As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Trump Is Terrible
[Content Note: Slut-shaming; fat-shaming.]
In the wee hours of the morning, Donald Trump tweeted some garbage about Alicia Machado, the former Miss Universe who he fat-shamed, having a "sex tape" (which isn't even accurate) and said she's no "angel" (not that she ever claimed to be).
Peter Daou: "If there was ever an instance that proved Donald Trump's categorical unfitness for the presidency, it is his early morning tweetstorm against former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado. ...This man is simply not presidential material. He doesn't belong anywhere near elected office."
Fact.
To recap: Trump has now publicly fat-shamed AND slut-shamed a woman who spoke out about his misogyny toward her. This is straight-up abuse. https://t.co/QPBbsob32A
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 30, 2016
This is what Candidate Trump does to people who criticize SOMETHING HE ADMITS DOING. What would a President Trump do to his critics?
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 30, 2016
#TrumpTrashesWomen because he's abusive. He lies, he gaslights, he blames, he objectifies, he shames, he insults, he seeks revenge.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) September 30, 2016
I am running out of ways to say that this guy is terrible and harmful and dangerous and must be kept out of the Oval Office.
"Some of us have waited a very long time for this moment."
I've got a new(ish) piece at Shareblue: "Why older women are so enthusiastic about Hillary Clinton." It's an essay from the primary, refreshed for the general, with additional text and new photos of some of the glorious older women supporting Clinton.
So some of it may seem familiar if you read the first essay, but there's new stuff for those who saw it the first time around, and, for those who didn't, I hope you enjoy it! Here's an excerpt:
One of the pervasive (and inexplicable) storylines of this election has been that there is "low enthusiasm" for Hillary Clinton.Head on over to read the whole thing.
This is, of course, entirely false. A candidate does not get to be a major party's presidential nominee if they inspire little enthusiasm — and Clinton certainly wouldn't break a 227-year barrier against female nominees if there was no enthusiasm for her candidacy.
One of the ways this narrative has been perpetuated is simply by invisibilizing the evident enthusiasm with which she is greeted at every campaign stop. A browse through her Flickr account shows a campaign that looks very different from what we are typically shown by the corporate media.
It also matters that among her legions of enthusiastic voters are countless older women, whose representation across all media is inexcusably scant.
...Older women occupy a very particular space in our culture — a space frequently defined by an abandonment of listening. Rather than valuing the lived experiences of older women, and the wisdom those lives have imparted, we turn away from them, dismissing them as irrelevant; we neglect to listen, just at the moment where they may offer insights most profoundly worth listening to.
...Clinton has a voice. And people listen to it. She has experience, which people respect. She has knowledge, and it is widely valued.
This is not the typical experience of older women, who are devalued at the intersection of misogyny and ageism, and whatever other parts of their identity (race, disability, body size, sexuality, gender) are used to devalue us, too.
Witnessing Hillary Clinton, an older woman, fight her way to get into the most exclusive boys' club on the planet, and seeing her succeed, inching ever closer, is exciting. And more than that: It is validating.
USA Today Makes First Ever Endorsement
[Content Note: Video may autoplay at link.]
In their 34-year history, the editorial board of USA Today has never made a presidential endorsement, but this year, they made an exception. They didn't do an endorsement, exactly. Instead, they took a position against a candidate. And I bet you can guess who it is!
This year, the choice isn't between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences. This year, one of the candidates — Republican nominee Donald Trump — is, by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board, unfit for the presidency.Ouch.
From the day he declared his candidacy 15 months ago through this week's first presidential debate, Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament, knowledge, steadiness, and honesty that America needs from its presidents.
...By all means vote, just not for Donald Trump.
Hillary Shimmy
So, this is a few days old, and maybe I was the last person on the planet to see it, lol, but just in case I wasn't, here it is!
Video Description: A video clip from Monday night's debate, in which Hillary Clinton said, "Woo, okay!" in response to an extended argle bargle rant from Donald Trump, looped over and over, set to a catchy little tune, with some added lyrics: [content note for violent imagery that are common turns of phrase for self-sabotage] Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / This dude is coming at me / I just smile and let him be / The dude brought his own rope / He put the bullet in the gun so / I'm just gonna shimmy / Hillary shimmy! / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy Hillary / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy Hillary / He just keeps on shouting, "Wrong!" / So I will get my Jim Halpert on / He is a flightless bird / I think I'll never say another word / I'll just be singing this song / Hillary shimmy! / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / "Woo, okay!" / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy HRC / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy Hillary / Hillary shimmy! / Shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy...
Question of the Day
Suggested by Shaker KaterTot: "Inspired by today's 2-minute nostalgia post: What's your favorite fictional band?"
Photo of the Day
I could write an entire essay about why I love this photo. This very candid photo of a woman doing her job in an unspecial room, surrounded by scattered water bottles and the cords to various electronic devices and notices crudely taped to a wall.
This photo of an A student, immersed in her studies.
This photo of one of the most recognizable and admired women on the planet, sitting on a folding chair all on her own, in what has probably become a rare moment of quiet, so she can prepare to lead the free world.
This photo of a woman whose country has often been unfathomably cruel to her, doing her homework so that she can be prepared to be its leader, because she loves this country even when it doesn't love her back, while its flag pokes into the frame from the corner, a symbol of the history, culture, industry, future of a great and struggling nation, stoically petitioning her from its perch above a dirty carpet in a small room.
This photo of diligent preparedness, demolishing ideas about voracious ego and ruthless ambition beneath a crumbling edifice of misogynist narratives about power-seeking women.
This photo of women's work.
This photo of Hillary.
In the News
Here's some stuff in the news today...
[Content Note: Sexual violence] Second-term Obama is nailing it: "A sweeping expansion of law enforcement's obligations to people who report their rape, which victims' advocates have hailed as groundbreaking, cleared a final hurdle in Congress late Wednesday evening and landed on the desk of Barack Obama, who is expected to sign. The bill, inspired by a 24-year-old survivor of sexual assault and introduced in February, extends numerous rights to people whose rape kits are being stored and processed by federal law enforcement agencies. It includes a right to have a rape kit stored, without charge, until the statute of limitations expires, and a right to be notified in writing 60 days before a rape kit is destroyed."
[CN: White supremacy; video may autoplay at link] This LA Times piece on how white supremacists are feeling empowered by Donald Trump's campaign is fucking rage-making. "'I love it,' said [David Duke, 66, former Klan leader and current Senate candidate in Louisiana] tearing into a chicken garlic pizza at a nearby restaurant later. 'The fact that Donald Trump's doing so well, it proves that I'm winning. I am winning.'"
[CN: Misogyny] In other Trump news: "Lawsuit alleges Trump wanted to replace unattractive female employees." Sounds about right.
[CN: Guns] Welp, this is downright terrifying: "What I Saw at an All-Ages Machine-Gun Party." Nope.
This is a very fascinating interview with Greg Rucka on queer narrative and Wonder Woman. "I spent a lot of time thinking about this and talking to a lot of people about this. I wonder what would happen if you are a trans woman transitioning, and you go to Themyscira? Since they're not a heteronormative culture, I wonder if the concept of transgender life or gender confirmation process is one that they've ever even considered. These are the things I think about. I don't have an answer to that. Yet. But I know this: their society has to be the best possible paradise."
"One of the most audacious space missions ever undertaken is about to come to an end. The Rosetta probe that has been tracking a comet for the past two years is going to deliberately crash itself into the 4km-wide ball of ice and dust. European Space Agency scientists say the satellite has come to the end of its useful life and they want to get some final, ultra-close measurements. Rosetta is not expected to survive the impact with Comet 67P. But even if some of its systems remain functional, pre-loaded software on board will ensure everything is shut down on contact." RIP Rosetta. Geez, I've really become attached to this thing! I feel sad.
Neat: "South Jersey woman turns her porch into butterfly sanctuary."
What have you been reading?
This Interview Was Quite a Doozy!
[Content Note: Misogyny.]
I've got a new piece at Shareblue about a remarkable interview Fox News' Megyn Kelly did with Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. There is a lot there, so I'll just quote the intro:
There are a number of amazing things about this Fox News interview in which Megyn Kelly confronts Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway about her candidate's history of sexism, starting with the fact that we're watching two women debate the sexism of a man who hasn't been meaningfully held to account by a press that's predominantly male. I hope we all appreciate the irony of treating accountability for gender bias as "women's work."*wink*
Head on over to read the whole thing.
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Unreal
Kurt Eichenwald has another cover story for Newsweek on Donald Trump's dirty dealings, this time on how his company violated the US embargo against Cuba. I'm not even going to excerpt it; just go read the whole thing.
I continue to marvel at how literally every single thing unearthed about Trump would be disqualifying for any other candidate, and yet somehow a million of them cumulatively haven't disqualified him.
The enormity of the pass he's been given is unfathomable.
Train Crash in Hoboken
[Content Note: Crash; injuries; death; video may autoplay at link.]
This morning at the height of rush hour, a New Jersey transit train crashed into the Hoboken station. Preliminary details are that as many as 100 people were injured and 3 killed. As always, these numbers may change as more information becomes available. I desperately hope that it turns out no one was killed, but I fear that won't be the case.
Additionally: "Preliminary reports suggest the crash involving train No. 1614 on the Pascack Valley Line was accidental or caused by operator error, according to four law enforcement officials, though they stress it is early in the investigation."
My sympathies with everyone who was injured or traumatized by this event, including all the family members who are awaiting news about commuters.
Please feel welcome to post updates in comments as information is released. Take all preliminary information with a grain of salt. And, as ever, let's keep this an image-free thread. Thanks.
Good Grief, Man
Yesterday, Donald Trump took another pathetic shot at trying to turn Hillary Clinton's health into a campaign issue:
Donald Trump took a swipe at Hillary Clinton on Wednesday for her early September health episode outside a 9/11 memorial event, mocking the Democratic nominee for not being able to "make it to her car."You mean the days off she took to recover from pneumonia and then prepare for the debate like a serious person who is serious about running for a serious office?
"You see all the days off that Hillary takes?" Trump asked the crowd at an Iowa rally. "Day off. Day off. Day off. All those day offs. And then she can't even make it to her car."
Yes, Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton had a difficult time "making it to her car" when she had pneumonia and had just been standing outdoors for an hour and a half, following eighteen solid months of campaigning, following decades of public service, during which, in her last gig, she "worked harder and logged more miles than anyone in the administration, including the president."
But, the thing is, when she doesn't have pneumonia, she's got the "stamina" to debate a nightmare monster for 90 minutes and still have the energy to do this:
[Video of Clinton shoulder-shimmying, with Shaq shoulder-shimmying and a cat butt-shimmying.]
—and then head off for a quick appearance at a rally, while you, presumably, went to bed in your gold-thread pajamas and pouted while reading The Collected Essays of Sad Men Who Got Beat by Girls.
So can it with the critiques, bub. She's got plenty of stamina to run circles around you, which is really saying something, since you're the most exhausting person on the entire fucking planet.
Question of the Day
It's that time again: What would you like to see asked as a future Question of the Day? Either something that's never been asked, or something that I haven't asked for awhile and you really enjoyed the first time around.
BRING ALL YOUR QUESTIONS! ALL OF THEM! :)
The Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by granola.
Recommended reading:
Keith: [Content Note: Police brutality; racism; death] Nine-Year-Old Moved to Tears During Speech in Charlotte
Isaac: I Wrote That I Despised Hillary Clinton. Today, I Want to Publicly Take It Back.
Monica: [CN: Nuclear warfare] Why I Don't Want Trump's Hands on the Nuke Launch Codes
Jenn: California Governor Signs AAPI Data Disaggregation Bill into Law
Rachel: [CN: Abortion stigma; harassment] The Real Impact of Abortion Stigma
Fannie: [CN: Misogyny; transphobia] Well That Seems Reasonable
Thérèse: [CN: Privilege] What Are the Politics of Our Built Environments?
Leave your links and recommendations in comments. Self-promotion welcome and encouraged!
Welp
source close to Trump tells @KatyTurNBC candidate's children unhappy w/Bannon/Conway/Bossie leadership, think campaign is hurting business
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) September 28, 2016
Sure. It's the people who have been running the campaign for two minutes or whatever. Nothing to do with the candidate.
Don't get me wrong: Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway and David Bossie are terrible. But it's hardly their fault, exclusively or even primarily, that Trump's business is suffering.
His business is suffering because he has revealed himself to be a nightmare bigot to whom lots and lots of people never want to give another dime of their money.
I'm guessing the fact that this campaign has also exposed the fact that Trump has a habit of refusing to pay people for the work they did for him, running scams and frauds, and generally being not a great guy to do business with has had an impact, too. Just a thought!
