Letters to the Editor
Tideswimmer
Published Letters: 383 Editor's Choice: 47
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It would be nice to sit down, all of us...
[Read the article: Randi Rhodes calls Hillary Clinton a whore]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And talk through some of these issues. Obviously, everyone will have their own perspective, but it is amazing to me how tunnel-visioned everyone is. And I hate to say it, I think that the Clinton supporters are the most myopic in this regard. They are the ones most likely in these letter pages to say that it's either Hillary or nothing (Hattie, I'm looking at you.) With Obama well in the lead in every category, they consistently claim that his ability to win the nomination is the very thing that makes him unelectable. This viewpoint is insane. Obama is "stealing" the nomination by winning the nomination. What? Huh?
For me, the fact is neither Hillary or Obama are progressive enough. They are both too middle of the road, but at least they are on the road. After eight years of drunken veering on the shoulder, getting back on the road will at least be a good start. Can the "it's Hillary or nothing" camp please at least agree to that?
From my perspective, Clinton/Obama's stated platforms are basically separated by a couple of degrees here or there that I don't really care about. I'm not emotionally involved in seeing one anointed over the other because neither one goes far enough to suit me. I have already consigned myself to the "holding my nose" vote that others speak of in November. I haven't even voted in my state's primary yet, and I already feel there's no way my true progressive voice can get a hearing.
So from that perspective, let me say this: Hillary, and her most avid supporters, are clearly now running a scorched earth campaign. Personally, she lost me almost irrevocably with her statement that voting for her or McCain would both be sound and reasoned options, but voting for Barack would be kind of naive and stupid. That's a paraphrase, of course, but it is essentially what she said.
I think my objection to that is sound and legitimate. McCain is NOT A CHOICE! He is not! He is not! We can not survive another four years of anything even approaching more of the same. It will kill us. Hillary's statement was WAY out of line, but to top it off, as I've seen hundreds of times in these letters pages from Hillary supporters, my objection to it makes me not just a "Hillary hater," but a misogynist as well. To them, I just hate all women. It's the only explanation. Right. Well, umm, Obama is looking better and better all the time, scary person (he said, backing away slowly, avoiding any sudden moves.)
Back to the subject at hand, that statement, and other scorched earth moves by Hillary, is pretty much what drove Randi Rhodes over the edge against Hillary, too. She hasn't been the same since then, and has pretty much taken a vow to see that Hillary doesn't win.
And as to the billboards about "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." It's a movie about a guy suffering through a painful and crippling breakup from the girl of his dreams. The billboard statements are just the kind of things people tell themselves in order to convince themselves to move on. "I never loved you!" etc. Not sure how it's proof of a culture of meanness. The targeted audience will know what they're talking about, and perhaps be motivated to go see the movie. That's why they call it advertising.
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@jbldmm and wontgetfooledagain
[Read the article: Americans more ready for a black president than a woman?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Can you really not see how your arguments apply to yourselves as well? Do you truly feel you are looking at the situation with unbiased eyes, free from the cloud which seems to blind all others?
Once again it has been asserted by you, and others in this thread, that the ONLY explanation for not choosing Hillary Clinton, or even disagreeing with her on some issues, is hidden, overt or even virulent sexism. Were it not for this trait, a vote for Hillary would be assured, without question and without hesitation. Policy differences are not possible, in your world view. Legitimate gripes about the way she has elevated McCain at the expense of Obama mean nothing. Worries about her votes on the Iraq Authorization Bill, and her vote for Kyl-Lieberman, — which would seem to be classic examples of the triangulation everyone keeps talking about — are just stupid quibbles. No, none of that means anything; it's just a convenient mask for my deep and abiding sexism. Gender is the only issue you can think of, the only thing that matters.
Look, I get it. You want a female president so badly that it has become the one defining issue for you. That's cool, but I'm still looking to see which candidate best fits my worldview, (neither of them are far enough to the left for me, BTW) and I will vote on that basis if you don't mind. And that doesn't mean I hate you and it doesn't mean I hate women, or any of the sexist crap you are already reflecting back at me in your minds as you read this.
I mean, really. You haven't really heard a single word I've said, have you?