Tears for Fears: "Shout"
It's Delightful, It's Delicious, It's De-Lovely...
...it's De-lurk Day! We haven't had one of these in almost a year, so all you Shaker lurkers who rarely or never pipe up, don't be shy; say hi!
Cheeky devils!
And, as always, no one should feel obliged to stop lurking. These threads are a meant as a safe and easy space for people who do lurk to pop in if they want to, and some people have used them as a springboard to regular commenting, but that doesn't have to be the case at all.
Lurking is one of many ways to be part of this community, and if lurking feels best to you—lurk away! lurk away! :)
Ughhhh Stopppppppp
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
On this morning's Morning Joe on MSNBC, there was just an infuriating segment in which Time editor Nancy Gibbs had this to say:
Nancy Gibbs: He makes an interesting point that it's okay to lie; you can't temporize. That any number of people have pointed out things that Donald Trump is saying that just aren't true. But when Hillary Clinton changes a position about the Keystone Pipeline or about TPP, it plays into the notion that you don't know what she believes, that politicians will say anything to get elected, all of the arguments about inauthenticity and temporizing that this election season, at least, is putting a very high price.Over at Blue Nation Review, Peter Daou took on the contention that "the way Hillary Clinton talks does not work in her favor," and I took on the double-standard of what constitutes "authenticity," and the associated implication that changing positions is the same thing as "lying."
Co-Host Mika Brzezinski: So his lying is authentic and hers isn't?
Gibbs: I think people—and you obviously have explored this a great deal—whether it's Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump, the candidates who are not talking in the way politicians traditionally have, who are saying things that you, quote/unquote, can't say and survive, and yet they are, is changing the nature of the political dialogue so completely. I don't know whether four years from now or eight years from now any of what we're seeing and learning now will apply, but right now in this atmosphere, the way Hillary Clinton talks does not work in her favor when voters are looking for something that sounds very, very different.
Reminder to the corporate media: Hillary Clinton is winning. For a reason.
Daily Dose of Cute
Anyone up for some gaming with Tils?
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Terrorism; rape; genocide. Video may autoplay at link.] Today, Secretary of State John Kerry said during a State Department press conference that "the United States has determined that [the Islamic State's] action against the Yazidis and other minority groups in Iraq and Syria constitutes genocide. 'My purpose here today is to assert in my judgment, [IS] is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control including Yazidis, Christians, and Shiite Muslims." ...Kerry said that in 2014, ISIS trapped Yazidis, killed them, enslaved thousands of Yazidi women and girls, 'selling them at auction, raping them at will and destroying the communities in which they had lived for countless generations,' executed Christians 'solely for their faith,' and also 'forced Christian women and girls into slavery.' ...This is the first time that the United States has declared a genocide since Darfur in 2004."
[CN: Water contamination] Flint is not alone: "Startlingly elevated levels of lead were found in the water in Mississippi's capital in June, but a warning was not issued by government officials until January, the Guardian has learned—a contamination that bears some resemblance to the crisis in Flint, Michigan. As with Flint, the problem in Jackson appears to be related to inadequate corrosion control, and the months of delay in state action raises shades of Flint, something that Michigan governor Rick Snyder will testify on before a congressional committee on Thursday. An astonishing 22% of homes in Jackson, Mississippi, exceeded the federal 'action' lead level of 15 parts per billion, according to government tests done in June. ...But Mississippi officials did not notify the city of Jackson of the results until January, and it was not until February that the state issued a warning for pregnant women and small children. A sampling of 101 homes in January and February this year showed 11% of homes above the federal lead limit—a number that is still worrisome, under federal regulations. The residents of Jackson are stunned."
[CN: War on agency] "Indiana's lawmakers are once more inserting themselves into Hoosiers' private medical decisions by trying to pass HB 1337, an anti-abortion bill that shames, coerces, and demeans pregnant people at a time when they most need support and accurate medical information." Sign the petition to Stop Indiana's HEA 1337 and Protect Pregnant Hoosiers.
[CN: Childhood sexual abuse by clergy; description of self-harm] "Three Franciscan friars charged with allowing a suspected sexual predator to hold jobs where he molested more than 100 children have been removed from their religious assignments in Florida and Minnesota. Robert D'Aversa, 69; Anthony Criscitelli, 61; and Giles Schinelli, 73, are scheduled to surrender Friday, said Jeffrey Johnson, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania attorney general's office. They're charged with child endangerment and criminal conspiracy. The friars served successively as ministers provincial who headed a Franciscan religious order in western Pennsylvania from 1986 to 2010. In that role, each assigned and supervised the order's members including the late Brother Stephen Baker, who allegedly molested scores of children, most of them at Bishop McCort High School in Johnstown where he was assigned from 1992 to 2000. ...Baker killed himself at the Franciscan monastery by plunging two knives into his heart in January 2013. That occurred nine days after Youngstown, Ohio, church officials announced settlements involving 11 students who accused Baker of molesting them at schools there in the late 1980s." Baker was allowed to harm children for decades because of men who were more concerned with the church's reputation than with the safety of children in their care. I'm glad they are being held accountable, but it will not be justice. Justice will be no child ever being harmed again, and their harm aided abetted by the indifference of cruel men.
[CN: White supremacist imagery] Welp: "PBS News Story on First-Time Trump Voters Prominently Displays Longtime White Power Tattoos." Without, naturally, identifying them. Just another day in Trumptown!
[CN: Misogyny] What a shocker: "Half of U.S. women say they have a 'very unfavorable' view of [Donald Trump], according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, up from the 40 percent who felt that way in October. The survey was taken from March 1-15, and included 5,400 respondents. The rise in anti-Trump sentiment among women could pose a problem for the New York billionaire in his quest for the White House. Women form just over half of the U.S. population, and they have turned out at higher rates than men in every election since 1996, according to the U.S. Census Bureau." Frankly, I can't believe it's only half of women who have a "very unfavorable" view of that dirtbag.
Here are some things you might not know about Ted Cruz! You probably also don't care about them! But do you want to hear about how he got bit by an octopus, though?
[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Heads-up if you buy/eat Bumble Bee tuna: "Bumble Bee Foods, LLC. is recalling 31,579 cases of canned Chunk Light tuna over possible contamination issues. The company voluntarily recalled the product on Wednesday due to process deviations at a packing facility, according to a statement. ...According to the company, no one has become ill from the product. The recall affects the following products: 5 oz. Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water; 5 oz. Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Oil; and 4-pack of 5 oz. Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water. The products were produced in February 2016 and distributed across the country, according to the statement. The recall affects products with a can code that starts with a T and has best by dates in February 2019."
Interesting: "The presence of a protective magnetic field was one of the necessary ingredients that helped life thrive on Earth, apart from our planet's rocky surface, liquid water and a blanketing atmosphere, a new study has found. The study of the young, Sun-like star Kappa Ceti shows that a magnetic field plays a key role in making a planet conducive to life. 'To be habitable, a planet needs warmth, water, and it needs to be sheltered from a young, violent Sun,' said Jose-Dias Do Nascimento of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics (CfA) in US and University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) in Brazil."
[CN: Auto-moving image at link] If you don't like snakes, skip this one. But if do, check out this baby snake taking her first breath. Aww! Hello there! Welcome to the world!
And finally! Mama Cat rescues baby squirrels who fell from their nest during a storm. Too cute!
Harry Reid!
[Content Note: Bigotry.]
This girl Senate Minority Leader is on fire!
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) on Thursday delivered a fierce rebuke of the Republican Party and its top leaders, who he argues paved the way for the rise of presidential front-runner Donald Trump.Hey, that sounds familiar! Except for the part about the origins of this national nightmare being only 8 years old. This dumpster fire has been decades in the making.
GOP voters' embrace of Trump, Reid said in the speech delivered at the Center for American Progress, is a direct and predictable consequence of Republican strategies dating back to the beginning of President Obama's term.
"The Republican establishment acts bewildered," Reid said. "But they should not be bewildered. As much as they may try to distance themselves from Trump now, Republican leaders are responsible for his rise."
"Republican leaders created the drought conditions; Donald Trump has simply struck the match," he added.
..."On issue after issue, Republican leaders faced a choice: Help their constituents put food on the table, literally, or stick it to President Obama. Time after time, Republicans chose to stick it to President Obama instead of helping their own constituents."
He added: "Republicans spent eight years torching the institutions Americans once relied on to help them face the challenges of their daily lives. Instead of engaging on policy, Republicans simply told Americans there was nothing to be done. So what thrived in the wasteland Republican leaders created? Resentment, hatred — which Republican leaders were all too eager to embrace and too cowardly to renounce."
Still, it's pretty great to (finally) hear a prominent Democrat full-throatedly call out this stuff.
"Donald Trump's style of no-holds-barred politics was forged in the Senate Republican caucus," he continued. "If Sen. McConnell wonders from where Donald Trump came, he should take a look in the mirror. No one is working harder to support Trump than Mitch McConnell."Hell yeah.
...Reid called on both McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to "withdraw their support of Donald Trump, and do it now."
"For too long, Senator McConnell and Speaker Ryan have tried to have it both ways, giving Trump occasionally a slap on the wrist each time he says something detestable, but always committing to support him at the end of the day. This is precisely the kind of moral cowardice that enabled the rise of Trump," Reid said.
"After years of refusing to denounce birtherism, McConnell and Ryan are now supporting the most prominent birther in the nation," he continued. "Why are they waiting to withdraw their support? What more do they need to see? … There is no grey area here. It is time for Sen. McConnell and Speaker Ryan to find the backbone to say: 'Enough, Trump, enough.'"
The Washington Post doesn't include this in their report, but Reid went on to say: "If McConnell and Ryan think his racist demagoguery is wrong, they shouldn't support him, period. If they refuse to revoke their support for Trump, they should put on 'Make America Great Again' hats and stand behind Trump at his next press conference." DAMN! A+
Great News! (That Was Sarcasm!)
[Content Note: Violence; bigotry.]
Welp:
The prospect of Donald Trump winning the race to the White House has joined China's slowing economy, the Greek debt crisis, and Britain's EU referendum as a major threat to the global economy, according to a respected risk analysis firm.That sounds about right. Terrifying right.
The Economist Intelligence Unit said the Republican frontrunner could prove a dangerous world leader, damaging global trade, stirring up trouble with Beijing, and adding to instability in the Middle East.
The EIU placed the possibility of Trump being sworn in as US president next January sixth on their latest list of global threats, as serious as a resurgence of jihadi terrorism, and only marginally less risky than the collapse of the eurozone.
Meanwhile, Trump's candidacy is already a national threat, especially to people who are part of the marginalized populations primarily targeted by his inflammatory rhetoric. Between his demonization of immigrants and Muslims, and his empowerment of white supremacists, and the violence at his rallies, we're already getting a snapshot of what life in the US would look like under a Trump presidency.
And that's before he's even got his hands on the reins of power. The amount of damage this guy could do from the Oval Office is inconceivable.
Today in Terrific Ideas
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
I meant to mention this in my Primary Wrap-Up yesterday, but it slipped my mind, what with all the other misogyny care of white male commentators.
Here's Chris Matthews, he of "She-Devil" segments, giving Hillary Clinton some hot advice:
And maybe this is just me talking, but I do think if you could ever find a way to put a ticket together that would actually end some of this mishegas, to use a Yiddish word, that's been going on in this country, it might be a Clinton-Kasich ticket. Something really surprising. Because I do think there's gonna be many, many, tens of millions of Republicans who will not vote for Donald Trump in a general election, looking for an alternative.If Hillary Clinton were smart. That is a thing that noted smart person Chris Matthews just said.
If Hillary Clinton were smart, she'd make herself the alternative by putting Kasich on the ticket.
Because clearly, Hillary Clinton isn't smart. And the only way to prove she's smart is to choose as her running mate a Republican man. A man who just defunded Planned Parenthood in his state. Who, since taking office in 2011, has "quietly led his state to an almost unprecedented number of abortion clinic closures," forcing residents of Ohio to travel in droves to Michigan for abortions. Who doesn't believe maternity leave should be law. Who talks about women "leaving their kitchens" to support him. Who has a long history of saying problematic things to and about women.
Yes, if Clinton were smart, she'd put this fucking guy on her ticket and, as the saying goes, one heartbeat away from the presidency. If she were smart.
Now, I'm just a woman with a brain irreparably compromised by female hormones like Hillary Clinton, not a noted smart person like Chris Matthews, but it seems to me that if there are "many, many, tens of millions of Republicans" who won't vote for Trump, under any circumstances, then the person running against Trump doesn't actually need to provide them with a coddling alternative, but can just feel satisfied with the fact that these voters will stay home on Election Day and behold their roosting chickens.
After, you know, having rejected the alternative provided by Trump's formidable opponent with a solid platform.
And, obviously, math is hard, especially for women, but maybe Hillary Clinton has calculated that putting a rank misogynist on her ticket might actually cost her a few votes with liberal women. And liberal men who aren't fans of misogyny. Maybe she has concluded that alienating her base in an absurd bid to appeal to a base that notoriously hates her isn't actually a wise strategy.
I wonder if that's occurred to noted smart person Chris Matthews.
Perhaps he just hasn't time to think about it, what with all the brainpower he's dedicating to coming up with smart strategies for Hillary Clinton, who isn't smart enough to come up with these smart ideas on her own.
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker lupinella12: "Which (if any) mythological being/creature did you like as a child and is it the same one now?"
Besides a genuinely progressive US president?
Unicorns. And I still love them, because WHY WOULDN'T I?
Fat Fashion
This is your semi-regular thread in which fat women can share pix, make recommendations for clothes they love, ask questions of other fat women about where to locate certain plus-size items, share info about sales, talk about what jeans cut at what retailer best fits their body shapes, discuss how to accessorize neutral colored suits, share stories of going bare-armed for the first time, brag about a cool fashion moment, whatever.
* * *
Wearing one of my favorites today: A ringer tee featuring the Wizard of Oz characters posing for a selfie:
I can't remember where I got this one. I think I got it at Torrid, but it was awhile ago now, so I wouldn't swear to it.
Even though I posted this in today's In the News, I'll mention it here, too, so no one who would be interested misses it: ModCloth has launched a bridal collection, which includes their usual range of plus sizes.
Anyway! As always, all subjects related to fat fashion are on topic, but if you want a topic for discussion: Have you ever been in a wedding, as either one of the people getting hitched or as part of a bridal party? If so, did you have trouble finding something you loved in your size? (I've been both; yes and yes!)
Have at it in comments! Please remember to make fat women of all sizes, especially women who find themselves regularly sizing out of standard plus-size lines, welcome in this conversation, and pass no judgment on fat women who want to and/or feel obliged, for any reason, to conform to beauty standards. And please make sure if you're soliciting advice, you make it clear you're seeking suggestions—and please be considerate not to offer unsolicited advice. Sometimes people just need to complain and want solidarity, not solutions.
The Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by spring.
Recommended Reading:
Wagatwe: [Content Note: Sexual assault; privilege; emotional policing] What It's Really Like Being a Survivor in the Public Eye
Angry Asian Man: [CN: Racism] Asian Academy Members Protest Oscar Night's Racist Jokes
Michelle: [CN: Food insecurity; disordered eating] Feeling Safe Around Food Again
Maddie: [CN: Climate change; displacement] An Entire American Community Is Being Relocated Because of Sea Level Rise
Monica: [CN: Queerphobia] Unjust SB 180 Passes KY Senate
Olga: How to Use Your iPhone as a Microscope
Lauren: [CN: Descriptions of violence] The Killing Joke: My Trauma Is Not Your Punchline
Jenn: In Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Daniel Henney Proves That Asian Men Are Cool (and Hot, Too!)
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
Blog Note
[Content Note: Fat hatred; disablism.]
Some of you emailed me to let me know that you were suddenly seeing ads on the page earlier today. Apparently, Disqus started some new revenue program, which was defaulted to opting in. I have now turned them off.
But, for some reason, the ads are still appearing. I have tweeted at Disqus about it, but so far I have received no response.
I have already seen ads about weight loss and a pop culture story using disablist language in its headline. This is precisely why I run Shakesville as an ad-free space.
My apologies to anyone who has seen these ads. I am working to get them removed.
#TwoTrumps: Both Are Terrible Misogynists
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
I've got a new piece up at Blue Nation Review on Donald Trump's reaction to the Our Principles PAC ad recounting the many awful things he's said about women over the years:
Again we witness the Two Trumps in action. The Trump who is empowered by crowds of supporters or Twitter followers, whose confidence is buoyed by sycophancy, thinks it's a terrific idea to engage in misogyny.Read the rest here.
The Trump who wilts into insecurity when held accountable for those comments isn't so certain. He doesn't disavow his comments about women, but he isn't too keen to defend them, either—instead deflecting by categorizing the ad as an attack mounted by a sore loser, the veracity of which is wholly irrelevant to whether he said those things and whether he stands by them.
...The real test of a man's respect for women is not in how he treats women he loves and/or who love him. It's how he treats women with whom he disagrees.
Both Donald Trumps—the one who bellicosely says horrible things about women and the one who shrinks from defending those statements—fail that test.
Daily Dose of Cute
Zelly watching the primary returns with me last night, at some ungodly hour.
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
In the News
Here is some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Police brutality; racism] Yesterday's primary saw two big wins for the Black Lives Matter movement in key prosecutor's races. In Chicago, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez "lost her bid for a third term to Kim Foxx, a former assistant state's attorney and a candidate backed by activists from the Black Lives Matter movement. Activists turned the local race into a crucial battle to unseat the controversial top prosecutor who has mishandled cases involving police brutality and allowed miscarriages of justice against men and women of color in Chicago." And in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County District Attorney Tim McGinty "lost his bid for re-election on Tuesday night, less than three months after Cleveland activists began calling for him to be voted out for his handling of the case of 12-year-old Tamir Rice's shooting death at the hands of police." Bye, Anita. Bye, Tim.
[CN: Video may autoplay at link] Donald Trump says he will skip the next Republican debate: "'I think we have had enough debates,' he said. 'We have had 11 or 12 debates. I did really well on the last one. I think I have done well in all the debates...But I think we've had enough. How many times can the same people ask you the same question? Nobody told me about it,' he added. 'And I won't be there, no.' Instead, Trump said, 'I'm making a very major speech in front of a very important group of people.' When pressed on what group he would be talking with, the billionaire confirmed that it was the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which is holding its annual policy conference from Mar. 20-22 in Washington, D.C."
After first declining to rule out accepting his party's nomination at a possible brokered convention this summer, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's spokesperson AshLee Strong now says he would not accept it: "The speaker is grateful for the support, but he is not interested. He will not accept a nomination and believes our nominee should be someone who ran this year."
[CN: Violence] Meanwhile, Trump says that if he doesn't win the nomination, "I think you would have riots." Another totally responsible bit of rhetoric from the worst candidate ever. RNC chief strategist and spokesperson Sean Spicer says: "I assume he's speaking figuratively." Why would anyone assume that, looking at what's happening at his rallies? Hope there's a great view under all that sand.
In other Trump news (I am so sorry to have to bring you so much Trump news!), Trump says he's his own number one foreign policy advisor, "because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things." I have a piece on this garbage at Blue Nation Review: "The office of the presidency confers too much power to be inhabited by a person who prefers to be his own advisor."
Neat! "Never one to skimp on what its audience wants, ModCloth's bridal collection has officially launched. In direct response to the community's appetite for ModCloth-brand wedding wear, the collection features ModCloth label dresses, as well as bridal shoes, accessories, decor, and bridesmaids dresses. ModCloth's Wedding includes 30 wedding dresses ranging in price from $175 to $450, and over 50 bridesmaids dresses between $70 to $175... In keeping with their goal to remain inclusive, the wedding collection comes in a range of sizes, from petites to plus (sizes 28-30, or 4X)."
[CN: Homophobia] Sally Field continues to be awesome: "What horrifies me is that there are parents who so disapprove, who are so brainwashed to think that [being gay or bi] is something out of the Bible or ungodly or against nature. ...Some people actually shut their children out of the house when they're young, they're teenagers—they're having a hard enough time trying to be teenagers and own any part of sexuality. I'm still trying to figure it out!"
"Indiana Jones is swinging back into theaters. Steven Spielberg will direct Harrison Ford in the untitled fifth installment in the action-adventure franchise, which will open July 19, 2019, Disney announced Tuesday." Okay.
Are you excited for the Oculus Rift? I am excited for the Oculus Rift! If you are also excited: "Here are the 30 VR games you can play on day one."
And finally! BABY MEERKATS. ♥
In Totally Unshocking News
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
In my piece on assessing the candidates, I noted that one of the things to which I pay attention is "campaign staff, its diversity and its structure and its efficacy and its decency."
To that end:
A new report by Jezebel today looks at the gender and pay stats among the campaign staffs of our stunning primary candidates. The numbers aren't stellar — in fact, they're even worse than we imagined. Who knew!Emphasis mine.
Bernie Sanders, he of socialist fame, comes out worst in Jezebel's report, especially considering his insistence that he is a candidate for the people (women included). Of the top ten highest-paid staffers on his payroll, none are women. To make up for it, we suppose, on average women make a little under $1,000 more than men. But they're still markedly missing from his campaign's highest earners. Men are really feeling the earn, I guess?
The investigation looked at year-end finance reports of the six active candidates in the race remaining — Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich (lol). Every campaign except for Hillary Clinton's employees significantly more men than women (Clinton has 324 women and 202 men).
SCOTUS Nomination
President Obama will reportedly announce later this morning that he is nominating Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
Ahead of the announcement, the White House launched a SCOTUS Nomination Twitter account.
Garland is the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He is not a conservative, but he's not a progressive, either. He's definitely squarely in the "consensus candidate" territory, and a direct challenge to Republicans to try to justify blocking a nominee whom many members of their party have praised.
At Think Progress, Ian Millhiser answers: "Who Is Merrick Garland?"
Garland is unquestionably qualified to sit on the Supreme Court. A 19 year veteran of the DC Circuit — a court that is widely viewed as the second-most powerful in the nation — Garland graduated with high honors from Harvard Law School. He clerked for Justice William Brennan, and spent a few years as a partner in the multinational law firm Arnold and Porter. He also held senior positions in the Justice Department, including a leadership role in the department's criminal division and a stint as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.There's much more at the link.
At age 63, Garland is also the oldest person nominated to the Supreme Court since President Nixon named Justice Lewis Powell in 1971. Thus, if confirmed, Garland is unlikely to match — or even approach — Justice Scalia's nearly 30 years on the Supreme Court.
Garland's relatively advanced age may help explain why Hatch floated the DC Circuit chief judge as his ideal Obama nominee. Another factor that almost certainly played a role is Garland's reputation for moderation...
To be clear, Garland's record does not suggest that he would join the Court's right flank if confirmed to the Supreme Court. He would likely vote much more often than not with the Supreme Court's liberals, while occasionally casting a heterodox vote. Nevertheless, as [SCOTUSBlog's Tom Goldstein] wrote in 2010 when Garland was under consideration to replace the retiring liberal Justice John Paul Stevens, "to the extent that the President's goal is to select a nominee who will articulate a broad progressive vision for the law, Judge Garland would be a very unlikely candidate to take up that role."
The Garland nomination, in other words, appears to be an attempt to box in Senate Republicans who've refused to confirm anyone Obama nominates.
As I've said previously, I really believe President Obama should have swung for the fences with this one. The Republicans are going to obstruct no matter what, and they've thoroughly undermined the credibility of any ideological objections by promising to block anyone the President nominates. He shouldn't give them reason to back down (and the opportunity to look reasonable) with a tepid nomination.
This was the perfect time to nominate a game-changer. It feels like a real missed opportunity.
Well, let's hope Garland surprises us, provided Obama's ploy works and Garland actually gets seated on the bench.
Primarily Speaking
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
Welp, that was quite a night!
On the Republican side, Donald Trump won four out of five: Florida, Illinois, Missouri, and North Carolina. John Kasich won Ohio, the state of which he is governor.
After failing even to win his home state of Florida, Marco Rubio suspended his campaign.
🎶 Goooodbye Rubio Tuesday... 🎶
And then there were three.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton swept the night, winning all five: Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio. A really extraordinary result.
And a historic one! In 227 years, there has never been a woman who's accomplished what Clinton has. Not that you'd know it from the coverage of her win. Most news outlets haven't even bothered to mention she's the first woman ever to win these primaries. And on a night where she swept five states, they were still peddling the "no enthusiasm" narrative.
Because how else to delegitimize such a commanding win, except by saying that millions and millions of voters only begrudgingly support her?
Naturally, there was plenty of misogyny from male media commentators, too, with Joe Scarborough taking the fucking cake for telling her to smile.
I did a little tweeting last night, and I've Storified those tweets. There are additional examples of misogynist garbage there, along with my commentary.
Relatedly, I wrote this piece for BNR last night: "Study: Sunday Shows Overwhelmingly White, Conservative, and Male." And that published was before white male political commenters directed the most basic, demeaning misogyny at a formidable presidential candidate. Welp!
Last night, I also contributed to this piece by Peter Daou: "Hillary's Moment Is Our Moment."
This is Hillary's moment. It is the moment when her decades of dedication, her indomitable spirit, her wisdom, her steadiness, her compassion are brought to bear to lead Democrats to victory in November.Some of us actually give a fuck about the history being made.
When the 2016 campaign began, the conventional wisdom was that Hillary had all the advantages. She had name recognition, connections, the support of the party, the upper hand in fundraising. All of these things were true, and they were invoked on a loop to suggest that securing the Democratic nomination would be a walk in the park.
But what the "inevitable" narrative ignored was Hillary's four-decade deficit of harshly negative messaging and a 227-year shutout of women from the office she is seeking. The narrative suggested that her winning was no big deal, because of all her advantages, when the truth is that she has fought her way through an unfathomably mountainous heap of personal attacks and institutional gender bias stretching back to the nation's very foundations.
Yes, this is Hillary's moment. And as Democrats and progressives, this is our moment as well.
