And please, no misogynist comments. Even those of us who have not been supporting Senator Clinton's candidacy have come to her defense when faced with the misogyny and sexism in the media, among political activists and commentators, and in casual conversation. She's not the Wicked Witch of the West. She's a politician.
Not that we have any illusions about politicians. But that is a different matter.
For the rest, I refer you to the eminently sensible FranIAm, who reminds us of the need for decency and decorum. (Sure you're not an Anglican, Fran? Oh wait, we Anglicans haven't been very decorous of late.)
Acts of Hope seems to be posting a lot about politics these days. If you want a break from that, see the post on Blandina and her martyr companions below. Which is not to say that martyrdom at the hand of empires isn't political...
Feline photos coming soon. Maya Pavlova, the publicity hound (yes, she approved the interspecies terminology) has been complaining that you haven't seen her gorgeous face in a while.
An addendum:
Two worth-the-read op-eds, from mainstream media, no less:
1. How Obama Won and Clinton Lost (Matthew Dowd, ABC TV)
2. What Obama and Clinton Underestimate (Mark Halperin, Time magazine)
7 comments:
Thanks for the link love and for the compliments.
It is about basic human dignity in the end and the need to create change.
Grave dancing by Obama supporters is a bit like Karl Rove in a new outfit.
We must actively choose to be different. We must choose to be human.
The country wanted a Mom, and Hillary gave them a Dad. She tried to hard to demonstrate her toughness and strength and voters wanted more caretaking and sensitivity. So says Matthew Dowd, and I have no reason to disbelieve him.
I do not think it is misogynistic to say that I did not like Hillary, any more than it's racist of me to say I didn't and do not like Obama. Hillary was, as Dowd notes, a Tough Guy, a kind of Leo Gorcey or Rocky Balboa; while Obama kept doing the Young Lochinvar routine as the shining knight who rode out of the west. Who in God's unnameable name ever heard of this guy before last winter? Who or what is he?
I did not see Hillary attract the animus that Obama did. A person I know referred to Barack Obama as "Bahama Mama" and a name for a black person so loathsome that even today gets Huckleberry Finn banned from schools. If there's one racist, then there are 10; if there are 10 there are a thousand. Right, random guys at Hillary rallies yelled stuff about "Iron my shirts, bitch" and other clever tags they learned from flunking the GEDs enough times.
The fact for me is that I know absolutely nothing about Obama. He is a Glittering Generality, a walking vision. What does he believe? Hillary was/is too overwhelmingly ambitious. Who doesn't know she wanted this job even back to the 1990s? Does anyone really believe that tap-dance about Christian forgiveness as her motive for letting Bill off the adultery hook?
These are our choices? Sweet Jesus defend us from our political system because the thing's broken. Oh sure, there's McCain. The man of a million contradictions and flip-flops. I honor him for what he endured in Vietnam 40 years ago. I disdain him for his lying stupidity now, all in the name of his pursuit of the Big One. Nobody's credit is that good that it lasts 40 years.
Who do I vote for? It looks as though it's going to be Obama vs McCain. And I have this terrible feeling that the Democrats are going to do what they do best, i.e., blow the whole thing. And McCain will become President. And if (as I've heard rumored) he takes Mike Huckabee with him, I may move to Nigeria and sit on Archbishop Akinola's lap just to get a step ahead of the coming theocracy
That's what I love about you, Ken, you're such a ray of sunshine ;-).
I share some of your fear the Democrats will blow it (and even more fear that the Republicans will pull every dirty trick in the book), but I will work my fanny off in this election because the stakes are high. If we all work on it, maybe something good will happen. (Though we shouldn't put all our faith in presidents or other politicians, see my response to your post in the comments of a few posts back, I think it was the post about janinsanfran's commentary at the very end of May.) If it doesn't happen, at least we will have worked hard and we will have a right to gripe, or run for the hills. By we I mean those who are privileged enough to afford the time; I realize not all of us can, since many are consumed with just surviving, and that of course has to come first.
Re: who Obama is, see my comment of the other day also. We did know who he was before a year ago. My cousin's kid was so immpressed with Obama when he ran for Senate a few years ago (and it's not like he was his homeboy: Obama ran in Illinois, the cousins are from California, and the kid was in college in Connecticut) that he decided he wanted to go work for him upon graduating from college two years ago. So Obama has been around, though not long, and probably not long enough. But as I said in that other comment on that other post, I am a pragmatist here because it's politics we're dealing with. A little research and you can find out about Obama, and believe me, the difference between him and McCain is staggering. He's also a skilled organizer (his community organizing background has helped a lot in the election) and did not win the nomination on charm and charisma alone.
Of course the campaign will continue to be full of surprises, so I make no predictions.
But I'm a Christian (and a from-way-back Red Sox fan), so I live in hope. And I'm an American, so I view politics as a participatory sport, and I will exercise my right to participate.
I really truly hope you are right about Obama. Anyone who comes into a campaign arrives with something to prove--a man or woman with relatively little past has that much more. I hope he can do it. I don't want to sit this election out. No, I would not vote for Nader either:-).
As for rays of sunshine, I use 'em for my plants.
Underwhelmed and worn out is what I am today. This primary has brought out the ugliness in people -- and I'm not talking about the candidates. Go take a look at Democratic Underground. I used to rely on that place as an oasis of sanity. Obama's supporters have really soured me.
Obviously I'm voting for him, though.
PJ darlin', see the Howard Zinn quote in the post above. He is so right. I'm with you on the weariness.
I checked out Democratic Underground around 2 a.m. and was underwhelmed. I fear going back now. Maybe I'll go read the Prayer Book instead ;-).
Oh, definitely go with the Prayer Book. Definitely. I ought to get me one. :)
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