Sunday, March 9

Okay, okay, some election stuff.

This is a story told in chunks but they all flow into one another. I hope.

I remember as a teenager my dad took me to hear Julian Bond speak. Why yes, I was raised right, thank you. After his talk JB told the audience he would be happy to take questions provided they did not begin with the words, "isn't it true that...". People who begin their so-called questions with "isn't it true that" either want to give a speech, and have the speaker agree with them, or they want to argue. Julian Bond did not want to do either one.

So I was reminded of Julian Bond when I heard recounted a talk given by a visiting professor in the "Women and Religion" teaching program while I was at Harvard Divinity School in the 80's. Visiting Professor talked with a group about her research in women and religion in American Literature. When it was time for questions the woman in charge of the talk (and also the teaching program so she was sort of the visiting professor's boss) got the ball rolling:

"Isn't it true that the Women's Movement in the '60's was the greatest thing that ever happened to you?"

Okay, you're going to think I'm making that up. But that is how the visiting professor parphrased it to me, verbatim.

Visiting Professor says she replied that she was really not involved in the women's movement. She was involved in the anti-war movement, pretty heavily, and while that's not a conflict with the women's movement...well, at least it wasn't in the '80's.



Woman in charge persisted. "But the women's movement gave you permission to take your place in the anti-war movement, right?"

That clanking sound you heard in 1987 was my then-overplucked eyebrows hitting the ceiling. Anyone who knows the history of the '60's knows that women getting treated like shit in the anti-war and civil rights movements helped instigate a lot of anger which was turned positively and forcefully into women's rights activism.

The hostess of this academic shindig was not interested in historical fact or the anti-war movement. She was interested in advancing the cause, her cause, and possibly even a good cause, at the expense of everything else.



Then last night...a library book award dinner thingy. One of the head librarians was there, and I was sitting next to her husband, a charming old southerner who stood up when a lady did, etc. Librarian, an otherwise very cooth white woman in her sixties, was gobama Al-obama mo'bama dang!



Husband said, "yes, we're a mixed marriage."

Me: You're a Republican?

He: A proud one since I was five years old.

And inside I'm screaming, Oh sweet Jeebus rock candy on a stick.

But then I figure, I'm already sitting here pretending all kinds of things so why not pretend to be nice? He's beyond hope, not trying to convert me, and too old to matter, so I keep my charms about me. There was actually still a Republican race going on during the Alabama primary so I ask him politely how he cast his ballot.

"I voted for Hillary."

And inside I'm screaming, Oh sweet baby Jeebus rock candy on a stick.

You did this because...

Wife: Oh yes, he wants McCain to run against Hillary.

He: But I don't like McCain. Not a bit.

And inside I'm screaming, Oh sweet baby Jeebus Holy Ghost rock candy on a stick.



And then I had another big swig of that luscious Italian Valpulciano Red and I stopped caring altogether. And I don't care about what Taylor Marsh thinks about nuking Iran or expanding NAFTA either. Because I don't think she's thinking about that at all when she says things like the last three sentences of this post.

Please, Ms. Marsh, woman to woman, you're driving me to drink more red wine than is healthy.

One more thing. Under no circumstances do I give Obama a big ol' pass on anything. I agree with those who say he is deliberately vague on issues. I despise his "reach across the aisle to Republicans" mumbo-jumbo. He is the fourth candidate I have supported in this election cycle. And I won't vote for a third party candidate or support draft movements or any other silliness come November. Should she be the nominee, President Clinton will get the Hell blogged out of her right here after I vote for her. And just try to stop me when I get "uppity" about the Beltway Democrats. Sigh.

And I don't want anyone thinking I don't want a woman President. I certainly do. I'd like to vote for this one, for instance, and maybe after she gets eight years of White House experience, I'll have my chance. I wonder whether then she'll get Taylor Marsh's undying and unending support.



And while I usually keep my comment thread policy as liberal as my politics, don't nobody talk trash about Michelle.

17 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:31 PM

    Man, now I know why people have said that Michelle Obama is the closer. Perfect.

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  2. Anonymous9:52 PM

    Wow. Just ...wow.

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  3. Should she be the nominee, President Clinton will get the Hell blogged out of her right here after I vote for her.

    I've been saying for a while now that if she gets the nomination, I'll vote for her, and I've gotten plenty of abuse for it. I think it even happened on this very blog.

    However, I have to say at this point that I've had it with her. Going negative sucks enough, but I expected that. Telling people the Republican nominee would be a better president than Obama is taking things too far.

    If Clinton gets the nomination, I'm not voting.

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  4. Great post. I just linked to it here.

    With my lack of enthusiasm for either, I had already written about that from the Obama perspective.

    The AIPAC vid was needed for my Clinton perspective.

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  5. I need to read this some more, but it's still DARK here, for crying out loud (that Daylight Saving time).

    You know what I'm thinking? You know why that guy wants a McCain/Clinton ticket? A lot of people won't vote.

    And who benefits when a lot of people don't participates in a "democracy"?

    I talked to a woman who caucused for the first time in her life the other day (yes, I'm from one of those terrible "caucus" states.)(According to Hillary). I don't think caucusing is undemocratic. Unless you think that democracy is only about showing up and voting for the people who are REALLY going to run things (i.e. Hillary).

    I caucused for the first time, too. And our caucus leader said, "When more people come, it's harder to control things."

    The real elites (I'm not going to paint all Republicans, but certain elite Republican groups) don't really want democracy; they want to control things.

    So, with a Clinton/McCain ticket, they get less turnout and more control. By the way, that's one of the benefits of "going negative" too. Turn people off. They stay home.

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  6. Rock candy on a stick? Two please, hold the sticks! (I'm still holding out for Nancy Pelosi in '08!)

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  7. Anonymous8:52 AM

    Blue Gal:

    Having read the piece of Taylor Marsh's post that you highlighted and some of the comments on the thread beneath it...Holy Shite!!

    I always suspected that batshit craziness was not, exclusively, the province of angry, greedy, white, male republicans.

    I don't get on the stump--oh, wait, yes I do--but, anyway. Please read to the end.

    I don't like Hillary, I haven't liked her for a long time.

    I do respect her work ethic, she puts in a lot of hours and always has. I respect the courage she displays in being willing to slog through an absolue shit storm of nastiness if she gets the nomination--she knows how bad it can get. I don't know that she will be the willing and pliable partner of the oligarchs once she gets the job, if elected. I strongly suspect that Senator Clinton learned one lesson, above all others, in the early 90's; never, EVER, tell the reptilicans what she really think. Having had her ass handed to her in such a humiliating fashion left scars I'm sure. Do I trust her? No. Would I sit out the election if she is the candidate--not on your life.

    I don't know enough about Barack Obama to make an informed decision as to his competency to "answer the red phone" (nobody, and I mean nobody could be worse on the WH's end of the line then McCain). I don't know that he's going to be good at foreign policy. I don't care about any of those things. I can't vote for him until the general election, but if he's the democratic nominee I will be filling in the box next to his name.

    It's this simple for me. Republicans, using their false patriotism, fear mongering and disgustingly hypocritic KKKristianity have succeeded in doing what no external enemy has managed to date--bringing this nation to its knees, economically and stripping it of its few dignity. To let this stand without protest would be, at least for me, unamerican.

    democommie

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  8. i swear they are making my stomach cramp!


    i love the obama picture!

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  9. Yeah, I want the guy who sings "bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb iran" to answer the phone at 3 am, all whacked on scotch and viagra.

    Jesus.

    I, too, am from a mixed marriage. But my republican husband voted for Barack Obama because he believes that he is the best candidate for the job.

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  10. I am one of those on the fence about voting for Clinton in November should she be the nominee. I am TIRED of having to vote between two evils and hoping I pick the least bad. Doing that just encourages the bad behavior.

    She hasn't convinced me that she will do anything she says. When it comes to Iraq, she was unwilling to set a time table on withdrawal until she failed to win Super Tuesday. With health care, her plan is a total hand out to insurance companies, most of which are often the cause of the "health care crisis" we are in now. Balanced budget - she is one of the top 10 senators asking for earmarks.

    I hope, if she is the the nominee, that she will beat McCain and follow through on her promises. But I have no hope for the latter and it will take convincing for me to actively help her to the former.

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  11. 1) Taylor Marsh should take the "Democrat" description off her blog header because she is clearly not a supporter of the party since she utterly and completely incapable of compromise.

    2) One more thing. Under no circumstances do I give Obama a big ol' pass on anything. I agree with those who say he is deliberately vague on issues. I despise his "reach across the aisle to Republicans" mumbo-jumbo. He is the fourth candidate I have supported in this election cycle. And I won't vote for a third party candidate or support draft movements or any other silliness come November. Should she be the nominee, President Clinton will get the Hell blogged out of her right here after I vote for her. And just try to stop me when I get "uppity" about the Beltway Democrats. Sigh.

    Beautifully said. Agree 100%

    3) My fourteen year old daughter told me last night she didn't want Hillary to be president. When I asked her why she said it was because "I want to be the first woman president."

    So you see if deference to my daughter, the future president of the United States, I cannot vote for Clinton. Sorry. :)

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  12. Thank you. That was perfect. Marsh is killing me too. See how this tears us apart? So sad.

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  13. You captured the angst of the liberal voter perfectly. Thank you!

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  14. Very much my thoughts. Every candidate needs accountability and some transparency, and favoring one candidate also doesn't mean one's blind to their faults.

    I do wonder how many people actually vote in the other party's primary out of calculation. I know plenty of people who will vote in an open primary for the other side, so to speak, but they pick the person they think is best.

    That Taylor Marsh tag is indistinguishable from the worst right-wing crap. I used to like her. Has she lost her sanity? That quotation from Power shouldn't have been used by The Scotsman, and it's unfortunate Power felt compelled to resign.

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  15. I love the dream ticket graphic.

    diane: You are making some important points about voter discouragement.

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  16. Be it Barak or Hillary or Johnny boy...we should blog as we always do- sharp side up, quick and deliberate, with all our might. By no means will or should the upcoming election change our drive for a country with a constitution that's free of biblical pork, a country with universal healthcare, free elections, anti-wiretapping, anti-theocracy, anti-torture, anti-police state, anti-warring, equal rights for all, free thought, bettering our education system, shrinking our dependence on oil, preserving our wildlife and forests, and of course maintaining our most precious of commodoties...free speech.

    Great post, BG!

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I really look forward to hearing what you have to say. I do moderate comments, but non-spam comments will take less than 24 hours to appear... Thanks!