in this country that are probably only surfacing right now because Hillary IS running for president.
There are two major areas of power in this country, corporate and political. Those two entities sent the agenda for most of the rest of us -- whether we like it or not.
And while women are more than 50% of the population, we are barely a blip on the screen in these two arenas.
The total number of Fortune 500 women CEO's is 10. If you expand the number to Fortune 1000 companies we are 20. At the rate women are currently advancing it could take 40 years for women to achieve parity with men in corporate officer positions. An entire generation.
Women who work full time, year-round, earn approximately 77 cents for every $1 their male counterparts earn. And as women climb the corporate ladder that percentage goes down.
86 women serve in the U.S. Congress. 16 in the Senate and 70 in the House, or roughly 16 percent overall.
Women hold 23.6 percent of state legislative offices.
In cities with a population of 30,000 or more, 15.7 percent of the mayors are women.
Is there any wonder why some of us are frustrated?
In the Yale Daily News, Ben Tannen writes: "At the beginning of the semester, politics was the talk of the town, and I started debating the relative merits of Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton with fellow Yalies. During one discussion about Sen. Clinton’s merits, I extolled the virtues of experience in a chief executive. The response I received was, “Yeah, but she’s such a bitch. And a skank!” [...]
"Unfortunately, my conversations here at Yale seem to be indicative of the way that a surprisingly large number of Americans view Sen. Clinton. First, take Facebook. Groups related to Hillary Clinton abound. However, among these groups, some of the most popular are: “Hillary Clinton: Stop Running for President and Make Me a Sandwich,” currently with 38,853 members, and “Life’s a bitch, why vote for one? Anti-Hillary ‘08,” which has several different incarnations, one with 16,296 members."
Can you imagine the national uproar if there were a Facebook group called 'Obama - shine my shoes'? The MSM would be all over it!
BAC
BAC - I appreciated your first post here because at the very least you have made a decision. I'm all about making a damn decision and putting it out there. Thank you for that. Its these blogs and others who are pretending to be "neutral" while fueling the identity politics... a Clinton campaign bright shiny object. As Hillary said in a couple of debates "Well, I'm a woman. There's change". No.It.Is.Not.
Now, you hold up Taylor Marsh as an example of how she came around to be for Hillary becasue of all meanies and how badly they treated her. That's the standard on which to base a vote for President? For anything? Do you really every want to have to wonder if you got a position based on gender and not on your very own hard earned qualifications and expericences. I don't. I hate thinking about it.
I was a service man's wife/girlfriend for 20 years but that doesn't qualify me as a veteran. According to Hillary's "rules", I should be Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff.
I have a woman governor in my state and I am proud of her as a woman of strength and courage. I can tell you for certain it hasn't done a damn thing to change any one of the numbers you rattle off there. That's not a top-down thing you can change. Whining about it just makes it worse. Much worse.
Civil Rights Act specifically states race, gender, religion cannot be used when considering any person for a federal position. Under Hillary's rules, just fuck what MLK was talking about and just fuck all those courageous people who marched and demanded their rights as human beings. Just fuck that shit, the Clintons brought every single one of those considerations to the table.... and it stinks. Identity politics is a Clinton campaign signature move. Its sickening.
Here's a number I'm interested in...... 4,000+. Here's and -ism that I LIVE ...... humanism.
Using this Presidential election to change the subject to be about Hillary is just complete bullshit. Are sexism and racism important subjects that need worked on by the people of this country, this world? Yep. Do either of them have a place as a deciding factor in who can lead us away from Republicanism? From Dominionism? NO.
Attitude is everything and we need an non-kneejerk, non-snitfittery, non-permanently peturbed, non-victimy attitude with a bottom-up, adult-oriented management style to get us the hell out of this ditch.
Here's another number of paramount importance right in this moment in time: 3
(the number of terms both the clintons' and the bushs' are going for this year). This must end here. We must progress. Onward.
:-)
*sigh* How did we end up having to choose between a DLC hack triangulator and a New Age guru, both of whom are entirely too friendly to Elephascists and scary preachers? :(
Well, if he's a New Age Guru who spoke out in 2002 against the war, and who can, in red state Virginia, pull 136,000 more votes than all of the republican candidates combined, then I'll dance like a fucking Hairy Krishna to get him nominated. :o)
*sigh* How did we end up having to choose between a DLC hack triangulator and a New Age guru, both of whom are entirely too friendly to Elephascists and scary preachers? :(
We do live in America.
These two candidates are NOT equal, and anyone who says they are is a fucking Hillary-head who's too chickenshit to come out and admit it.
I read with interest BAC's impassioned post and understand where she is coming from. She epitomizes most of my friends. That said, she has also underscored the point I and many others here are trying to make, which is, sexism as an issue is no more a reason to make her our nominee than racism is.
No matter how much we as humans can sympathise with the pounding her family took in the 90's, many of us who championed her since forever have been horrified by her war votes, her awful, negative, scorched earth campaign strategy and watching a great orator like Bill stick his foot in his mouth more times than we can count. This has not made the Clintons any new friends and I daresay has lost them them more than a few of the old ones. Like me.
Do I think it's time for a woman president? You bet your sweet ass I do. And in the now unlikely event she's the nominee I certainly will vote for her. But I think someone else is going to have to blaze that trail.
Four more months of this shit.
Next time, can we have the nominating convention in January and get it over with?
Regarding my father:
Dad and Mom divorced when I was a kid. Dad's dead several years now.
Regarding the "New Age Guru":
I don't recall Obama's speeches on crystal therapy, aroma therapy, EST, Life Spring, gestalt, astrology, remote sensing, UFOs, Lord Kinbote, Absent Healing, ley lines, silver beings, Heaven's Gate, fart worship, phrenology, harmonic convergence or Rolfing.
Maybe someone can hook me up with them, because I always kind thought he focused more on health care, community organizing, loose nukes and so forth.
Or maybe its just that, for people who are drunk on nihilism, anyone who dares to use the word "hope" sounds goofy.
The scientists teach us that ultimately, the natural universe itself will come to an end.
Hence, even if humanity does get self-supporting colonies going off this planet before the aging Sun expands into a red giant and renders Earth uninhabitable, we will only buy some time.
Nature itself is nihilistic--everything comes to nothing, eventually.
Hence, hope is a "goofy", that is, futile, concept unless there be an afterlife, and of course, we have no proof that there is.
One person's nihilism is another person's realism.
skippy said...
i'm with werebear here.
in truth, neither obama and clinton are progressive in agenda. hell, they're hardly even liberal, if you measure by the fdr/jfk/lbj standard.
they are both actually quite close in terms of where they are on the left/right scale.
and truly, either would be a far better president than mclame (and, in my opinion, a far worse president than john edwards or al gore, but that point is moot).
and tho clinton supporters in blogtopia and yes, i coined that phrase, seem to attract more attention in their unhingedness, if i can make up a word, i submit that obamabots are just a kooky.
Hey skippy, I remember you made up blogtopia. It seems far away now, though, eh?
As for clinton supporters / obamabots, I'm calling a foul on you.
And furthermore, while I agree their policies are close, their methods are not. Obama is bringing new people into politics, and that is critical. "They're all the same, so why bother voting" always favors the Republicans, because the Republicans favor policies that only benefit the few very rich.
Who is Hillary bringing into the Democratic race? Rush Limbaugh? Richard Mellon Scaife? Do you think those people are backing Hillary because they want whats best for the Democratic party?
~
It is undeniable that both sexism and racism are at play in the Democratic primary contest. My point is that only one is being seriously addressed by either the MSM or the so-called progressive blogosphere.
Should liberal guilt be a reason to vote for either an African American or a woman? No.
If the choice were between Barack Obama, John McCain and Elizabeth Dole do you think I would be supporting Dole? Heck no!
The choice for the next president is going to be between Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain ... I support Hillary Clinton.
I think she is the most qualified to solve our economic problems, to deliver services to underserved populations, and to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home.
Am I pleased that the person I believe to be the most qualified of the three happens to be a woman? You bet I am.
BAC
Let me re-phrase:
Who's your daddy?
Watching the 2008 State of the Union in January did it for me. When W. said that the surge was working, Clinton bounded to her feet and was applauding wildly, while Obama remained seated with a skeptical look on his face. It's all there on the tape.
There are so many reasons why Clinton's reaction bothered me, from the moral and ethical to the strategic and political.
joefrantic
All this shorter:
Drifty is underpaid and can't afford a decent pantsuit.
Obama will be president twice, but not before Hillary
becomes an "Independent Democrap" running a
perpetual Emperor's used clothing store.
A couple of you can't dress yourselves.
The foolish and the dead never change their opinions.
as a note, a lot folks despised the clintons long before Obama showed up on the sceen...they where never progresive, they where never liberals...they have allways been republican lite. I have known about and feard hillarys connections to the theocrats for well over a decade adn regardless of Obama would fight agenist her. I do find it amazing that folks calim she will fix the econamic problems...her husbands blind eye to bubbles and focus on deregulation for short term paper gains got had a lot to do with the economic troubles we are in now, sure bush made things worse, but it started with the irrisponsable policies pushed under clinton....
its just nice to have a canadate to vote for as well.
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