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is his wife. Michelle is one strong woman, and Barack doesn't rein her in. And he takes his co-parenting role very seriously as well.
This isn't just about a man of color rising to the highest levels of US govt, it's also about someone who isn't invested in the tired old patriarchal paradigm getting there as well.
Thanks for a very thoughtful and open-hearted essay, plainbrown. I hope some of Hillary's supporters read it and think about it with deliberation.
"Well, yeah, the Constitution is worth it if you can succeed." -Nancy Pelosi, 6/29/07.
by nailbender on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:12:44 AM PDT
[ Parent ]
that Barack is far more of a feminist male than WJC is. By extension does that make him more of a feminist than HRC?
by Urizen on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:17:32 AM PDT
Barack is WAYYYYY more feminist than Hillary.
Gloria Steinem and Erica Jong don't speak for all feminists.
Peace and justice feminists like Eve Ensler lined up behind Barack a long time ago. Had Molly Ivins (rest her soul), that fierce Texan feminist, lived to see this election, I have no doubt she would have backed Obama.
by brooklynliberal on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:24:51 AM PDT
I'm a second wave feminist of the Alice Walker kind. .
I shall not grow conservative with age -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
by ponderer on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:35:07 AM PDT
but Alice Walker (who supports Obama) said something like this:
Imagine: if Obama wins, we'll have three strong black women walking through the front door of the White House, not leaving out the back after they've finished cleaning it.
There are many streams in the river that is feminism.
by Penman on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:38:00 AM PDT
"indifference is the one thing that makes the very angels weep."-Cornell West
by misreal on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:55:18 AM PDT
It made me cry too. And I'm a white male in my late 40's who you'd never take for a crybaby :-)
"Leap, and the net will appear." -- John Burroughs
by somtam on Sat May 10, 2008 at 08:01:04 PM PDT
48 yr old white male raised in the south during the civil rights movement. and I get choked up looking at the faces of the young people Barack has inspired. I think of the positive role model he has become.
This is what made me cry the other day. it's this I hope Obama can help change.
by Chain on Sun May 11, 2008 at 03:50:29 AM PDT
I haven't seen it yet.
Please explain.
Is there more?
"The way to win a Presidential race against the Republicans is to develop the class warfare issue..." Lee Atwater, Bush `88 campaign manager.
by aufklaerer on Sun May 11, 2008 at 07:22:19 AM PDT
The best line in the whole piece, which I read often.
Imagine, if he wins the presidency we will have not one but three black women in the White House; one tall, two somewhat shorter; none of them carrying the washing in and out of the back door.
"In the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." -Barack Obama
by stefanielaine on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:19:11 AM PDT
Alice Walker is a prize-winning writer and I'm just a commenter; my choppy paraphrase above barely does it justice.
Thanks for finding the actual quote and posting it. :)
by Penman on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:02:51 PM PDT
I was tremendously moved by that quote and knew just where to find it. :)
by stefanielaine on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:08:53 PM PDT
http://www.youtube.com/...
Go Barack Obama
by concerned on Sun May 11, 2008 at 02:03:43 AM PDT
AAPI Wellesley grad in Austin for Obama! (Obama-(Donna) Edwards '08!)
by lirtydies on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:36:31 AM PDT
of my favorite authors.
When I have an opinion, it may be found here
by walkabout on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:17:54 PM PDT
Truth rings like a bell!
Be the change you want to see in the world.
by empathy on Sat May 10, 2008 at 02:36:11 PM PDT
There was a Dowd column (I think) where she only half-jokingly explained that O's success is based on his affinity for traditionally 'feminie' values like peace-making and consensus-building, while HRC spends her time trying to out-macho everybody with her guns and her bombs and her campaign's bullying rhetoric.
Obviously 'traditionally feminine' does not always equal feminist, but in this case Obama exemplifies what I admire most about feminism, as summed up by Ursula K. LeGuin (also the child of anthropologists): quoting from memory, it's something like "I try to be as subversive as I can wihout hurting people's feelings."
If we can't have LeGuin for President, I'll settle for Barack.
I'm no student of ancient culture--before I talk, I should read a book. But there's one thing that I do know: there's a lot of ruins in Mesopotamia. --B-52s
by RhwMn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:05:34 AM PDT
authors. Daughter of two anthropologist's :)
Anthropologists for human diversity; opposing McCain perversity
by Deoliver47 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:23:53 AM PDT
was one of my favorite books, when I was in high school.
Your quote from LeGuin kind of sums up my approach to activism too...probably strongly influenced by reading books like The Dispossessed.
by MH in PA on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:26:30 AM PDT
of all time favorites. It is absolutely brilliant. Very few books have such a deep message, biting critique along with a truly engaging and entertianing story.
by audiored on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:38:34 AM PDT
is Left Hand of Darkness, and quite apposite to gender issues. LeGuin is a rare combination, a brilliant thinker and a truly humane spirit.
The other work of hers that comes to my mind in the context of feminism is Tehanu, the fourth Earthsea book
by RhwMn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:14:57 PM PDT
which is one of my favorite books.
the character Estraven:
“How does one hate a country, or love one?…I know people, I know towns, farms, hills and rivers and rocks, I know how the sun at sunset in autumn falls on the side of a certain plowland in the hills; but what is the sense of giving a boundary to all that, of giving it a name and ceasing to love where the name ceases to apply?”
by pedmom on Sat May 10, 2008 at 05:32:36 PM PDT
...the best reply to the "you hate America" nationalist types when they attack you for recounting the undeniable history of America is: "No, I just love the rest of the world too."
"The survival value of intelligence is that it allows us to extinct a bad idea, before the idea extincts us." -- Karl Popper
by eyeswideopen on Sat May 10, 2008 at 07:01:07 PM PDT
...of my two favorite LeGuin books. Both The Dispossessed and the Left Hand of Darkness are books that never leave you once you have let them into your head.
Misled Into War: A Timeline/DowningStreetMemo.com
by highacidity on Sat May 10, 2008 at 05:41:42 PM PDT
by Sophie Amrain on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:38:03 AM PDT
and agree 100% with that quote.
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. - George Orwell
by kyril on Sat May 10, 2008 at 03:24:17 PM PDT
comes from her story "Nine Lives":
"We're each of us alone, to be sure. What can you do but hold your hand out in the dark?"
John McCain: no health insurance for kids.
by AlanF on Sat May 10, 2008 at 03:42:28 PM PDT
She invented Earthsea then matured it, forcing me to grow up.
My favorite writer, the Ekumen, her essays, her peace work. Great to read from other fans on DKos.
PS Please support true progressive Fallon in the IA-03 Democratic primary June 3rd. Blue dogs keep the powder dry and disempower us.
by airmarc on Sat May 10, 2008 at 07:36:36 PM PDT
Because Obama gets that the war is a feminist issue. There are women fighting there, and the men fighting there have mothers, sisters, daughters. Poverty is a feminist issue. The economy is a feminist issue. There are women in poverty all across the country and women stretching and stressing to figure out a way to feed their families. It's not just the typical "women's issues." All these issues affect women and matter to women. You don't have to be a woman to be a feminist and you can be a woman without being one.
by stefanielaine on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:26:08 AM PDT
When you grow up and practice right thoughts, right actions, and right living, you instantly become a feminist, a gay rights advocate, and a host of other labels, but it's all the same thing. It's integrity, to me.
-6.88, -3.44
by Bluesee on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:00:40 PM PDT
I do not like thee, Doctor Fell, The reason why I cannot tell; But this I know, and know full well, I do not like thee, Doctor Fell.
by opinionated on Sat May 10, 2008 at 01:29:06 PM PDT
A mature person incorporates the best of the male independence and the female cooperative model, with a complete range of human emotions that are at peace and work as a unified whole.
Frankly, it has been a long, long time since we have had a mature person in the WH; Carter was as close as there was.
Reagan was the epitome of the patriarchal model, which I think is at the root of American Exceptionalism, the slavery and neo-slavery systems, the drug cartels and most of the egregious multi-national corporations.
"But their gift is an empty snake, Carrying hypocrisy in its mouth like venom" - Sami Al Hajj
by walkshills on Sat May 10, 2008 at 03:07:56 PM PDT
Why Hillary Won't Save Us
I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president. Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone. This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.
I'd like to make it clear to the people who run the Democratic Party that I will not support Hillary Clinton for president.
Enough. Enough triangulation, calculation and equivocation. Enough clever straddling, enough not offending anyone. This is not a Dick Morris election. Sen. Clinton is apparently incapable of taking a clear stand on the war in Iraq, and that alone is enough to disqualify her. Her failure to speak out on Terri Schiavo, not to mention that gross pandering on flag-burning, are just contemptible little dodges.
Molly knew.
Consign corporatism to the dankest crypt, and assign justice to the highest crag. For A More Perfect Union.
by Alohilani on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:59:54 PM PDT
Hillary Clinton, she was asked if she thought Obama should run for President. Her response:
Yes, he should run. He’s the only Democrat with any ‘Elvis’ to him.
As she rather presciently said of 2004's Democratic field, Kerry couldn't win because he didn't have any Elvis to him. And you "can't win without Elvis."
by brooklynliberal on Sat May 10, 2008 at 02:08:47 PM PDT
but good to be reminded.
God I miss Molly.
She and Paul Wellstone are the bookends to my sanity.
I just think about what they might say or do.
There is no avant garde. There are only people who are a little late. --Edgar Varese
by thepdxbikerboy on Sat May 10, 2008 at 03:17:05 PM PDT
I wear this button on my backpack. It helps a little.
by stefanielaine on Sat May 10, 2008 at 07:05:15 PM PDT
by stefanielaine on Sat May 10, 2008 at 03:06:10 PM PDT
Poor Molly didn't live to see the day when Hillary would have changed that aspect of her behavior. She went from not offending anyone to offending just about everyone.
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain
by Donna in Rome on Sat May 10, 2008 at 06:28:13 PM PDT
Hillary's character has cratered.
by Alohilani on Sat May 10, 2008 at 06:39:14 PM PDT
before she passed: http://blog.niemanwatchdog.org/... http://www.cnn.com/...
John Cornyn is an asshole with shoes. Support Rick Noriega!
by anna on Sun May 11, 2008 at 05:59:57 AM PDT
of a spouse as I am unimpressed with Hillary's.
nuff said.
by nailbender on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:44:45 AM PDT
by Urizen on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:56:37 AM PDT
by nailbender on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:58:14 AM PDT
Please make some calls for Barack!
by sick of it all on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:33:17 AM PDT
...and I'm just a couple years junior to Bill; if a man openly disrespects(betrays) his wife, the last thing in the world that he can count on is the guys applauding that, or calling him, a "feminist male". There's another word for being a womanizer or a cheater, but I can't think of it right off-hand. I guess they'll have to do.
"Great men do not commit murder. Great nations do not start wars". William Jennings Bryan
by ImpeachKingBushII on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:58:34 AM PDT
and I don't really feel comfortable passing judgment on how couples choose to relate. But I do feel comfortable passing judgment on lying to ones significant O. In fact lying to anybody is very basically not cool, but that (lying to the closest person to you) is a whole other level IMO. It implies a sense of entitlement that is directly contrary to any movement or philosophy that seeks equality.
by Urizen on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:08:20 AM PDT
We don't know Bill lied to Hillary. I think this whole line of argument is beneath us. While the personal is political, the private deserves to remain so. None of that crap is why I've opposed a HRC presidency. In fact, I believed her about the "vast right wing conspiracy" in much the same way I believed Anita Hill.
That said, it makes me shiver to think of a family like the Obamas settling in to a house like the White House. Yep, we can. We really can.
Fired Up
by Bindle on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:20:03 PM PDT
they've both lied to us about it. Either way, not so good.
by Urizen on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:41:17 PM PDT
about sleeping on the couch for months and how the worst thing was finally telling Hillary and Chelsea after having lied to him.
The one thing we know about the McCain campaign...is that they're very good at negative campaigns, they're not so good at governing- Barack Obama
by wishingwell on Sat May 10, 2008 at 02:04:54 PM PDT
I never voted for Bill, and I say that with some pride despite the inevitable Naderphobe comments that are likely to proceed.
I knew he was bad news the moment Gore introduced him at the 92 convention as "Elvis." It's always been - and always will be - about him, and I can't take his support of Hillary in any other way.
Actually, I knew he was bad news when Cokie Roberts gushed all over him on NPR in '91 when he was the chair of the national governor's conference, calling him a rising star in the New Democratic leadership, or some such DLC-pandering bullshit. The "Elvis" thing was just a cringe-making moment of confirmation.
by nailbender on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:11:11 AM PDT
...in an oxymoronish Shakespeare's "parting is such sweet sorrow" sort of way.
by ImpeachKingBushII on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:16:56 AM PDT
if Impeachment was ever to be put back on the table, thereby erasing the all-encompassing blot on her record.
What a great quote. Guess I better go read some Bryan.
by nailbender on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:27:14 AM PDT
I grew up in Louisiana...I had way too many of those country boys hitting on me...oh, yuck.
All that sleazy southern charm set off all my alarm bells.
John&Cindy McCain:A "Dallas" and "Dynasty" rerun.
by redtex on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:14:21 PM PDT
the more I hoped for an ABC candidate coming out of the convention, even if it had to come out of a smoke-filled room.
After that, I fell in line behind Bill because there was a Bush in the White House to get rid of.
Looking for intelligent energy policy alternatives? Try here.
by alizard on Sat May 10, 2008 at 01:35:51 PM PDT
that should have been: After that, I fell in line behind Bill because there was a Bush in the White House to uproot.
by alizard on Sat May 10, 2008 at 01:39:45 PM PDT
or you could say : manwhore
But I digress.... wonderful, wonderful powerful diary. Please write many more here.
by la urracca on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:21:43 AM PDT
The proper term is "Equal Opportunity Orgasm Provider"
Gore works in mysterious ways.
by Dude1701 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:10:31 PM PDT
no proof he provided for others....:}
by la urracca on Sat May 10, 2008 at 12:46:01 PM PDT
...has also been an enormous disappointment. I once was impressed that the Clintons were not racist and treated everybody with respect. What we've seen has been another betrayal on an immense scale and so very sad. I had so hoped we had seen the back of racial politics once and for all time. Alas, alas. I never expected my euphoria to be cut short by fellow Democrats, least of all by them.
by eyeswideopen on Sat May 10, 2008 at 07:12:22 PM PDT
No--next question.
by DocbytheBay on Sat May 10, 2008 at 03:22:57 PM PDT
If you could share some detail, that would be great. I am a huge Obama fan, and know he will protect women's right to choose, but I don't know more about him and feminism. Would love to learn. (Have read both his books, which brought me to vote for him, but don't remember feminism-related matters discussed.)
by foldingBicycle on Sat May 10, 2008 at 05:42:47 PM PDT
Don't be a lazy voter or get someone to spoon-feed you information. Go to his website and look at his policy pages. I don't want to be rude - but there really is no excuse to not know something you can easily access.
by heartsandflowers on Sat May 10, 2008 at 08:09:09 PM PDT
organized under the chapter:
"How I support feminism."
Feminism means different things to different people and if foldingBicycle has read Audacity then she has read his policy pages.
I'm the daughter of a feminist but her issues (as a Hillary supporter no less, lol) would be different than mine.
For me it's because he's inclusive not just of the feminine but of all and if you want specific feminine examples take a look at his advisors, his superdelagate go-getter, his event organizer. And remember in Dreams of My Father that he knew the real organizers were the women and he gave them power.
by LetThereBeLiberals on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:18:32 PM PDT
and policies on issues that directly correspond to things that you find important. I'm not going to label something specifically 'feminist' because I didn't ask for a definition of what feminism means to you or anyone else. We may not agree on that. But my point stands that people tend to look to others to feed them information or tell them how to think and that is something I will not do even for a candidate I am voting for. You have to do the leg work!
For the sake of argument I will give one: the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
Note that John McShame voted against it saying "women needed more education" even though he left his 1st wife for a beer distribution heiress and used her money and connections to fund his campaign to get elected in the first place.
by heartsandflowers on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:38:49 PM PDT
And so I was provoked to do research on Obama's votes on reproductive issues. What I found was that the "present" votes were part of a collaborative effort (coordinated with some pro-choice groups -- there was dissent and anger about the general plan from some pro-choice proponents, who believed this was selling out) to convince some legislators afraid to vote "no" on restrictive antichoice legislation to at least vote "present". He and several others also voted "present" in order to provide legislative cover for those who were on shakier ground in their districts.
Obama had nothing to shield himself from in this regard (his district was more liberal, and so he wasn't voting "present" to save himself). So he was trying to help act as a team (typical Obama, eh?) and get others to work together with him to further the cause of women's choice.
I read some of his statements he chose to make on the debate floor about a controversial "partial-birth abortion" bill, Senate Bill 1093. I unfortunately can't copy + paste, but you can read the remarks on the bill starting on page 84 here here. Obama essentially uses his constitutional law background to explain some nitty gritty about fetus viability and how this bill could be used to go beyond what is obvious and ban further abortions, on the Senate floor.
In other words, I see him fighting the good fight for women's choice.
Those are my takes on why I think Obama's quite feminist.
by brooklynliberal on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:19:23 PM PDT
to be home for Mother's Day because he had a lot of women to take care of. It was so endearing.
by lvv on Sat May 10, 2008 at 08:00:53 PM PDT
has been surrounded by strong women in his life. Not just Michele, but his mother. And he has a sister and 2 daughters. Dude has a LOT of women in his life, I've never worried about him not getting it.
by brooklynliberal on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:26:38 AM PDT
