Misogyny was the central narrative of the Obama campaign

Meaty topic and one that is hard to nail. I know this much. The traditional views of women as either “bitches” or “too soft” are definitely in play when it comes to leadership roles. The reality is that if a man says, “The clothes were props for her, nothing more. She never went on spending sprees,” then everyone says, “OK.” If Sarah says exactly the same thing, knowing that it can be verified with top aides, then nobody particularly believes her.

That’s a deep-rooted sexist model at play.

I also know that people in general feel perfectly at ease saying horrible things to women that are disrespectful that they would never say to a man, regardless of the status of the man. Therefore, the interview questions by Couric and Gibson were so insulting that it would have taken a saint to get through it. Who asked Biden to defend his right to run as VP? Who asked Jimmy Carter that, for that matter?

I cannot believe how many women just chose to overlook this horrific character flaw and support him.

Never mind that he has never proven who he is by any measure.

It is almost like some serious deals were cut. If our country just voted in a person who is not a natural born citizen – we are allowing our Constitution to be a farce.

I cannot believe how many women just chose to overlook that serious character flaw and support him.

Never mind that he has never proven who he is by any measure.

It is almost like some serious deals were cut. If our country just voted in a person who is not a natural born citizen – we are allowing our Constitution to be a farce.

I Blame the so-called “progressives.” I hardly expect the msm to be ethical and honest, but my former party, the Dems, well, yes, for decades I expected them to represent me.

No more.

One thing this election has sealed for me: I’m a feminist first, everything else follows that.

I blame nobody, but I think if women would like to start correcting course, it starts in the home. Nobody should allow their children, for example, to speak disrespectfully to them without consequence.

A lot of this sexism starts on the personal level. If women are not going to stand up for themselves, then I guarantee you, nobody else will, either.

Obama (and the democrats?) would and did use any means at their disposal to win. Hillary wasn’t (isn’t?) the hard core socialist, with low-life friends in high places,that Obama and Dean are. Hillary wasn’t black enough to get the 90%-95% AA votes. I don’t hear the misogynists coming out against Vallerie Jarrett as a possible replacement for Obama’s senate seat.

Excellent post. I’m a 58 year old woman. I am horrified by the relentless misogyny–by men and women–in this election. All ages, all races abused Hillary and the idea of woman as leader–I still feel physically sick about it.

AA’s voted as a block for BO. Women must vote as a block for Hillary, Sarah and the next woman candidate if we are to see a woman lead our country.

Woman are so oppressed in this land of the free and the home of the brave that they made a grave political error this election. Our treasury people are alreday talking Sharia Law with Islam money folks. Misogyny, media and money drove the BO/DNC sexist machine the last two years.

Revolution, women, ladies, girls. There is no other way.

This will stop only when people, women included, stop looking at females as sex objects. Just look at the talking heads on the news. Necklines are getting lower, skirts are getting shorter…and these NEWS women!

How many times have you heard a woman, perhaps your own wife, look at the anchorwoman and comment on her clothes, makeup, etc then in the next sentence complain about the gender bias at her own workplace?

The fault lies with EVERYONE but until professional women on camera decide NOT to be treated as sex objects, it will never stop.

Of course that’s a tough decision for them because there’s just so much money to be made…it’s all very sad.

i blame, yup i sure as heck do. i fault the media, the repubs, the dims, men and women. we all have a part in this. i fought the good fight, now i wonder if young women have what it takes to stand up for themselves. maybe they’ll have to take some real hits before they get it. frequently experience is the best teacher i fear. it always is. in today’s culture the rap musis is hostile to women for example. look at obama and his silly bull. other women frequently do each other in. that amazes me.

Wow! Talk about living in a fantasy world.

Of course there is still some sexism but it was not even close to decisive. Many Democrats did not want to see a return of the Clinton/DLC faction of the party and by no means was, “Hillary Clinton the choice of most Democrats this year.” The sum total of supporters of other candidates always exceeded Clinton’s and the supporters of candidates Edwards, Richardson and Biden coalesced around Obama early enough to deny the Clinton faction the nomination.

This had little to do with sexism and would have played out much the same if Bill Clinton was running for a 3rd term. Being anti-Clinton moved many more primary votes than being anti-women and claiming that misogyny was the “dominate narrative” is as silly as saying that the Clinton supporters were primarily rascist.

Look, rank and file Democrats went to the mat defending the Clintons during 8 years over a large number of self-inflicted scandals and many, in fact a plurality of us wanted nothing to do with a revival. It was time to move on to new leadership in the party.

While I agree with the premise of the author, the sexism and misogyny was astounding in this election cycle but so was ageism, so was fraud, so was reverse racism, so was illegality for the position of POTUS,so was breaking the Logan Act,so was accepting gross amounts of campaign funds illegally, and from questionable sources [that will not be investigated by the FEC]. This guy stopped at nothing…he trampled on everyone and everything that stood in his way..including the constitution of these United States..this country has had the greatest act of fraud perpetrated upon it..in fact his misdeeds were/are so egregious..that people refuse to see, I believe, out of fear… it is much easier to believe his illusion and by the time this country and its populace awaken..it will be to a sad reality of what his ‘change’ really meant!

Misogyny is the WRONG word for us to be using; I do not believe that most of the disrespect for women politicians is based on hatred of women — yet that is what misogyny means: “hatred of women.”

Oh yes, some people — men AND women — do have a problem with strong, capable women who know how to lead and govern, but that’s not what’s going on here with Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin.

I think the problem here in America is that it is FASHIONABLE to disparage the accomplishments of political women and to disrespect their achievements.

People tune in to the TV talk shows and TV “comedians” and think they have permission to join in on the bashing and trashing of women they see on TV. Ridiculing women is a habit, a tradition, a pastime.

Women took one look at Sarah Palin’s hair and decided she “had” to be “dumb.” She was too sexy and beautiful to be smart. Those same women did not bother to do ANY research into Palin’s record as mayor and, now, governor. She has an outstanding record as governor — a record of accomplishment and reform most of us would welcome in our own states.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had no political experience when California, with its many problems and challenges, elected him to be governor. Californians even re-elected him a year or two later. California is now in huge financial trouble and looking to the federal government for financial help, but I guarantee you that if Arnold were a natural-born citizen the same people who ridicule Sarah Palin would be drooling in support of Arnold for president.

Why do you suppose this is? Arnold has proven his incompetence and Sarah Palin has proven her competence.

Joe Biden has almost permanent foot-in-mouth trouble, has had two brain aneurysms, garnered almost NO support for his presidential run in the primaries, has been wrong about the last 15 international crisis issues, and voted WRONG (according to Barack Obama) on the Iraq war resolution — yet, the media goons are applauding Biden’s elevation to the vice-presidency, and he is first in line to be president.

Why do you suppose this is?

People point to Palin’s interviews with Katie Couric and Charles Gibson as “proof” she is not informed, but they forget how badly Obama did in his early interviews and how deer-in-the-headlights he appeared at the early Democratic debates. Media people were shaking their heads in stunned disbelief after Obama’s poor performance in those early debates and speculating that maybe Joe Biden was right that Obama was NOT READY for the big time yet.

I would also point out that what most people saw of those two early Palin TV interviews were the heavily EDITED and CUT versions, and they had been cut is a way that left out key parts and made Palin look as bad as the editors could make her.

Well, as I said up top, I think misogyny is the WRONG word here; I think what we are dealing with here is obliviousness: people are oblivious to the harm they do by disrespecting women and trivializing their achievements. I do NOT believe this disrespect is always attributable to hatred of women but, sometimes, just to habit.

Mocking women is a national pastime in America culture. Disparaging women’s accomplishments is a sick, sick American habit.

It is a habit that we must think about and then re-think.

It is time to measure women’s achievements with factual “yardsticks” — and it is time to CHANGE OUR WAYS of looking at women.

It is time — past time — to kick the habit of humiliating and disparaging women.

–

“SHADOW” now . . . and “SHADOW” forever!

“Stop Humiliation And Disparagement Of Women”

Women truely need to become aware and stop falling for these tactics. I was thinking, what’s the difference in Palin and Huckabee? Verey littli I can see, yet Palin was brutalized and Huckabee was not.

When white Southern racists lynched a black man, they didn’t “just” lynch that black man … they sent a SIGNAL to ALL black men that this could happen to them, too, if they dared to do anything the whites didn’t like.

So it has been with the humiliation, degradation, disparagement, distortions, lies and the disgusting jokes about Senator Hillary Clinton and Gov. Sarah Palin.

All of this activity was NOT just about destroying Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin– it was a warning shot across the bow to any other women who thought they might make a try for either of the two highest public offices in America: “You run, and we’ll destroy you.”

I think both Clinton and Palin were remarkable for their grit and fortitude; they kept on going when others might have wilted.

If Obama had been treated to the disgusting treatment inflicted on these two women, he (of the thin skin) would have melted in a pool of self-pity. Instead, even though Obama was treated like he was already The Emperor, he fired back at any criticism accusing the critic of being a “racist.” That silenced most people because most people, by now, are ashamed of being racist or even of being thought to be racist.

But, it is still okay and even admired in some circles to trash and bash women political figures.

Back when Clarence Thomas was being interviewed by the senate judiciary committee, as he sought appointment t to the U.S. Supreme Court, Thomas finally ended what he felt was his “torment” by claiming the questioning was the “high-tech lynching of a black man.” It actually wasn’t at all, and he had been treated far more courteously than Joe Biden (the committee chairman) had treated Anita Hill who, as Clarence Thomas’s principal accuser, had testified under oath that Thomas had sexually harassed her when he was her supervisor.

But the point I make here is that it is high time we accused the people who insult and disparage women of committing the “high-tech lynching (or rape) of women.”

We have to fight this bias against women with all our strength and creativity, because the ugly Americans have just enjoyed open season on two highly accomplished women; and no woman will soon run for high public office unless we level the playing field and end the humiliation and disparagement of women.

“SHADOW” now . . . and “SHADOW” forever!

“Stop Humiliation And Disparagement Of Women”

Thanks so much for the post. To me , its a naked truth and I have lived through it.

Of course misogyny was the central theme. Note Obama’s lack of public respect for either of his grandmothers, his mother, or his aunt.

They’re trotted out when politically expedient but are not allowed to speak independently unless Obama gives the nod. Notice that even Michelle was “disappeared” when she became a political liability.

This type of behavior is not normally tolerated in the black Christian community where women tend to be the backbone of the church. However, this same community turned a blind eye as to what it says about Obama’s character.

Obama has yet to attend a funeral for his grandmother in Hawaii. I think that, the day after election, if Obama had publicly stated that his transition to the WH was on hold because he was planning/attending his grandmother’s funeral no one would have objected.

All that was leaked to the media was something about a memorial service for his grandmother sometime before the end of next month.

Yet Obama dares give speeches about taking care of each other. This while his Kenyan grandmother, Kenyan aunt, and Kenyan half-brother live in relative poverty. Kinda like those folks in public housing in Chicago that are actually worse off since he worked for them in the Illinois state legislature and the US Senate.

Point out these things even though the folks involved are black? You’re a racist.

The best speach I heard during the primary was delivered during my Congressional District assembly and convention by our ex-mayor of Denver, Wellington Webb. Webb is an enormous, AA ex-basketball star in Colorado. He was Hillary’s surrogate, while Federico Pena, another ex-mayor of Denver was Obama’s. Pena spoke first and gave a rambling speech about how he is Hispanic and for Obama and Webb is AA and for HIllary, so race just wasn’t a concern. Yada Yada Yada. He ended, of course, with the stupid “Yes, we can” mantra that really didn’t go anywhere.

When Webb began to speak, he was immediately interruped, as was usual treatment for any Hillary surrogate. “What about Hillary’s vote on the war?”

Webb calmed the audience because he could not hear the question. When he did hear it, he simply said that Hillary had been misled as most everyone had been and that Obama voted for funding. He finished by saying that Hillary had done her homework and “had a plan,” implying, of course that Obama didn’t. Then he asked if he could just give his speach.

The thing he said that stuck with me throughout the entire campaign–primary and general election–is this:

He asked us to look around and see who had been in charge of running the convention, getting it set up, doing the mailing and calling, getting the materials printed and organized. He asked us to think about our school and church and community organizations and ask ourselves the same questions. He said we would undoubtedly have to answer that mostly the faces we would call up in our memories were women.

Then he mentioned how Hillary came to help him in Denver with children’s issues when she could have really gained nothing from it.

He finished by saying that Hillary, like all women of all races, had already disproved by their efforts and character the myth of the superiority of the white male–and that we did not need a man of color to do that as a presidential candidate.

I was in tears as were many women in the audience.

I was raised by a very “feminist” mother whose own mother was raised to be a passive daughter and wife. But my mother never felt inferior to her brothers and she knew she could do anything they could do and do it better. And she did. Even thought they fiercely competed with her she was “better” academically and won the games they played and they all had tremendous respect for her.

She raised me with that same view of equality and I passed it on to my daughter and to my son. My daughter was still in elementary school when she was asked that traditional question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and she answered, “President.” My mother loved that answer because she was very realistic about her “place” in society and knew that a woman president would not be elected in her lifetime. Over the years I have voted for every female candidate on the ballot just to enhance those numbers for the next woman candidate. My mother would have hated what happened this year and seen it for what it is; backsliding into the old Comstock Laws that never really disappeared.

My son admires and supports his sister. They are great friends with no gender bias. Both have taken stands against racism and sexism from the time they were exposed to it at school. (I know because their teachers were so impressed by it that they told me.) And this election my son was livid over the unchecked sexism directed toward Senator Clinton and Governor Palin. It does start with little things at home, but like ripples in a pond those small acts keep expanding further and further out.

Spot on article…We had no problems supporting Mrs. Clinton and were looking forward to our first woman president. Now the phony messiah will be in office, sad state of affairs! There was real sexist going on-MSM really ignored and participated in this farse of an election.

hey, whatever works!!! he won, good for him!

Bud –
Great post. A lot to contemplate and frankly, be depressed about. Until this election, I truly, thought women were further down the road. How wrong I was.

By the time your baby girl is a high school student, let’s hope she will be reading about the misogyny that occured in this race as part of her U.S. History, but sadly…I very much doubt it.

Some good comments here on the subject….

The Scanner–Readers’ Edition:Top Comments/Reader Suggested Links Edition 11/12/08 (Some Choice Words on the “Post-Racial” Atmosphere at Work; Young Women & Misogyny; The Penis Code; George Soros)(UPDATE: Favorite Hate Mail Post Just Arrived!)

Wow, I just love the hate mail I got this morning! So timely!!!
These people need the “serenity prayer”…..

http://isightanalytical.wordpress.com

What do the 3 following everyday insulting phrases hurled at men have in common?

1. son of a bitch
2. motherfucker
3. douchebag

They say nothing at all about the man himself, but in cases #1 and #2, refer to the man’s mother and in #3 indirectly refer to a woman’s genitals.

Our everyday language reveals just how deeply disdain and hatred for women goes in our society.

Men must speak out against sexism if change is going to be realized sooner than later in our daughters’ lives. Bud is setting the example with this post.

Men still enjoy a higher status in society than women. Their smallest of words and actions have real consequences for their children. I can’t imagine how a father can tell or laugh at a sexist joke with the guys, and later look at his ‘little princess’ and tell her how much he loves her. I have to wonder what message little girls are getting when their dad promotes the sexist music of performers like Jay-Z.

Still, it is women who have the most to gain or lose from this fight for gender equality. They must do the heavy lifting and be ever vigilant in their own use of language and behavior that inevitably lead to disrespect for women. That is the frustration that so many face in this fight for equality. Women can be their own worst enemies. Those who ‘get it’ must fight harder, longer, louder, and smarter.

What have other groups done to get their equality? They made noise. Look at California now. The gay community is marching and demanding their rights. That is the only way change will happen. African Americans marched and made noise in the 60’s and 70’s. They let America know that they were tired of all the injustice. Women have to make NOISE. They did earlier in our history to get the right to vote. It worked then, and it will work again. Straight people are marching and protesting with gay people to bring about change. White people marched and protested with black people to bring about change. Men will march and protest with women to bring change, but women must again be the first to put on their walking shoes. I think women are ready to go, but are just waiting for a leader to step forward. I think so many women were hoping Hillary would assume that position. That obviously was not her goal, but it will take someone like her.

In his zeal to promote his own elevation to great power, Barack Obama tried to destroy two women who, as elected public officials, hold high office with serious responsibilities.

In both cases, the women — Senator Hillary Clinton and Gov. Sarah Palin — have PROVEN their political skills and served their constituents well. Both of these women have earned and still receive HIGH approval ratings from their constituents.

Yet, it was considered okay and “fun” — and the “in” thing to do — to trash both women as if they were hags or bimbos. Women as well as men joined in the “fun.” Yes, it is a sad truth that many women feel they can deal with men holding high public office but, for some reason that eludes me, think it is okay to question the abilities of EQUALLY competent women.

But women in high office are held to a different standard and are expected to be devoted and constant wives, mothers and caregivers to elderly parents even while holding down important jobs with serious responsibilities — and still be beautiful, sexy, well-groomed, and have bodies that look like they spend five days a week at the gym. Oh, and did I mention they had better have a Nobel Prize or a Pulitzer under their belts or some people will doubt that they have achieved anything worth respecting?

Men can be overweight, but overweight women are more likely to be the subject of cruel and snide remarks.

Men can be verbose, but every word a public woman utters must be significant — and she must not speak slowly for fear she will bore everyone.

On the other hand, a man as ugly, dull, unintelligible, wrong and boring as Alan Greenspan is praised and listened to with great reverence — even though he’s been grossly wrong about every economic issue he has testified about to Congress in the past ten years.

I am going to say it again: Gov. Palin is smart, honest, hard-working, honorable, dedicated and ACCOMPLISHED — which is MORE than can be said for MOST politicians.

And she deserved NONE of the insults and degrading jokes about her or her abilities. She is at least as smart, honest and capable as 95% of the American presidents have been.

Yes, it is an historic occasion that America has elected a black man, but he won the presidency by destroying two women — so I find it hard to consider this a “win” for America.

I have to tell y’all that as a 55 y/o woman, seeing the feminism thing come up again just knocks me over…we went through so very much decades ago to try to gain equality, only to see it all knocked over like so many child’s blocks.

Young women have no picture at all of what we, much less our grandmothers, went through to achieve what little we have in the way of equality. Now it seems that even that small amount of progress has been set far back and we almost have to start over again.

I’m tired.

Misogyny, race-baiting, character assassination – All done under the banner of “hope and change” – “new politics.”

It’s good to know I’m not the only one who knows this awful stuff – the truth about Obama.

And that truth is also that Obama has no integrity, but is simply himself what he put upon the Clintons: a bamboozler.

Bud,
Thanks for the post.

Bud, we need a call to arms and may be you could write it up and present it to NQ readers and others. Here is my position: if they can groom and prop up an American Idol candidate like Obama, we can do better. We need to come together as a group (let us call it Change WE can believe in) and work on it to put a woman on the ticket in the next 2 or 3 election cycles and WIN. That should be our goal, to win.

Well, well, here we are a bunch of cry babies pig tail girls on “both” sides defending…two political… men? With or without passports, birth certificates, they are both just “men”… let them defend themselves, they don’t need our help, just our votes. And we handily gave it to them … WAKE UP!! WE ARE 52% OF THE POPULATION, ONE SUMPREME COURT JUSTICE? 74 female Representatives. 16 female Senators? Do you really think these Newts, McCains, Nobomas, Biden, Reids, can run things better than Palin or Hillary?? Are you alive? It’s not about roe v. wade, it’s about ROE AND WADE! Hello, aren’t you tired of liberal/conservative men running things and demeaning pretty much all women, including all of you. Let’s be honest it was white corporate money $700 million dollars worth that got this fraud in office. And women cried like he was Elvis. And now defend him, get real, what about more representation for taxation? Grow up little girls!

I thought the sexism against Hillary was awful and could have never even imagined what they did to Sarah Palin.

Research reveals that if you show a painting to people and tell one randomly assigned group it was done my a male artist and another group that it [the SAME painting] was done by a female artist, the painting people thing was done my a man will be rated much higher. Many other variations (poetry, writing, etc,) revelas the same thing.

There is much work to be done, my friends.

You’re suggesting that women are mindless drones who willingly allow themselves to be duped, suppressed and hornswoggled into voting for someone who opposes views that are counter to their best interests. I believe women are smarter than that. Look elsewhere for blame.

Great one Bud. And a huge congrats on your daughter!
ps: January girls tend to be feminists…I should know!

hugs.

My opinion? If the women who saw what OVomit did to Hillary, Palin, Palmer, etc. STILL went out in droves to vote for the pig? They deserve everything they’re going to get – or NOT GET – from him. They’re in for a rude awakening and I can’t wait to watch it. Never mind the fact that jealous, nasty MOOSE Mechelle will never help her own. This mess just gets better every day. I didn’t vote for him so I can just sit and watch, have some popcorn, and say “I told you so” in six months.

Who’s talking to you Robert? We have real problems in the American psychy of women and in the acceptable sexism that we all witnessed during these general and primary elections. We are not exactly “victims” but all too often willing to not take responsibility or demand “power.” Lack of representation, self-depreciation in media, and a “us versus them” mentality. Do you think the media would have let a noose around barack’s head be excused as freedom of speech. If you say or think the n-word it’s a hate crime. If you say f*g to a gay man it’s a hate crime. Why isn’t saying or writing Sarah is a cunt, not a hate crime. Yes,most women are mindless, if they think that’s okay. What does your daughter think?

I had an English Professor who continually derided women authors as sub-standard. There are no great women writers he would declare.

I also had a Civics Professor who threw away course guidelines and made us read a slew of Left-Wing Propaganda books. I can’t remember many of them other than “Towards a Democratic Left” and “Malcolm X”. At that time I was pretty radical myself but was still offended at the presumption of his definition of Civics and upset that I had put out good money for that class.

I guess that I knew about the misogyny and radical tendencies that lurked underneath the surface of polite society and initially cringed at the idea of a woman and/or black trying to run this time around. I knew we were already in deep doo-doo and didn’t want to deal with that whole scene too.

Unfortunately the aftermath is much worse than I anticipated. I really didn’t believe that those in the public eye would be so brazen in exposing their nuttiness. I certainly was wrong there and can’t even imagine what else we are yet to experience. Hold onto your seats, gang!

“The Obama campaign, with the help of the media and “progressives” blogs, pushed a narrative against Hillary and later Sarah Palin, that invalidated them as public servants because on their gender.”

Wrong. Sarah Palin was pilloried because she was unqualified, uneducated, and embarrassing. Hillary was a graduate of Yale Law School and a brilliant, talented politician with real achievements. Palin drifted through substandard colleges (6 in total), had two years of experience as governor, and couldn’t utter a grammatical sentence in English.

Are you kidding me? Misogyny was the central narrative? You all need to take the vagina blinders off of your eyes and see what the rest of the world sees. Obama beat Hillary by playing by the rules they both agreed with. The idea that the Democratic establishment somehow sided with a neophyte Senator over a member of the Party elite is pretty hard to believe, and the idea that they did this because he was running against a woman makes this consipracy theory completely implausible. Again, let me emphasize; HILLARY AGREED THAT FLORIDA’S & MICHIGAN’S PRIMARIES SHOULDN’T COUNT. Then, when it she was losing, she wanted to change the rules.

And which was worse to say, Obama calling a reporter sweetie, or Hillary saying Obama isn’t a muslim…that I know of”? Hillary lost because she took it for granted that she would win, because her opponent had a better position for what was the dominant issue early in the primaries (Iraq), and because Obama ran a smart campaign that used his advantages to their maximum.

Did some Obama supporters say stupid things about gender? I have no doubt. But you can’t hold him responsible for every stupid thing someone says on a blog somewhere. Your candidate lost. Get over it; there are larger problems that we face.

Maybe feminism would be better served by supporting accomplished, self-made women rather than attacking them and tearing them down at every opportunity because they disagree with you? Crazy, I know – but it seems much simpler than a revolution.

Maybe this is a good time to listen to this song from “The First Wives Club” about women who found their *cat claws*, again, and became smart, savvy, successful Uppity Women. I will always love men, my sons, nephews, friends, associates, etc. But I have learned, all along the way, to stay focused within, and never take anything for granted! I am certainly supportive of the females, in my life, and sense that we must always keep the scales balanced to secure our place in the world. Nothing is a given, especially for conservative women!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lALZF5ZURv0&feature=related

That’s right.. f*g jon, Hillary won the popular vote.. now what? Don’t you have a civilian army to report to now?????

Maybe feminism would be better served than by lumping all women together. Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have nothing in common except for their chromosomes.

How about Hillary Clinton has a life long commitment to women’s right to choose and Sarah Palin is as anti-choice as anyone out there, even in the cases of rape and incest. On this central issue to the feminist movement, they are as different as night and day.

Folks, can anyone here BELIEVE that we are actually talking about the President (alleged) of the United States? I mean, look at all of the HORRIBLE truth about this freak and he’s headed to the WHITE HOUSE? This is serious. It’s a mess. Every day when we all discuss the news, the lies, the refusal to provide verifiable documentation, the new ridiculous “plans” of the OVomit “administration,” what was done during this FRAUDULENT “selection,” etc. I have to pinch myself because nothing this BIZARRE and CRIMINAL has ever happened in our country’s history. Look at what we discuss, the videos, articles, OVOMIT AND BIDEN’S OWN BUFFOON-ISH COMMENTS and ask yourselves this – “DID WE REALLY JUST ELECT THIS JACKAZZ?” I can’t believe it and every single day it just gets worse. Ughhh…WTF?

Jon the f*g woman hater… why are you here? Move along troll.

The problem is roe v. wade… it is outdated and women need to realize that this is not the only important issue.. instead it’s been a tool that is used against us to keep us in line. It is not 1973 anymore.. you actually can get an abortion in Alaska! They are not banned neither is domestic partner benefits in Alaska, nice try. Move on from 1973,… at the time women could not even get the pill without a husband’s consent, and single mothers were scattered away from the family.. Today, women are screaming stay out of my body, stay out of my ovaries, etc.. then they get into trouble then they demand government to provide them with healthcare, childcare, college, etc… women don’t be fooled by this divisive misogynistic tool… remember only Jon is talking about this.. when’s the last time Jon got pregnant… most of my friends are trying to and avoiding it. Get a life troll. It’s about ROE AND WADE, more liberal women in higher office and more conservative women in office. equals more representation.. not less because of one issue…

I’d like someone on this board to explain, not change the topic or make accusations, but explain, how Sarah Palin’s opposition to choice, even in the case of rape and incest makes her a suitable icon for feminism. Drop the accusations and the hostility and explain in plain language how Palin’s anti-choice record doesn’t make you cringe. It’s only one of the central defining issues in modern feminism!

Didn’t George W. Bush graduate from Harvard too. ? Ovomit wasn’t a Rhode Scholar remember he said he and Michelle had over $40,000 in school loans.. can anyone say Affirmative Action? hmmmmm……

Let’s see if NQ lets me post this comment. Jon, feminism was always about advancing the cause of all women, not just women with certain views. Republican women came out strong against sexism, which s more than feminist democrats did. Who were the real feminists here? In my mind, republican women did better with this cause than NOW, NARAL, Steinem, or any other traditionally ‘feminist’ group.
Abortion has been a pet cause of feminism because it concerns the question of a woman’s sovereignty over her own body. However, not all feminists agree on the abortion question. Some of us are ok with first trimester only, some with ‘morning after pill’ only, while some of us are ok with allowing babies born alive that survived an abortion… to die. Palin actually proposed a middle way on Greta last night that IS more agreeable: it’s not whether we should or shouldn’t have abortion, but why are we having so many? and can we do something positive to bring the number of abortions down?
That’s why I think Palin, besides being a kick-butt governor in her own right, is a voice for feminism, though admittedly not one we’ve heard from often.

It’s only one of the central defining issues in modern feminism!????

Yeah over 35 years ago… we do have the after morning pill which Palin’s okay with too. If women can move beyond 1973, why can’t you jon?

Some men in the democratic party are not really interested in how a woman’s right to choose may benefit women, but more in how it offers men more freedom–freedom from child rearing, child support, etc.

I agree, ray. One could argue that the Women’s Movement was more of a liberation for men than women for the reasons you stated above — “freedom from child rearing, child support, etc.”

May I also add that “women’s lib” also benefited men on the level of sex, since the women’s freedom to have sex provided men with an available and willing pool of sexual partners. This was not so much the case before the Sexual Revolution of the 60s.

I saw no evidence of misogyny, other than isolated comments that reflected far more on the people who made them than on Obama, his official campaign reps, or the DNC.

Allegations of misogyny were just a mode of attack attempting to exploit the democratic rift resulting from the Clinton/Obama contest. The selection of Palin as a McCain’s running mate was a further effort to exploit the rift, in the wake of Obama’s selection as the democratic candidate. The allegations of democratic sexism took on new life once Palin was in the spotlight; they became a convenient way of deflecting legitimate criticisms of her qualifications, while exploiting her gender to political advantage with disaffected Clinton supporters. The continuing allegations are simply an effort to keep the same strategy alive for 2012.

Consider Biden’s and Obama’s strong support of legislation protecting womens’ rights and childrens’ rights on issues like equal pay, reproductive rights and health care, domestic violence, education, etc. The record is there, if you care to look at it.

You might want to carefully consider where McCain and Palin have stood in the past on the same sorts of issues.

Absolutely,

As we have been discussing over at Reclusive Leftist and New Agenda, education plays a part in the public lapping this up so readily. The United States (and most other countries) does not have a feminist consciousness – we are not raised to have one. So the DNC, the media, the Obama campaign etc. knew that sexism could be a useful strategy. Racism could not have been an effective strategy in this campaign because we have developed a consciousness to abhor racism.

As I have been writing elsewhere, young people were most susceptible and they lapped it up, hungry for as much misogyny as they could get. Case in point, check out the young and hip “feminist” site – http://www.feministing.com. They are joyously condescending toward Governor Palin, post advertisements that mock her for having a pregnant teen daughter (eventhough I have personally emailed one of the editors and provided information that demonstrates that Governor Palin is indeed pro-contraception). Like I said, anyone “hip” is enjoying this hatred of women festival.

This is a huge problem and we have to get in there – starting with standing up against any and all misogyny that we come across (as Dr. Lynette said in her recent radio program) and EDUCATION. We have to start educating, otherwise there will be no feminist consciousness.

Where is my post?

I’ve very recently discovered your blog and I am so glad I did. You know what I find very interesting? Part of Clinton and Palin’s problem is that they were running against a black man, and I think that is a big part of the reason the misogyny was especially amplified. Sexist white men would rather have a black man than a white woman be president any day. Women of color overwhelmingly will support a black man over a white woman. And men of color of course support a black male candidate over a white woman. These people very committed to identity politics and many men are committed to misogyny. It was just too much on all sides. To make matters worse, white women are the only group that can be acceptably hated without consequence, so they miserably lost the propaganda and media war, too. White men, black men, black women, and everyone in between gleefully piled on. No candidate could have tolerated that level of discrimination.

Hillary is a dildo. Misogyny rules.