Letters to the Editor
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Zach Trenholm's Illustration
Zach Trenholm's illustration is a real travesty. Don't you guy's have an editor?? Joan Walsh??
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Winning and losing
Given that neither New Hampshire or Iowa are winner-take-all states for the primary, what is all this talk about "winning and losing"? Clinton picked up delegates from Iowa - as did Edwards - and Obama won support from New Hampshire. Isn't this a cumulative delegate contest?
Watching the "victory" speeches from Obama and Huckabee, after Iowa, was an absurd experience. What exactly did they win, other than slightly more delegates than their rivals? Are we to be treated to the ridiculous spectacle of fifty victory and fifty concession speeches throughout primary season?
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Such drama!
It is so exciting seeing which warbucks candidate will lead us into victory. It is about time that a lady be in charge of our wars. That will be a victory for women everywhere.
Well, except for those in those countries that we bomb, invade and occupy.
Stupid male pundits.
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Time to Hit YouTube
I need to see Brokaw taking Matthews down in real time.
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Matthews was correct about HRC: This offends overly passive and tender woman..
so much for the liberate woman of the day mantra...
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Sweet Jesus, Rebecca I'll never call you "Becky" again!
This was your best work, ever.
And sweet Jesus, will somebody please rid us of Chris fucking Matthews! He's the most egotistical asshole to appear on a screen since Bill O'Rielly.
And although I'm about to commit heresy, the left's television hero Keith Olbermann has more than a few blind spots that his admirers chose to ignore, not the least of which is a certain condescending attitude toward women, both in the studio and in his interviews when he infrequently has them. He tried to turn Monica Novotny into his little Girl Friday when Countdown first got underway and she fled.
He had Joan Walsh on his show only once, if I recall, and he was stone cold. I think he is intimidated by strong women, as is Matthews who I truly think calls his wife "mommy" during sex.
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Great article!
Ms. Traister said everything I have been thinking since Iowa and before. I found it interesting that Matthews had Tom Delay---indicted Tom Delay---on his show prior to yelling at Dee Dee Myers because she was defending Hillary. Chris needs a Valium and some perspective---or get off the air.
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What a great day for women
Shed a few tears and political convictions go right out the window. Brilliant.
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So Matthews is a jerk . . .
Sure, Chris Matthews is a jerk, and watching him is a real pain. But, I would never consider voting for a third-rate candidate like Sen Clinton just to annoy Chris Matthews. I owe the Party and the Country more than that. Let's just send our complaints to MSNBC.
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What about the story of a frontrunner losing ground?
Either of the cards, racial or gender, could be given less weight in the context of the status quo / name candidate / being contested by a relative "unknown". Isn't that part of the story and why it's a big deal that Hillary was potentially going to lose? She'd been the expected frontrunner forever. First she lost the first chance to prove that status, and then the polls said she'd lose again. If she weren't in the race and you replace her with Edwards and wouldn't that be a big story? It's not just about ganging up on Hillary. I've never watched Chris Matthews and most likely never will. I could give a shit what that gasbag (or so I'm told) has to say. The former front runner isn't and there's a political discourse on the verge of happening. I'll make my own decisions and if America is like New Hampshire, so will they.
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The Witch Is Not Dead -- She's Just Channeling Barack Obama
Hillary did not win NH because she suddenly became the candidate of change, or a more charismatic, compelling face of leadership.
She won because voters were, as Rebecca says, serving up "a major "Fuck you" -- not to Barack Obama, whose numbers were terrific, and who gave a great concession speech -- but to those who revealed their pent-up resentment of Hillary and showed her the door way, way too soon."
But it's one thing to say that disgust over a drooling Chris Matthews would send you to the polls to vote for Hillary. It's a whole different thing to realize that Chris Matthews' schadenfraude won't save us from Hillary and her cynical, politically-driven persona -- much less the absolutely WRONG votes supporting the war she made for purely political reasons.
Hillary didn't find her own voice and the witch is not dead. She merely adopted the voice of Obama, filtered through the polls and pundits and political consultants who told her that if she didn't start saying YOU and WE like Barack, instead of ME ME ME ME ME like she always does, she would LOSE. And if she didn't start showing some evidence of humanity, like Barack, instead of acting like some sort of Disneyland animatronic vote-seeking exhibit, as she usually does, that she was going to LOSE. And if she didn't do something to try to connect with women, as Obama does as second-nature, and instead acting like her typical unemotional ice queen self, she was going to LOSE.
It's ALWAYS political with Hillary.
Being human, accessible, connecting with voters on a real, emotional level, and being able to signal to America, and the world, that it's a new day in America -- it's SECOND-NATURE to Barack Obama. And when she actually manages to be "appealing," it's manufactured, artificial, and politically calculated.
Not because she's a woman. But because she's who she is. If she was a man, she'd be just as calculating. She'd be... Bill -- without personality or charisma. I guess that would be make her what, John Kerry?
Hillary may have squeaked by to win by channeling Obama in NH, but she's going to have to be herself going forward, and that's just not going to cut it for many of us.
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Bravo
This is the single most measured and intelligent piece of commentary I have read in this election cycle. The media has been doing a horrible job in their coverage-- they need to get out of the speculation business and into the reporting business. Perhaps the greatest service Salon can provide is to continue to call out the press as they did to Matthews here, and hold them responsible for their irresponsible behavior.