There are many things about this primary season that have left me feeling angry, upset, or enraged by turns. Nothing has done so more than the sexism and racism coming from various quarters, though. Today, Marie Cocco writes in the Washington Post some of her opinons (here). It's essentially a listing of sexist things she won't miss. I have some things I'd like to note I won't miss as well.
When Geraldine Ferraro said "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," she was correct. By the same troken if Hillary was a white man she would not be in this position either.
Time has come up with a list of the top five strategic mistakes Hillary Clinton made during her unsuccessful bid for the White House, and while in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter why she went from inevitable to also-ran, there is one point in the article that deserves some attention:
As aides looked over the campaign calendar, chief strategist Mark Penn confidently predicted that an early win in California would put her over the top because she would pick up all the state's 370 delegates. It sounded smart, but as every high school civics student now knows, Penn was wrong: Democrats, unlike the Republicans, apportion their delegates according to vote totals, rather than allowing any state to award them winner-take-all.
It should be noted that Penn denies the story, so we'll just have to take him at his word that he isn't that stupid. But if it's true it does raise the question, was this the stupidest thing said or done by a Clinton surrogate over the course of her campaign? Because Penn had some stiff competition. Who could forget:
Geraldine Ferraro's claim that Obama has an unfair advantage because he was black.
Bob Kerrey's happiness that Barack Hussein Obama attended a madrassa and had all that experience with Muslims.
Billy Shaheen's concern over Obama's use of drugs and possible questions on whether he was ever a drug dealer.
Andrew Cuoma saying that "You can't shuck and jive," in reference to Obama.
And of course the First Surrogate, Bill Clinton, comparing Obama's win in South Carolina to Jesse Jackson's wins in the 1980's, and then being shocked at the suggestion that he was trying to paint Obama as "the black candidate."
Let's throw Mark Penn a lifeline here and prove that he wasn't the worst of the Clinton surrogates. Share your favorite (for lack of a better word) "worst surrogate moment," of the campaign.
Her campaign's not dead yet, it just keeps rising from the Grave.
Where's a Vampire Slayer when you need one?
Despite the grand pronouncemnts of Timmeh this Democratic Primary Battle isn't over yet. Yes, we know Hillary can't win mathematically, I stated this elemental fact on Sunday. Tuesday didn't change the fact that Hillary would need an average of 68% of both the pledged and uncommitted Super-delegates to reach the magic number, it just made the media stop ignoring that her campaign's new pant-suite was translucent.
The question now is just how long this trail of tears death march back to a unified democratic party need to be? Just how are we going to implement our own Truth and Reconcilliation Commission?
BOB: Hello sports fans, and welcome to today’s basketball grudge match between the Light-hawks of Team Clinton and the Tidal Wave of Team Obama. The winner of this game goes on to the national finals to face John McCain and his team, the Warmongers, who defeated the Huckabee-led Fundies. What did you think of that match, Jim?
JIM: Well, it was a game that someone had to win. The Warmongers did just about everything wrong, and the lightly-regarded Fundies tried to make a contest out of it, but they were basically spent after the first quarter. From then on it was unopposed, creaky layups and granny shots for team McCain.
BOB: And what about the teams we’ll be watching today?
JIM: Team Clinton had been around for a while, to say the least, and many wonder if the game has passed them by. But they definitely carry the sense of entitlement about this contest – they feel like they own this game, and they have little patience for anyone who dares to step in their way. Today they face a team led by one of the nation’s rising stars, Barack Obama. But Team Obama has brought aboard some seasoned players too, like Dodd and Richardson.
This list ncludes some media contact information, because I've been hearing some want to let it be known how they feel about how the media has handled this issue. It is far from complete, of course. More a sample of what is out there.
The biggest offense in the Wright tapes - when played in longer segments than Fox or ABC (which supposedly played it before Fox or CNN) or any other outlet has played them - is no one has captured the sentiment around the words beyond the Noise Level. Wright is talking to a community that feels like America has left them behind - economically, politically, socially, demographically. As Jimmy Boegle put it, "Why do you think it's impossible to love your country, yet still be ashamed of it?" Which a poster on Reddit added "I remember Trent Lott saying something like "It's possible to support troops while opposing the president." Which are variations of exactly what Wright was saying in the 'God Damn America' speech. Using the quote of a Reagan appointee.
The English language has a rich vocabulary but meager grammar. Where most languages' verbs offer subtle shades of meaning with every choice of suffix, English has only blunt instruments like "should" - our inflections barely account for person and number. So it is that evey last vestige of grammatical nuance is precious and must be cherished.
Which is why, dear friends, I bring this grave news. One of those few survivors is now clinging for its life, and at this very moment its unwitting executioners - some of them on this very blog! - threaten to let it fall away, lost forever.
Colson Whitehead published a lovely satirical op-ed piece on Barack Obama and the racially-charged criticisms of him in The New York Times yesterday entitled "Visible Man." For those of you who do not know him, Whitehead is a young, acclaimed novelist and recent MacArthur fellow who happens to be Black. I hope you will consider reading it, as I believe the best response to ridiculous accusations is satire. The full piece is here.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. The Charlotte Observer April 15, 2008 -- "Wading back into the Democratic presidential race, billionaire businessman Bob Johnson said Monday that Sen. Barack Obama would not be his party's leading candidate if he were white."
"What I believe Geraldine Ferraro meant is that if you take a freshman senator from Illinois called `Jerry Smith' and he says I'm going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote? And the answer is, probably not. Geraldine Ferraro said it right. The problem is, Geraldine Ferraro is white. This campaign has such a hair-trigger on anything racial it is almost impossible for anybody to say anything," Johnson said.
The Charlotte Observer reported on its Web site Monday that Bob Johnson, one of Hillary Rodham Clinton's top black supporters, was commenting on remarks previously made by Geraldine Ferraro, another Clinton supporter.
"What I believe Geraldine Ferraro meant is that if you take a freshman senator from Illinois called 'Jerry Smith' and he says I'm going to run for president, would he start off with 90 percent of the black vote?" Johnson said. "And the answer is, probably not."
Bob Johnson stuck his foot in it again. This time he's defending Geraldine Ferraro's incendiary comments. A new AP article notes that the Billionaire BET founder and owner of Charlotte Bobcats has come to poor Gerry's defense. I'll say what some can't and thankfully won't, Johnson pimped Black America for $1B. He has sold all of us some of the most damaging and demeaning depictions of Black culture for a buck. Then he sold it to Viacom which has gone even further. Fuck Bob Johnson! He has no relevant opinion on the state of Black America, American Politics, or even his day job, running a shitty NBA franchise. As you remember, he was campaigning for Clinton in SC when he remarked "when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood; I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in his book," later issuing a fake apology.
The following may have been covered ad-nauseam, but I can't help but add my two cents worth:
The NY Times published an op-ed by NY's illustrious Ex-Congress person Geraldine A. Ferraro entitled, "Got a Problem? Ask the Super ". In it, she attempts to explain how she, and the other superdelegates, know more, and are more qualified, than the rest of us average peons who voted in the Primaries/Caucuses, to determine who our parties candidate should be.
Recently, Air America suspended Randi because she said some, shall we say, undiplomatic things about Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro. Randi has now left Air America radio, and will begin a new show on a local talk radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.
I've been torn about this situation since I heard about it. I was one of the first to jump on Don Imus when he had his little "nappy headed hos" moment. Thus, I had to ask myself whether this situation was different from that one, and if so, how, and, most importantly, should I be angry at Randi, or should I be angry at Air America?
Well I mean, at least she didn't call her a monster. Personally, I would have given her a raise. Somebody might actually start listening to Air America again. I will when Randi comes off suspension. Well, if she does. I hope they don't fire her. The comments are over the top, granted. But the right gets away with so much more than the left does when it comes to this kind of thing. We are such wimps and we're supposed to be the radicals. Back in the olden days, the 60's and 70's, when I was a youngster, being a radical meant you could say radical things.
Air America today announced that they are suspending Randi Rhodes for repeatedly calling Hillary Clinton and Geraldine Ferraro "fucking whores" during a stand up routine. This has already been reported on this blog several times, and each time the it was diaried, the diarist was defending Randi Rhodes, and blasting Air America.
While many commenters did post responses criticizing Randi for making her remarks, a lot of them defended her, and some went as far as agreeing with remarks. It has disheartened me to see so many Democrats do this. Randi's remarks were inexcusable, and Air America had every right to suspend her.
Nothing much to describe here. Just watch the video.
Just one question? Have Rush or Ann ever called a presidential candidate
a whore?
I have never liked Randi Rhodes even otherwise. I listened to her a few times during the John Kerry GE - she was very shrill, repetitive & had no substance.
If Air America had any advertisers, may be we could call them up & complain.
I posted yesterday on one of those enormous threads (A disturbing conversation with a Clinton supporter)...and got an illuminating reply...to which I also replied...
I think it is worth broadcasting some of the conversation here..not only because I am enamored with my own posts...but because the issue of Democrats uniting in the fall is such an important one.
One of the most interesting things to come out of this election cycle, for me, has been the level of hostility shown by some venerable feminists toward the idea of women choosing to vote for Obama rather than Clinton. As a feminist myself who is supporting Obama, it hurts a bit when women you grew up admiring turn around and criticize your choice of candidate. I recently came across an interesting piece by Michelle Goldberg in the Guardian (via Ezra Klein) that helps explain some of the anger.
