Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Double Standard...

What a surprise - not. So, last night I was watching The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and he picked up Obama's talking point about Clinton having a shot and a couple of beers (the article abt that is in another post). He went off on her calling Obama an elitist, too, saying he WANTS a president who is better than the rest of us (I do too, and that ain't Obama). Here's why this irritated me so much (and others on the blogosphere have discussed this, too): Obama had a beer with Senator Bob Casey when he was hanging out in that bowling alley recently. How much have you heard about THAT?? Exactly - barely a whisper, unless it was a Clinton supporter retorting about Obama's sexist attacks on Clinton.

And make no mistake - that is EXACTLY what this is. Sexism, pure and simple. See, since he's a MAN, it is just hunky dory for him to hang out in a bowling alley lifting a glass, but for CLINTON to do so?!?!? Oh, dear, me - that is just unLADYlike!!! What was she THINKING???? Why, next thing ya know, she'll be showing her ANKLES, or letting her petticoat peak out from underneath her hoop skirt!! Give me a freakin' break already. Here's the thing - not only would I rather have a drink (make mine a seltzer with lime) with Senator Clinton any single day of the WEEK, but I could talk POLICY with her all at the same time! Because, see, she's wicked smart, and VERY funny - ALL AT THE SAME TIME!! Woohoo!!! Ahem. So, Obama and Stewart, take you sexist comments and put them you-know-where - it is nto an acceptable attack strategy, and unless you rag on Obama for the same thing, Jon, it ain't all that funny (and I migt add, people were not laughing as much when Jon was pointedly criticizing Clinton - ah, SNAP, Jon!).

On my way home from taking in one of the dogs to see the vet (thank the GODDESS her ears are finally a-okay), I got a call from the Obama campaign wanting money to win Pennsylvania. I said, very nicely, that the young man could stop right there, I was a Hillary Cinton supporter. He said, "Oh, okay." So, when I got home, I gave Clinton another donation. I figure if they are calling people down here in South Cacalacki, they are going through their whole donor list, so Clinton will be needing more, too. (Oh, all right - a LONG, long time ago, I gave Edwards, Clinton, and Obama money until I figured out who I as going to support wholeheartedly. Clinton won with her mastery of policies, her commitment to human rights, her work on behalf of women and children, and all the rest that you most likely know. Every single day, my decision is affirmed, especially as I see and learn more about Obama. Seriously - wow...So, so, so glad I didn't drink the Kool-aide.)

I urge you to do so, too. This is a mighty important time for her campaign. Check that, OUR campaign. The election is ONE WEEK AWAY. So, show her some love, and yourself, by extension - give her some of your hard-earned dollars. And don't forget to watch the debate tomorrow night to cheer her on!

8 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

You're so much nicer than I was when the Obama camp called my house asking for a donation. I won't tell you what I said to them...but it wasn't pretty.

You hit the nail on the head with this post. I didn't see the Daily Show because I quit watching it awhile ago. But, this whole thing with the shot and the beer, ridiculous. I couldn't have put it better, "the next thing you know she'll be showing her ankles."

Not to mention, the whole Annie Oakley thing...could Obama be any more sexist?

While picking up my son at school I was flipping channels on the radio and heard something with a guy calling into Ed Schultz show, again saying that PA voters who won't vote for Obama are doing it because they are racists and because they have little education. I'm so freakin' fed up with this....which is why I haven't put up a post in the last couple of days. I'm afraid that I will offend so many of my bloggers with what I have to say about Obama supporters. You would not believe an e-mail I got from an Obama supporting blogger. I fired off an answer, but can't bring myself to hit "send"...I'm not usually one to go off on someone like that. Have to calm down...if I feel the same way by tomorrow, I'll send it and take the consequences (I know she will not only never speak to me again, but will turn many of my regular bloggers against me). I wish I had more Clinton supporters over there.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Hey, Mary Ellen -

Well, you got me, girl, and I am SQUARELY in your corner! (I wondered why you hadn't posted anything recently - I mean, I know you have work as your children's doormat, but still!! :-) )

And I hear you. The vitriol spewing forth from the Obama camp is really shocking, but they are taking their lead from Obama himself, no doubt abt it. See, if the media had actually been COVERING the crap that he has been saying abt Hillary, they would know why his people are so rabid. He has been talking smack abt her for months and months - she has NOT reciprocated. In fact, she is always VERY good abt not attacking him PERSONALLY, but his policies. He has attacked HER, over and over again. Makes me nuts.

As for the Daily Show, I had stopped watching it for a bit, too, then he seemed to get better. But, as I reminded myself last night, he is defintitely male, and the majority of his writing staff is male (I think he has ONE woman, and he has Samantha Bee as the only woman reporter). So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he jumped on this bandwagon, too.

Ed Schultz?? Oh, holy TOLEDO - he is the WORST! Okay, maybe comparable to Randi Rhodes, but still - wow. I don't know what the hell is the matter with these people - oh, wait - yes I do. It is rampant sexism, even misogyny. That's what it is.

Over at talkleft.com, BTD has a post abt some male blogger realizing that women are getting pretty pissed off at the way Clinton is being treated, and that maybe we AREN'T in a post-feminist world after all since the sexism seems to be oozing out everywhere. See, I don't think we have EVER been in a post-feminist world - I think MEN are the ones who claimed that so they wouldn't have to deal with their behavior. And young women hadn't a CLUE how hard many of us worked for them to have what they have now, including Title IX. That's why I HATE it when announcers talk abt man on man, or man on, when it is ALL WOMEN!! Language shapes our realty. THat is all to say, not only did we NOT ever even make it to a "post-feminist" world, we have gone back a good bit. The pendulu, swing, I guess.

WOwie zowie - sorry for the long response! As you might be able to tell, this is really wearing on me. What they say abt Hillary is not specific to HER, but to women in general. It's like the constant anti-gay references, or attacks (like the teenage boy who was murdered by a classmate around Valentine's Day in CA) - no matter how strong I am, it just gets through (like in Space Invaders), and just makes me weep...There is still so, so, SO much work to do...

Last thing I would say is - you have to speak your truth, ME, and if people cannot respect that, and leave off reading and participating in your blog, it says more abt THEM than you. That doesn't make it any less sad, but you need to say what you need to say...

Good to hear from you!

Mary Ellen said...

Hi Amy- Ok, I wrote this long post that I want to put up tomorrow, if I get the nerve. There is a blogger whose blog I've been visiting for the past year. He ended up supporting Obama, I supported Hillary. This guy came over to my blog and complained about the first post I wrote about Obama and it was about Rezko. Now, I'm from Chicago, and I probably heard a lot more about Rezko than most of the nation at the time that Hillary brought it up in the debate. I knew he was lying through his teeth when he tried to claim that he barely knew him. So, I thought I would educate my readers and put everything I knew about it for all to see. I always research my posts very carefully, it's not opinion, but the facts I have on hand.

This guy e-mailed me and was all pissed because I dared to mention Rezko. I told him that he was welcome to correct anything that I wrote that was misleading or wrong. No correction. He used to do this Blog World Report thing and put up posts that others had written as a recommendation for other readers. He always had one of my posts up there, until the Rezko story, then he stopped. Even if I had posts about things that weren't political, he wouldn't put them on the Blog World Report.

Then, as I started reading his posts (I stopped by every day there) his posts were all photo-shops of Hillary dressed as a criminal or in some other rude way, and videos that were nasty songs about her, etc. You know the drivel that's out there. He also supported the guy who said the Clinton's were pimping out Chelsea, she was fair game as far as he was concerned.

Anyway, after the post I wrote about the race card being used and he made the comment asking if Hillary voters would vote for Obama if he wins, I ended up at his blog arguing the whole thing because he wouldn't come to mine. It got heated. I didn't swear or act rude, but I was very strong in my position.

So, (sorry this is getting long) I then put up the post about everyone getting along. I didn't like leaving it like that and really, I'm not a nasty person. I thought that would calm things down and he would realize how stupid it is to fight like this among fellow Democrats. Then, I see one comment from a girl blogger whom I've always admired and liked make a nasty comment calling those who won't vote for Obama if nominated "spiteful" and other things. I tried to brush it aside and didn't respond because I didn't want to start a fight. Then I looked at Robert's blog and he had a post about how stupid Hillary supporters were and how this was what Obama had to contend with...morons.

So much for the Olive branch, eh? So I just finished a scathing post slamming him and all the other OBama supporters who think they can woo Hillary supporters to vote for Obama by calling them racists (which I was called early on by a guy who used to visit my blog regularly), stupid, spiteful, angry, etc. Well, why the hell do they think we're angry???? How STUPID and MORONIC is that?????

Crap...see, I'm getting upset again. Anyway, I wrote the post, it's bad, and I know that I'm going to lose 90% of my bloggers because of it. To be honest, after all this time and with the number of comments I get every post with a group of regulars that I genuinely love and enjoy, I don't think I want to try and re-build my blog from the ground up. I'm wondering if I should just hit the freakin' delete blog button and just spend my time visiting the blogs I want.

I enjoy the writing and before this primary used to write about a variety of subjects, politics, religion, humor, movie reviews, etc. But politics is my first love and I feel as if I'm being pushed out of it by a bunch of Obama kool aid drinkers who probably don't put even close to the effort that I do checking my resources and trying to keep balanced in my writing.

I'm so exhausted from the stress of all this. That's why I just quit writing posts. It's sitting there...like a time bomb in "draft". Tick tick tick tick.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Hey Mary Ellen -

Wow. I am sorry that these people are acting so boorishly - as I have said before, it is coming from the top down. This is a DIRECT result of Obama trashing Clinton PERSONALLY in his speeches. It has given his followers the signal that attacking her, and her supporters, is fair game, no ad hominem is too much (hence supporting someone who called her a pimo and Chelsea a whore). It is disturbing to say the least, but is EXACTLY what I expected after he adopted that "Uniter" mantle. As Bush tried to say before, "fool me once, shame on you.."

I am GLAD you wrote abt Rezko. I had gotten the distinct impression that people who lived in that area knew FAR more abt it than the national media was allowing. And I knew it was bad. When Obama turned it on Clinton in that one debate, that he had only done 5 hrs worth of legal work, I knew it was total BS. But, MANY people did not, because the national media isn't covering that. Maybe more now that Rezko is on trial, more and more will continue coming out abt Obama and his Rezko association.

In the meantime, I URGE you to continue writing, for yourself, and for those of us who have NOT consumed the kool aide! Perhaps you are being a thorn in the side of people like the blogger who is engaging in such JUVENILE behavior toward Hillary. Maybe those pricks of conscience are making him act out a bit - certainly, attacking any- and everyone associated with Clinton is an indication that his support is based on EMOTIONS rather than both logic AND emotions, that facts do not influence his opinions. There's just not a lot you can do abt that besides continue writing what you know to be true, and to continue basing your writings in reality. Either he will come around, or he won't. But there ARE plenty of us who are out here who will support you (have you gone to hyper-educated-uppity-woman's blog yet? She has a lot of posts at No Quarter, too. That might be another good conection for you...).

I know that in the moment, in this moment, you are hurting, and I am sorry for that. Pleae know you are not alone - many of us think as you do, clearly - even with all of this hatred, Clinton is more than holding her own. That says a lot abt HER, and abt those of us who support her.

Keep the faith, ME!

cls said...

Wow! I just found two more pro-Hillary blogs. I will have to add both of you to my blogroll.

As for Jon Stewart, yep, I've pretty much given up on him until after the election, I think. KO? Gone. Air America? Gone.

Yes, the double standard is alive and well.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Hey, Carissa!

And WELCOME!!! Oh, I so hear you abt KO. I had been a FAITHFUl viewer, then he turned, slowly at first, and then BAM - gone to the Kool Aide side. Rachel Maddow, too, which was disappointing. I also used to listen to Stephanie Miller, but she became a 3 hr commercial for Obama, and I couldn't take it any more. I did know how to quit them, is all I can say!!

Glad you came by! And yes, check out Mary Ellen's site, too. Another great one is: hyper-educated-uppity-woman.blogspot.com. Her posts often end up at NoQuarterUSA.net (another great place to go, along with TaylorMarsh.com, and TalkLeft.com).

Welcome!

cls said...

Yes! I am a regular at No Quarter and Taylor Marsh. I hear YOU about Stephanie Miller. I finally gave up over them constantly making fun of Hillary's laugh, so you can figure out how long it has been since I've listened to her. I've seen Uppity all over, and finally added her to my blogroll as well.

Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy said...

Ah - sorry to be preaching to the choir! :-) And glad to know you are already checking out those sites (Uppity totally cracks me up. I think her posts are great.)

And yeah - I totally know what you mean abt Stephanie Miller and the whole laugh thing. I wrote her a BUNCH of times and told her I thought that was sexist, and I still do! I was very, very disappointed in her for so whole-heartedly drinking the Kool-Aide. I had been a VERY faithful listener (and caller, for that matter). Sigh.

Thanks for sticking around!

Don't you think Taylor Marsh would be a great replacement for Randi Rhodes?? I really hope they give her a shot.