My Response to Emily’s List’s E-Mail
By Ellen4Hill on June 9, 2008 at 11:48 AM in Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Misogyny, Sexism
SusanUnPC’s Note: This is another in our continuing series of expressions written by our readers at NoQuarterUSA.net. I am accepting more reader POVs, including arguments to present to the Democratic Party, how we can nominate Hillary Clinton, your concerns about Barack Obama, or whatever you wish to “get off your chest.” Submit to susanunpc at gmail dot com (MUSTS: include a title and username/pseudonym).
ALSO of note: While I prepared this submission for publication, I searched for the URL to Emily’s List. At the top of my search results, I saw this statement as the group’s mission: “Supporting pro-choice Democratic women running for congress and governor.” WOMEN! Not sexist men! WOMEN! HELLO?! There are hundreds of WOMEN nationwide running for office in 2008. Support THOSE WOMEN, not the sexist Barack Obama! Good god almighty. (Enough — I apologize for hijacking Ellen4Hill’s post. I just had to get that out of my system.)
This was my first, terse e-mail response to the letter immediately below. My second, longer rebuttal e-mail is beneath the Emily’s List — the e-mail that compelled me to write to this influential fundraising group:
How DARE you ask me for money to get that unvetted, inexperienced, insulting nobody nobama of a politician into office?
MILLIONS of us will be voting for John McCain in the fall election and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it.
It’s too late. The DNC and its gang of thugs are criminal and should be sent to jail.
– Ellen4Hill
This is the e-mail that Emily’s List sent to its full membership last week, and which compelled me to write two e-mails:
From: Ellen R. Malcolm, President, Emily’s List
Subject: Hillary and BarackFor months we have watched two extraordinary, history-making Democratic candidates battle it out for the presidential nomination. Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton competed in every state, unleashing a tidal wave of enthusiasm and support.
Hillary Clinton has honored all women with her historic campaign. She stood up against all odds and harsh criticism with courage, grace, and dignity. At every turn in this long journey she has filled me with tremendous pride.
And now that it is over, I wholeheartedly congratulate Barack Obama. What a triumph for our new leader! He has inspired millions of Americans and shown that he is more than ready to take on John McCain. [continued below]
From: Ellen R. Malcolm, President, Emily’s List
Subject: Hillary and Barack
[continued]While women still face serious hurdles in reaching the highest levels of elected office, Hillary has laid to rest any doubts about whether a woman has what it takes to run for president. She showed Americans and the world that she has the strength, intelligence, determination, and passion to handle the enormous responsibilities of the presidency, including those of commander-in-chief. When the media predicted her doom, she never faltered. In every debate she was eloquent and persuasive. Her resilience under the harsh national spotlight will make it easier for every woman candidate who follows her.
Voters in every state and territory were drawn to Hillary’s message of progressive change, and they turned out in force, giving her almost 18 million votes — more than any presidential primary candidate in history. She emerges from this campaign an even more powerful national leader. And I know she will use that power to help Democrats, including Sen. Obama, win, and to make a profound difference on issues like health care reform, energy independence, and economic policy.
As I’ve spoken to EMILY’s List members, especially recently, I know we have experienced this primary from different perspectives. Those who supported Sen. Obama are tremendously exhilarated that he is our nominee. I respect your choice and congratulate you for being part of an historic campaign.
Those of us who have been wholehearted supporters of Sen. Clinton feel disappointment and sadness, even anger, that this opportunity to elect a fine candidate and the first woman president is passing us by. So many EMILY’s List members put their all into this campaign — money, yes, but also time and energy traveling to primary states, working phone banks, and canvassing precincts. My heart is with you, as I am working through my own emotional turmoil. I fervently believe that this anger and grief will subside, leaving me with a deep sense of pride at what Hillary has accomplished for women. But I have not yet reached that point in my journey, and I know many of you feel the same way.
EMILY’s List members, like all Democrats, are experiencing varying emotions — but we are unified in our determination to undo the damage created by George W. Bush and the Republicans. I am confident that our party will unify as well, and come together to take the White House in November. And, once again, EMILY’s List will unleash the political power of women to help Democrats win at every level in 2008 so we can begin to rebuild a progressive America.
The differences between Sens. Obama and McCain dwarf the nuanced policy differences between Obama and Clinton. We can never forget what John McCain stands for: continuation of the war in Iraq, minimal changes on health care, economic policy that rests on tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy, and a steadfast determination to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Electing John McCain is simply perpetuating the policies of George W. Bush. For the country’s sake, we cannot let that happen.
EMILY’s List has important work to do to help Democrats take back the White House — but to create the change our country so desperately needs, we must also build working progressive majorities in the states and in the Congress. EMILY’s List has endorsed more than two dozen strong women candidates for House, Senate, and governor, and dozens more running for state office. And we are executing our biggest WOMEN VOTE! project ever, to mobilize the women voters who will ensure victory for our candidates and Democrats up and down the ticket — from the state House to the White House.
As always, thank you for your support and your commitment to our country.
Please continue to be an active and generous member of EMILY’s List as we work to unleash the power of women candidates and women voters to create change.
Let us join together to build a mighty political force that will win in November.
Warmest regards,
Ellen R. Malcolm
President
NOW, my second e-mail to Emily’s List:
To Emily’s List:
This is a more considered follow-up response to your email plea for party unity after Hillary’s *loss* to Barak Obama. My earlier email was quickly written in the heat of the moment and came totally from anger.
Now that I have cooled down, and am thinking rationally, I am even MORE determined than ever in my conviction that Barak Hussein Obama must never be President of the United States. I don’t think you realize that this is not just disappointment and sadness, as you so gently characterize it, but total and utter OUTRAGE, that the nomination was stolen from Hillary and given to Barak Obama for the sake of what…political expediency? To bring more money and more voters into the Democratic party?
To purposely sweep aside an ultra-qualified presidential candidate who beat McCain in all the polls, who won all the swing states, who captured the Hispanic vote and won the popular vote by 300,000 votes is simply astounding. Plus, to watch my beloved Democratic party stand aside and do nothing and in some cases, actively contribute to the vile sexism that was heaved at Hillary every single day of this campaign, has wounded me deeply, and millions of other Democrats like me…actively hemmoraging wounds too deep to heal by shallow, disingenuous calls for party unity. It is much, much too late for that.
There is much more at stake in the November election than a few Supreme Court appointments. And please, don’t threaten me with the overturn of Roe vs. Wade. What the DNC seems to have forgotten is that we core Democrats are moderate. I belong to what is left of the base of our party, hard working, faith based and middle class…the party of FDR. Frankly, I shudder at the thought of a nominee who is intimately connected with the old Chicago political bosses and who used very questionable tactics to have his adversary’s name taken off the ballot in Illinois so he could become a Senator.
I quake at the thought of a man who sat in the pews of a Christian church for over 20 years, headed by Jeremiah Wright, a racist, hate-mongering, individual who the presumptive nominee named as one of his trusted spiritual mentors. This man presided over Obama’s marriage ceremony, baptized his children and gave him advice for over two decades. Not to mention the other two questionable characters, Father Michael Pfleger and Rev. James Meeks, who completed his trio of spiritual mentors. The presumptive nominee’s associations with the now convicted *Tony* Rezko, who is serving time in the federal pen, also raised my eyebrows, to say the least.
But most of all, I can’t sleep at night wondering how soon after he becomes president, if we should be so unfortunate, that Barak Obama will sit down “without precondition”, as he promised in a debate with Hillary, with the notorious, despotic leaders of some of the most brutal regimes on the planet. Here’s a man who won’t even wear a flag lapel pin or place his hand over his heart when saying the pledge of allegiance. How can I possibly trust him to have the good of this country in mind when he is making his presidential decisions?
I am an American first and a Democrat second. My vote cannot be bought or stolen away from me. I, and millions of other voters just like me, are deserting the Democratic party in droves. Not one cent of my money will go to help elect Barak Obama. He will lose this election to John McCain, who at least is a decent, honorable, humble and experienced man. The DNC should have anticipated this scenario months and months ago. The writing was on the wall. I cannot unite with a Democratic party that has been taken over by thugs and infiltrated with ultra left-winged liberals…not now, not ever.
And I’m not the only one. I daresay that a sizeable chunk of those 18 million people who so enthusiastically cast their vote for Hillary feel the same way.
The only thing I regret is that the day after Barak Obama loses the election to McCain, the DNC, the media and the political pundits will be laying all the blame at the feet of…
Hillary Rodham Clinton.
God save us.
Sincerely,
by Ronald Scott
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