Letters to the Editor
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@ micro ms: I like engaging with you. You're a smart writer. A bit of a challege. ;)
First of all, it was a speech, so I'm not sure you can start parsing commas. Secondly, I was focussed on the fact that she so neatly lumped all of these things together. Fear of the black man, fear of the uppity educated. At the same time, she gave it the glimmer of legitimacy. It's okay to vote by race! It's okay to dismiss those pesky educated experts! Go with your gut, damn the facts! To suggest she chose that phrasing by accident is to belittle how intelligent we both know she is.
Okay. What fears are you talking about?
No, I reject the notion that this is about uppity. I come from a working class background. I am the only person in my immediate family to get a college education and, when I did, the rejection was almost instant. Working class people often resent college educated people. It has nothing to do with race.
Now, what might be interesting to study is whether some white people might be more likely to vote against a black man who had overwhelming black support. I will give you that. That might be a factor. However, if it is, then it is a reality Obama needs to deal with if he wants to win. Clearly he cannot throw his black supporters off the bus. This is not Clinton's fault.
Yes, I agree that Clinton is arguing "gut issues" but I just don't think we agree on what those issues actually are.
I really didn't have a problem with Clinton herself until recently. It seems as though she lost the thread. In the heat of the battle, she's forgotten that there is more to this than just the fight itself.
Do you mean because she didn't graciously withdraw?
I suppose that one might decide that the massive shift of black voters to the Obama camp might smack of racism, but I watched as the Clintons, and in that case it was largely Bill, practically shoved them out the door with his comments.
His comments were taken out of context. Sure he should have been more cautious, but I don't believe he intended any racism by his comments. He talked about other candidates besides Jackson and how they had done in SC.
Should I also scream "agism" and "sexism" because of the older female demographic in Clinton's camp?
Only if you are prepared to do so while ignoring Clinton's more inclusive health care plan and her strong support of social security. There's nothing wrong with voting one's own best interests.
In reality, if they'd managed to muzzle Bill, they would've retained a for greater %.
I agree, but now he has been outsourced to small town America and he is effective once again.
At this point it seems as though Clinton has written off the black vote and is positioning herself with the Dixicrats in a last, final bid for votes.
What choice does she have if she wants to win? Are you saying that black voters would now shift to Clinton? Not likely. By default, she must woo white voters. That does not make her racist, anymore than Obama was racist when he wooed black voters.
Finally, I get the passion. I do. I feel for you and Show Me and the others who are so invested in Clinton, but I have to be honest with you, you have to stop talking down to the younger generation of feminists. You're losing them.
This argument began with younger women talking down to older feminists because they aren't eager to fall into Obama's camp now that it looks like Clinton will have more difficulty winning. It is true. It would take almost a miracle for her to win. However, that does not mean that Clinton supporters need automatically support Obama.
Frankly, I hope if Clinton does not get some concession from Obama on health care that she would make an independent run. I would vote for her.
While there are some young women out there who are truly clueless, you are dumping your vitriol on women who ARE feminists, and see the problems. You are cutting them out because they don't see it exactly your way.
I am holding their feet to the fire because I believe that they need to see that second wave feminism is more right than wrong and that third wave feminism is more wrong than right. Many of what we see of second wave feminism is actually backlash against feminism. Read Susan Faludi's Backlash. I have a 25 year old daughter. I believe an actual societal betrayal of feminism hurts young women far more than it does older women. Younger women will pay the price for that betrayal.