Will We Be Good Girls and Fall In Line?

This race for the Presidency in 2008 isn’t about race or gender. It’s about blatant disgusting misogyny in high definition for the entire world to witness. Women across the world can see that women here in this country, touted to be the model of a democracy and land of the free, are as free as the white men allow and that it is white men who control the government and they will decide who will be President.

There is little difference in white men in this country and the Taliban in Iraq and Afghanistan. Women have soundly been put in their place in this country again. The white male media controls the politics and the slant of every story that runs over and over and over again. The media is saturated with their contempt of women evidenced by the tone and their inability to even begin to glean understanding of their blatant misogyny.

Will Obama win? Hillary can’t possibly continue to fight on so many fronts effectively. Her every action, taken or not taken is slanted to demean and belittle her as a politician. The crescendo from the white male press adds to the feeding frenzy around Obama and contributes to the mystic. He is a good speaker, but in reality no better than a lot of the Sunday morning pulpit lecturers. As the white boys sit and listen mesmerized by his accomplishments, i.e. being able to speak well, they see no deficits, only high praise for little substance. Meanwhile the public laps up the warm media milk like calves in the darkness.

Many women will abandon Hillary because the media says it’s over and the threat of four more years of the Republicans will in fact destroy this country, so let’s “heal the party” and moveon. We women are after all looked upon as compliant and healers of the “family”. We are expected to do what is right and best for all. We are expected to submit to the higher good, for all, except us!

Women have fought to regain our rights since we lost them thousands of years ago, when civilizations were matriarchal. The ancient memory of a different more peaceful way of life lies dormant in many our minds. Every now and then there is a bright ray of hope that manages to shine through the misogyny, warm us up a bit and even give us a glimpse of hope. Admittedly, it is difficult for many in my generation of wanting it all and thinking that anything is possible, to accept defeat, accept repression again and accept that little has changed in the minds of many over such a long period of time. These two concepts; Acceptance of Defeat Again and Understanding this Misogyny, are difficult for me to reconcile these days.

The assumption that all of the women supporters of Hillary will bow to Obama is grossly over estimated. Many may finally be able to see that neither party in fact stands for their values in a so called democracy. Many may be too busy to vote in the general election. Many may write in a name in protest in the general election. And, many may fall in line and be “good girls” because they believe they have acted independently reciting the media reasoning mantras for allowing them to vote for Obama: “We don’t have to vote for a woman just because she is a woman. We can vote for the “best candidate”; The candidate that is “best for the job” “The candidate that can unify the country”.

We can in fact vote for Obama in the general election, if he is the nominee. There is nothing to stop us and the milk is about the right temperature for human consumption. Slurp!

Was Hillary Torched?

The political theater we witnessed yesterday was an interesting piece of televised misogyny. “The Kennedys anoint Barack Obama”. “The Kennedys pass the torch to Barack Obama”. The male media swarmed the event and leveraged it to the hilt to show everyone that Hillary was going to lose for sure now that Barack Obama had the “grandfather of all endorsements”. The unbiased media could only see the cup running over for Obama. Actually, Obama may want to check that cup before he sips in the Camelot court. Look at their last best friends Hillary and Bill Clinton. The Kennedys had no trouble throwing the Clintons under the bus when they didn’t heed big Ted’s mandate to campaign in a particular way.

Obama crowned by Camelot is a fairy tale. Kennedy supported Kerry-he lost. Kennedy supported Gore-he lost. Caroline Kennedy endorses a person based on her children's recommendation and a resemblance to her father’s ability to motivate through moving speeches, now that’s a good way to decide who runs the most powerful country in the world.

The fact that the Kennedys' didn't remain neutral and made such a public faux Camelot spectacle by attempting to ridicule and demean Hillary Clinton indicates that they truly believe that they can simply wave a magic wand and people will follow along. The entire scene smacks of misogyny, when Ted takes such a vicious swipe at a woman who he called friend, when it was good for him.


The message from this scene is “remember who is in charge”. This episode paints a clear picture of how the male so-called power structure in Washington in concert with the male media works. The good old boys just can’t quite understand that a woman is better qualified to run the country that they have run into a ditch. When Obama began to run into some trouble on the campaign trail, it appeared that Ted rescued him. Ted rescued Ted, not Obama. There is a higher price for that support than Obama may realize at this point. Obamas’ mantra of “change from the old Washington politics” pales with his newest old boy buddy as his sidekick. He might find a few thorns in that sparkly Camelot crown

Portrait of a Leader

The choice between presidential candidates was clear to many women on Tuesday night as Hillary Clinton continued to paint a portrait of leadership. Senator Clinton reached across the racial divide the press created and in a dramatic power play offered to bring the junior senator into her battle to take control of the government from George Bush. That gesture demonstrated the intelligence, the compassion and the ability to heal a major rift in a national political party.

Obama confirmed what many already believed when he was questioned about his comments to a Nevada newspaper regarding how he would lead. His admission that he was not good at handling the details brought into focus a fact of life that many women experience on a daily basis. Women assistants have made the phone calls to correct mistakes and cover for the boss, who looks good, talks a good game but depends on his secretary to "make it work".

Those statements are striking to many women who have spent years finding the piece of paper the boss needs and running the office or household while the male boss or husband plays golf and makes the deals that she will have to turn to reality. Obama’s responses confirm what many suspected: good speeches, great ideas but not great hands-on control over the moving parts. We’ve experienced that method of governance for eight painful years. We’ve seen the results of turning the details of running the country over to those selected by those who were not elected. Enough. We need someone in the White House who can find the paper and make the government run – not just talk about how it should run.

The responses to the debate questions clearly demonstrate the difference in ability and readiness to lead. Never has there been a clearer picture of what the past has been and what the future could look like. The dramatic difference between Hillary and Obama reflects the reality that many women experience on a daily basis. Men who look like society expects them to look and talk the talk are in the positions of power, reaping the benefits of their power, while women do the work.

Work Horse vs. Show Horse.

Misogyny vs. Racism

Misogyny is alive and well. Hillary wins in the New Hampshire primary and the discussion is about how the "polls got it wrong". Does that sound right? Why isn't the press talking about Hillary - her remarkable win, how she got it right - America is finally ready for a woman President -what was her message that worked. She's on the road to victory, Obama is toast etc. When Obama won Iowa the next morning headlines were glowing with the projection that - America is finally ready to elect a black man - The next great MLK would lead all of us to the promise land, that being away from George Bush and the Republicans.

The press had buried Hillary and rejoiced that the "bitch" was dead or dying. Why is the news today about "how the polls were wrong and not about how Obama is toast"? The white male press continues it's mission to destroy Hillary the "woman candidate". These white guys are furious that "the polls were wrong."

Why all the fury about the polls being wrong? These guys were so sure that Hillary was politically dead, based on their polls that they went far out on that well known limb, only to find that they were WRONG! They are furious that Hillary won, when the "polls" said she would get trounced and finally be finished because they relied on those polls to make them be right.

The leader of Obama's press band, MSNBC, Chris Matthews, is actually blaming "the people for lying to the pollsters." He is cites the problem as voting in a booth instead of like Iowa, where people stand up in front of the community and vote their convictions, where they "can't hide and squirm in a booth". That's a great way for men to control their wives and children, vote this way or else! I prefer the privacy of the booth, away from a community that might force me to vote a particular way to "fit in" or "live there".

Chris Matthew's and the MSNBC Gang resolve this "poll problem" by playing the "race card" saying that "political correctness" is to blame and that the real reason Obama lost was that the people in New Hampshire are really racists. They lied to the pollsters,(as if that is a crime), to be politically correct. Therefore, in the MSNBC bubble, the voters when asked about their vote answered for Obama because they were cowed by political correctness. Hellooooo.

Think about what Matthews and MSNBC is saying, really saying. That because the polls were wrong, Hillary won, there must be a fundamental problem with "voters". First, they are a bunch of liars and second, they they are a bunch of racists. So, a vote for Hillary labels you a racist in the MSNBC world. The Gang attempts to box in Hillary by planting the seeds that will spark a great divide and make great news, that any challenge of Obama by Hillary is her playing the race card. That's simply not reality.

Matthews chants the misogynist creed, "Any man, but not a woman". Even with the Hillary's win he talks about Obama against McCain. Matthews chants about Obama "his good looking wife; he brings back the 60's; ever seen that guy walk on a stage; lanky and winning the way he walks". Is that reporting? These guys are trying to "make the news, not report the news". The only saving grace for MSNBC was Tom Brokaw, a real newsperson, who pulled Matthews in line to remind him that their job was not to "get in front of the news".

Don't let the press make this election about race, it's not. Just because we choose a white woman over a black man, doesn't mean we are racist. Just because someone answers a pollsters question and changes their mind, doesn't mean they are racist.

The results of this primary election actually mean that the voters in New Hampshire voted for a woman candidate who they believed to be better qualified for the job of President. That's a stretch for the entire MSNBC Gang but not for the rest of us.

Don't let the white male press or their pollsters elect the next president! New Hampshire showed the world that "women of all colors" have power, not the white male commentators or their pollsters.