Women and Caucuses
The other day, Rox noted that Obama shines in caucuses more than primaries and wondered: "What is it about the difference between the two that gives Obama the edge in caucuses and Clinton the advantage in the primaries?"
Maybe this has something to do with it:
In my Seattle caucus today, overwhelmingly for Obama, us Hillary supporters were older, and less aggressive than the Obama supporters. … Intimidation is a factor in caucuses. It's something the democratic party has to deal with which is why I want the democratic party to do away with them completely. The last thing democrats need when trying to build party unity is one half winning votes by scaring the other half.Someone has also emailed me private accounts of older female Hillary supporters who reported being intimidated, shouted down, and outright bullied by younger male Obama supporters while caucusing. (Shades of the virtual world, in which female Hillary supporters have been effectively run out of dKos.) There were also reports of male McCain supporters who showed up claiming the specific purpose of intimidating female Hillary supporters.
(And why not? When everyone's free to take shots at Hillary without serious consequence, it doesn't exactly send the message that anyone will care if her supporters are treated as fair game for sexist bullying, too.)
Put this in the context of the series of posts Kate and I have written recently (e.g. Damned if You Do, Stealth Vote Salon, and I Am Not Ashamed), along with the associated comments threads and women bloggers who have linked approvingly to those posts, all of which speak to the very real, if near-totally ignored, phenomenon of women who are hesitant for various reasons to openly support Hillary, and the reality of caucuses requiring public support that the privacy of a voting booth does not—and only someone deeply engaged in willful ignorance could deny that sexism is playing some role in Obama's caucus wins.
And that doesn't even take into consideration the structural problem of caucuses requiring more time and offering less flexibility. With women still the primary caregivers (of child care and elder care) in the vast majority of American homes, caucuses favor the young, and disfavor older women with familial responsibilities, who comprise a large portion of Hillary's base of supporters.
In Jeff's post below, he says: "The difference between losing 70-30 and 60-40 is significant." Indeed. And the two states in which Hillary lost by the larger margin were the caucus states.
This is the untold story of this primary (which ought to concern democracy-loving people irrespective of the candidate they support), though I've no doubt that the mainstream media—and these guys—will continue to find justifications for dutifully ignoring it.
In Things I Find Cute
I've read, just now, on about half a dozen male-authored blogs, some of them considered to be Very Important, the assertion that David Shuster calling Hillary a pimp and her daughter a whore isn't really sexist, or isn't sexist enough to warrant offense, or isn't overtly sexist—as if "overt sexism" (meaning, I suppose, the kind that men use deliberately to hurt woman as opposed to the casual sexism all real men engage in, about which women aren't supposed to complain) is the only kind that matters—although these dubious dudez will magnanimously acquiesce that what Shuster said was inappropriate.
Also commonly expressed was a bemused mystification that David Shuster was suspended over something that wasn't that big a deal, especially compared to all the obviously sexist stuff Chris Matthews has said. It's like they think if the vice-president and the mailroom clerk each grab your ass, both of them will be fired.
Isn't that just adorable?
Singled Out
Following up on the story of MSNBC reporter David Shuster being suspended for his comments about Chelsea Clinton, Digby has it right: why are the Clintons held to a different standard than every other candidate?
What about the five strapping Romney boys who traveled all over Iowa in a bus serving their country? Here's an article about 23 year old Meghan McCain stumping for her Dad.I trust that's a rhetorical question. The Clintons have always been held to a different standard than just about every other modern political family. We have the right wing to thank for that, and in a magnificent fit of attempted equalization, they say the left is just as bad about the Bush family, labeling it "Bush Derangement Syndrome." (As is the case with all right-wing attempts at equalization, it doesn't work. I am unaware that anyone is out there promoting a film that accuses George W. Bush of murdering his opponents.)
It is simply bizarre to call it "unseemly" when every candidate's family helps him or her out on the trail. Why in the world should Chelsea Clinton be singled out?
But the question remains: what is it about the Clintons that sets them apart? I suppose there are any number of answers, ranging from some deep-seated resentment based on a socio-economic snobbery (the Clintons were referred to as the "Arkansas HillBillies" by the wingnuts when Bill was elected in 1992) to just pure visceral hatred that reaches Shakespearean levels and is just as inexplicable: Iago never fully explains why he hates Othello. Was it about President Clinton's moral failings? Certainly he was not the first president to have committed adultery, including Republicans, yet he was the first one to be indicted for the high crime and misdemeanor of lying about a blow job. Yet there he was, on trial for his political life, being accused and tried by men and women who had their own records of moral failings to account for. (I suppose in a weird way that's the ultimate case of being tried by a jury of your peers.) It couldn't have been their radical political philosophy: Mr. Clinton was a founder of the moderate DLC, and there are a substantial number of liberals and progressives who disagreed with his administration over everything from NAFTA and GATT to Don't Ask Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act, which he signed into law. Or was it simply the fact that regardless of what happened to them, it never seemed to get to them; the louder the shrieks and screams from the right, the bigger the grin, the more dismissive the wave of the hand. Nothing drives bullies crazier than being laughed at by their victim.
I don't suppose we'll ever really know, but there it is, and it manifests itself in so many different ways from the childish to the insane. The worst part of it is that none of it has anything whatsoever to do with the actual issues and problems we face in this country and how to resolve them. It's as if we cannot bear to face them so we indulge in this adolescent behavior, and I'm afraid we're going to spend the rest of the election fighting about crap like this than the things that really matter.
(Cross-posted.)
I Kid You Not
I'm sure you'll be completely shocked to hear that a search for "Barack Obama Urinal Target" yielded no results.
And, no, I'm not providing a link, but if you really want to find it, I'm sure you can.
[Thanks to Shaker Spectrum Blue for the heads-up.]
Broadside
Of David Shuster's loathsome "Chelsea's being pimped out" comments, and the Clinton's campaign's fierce response to the incident, Greg Sargent says:
That [Clinton communications advisor Howard Wolfson] would effectively rule out future debate appearances for the time being strongly suggests that the Hillary campaign discussed this in some detail beforehand and decided to launch this broadside against the network. It also suggests that the Hillary camp sees the potential for political gain in drawing media attention to negative and sexist comments made on MSNBC about her and her daughter.Might it also, by any chance, suggest that "the Hillary camp" was actually just plain old fucking offended—and rightfully so—by Hillary being called a pimp and Chelsea a whore? Jebus. Neglecting to even consider that a vicious personal attack might have elicited a personal response, irrespective of any benefit to the campaign, treats Hillary like she's not human just as surely as referring to her as calculating, robotic, emotionless, icy, et cetera et cetera et cetera… does.
And I love, by the way, that it was the Hillary campaign who "decided to launch this broadside against the network," as if totally unprovoked—a sentiment also reflected in the really disappointing headline on Sargent's piece, "Hillary Campaign Goes To War With MSNBC Over Chelsea 'Pimp' Comment."
Why is threatening to rescind access from a network that continually treats Hillary unfairly "going to war," as opposed to being a perfectly reasonable response? The people at this network treat her like shit. This is the second on-air apology they've had to make to her in as many months, for crying out loud. Framing this as a fight in which Hillary bears some responsibility for the escalation, after she has had to bear endless attacks from Chris Matthews and the rest of the wankers at MSNBC for months, is just flatly wrong. And irresponsible. It makes it harder for average women to respond to sexism being wielded against them without accusations that they are overreacting or "making things worse," merely by having the temerity to object to being smeared.
My love for TPM knows no bounds, and my admiration for Sargent is massive. But they really dropped the ball on this one.
[Btw, Shuster has now been suspended.]
From the Mailbag
Concerned reader TH writes:
I have good reason to believe the government conservatives and liberals alike are covering up the existence of bigfoot or "susquatch" as sometimes it is known. Please say something about this on your blogs guys, it's vary important and your lifes may depend on it when the bigfoots come out of hiding. PLEASE TELL YOUR READERS ABOUT BIGFOOT, IT'S IMPORTANT AND THEY NEED TO KNOW AND YOU ALL REACH LARGE AUDIANCES.Consider yourselves warned, Shakers.
PLEASE DO THIS FOR ME AND FOR EVERYONE. I can give you evedance if you need it.
Quote(s) of the Day
"He is the best vice president in history!"—President Bush, on Dick Cheney, at CPAC.
He then immediately added (as if that weren't enough):
"Mother may have a different opinion. But don't tell her I said this, but my opinion is the one that counts. Heh heh heh heh heh."
So…Bush thinks that Dick Cheney is the best veep evah!!!11!!, even better than his own dad, refers to his mother in public not as "my mom" or "my mother" but "Mother," and is also a smarmy knob who jokes about how Mother's opinion doesn't count.
Quite the charmer, as ever.
What New Dissed Hill Is This?
Hillary Sexism Watch: Part Nonillion and One in an Ongoing Series…
I opened my inbox this morning to find not one, not two, but three examples of sexism being used against Hillary.
1. (H/T to Shaker John) Fun Sheriff at Lion in Oil posts about an Upper Deck "Presidential Predictors" baseball card featuring Hillary not as a baseball player, but as Morganna the Kissing Bandit, a voluptuous woman known for running out onto the field and kissing players.
Click to see entire card, front and back.
Hillary was cast as Morganna, according to Upper Deck, because they "share a similar life strategy: go after what you want and get it!" Ya know, like planting a kiss on Derek Jeter or becoming president—things like that.
Somewhere along the line, Upper Deck, which was releasing the "Presidential Predictors" cards randomly interspersed among its regular baseball cards, realized this was probably a bad idea and attempted to pull the Hillary/Morganna cards, but, as Fun Sheriff notes, "they couldn't pull them all. At least one made it into the world, and is now being sold on eBay. Just take a look at that card. The … election thus far has been a celebration of change and the breaking down of barriers. Yet we all know that sports is a boys club, and old habits die hard. This card doesn't break down anything."
It does, however, reveal how reluctant some people are to see—and portray—a woman doing "a man's job." There's no reason Hillary couldn't have been a baseball player (have the idiots at Upper Deck never seen A League of Their Own?—we can hold a freaking bat with our weak little girl arms and everything!), except because of someone's limited capacity to envision her as anything but a woman and there are no women players in Major League Baseball.
I guess we ought to just be grateful they cast her as Morganna instead of Marge Schott.
Update: I also meant to note that, because Upper Deck has pulled the Hillary cards, purchasers of the cards just won't get to see Hillary at all, though naturally they will get to "see Barack Obama playing White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye winning the 2005 World Series MVP and John McCain as Ted Williams." Basically, Upper Deck dealt with their own misogyny by attempting to disappear their target altogether, punishing her for a second time. Nice double-whammy: Most people won't see Hillary's card at all, but the people who do, get to see Hillary demeaned.
* * *
2. (H/T to Tom Watson) Someone speaking about Obama being the underdog, outsider candidate—which, by the way, once someone gets Democratic monument Ted Kennedy's and former nominee John Kerry's endorsements, is a meme that needs to die—says: "You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out." Certainly this was a reference to Hillary, whom the Obama campaign has been long painting (and not without reason) as the establishment candidate. Had the non-sexist equivalent, as pointed out by Homunq here, been used—"You challenge the status quo and suddenly the gloves come off"—there would have been no problem, but "claws come out" is as sure a sexist dog whistle as is catfight.
The big problem is that the someone who said this is Barack Obama.
Says Homunq: "I support you, and I'm a white male. But I do not tolerate coded racism from your opponent, and I do not tolerate coded sexism from you. This is sexist code language, Hillary is the cat. It is subtle and most people will probably say 'awww, he probably didn't mean it that way'. I give you more credit than that, you know exactly how to use your words. Please do not do it again."
You'll be pleased to hear that polls at Daily Kos and FireDogLake have decided this is a non-issue. But, as Homunq notes, Obama is known and celebrated for his amazing use of language, so giving him a pass on this like he didn't know what it meant is just absurd. I give Obama more credit than "not knowing," too.
I also just flatly don't want him to win the nomination this way. I am tired of the oblique references to tea parties and "likeable enough" and the surrogates waxing mendacious about Hillary crying over her appearance and not discouraging prominent student groups called shit like "Obama is a pimp." I thought this campaign is supposed to be about hope and change and transcending the status quo and not playing politics as usual—but relying on misogyny is not hopeful nor original nor in any way new or transcendent. It sucks. And it makes me sad.
* * *
3. (H/T to Shaker Jennifer) MSNBC's David Shuster accuses Hillary of "pimping out" Chelsea. Naturally, it goes without saying, this is a terrible smear against both mother and daughter.
The segment began with Shuster saying, which is not on the video: "There's just something a little bit unseemly to me that Chelsea's out there calling up celebrities, saying support my mom, and she's apparently also calling these super delegates." To which Bill Press replied: "Hey, she's working for her mom. What's unseemly about that? During the last campaign, the Bush twins were out working for their dad. I think it's great, I think she's grown up in a political family—" which is where the video picks up:
PRESS: —she's got politics in her blood, she loves her mom, she thinks she'd make a great president [crosstalk]In one fell swoop, Hillary is cast as a madam who forcibly "pimps out" her own daughter, and Chelsea is cast as a pathetic, vulnerable, and mindless whore who has no control over her own life.
SHUSTER: But doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way? [laughter]
PRESS: No! If she didn't want to be there, she wouldn't be there. I mean, give Chelsea a break.
Taylor Marsh notes that mothers and daughters "have been working together for centuries, supporting one another. …I cannot imagine the pride of Chelsea Clinton as she watches her mother compete as the first viable female presidential candidate in United States history. The joy is one thing, but the sheer history of this moment must be an awesome thing to experience as her daughter. Together they must be having the time of their lives."
We don't even have to imagine it. It's evident in this widely-circulated video in which Chelsea says: "I keep thinking I can't, like, be more proud of my mom, but I get more proud of my mom. …I actually lead a pretty private life, but really believe in my mom. I believe that she would be the best president. I couldn't really imagine not trying to do whatever I could to help make her more accessible or make her message more accessible."
Her face beams with pride. Obviously the best response is to shit all over that by implying she's a fucking liar—she must be, in order to describe her as being "pimped out." Unbelievable. Back to Taylor:
Women across this country have had to put up with these over combed, over pressed, over inflated egotistical media preening males for months and months as they pontificate from on high about the presidency, making their money, clucking their teeth, while elbowing the small man in the next cubicle, all to the satisfaction of too many Americans who are in to hunting Clintons for sport.In the same world in which that woman turning sexism on its head is framed as Odd News, and in which that woman is called a bitch to the amusement of the other party's nominee, and is called a she-devil and depicted with horns, and is heckled by jerks demanding she iron their shirts, and is reduced to tea parties and her response to that demeaned as "really be[ing] on edge," and in which she is cast as a feminazi monster, and has her ability to withstand the rigors of the presidency questioned with an unflattering image, and has a nutcracker designed in her image, and finds her moment of candidly expressed emotion turned into a national story using dog-whistles once removed from "hysterical," and is routinely accused of playing a victim and of playing the gender card, often erroneously, and is said to need a copy of The Rules, and is accused of having a career only because her husband cheated on her, and is subjected to the swill of online hate groups with names like "Hillary Clinton: Stop Running for President and Make Me a Sandwich" and "Hillary Clinton Shouldn't Run for President, She Should Just Run the Dishes," and is regularly featured in sexist political cartoons, and is challenged by a 527 calling itself C.U.N.T., and is called the Crybaby-in-Chief if she shows emotion, and can't bloody win no matter what she does, but only in the eyes of misogynist wankers because SHE'S. STILL. HERE.
In what world do we allow political pundits to attack a young woman proudly campaigning for her mother, a woman who is running for president, then let them get away with calling her mother a pimp and the daughter a hooker?
But damn if there aren't plenty of people in this world trying to see that she isn't.
[EMAIL MSNBC: viewerservices@msnbc.com to let them know, politely, that perhaps David Shuster needs to STFU.]
UPDATE: (H/T Kevin Hayden in comments) MSNBC's Shuster to Offer On-Air Apology to Clinton:
On Thursday, when Clinton spokesman Phillippe Reines contacted Shuster and told him the comment was offensive, the reporter e-mailed back that he was referring to the fact that Chelsea is making calls to convention superdelegates but refusing to talk to the press.But not clearly enough that Shuster was forced to apologize without Clinton's campaign staff having to call to complain. Her communications director, Howard Wolfson, also had to threaten to refuse future debates on the network to achieve this result.
...Reines was incredulous at the lack of an apology, but Shuster stood his ground.
Until this morning, that is. Shuster plans to apologize tonight on "Tucker," the 6 p.m. show on which he was filling in for host Tucker Carlson yesterday.
"The comment was completely inappropriate, and we have called the Clinton campaign to apologize," network spokesman Jeremy Gaines said today. Phil Griffin, the NBC News executive who runs MSNBC, called Reines, telling him that the comment was clearly wrong.
Simple Quiz
Q: At what point will the conservatives realize that all their wounds are self-inflicted?
A: Never.
Question of the Day
What's the best insult you've ever received?
The greatest insults are always those meant to insult you, but are actually complimentary, like, "You think you're some kind of smartypants feminist liberal!" (um, yep!), or those so searingly accurate you can't help but admire the quality; only people who know you really well can deliver those, and at their peril. Mr. Shakes can deliver devastatingly accurate blows with a single raised eyebrow and a delicious smirk, which, because I am all too well aware of my own flaws, only makes me laugh my ass off at his wittiness, while lamenting I can hide nothing from him. (The same goes in return, natch.)
I've also gathered quite the collection of hilarious insults from emailers, who thoughtfully take time out of their busy, busy days to tell me what a horrible, stupid, ugly, and/or otherwise objectionable person I am. My recent favorite said, in total:
Yes, yes I am a dumm bith.
Call Me Munchkin the Maniacal Lostie
HA!
Emily's List has sent out a fundraising appeal on Hillary's behalf, noting that the misogyny in the media, as repeatedly exemplified by Chris Matthews, necessitates Hillary's ability to make a direct, unfiltered appeal to voters:
We've seen how far pundits like Chris Matthews will go to define Hillary on their terms. We've fought back against the gender stereotypes that keep popping up again and again.Very clever—and, to be quite frank, not nearly as hyperbolic as it will undoubtedly be accused of being. We are, after all, talking about a mainstream media that are willing to question whether Hils is, in fact, a She-Devil.
But it's not going to stop just because we want it to. The only way Hillary can talk to voters unfiltered is if she has enough money to deliver her message of change straight to the grassroots.
Given that every time, without exception, I post a video of Hillary unfiltered, there are comments about how much more likeable she is than people thought, I quite like this idea, just from a fuck the media and their craptastically factless, reality-free memes standpoint.
And, of course, there's the part of me that just loves the schadenfreude of Matthews' misogyny being used to raise money for Hillary. In fact, all I really have to say about that is: HA!
[Thanks to Batocchio for the heads-up.]
McCain Knocks 'Em Dead at CPAC
John McCaindidate got his ass handed to him at CPAC when he started talking about his previous stance on immigration reform (video below the fold):
McCAIN: Surely, I have held other positions that have not met with widespread agreement from conservatives. I won’t pretend otherwise, nor would you permit me to forget it. On — on the issue of illegal immigration, a position which –But that's not even the best part, and you know I ain't lyin'. Apparently the CPAC organizers had aspirations of being "more civil" than the Democrats by asking their participants not to boo the esteemed speaker:
CROWD: Boo! Boo!
During registration last night at the Omni Shoreham a registrant was asking to upgrade his CPAC package and then proceeded to ask what time GOP front-runner John McCain was going to speak today. “Oh good,” he said to the response — answer: 3 p.m. today — “I hope they boo him out of the room.”Well, chalk that up as one mission failed for CPAC.
“No, no no no no” came the reply from the person registering him. “We’ve been instructed to tell participants not to boo McCain.”
“Are you kidding me?” the shocked CPAC-goer asked.
“Well, we want to seem above Democrats and we don’t want the booing to be the story,” the CPAC person declared. When asked for a response, CPAC's Ian Walters told us: “We would hope that our folks would be polite and give him a fair opportunity to be heard.”
Teenz Korner: Dem Younginz
Hey, Shakers—it's Kenny Blogginz here, the Senior Shakesville Teen Expert. I've known Melissa my whole life, and I'm now an 18-year-old Man-Boy of Leisure, whose services have been engaged to do field reports on "teen politics" from my position as a teen political junky. Since I've been reading a lot of "buzz" lately about how more and more of my peers are identifying themselves as Democrats, I decided to start my investigation by heading down to the local skate-park, SHR3DDURZ, to interview some of the amazing teens who surround me every day about their political views.
My first interview was conducted with an enigmatic young rollerblader known only as Monster-Truck.
Blogginz: Good afternoon! My name is Kenny Blogginz, and I've come here to talk to young people like yourself about their political views. A number of studies have recently indicated that young people are increasingly supporting Democratic candidates for the upcoming '08 election. Why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself and your political views?
Monster-Truck: Hey dude, the name's Monster-Truck! I don't know about all these "studies" and "candidates" you're talking about, but what I do know is that weed needs to get legalized...LIKE YESTERDAY!
Blogginz: That is definitely a valid issue, and one that the Democratic and Republican candidates are sharply divided on—
Monster-Truck: Bro, let's get one thing straight; I like to smoke weed. A lot. And I'm going to be turning eighteen in time to vote in the 2008 presidential election. I want to make sure that I vote for a candidate that isn't going to increase penalties against people who are caught with marijuana. Naturally this issue alone has caused me to align myself with the Democratic Party. I support Barack Obama for the Presidency.
Blogginz: Any particular reasons you chose Obama over Hillary?
Monster-Truck: Hillary!? She's totally fugly, bro!
Blogginz: You don't have to want to have sex with her...
Monster-Truck: Bro, all I know is that Obama seems like a dude I could knock back a few cold ones with. A few icy brews. Some chilly beers. Am I right? High five, bro! [He forces me to high-five him.] If Hillary were president, she'd probably just make the Airforce One pink or something! [Monster-Truck laughs hysterically for roughly four minutes.]
Blogginz: Monster-Truck, that doesn't even begin to make sense.
Monster-Truck: Your mom made sense last night...IN THE BUTT!!!
Monster-Truck rollerbladed away from me at that point, laughing cruelly. Somehow, I still felt like I was missing out on why exactly my fellow teens were Democrats. I decided to try my luck with more of the hip kidz at SHR3DDURZ. I was eventually permitted to interview Billy Jefferson, an 18-year-old fist-fight enthusiast and long-time skateboarder.
KBlog: Hi, Bill, thanks so much for sitting down with me this evening.
BillJeff: No problem, Kenny. As an aspiring young barfighter, for me, no publicity is bad publicity! [Laughs.]
KBlog: Indeed! First of all, tell me: As a young hooligan, do you consider yourself to be a Republican or a Democrat?
BillJeff: Well, when I was younger, before my parents divorced, I always went with the Republican side of things, because my dad is a Baptist Minister, and he always told me that Democrats want to legalize Beast-Marriage. But after my parents split up, and President Bush had been in office for a few years, I started to get past the pink and down to the stink, yo. I realized that G-Dub was fucking brain-dead, dude, so I've counted myself among the Democrats for a few years now.
KBlog: Fascinating. So tell me, Billy—where do you stand on the issue of same-sex marriage?
BillJeff: Dude, I'm totally fine with fags. I think they should be allowed to do whatever they want. As long as they don't try and have sex with me. 'Cause then there would be a fist fight!
KBlog: I don't doubt it for a second!
BillJeff: You better not!
KBlog: I don't!
BillJeff: Good!
KBlog: What do you think about women's rights, Billy?
BillJeff: Dude, babes are where it's at! [He gives an enthusiastic thumbs up.] Except when they want you to go down on them. [Thumbs down.] My girlfriend Britney is always bitchin' about sexism, but then I'm just like "Whatever, dude!" Am I right? Down low, man! [I reluctantly give him the "down low" variation of the "high five."]
KBlog: Might it be possible for you to put me in contact with Britney? I'd like to interview her, too—
BillJeff: Sorry, dude. She's taking a virginity pledge with her dad at some fancy shindig tonight.
KBlog: All right then. Well, it's refreshing to see such a politically active young couple. It's been a pleasure talking to you!
BillJeff: You too, Broseph! Hey, if you're into politics, you should come talk to my little bro, Mainframe. I was just going to go meet him at Skadoodlies Youth Center, Cyber Cafe, Hookah Bar/Regular Bar and Grill. He's a real computer expert. He got his nickname when he was able to actually hack into the school's mainframe, and change all our grades to A+'s. He's a huge fan of Ron Paul.
Presently, I accompanied Billy Jefferson to Skadoodlies, an underground teen hangout hidden behind a stripmall. When we opened the front door, an enormous cloud of sweet-smelling smoke wafted out at us, and dozens of bloodshot eyes turned our way. I followed Billy to the back of the bar, to a table where Mainframe was sitting by himself and typing furiously on his laptop. Mainframe was a thin, pale young man, of about 14 years of age. He was wearing a black trench coat and a T shirt that simply said N00BZPWNLOL on it.
KenBlog: Good evening, Mainframe. My name is Kenny Blogginz, PHD. Your brother Billy told me that you're a real Ron Paul aficionado, is that right?
Mainframe: That is correct. I have a level 60 Dark Elf Mage in World of Warcraft named Ron Paul.
KenBlog: What made you choose Ron Paul out of all the candidates?
Mainframe: Well, Kenny, he's the only candidate who wants to get our troops out of Iraq NOW. He opposes the Patriot Act, and the Federal War on Drugs! I need to be able to smoke "The Bong Arm of the Law" without fear of the Feds busting my door down. In my cyber-book, these stances make him a whole buttload more liberal than the Democratic candidates. He's also against gun control, which is important to me, because I need to be able to carry my concealed Desert Eagles without fear of persecution. [He throws wide his black faux leather trench coat, revealing two gold-plated Desert Eagles holstered at his hips, and a short Japanese samurai sword, or wakizashi.]
KenBlog: Um…yeah.
Mainframe: You never know when you'll have to pwn some n00bz, you know.
KenBlog: Sure. Look, friend, it's been great talking to you...and this smoke is making me feel all...nipply...I think I'm just gonna hit the road.
Mainframe: K, bye!
As I drove home that night, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the fact that my generation is going to help choose the next leader of the free world.
(Coming Soon: Part Two—The Young Republicanz…)
Lordy Begordy
This morning, President Bush attended the National Prayer Breakfast, which is, of course, one of my favorite annual American traditions, an occasion upon which I suspend my disbelief in a god long enough to pray: "Dear God, please free us from the burning stupidity of this Bush. Amen."
Bush explained the importance of his attending the National Prayer Breakfast:
Every President since Dwight Eisenhower has attended the National Prayer Breakfast -- and I am really proud to carry on that tradition. It's an important tradition, and I'm confident Presidents who follow me will do the same. The people in this room come from many different walks of faith. Yet we share one clear conviction: We believe that the Almighty hears our prayers -- and answers those who seek Him. That's what we believe; otherwise, why come?Well said, Mr. President. You are, as always, a maestro of language, a man who ever reminds us that politics can be poetry.
H/T to Holden, who takes a moment to highlight the absurdity of "many walks of faith."
Stealth Vote Salon
Last night, I wrote a post about why I believe there hasn't emerged a massive "Women 4 Hillary" movement among Hillary's substantial base of women voters. Tom Watson and Lance Mannion have each written great posts in response. Blue Girl was early in on the same topic.
Lots of good reading there.
I'd also like to share a comment left by Shaker MPinSC on my post, that evokes more succinctly and poignantly precisely the concept about which I was writing:
I went to a meeting of Hillary supporters last night to arrange some phone-banking, etc.Indeed.
What struck me was two women there who hesitantly referred to their now open support of Hillary as coming "out of the closet" for Hillary. That is honestly how they felt, that they had been a silent supporter, but had previously felt actually *shamed* to say so, and were beginning to fight back against that.
I have had women (even Republican women) tell me that if she makes it to the general, they plan to vote for her and *keep it secret* from their husband, boyfriend, pastor, etc.
Yes, that is a real phenomenon regarding our first viable woman candidate, and there is something badly wrong with that picture. Badly.
And I want to stress that it's not just a function of women voters themselves being shamed into silence by accusations of "vagina voting" (whether Hillary's being a woman is a factor they're considering or not), but also a result of Hillary's womanness being the weapon most frequently wielded against her, inevitably having the (desired) effect of causing women supporters to feel as though they are a liability to their candidate. Meanwhile, women who don't support her are being used against her, too. This is a perfectly encapsulated case study of the patriarchy at work—a woman candidate is undermined both by women who support her and women who don't. Priceless.
Quote of the Day
"In fact, in the 110th Congress, out of 450 votes, McCain missed 56.7% of them. The only one who missed more was a senator who had a brain hemmorhage."
-- ABC's Jake Tapper on McCain's voting record, especially in light of his blowing off the vote on the economic stimulus package.
