Letters to the Editor
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a short list of women in power
Something to consider, before this gender issue gets blown out of proportion here in the USA:
Angela Merkel
Mary Robinson
Mary McAleese
Vigdis Finnbogadottir
Ruth Dreifuss
Agatha Barbara
Isabel Martinez de Peron
Corazon Aquino
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot
Violeta Barrios de Chamorro
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Janet Jagan
Tarja Kaarina Halonen
The list goes on. Even if we cannot spell their names correctly, women are already heads of state. Why is it so shocking to consider in the US? There is a whole world out there and we seem to be insulated from this reality.
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Really, what is the issue?
It should all just be considered another day's work on the part of female candidates to run for president.
The problem I feel is that women in the states are reticent about stepping up and being no nonsense about the whole affair.
Ignore that your hips are slightly wider in proportion to your belly. Ignore that you wear higher heels, this stuff is immaterial.
But if the female candidate walks gingerly and apologetically and deferentially, sure, she will be considered a wimp (something male candidates can also be accused of).
I think of these great Texan politician women and their no crap attitudes. Gunslinging hats and boots babes like Ann Richardson and "Grandma" Strayhorn.
They are polite and deferential and respectful of all that came before them, but they are also full of bluster on demand. Is Texas offering the ONLY real model to conquer the largely pretentious American macho political climate?
I think so. All I can think of when I see the California 'ladies' like Pelosi and Boxer and god knows who else is that they think of themselves as superior to others and that they are there to push an ultra lib agenda on the US population. (while the US population is slightly lib, it is largely centrist-- fiscally conservative, socially lib-- in other words unlike any of the clowns out there running now.)
The Pelosi/Boxer model doesn't sound very deferential or respectful to me. No wonder the question is whether they can ever be elected to president.
You were waiting for this: I BLAME THE FEMINISTS. They set up a situation where all men were declared the 'enemy' of women. Now reap your reward ladies.
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Let's see...
Not only European countries, but Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian, African, and Latin American countries have had, or do have, women Presidents or Prime Ministers.
If even Pakistan and Liberia can do it, what's the problem? Why is gender even an issue in US politics?
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2 Strikes
Against Hillary. First is she has so much partisan baggage from her husband's terms that she starts out with 50% of the country not willing to consider her....not a good start. Secondly, she is running as a presidential candidate for women rather than a presidential candidate. Imagine a woman who doesn't start the campaign with higher negatives than anyone else in the race, then imagine she attempts to appeal to a non-gender based majority. No problem getting elected with the right message.
PS Hillary's negatives are her own doing and not because she is a woman, there a plenty of national female politicians that have nowhere near her negatives.
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A minor nit
Shouldn't it be
Diane von freaking Furstenberg
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not to mention. . .
Christine Gregoire
Jennifer Granholm
Janet Napolitano
Jodi Rell
Kathleen Sebelius
Linda Lingle
Ruth Ann Minner
Sarah Palin
It's the 21st century, for Pete's sake. Get with the times. (not directed at Broadsheet, just the fools who think it's soooooo unusual to have a chief executive who's female.)
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Brightstar
You had me going there for a minute, I was thinkin it was really nice and less sexist than usual and then you blow it out of the water with that last line.
But overall I am impressed. :-)
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count on BS
Count on BS to find a way to blame every problem in the world on feminists.
Did you know that feminists were behind the Holocaust? It's true!
Did you know that feminists told Stalin to purge 20 million Russians? It's true!
Did you know that 10,000 years of female subjugation, rape, and slaughter were caused by feminists? It's true!
Did you know that the only reason patriarchy exists is because of feminists? It's true!
Did you know that Charlemagne beheaded 2,000 Saxons in one sitting because of feminists? It's true!
Let's see, what other fun things can we blame on those Horrible Terrible No-good Very-bad Feminsts?
Oh Brightstar, how wise you are. We've been wrong this whole time. We bow to your superior knowledge and intellect.
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Nah, not really
He is still blaming it all on women.
All evil feminists, powerful and destructive, crushing all before them. Including poor helpless brightstar.
Also, there is the creepy use of the term "lib." He spells out "conservative," a twelve letter word, but can't be bothered to use the "-eral" at the end of the seven letter work "liberal."
As if we needed another reason not to take him seriously.
Yes, yes, bad farnsworth, responded to the resident ranter. Sometimes you just give in to your impulses, even when you know better.
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I would spell it 'con'
instead of 'conservative', but it might not be clear I was referring to conservatives (though 'con' IS an accurate term for the right (as if the left is not also in on the 'con' these days)).
On the outer hand, I suppose someone REALLY slow might think 'lib' referred to libertines or libertarians or Liberace, but I digress.
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no, actually
I immediately think of the Lib Dems, or Liberal Democrats, one of the top three political parties in the UK.
But, really, I suppose it must be rather dizzying for the world to revolve around you. I'll forgive your confusion over this issue.
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Actually
there's no resisting about it. DVF was telling you that the US is more interested in trivialities - HRCs fashions or her likeability, John Edward's haircuts, Mitt Romney's hairdo, yada, yada, yada - than in substance. And, as long as the press continues to ignore sunbstance in favor of fluff, we will continue to wind up with bozos like The Current Occupant.
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Sorry you, RK
Always having to forgive less perfect people than yourself.
But you forgot-- blame feminists for global warming too.
and, Charlemagne only took out 1936 Saxons. A bonus of 64 in feminists' favor. Lucky you!
;~)