Buck Naked Politics

Kathleen Sebelius, the Veepstakes, and the glass ceiling

by Adam |  There's loads of speculation about the VP.  The most commonly floated choices are Kathleen Sebelius, Tim Kaine, Joe Biden, and Evan Bayh.  Of those four, I'd be happy with the first two, and worried about the other two (Biden because of his mouth, age, and the skeletons in his closet, and Bayh because he would cost the Democrats a spot in the Senate, barring a miracle turnaround in the Indiana governor's race).  I'd also be quite happy with Bill Richardson or Brian Schweitzer, but the former seems to have dropped out of the running (presumaby, like Jim Webb, he was a bit too controversial and knew he would fail the vetting process) and the latter, unfortunately, has never really picked up steam.  (Don't be shocked if Schweitzer gets the pick, though - the Obama campaign is not very leaky and has their cards close to their chest on this one.

Women Equally Victimized by Poor Economy; Unequally Victimized by Inequality in Wages (and McCain Doesn't Care)

by Damozel | The New York Times came up with what I'd call a strange title for this article: Women Are Now Equal as Victims of Poor Economy.  And the key points are oddly framed:

[F]or the first time since the women’s movement came to life, an economic recovery has come and gone, and the percentage of women at work has fallen, not risen, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. Each of the seven previous recoveries since 1960 ended with a greater percentage of women at work than when it began...

The proportion of women holding jobs in their prime working years, 25 to 54, peaked at 74.9 percent in early 2000 as the technology investment bubble was about to burst. Eight years later, in June, it was 72.7 percent, a seemingly small decline, but those 2.2 percentage points erase more than 12 years of gains for women. Four million more in their prime years would be employed today if the old pattern had prevailed through the expansion now ending..

Economists first assumed that this was because women didn't need the money or had 'other priorities.'  Whimsical little souls, those economists.

Hillary: Bush Adm'n to Undermine Women on Contraception Issues

by Damozel | I am supporting Obama for president now, so don't start on me if you're one of his supporters, but I'm nevertheless filled with pride that Hillary---my choice for the nomination---is justifying my faith in her. She has (in her words) 'sound[ed] the alarm' regarding the Department of Health and Human Service's pending regulations that will redefine common forms of contraception as 'abortion.'  What's in a name?:

These proposed regulations set to be released next week will allow healthcare providers to refuse to provide contraception to women who need it. (HuffPost)

That's bad.  That's very, very bad.  The ramifications are serious, both for those who think it’s not the government’s business to impose its current ideology on health care issues such as availability of contraception to the poor or who are already grumbling about all the women on welfare who expect taxpayers to pay for their children’s basic necessities. 

Media Narrative vs. the Real Campaign, part 2: uniting the party

by Adam |  As I mentioned in part 1, the media has a strong incentive to create issues where McCain seems to "beat" Obama, because this helps create the impression that McCain and Obama are locked in a tight race, despite strong evidence otherwise.  In this second part, I will take a look at another issue where the media narrative seems to run opposite to the facts on the ground: how unified each party is.

A Quadruple Score on the Sick Joke Scale: McCain's Ape Joke

by Damozel | Wow.  Even at the time, his campaign said the discussion was a politically motivated sideshow.  That, as we all know, is the defense of last resort.

From Rum, Romanism, and Rebellion:

His Chelsea Clinton joke was as tasteless as it goes. And of course his answer about birth control and Viagra was classic.

But this 1986 joke during his Senate run is just off the wall.

An Eloquent Critic of the Obama Campaign

by Damozel | Among many bloggers who remain critical of Obama and the Obama campaign, one of those I find most powerful and persuasive is Anglachel, who writes both eloquently and intelligently about the divide in the Hillary campaign. 

Here are a couple of quotes from Anglachel's posts, though it's only fair to say that they aren't reducible down to extracts; they are intricately thought through and unified --- the blogging equivalent of origami --- and pulling out a piece here and there isn't really illustrative.

Melissa McEwen & Maureen McCluskey: The Left's Campaign Against Hillary Clinton

by Damozel | The Guardian has an excellent two-part piece by Melissa McEwen and Maureen McCluskey, in which they track the ways in which Clinton's opponents recycled all the old anti-Hillary slurs formerly flung at her by the right.  Led by certain members of the Church of Lord Kos, supporters of Obama dug up out of the back garden the whole slop jar of gratuitous and frequently sexist insults. 

In a complete 180-degree turn, the same members of the left who had once defended Clinton against the attacks of the right wing - the trumped-up scandals and dug-up dirt that led to endless hours and millions upon millions of dollars wasted in fruitless investigations of the Clintons, their business dealings, their friends, not to mention the peculiar features of Bill's twig and berries - adopted the frames of those attacks as their own. Everything old was new again. Call it political retro chic..... By April, the blogfather Kos himself was agreeing that Clinton wasn't even to be considered a Democrat anymore. (The Guardian, part 1)

Obama Clarifies his Position on Late Term Abortions

by Damozel | Obama has clarified his supposed opposition to allowing a woman to have a late term abortion in circumstances when the pregnancy causes the mother mental distress. (The Swamp)  He does not think mere 'mental distress' is a reason to permit such an exception.

According to Linda Douglass, the Obama campaign's senior spokesperson, the senator from Illinois was making a distinction in the magazine interview between medically diagnosed mental illness and the kind of mental distress that an unwanted pregnancy causes many a pregnant mother.  (The Swamp)

He does think such an exception should be permitted in circumstances in which there is medically diagnosed mental illness -- a position that still doesn't really please either side of the abortion argument. (The Swamp) 

California Allows Gay Marriage

Yesterday's Washington Post reported:

"Robin Tyler and Diane Olson, both dressed in ivory-colored suits, were pronounced 'spouses for life' on the steps of the town courthouse here [Beverly Hills] Monday evening, as California became the second state to officially sanction same-sex marriage.

As the women were wed by a female rabbi, under a Jewish wedding canopy and surrounded by a mob of cameras, a protester shouted, 'You're going to burn in hell.'"

I understand that many Christians feel homosexuality is a sin.  It's their right to feel that way.  But under Christian tenets, humans are not supposed to sit in judgment of other humans.  Such "sins" are supposed to be between the sinner and his or her maker.

That said, why would anyone show up a someone's wedding ceremony and deliver such a hatefully judgmental message?  Why not just stay at home and read scriptures or otherwise practice Christian principals?

Media Finds Itself (Mainly) Innocent of the Charge of Sexism Against Hillary

by Damozel | Right.  There are none so blind as those who will not see.  According to The New York Times, a substantial number of media critics, commentators, pundits, and outlets --- not to mention many well known so-called 'progresssive' bloggers --- still aren't prepared to acknowledge the offensively biased coverage of Senator Clinton throughout the primary.  People, even my 80 year old "I am not now, nor have I ever been a feminist" Republican mom noticed it. 

The blatant sexism of the media campaign against Hillary Clinton didn't bother the people who were doing it or the people who benefited from it, but it bothered the hell out of a lot of women, including me.  It was quite clear to me early on that a large number of media figures had decided that Obama should be the presumptive nominee --- and never mind waiting to find out what Democratic voters wanted.

Now it seems that the scales have fallen from Howard Dean's eyes. 

Hillary: a Senator and a Lady -- a Well Loved and Much Admired Lady

by Deb Cupples |  Having helped local candidates get elected, I have some idea of what goes into political speeches -- which is why I haven't been moved by one in the last seven years.

Watching a video of Hillary Clinton's speech in Washington yesterday, I found myself moved.  It started with the audience.  I don't know how many thousands of people were present, but their feelings for Hillary were overwhelmingly clear.

After the sound of a warm welcome filled the room, Hillary made it to the podium and tried to begin her speech.  The audience wouldn't have it. 

The people simply would not stop applauding and cheering. Hillary said "Thank you" at least 10 times, trying to settle the audience so she could speak.  Instead, those thousands of people were determined to ensure that their admiration for Hillary  dominated the room. 

If you think I exaggerate, check out the first few minutes of the YouTube clip embedded at the end of this post.

Hillary to End Bid and Promote Unity

by Deb Cupples |  Hillary Clinton -- the first viable woman candidate for the U.S. presidency -- has decided to end her candidacy and cede the nomination to Barack Obama. (ABC) 

On Tuesday, super-delegates committed to Obama, helping him reach the magic delegate number  before full election results were  reported for the Montana and South Dakota primaries.   Obama is the first black man to become a major party's nominee for the presidency.

Though she didn't win the majority of delegates, Hillary got more votes than any other Democratic primary candidate in our nation's history.  In short, the Democratic presidential race made history on several fronts.  Yesterday, Sen. Clinton's campaign released the following statement:

"Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, DC to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity. This event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Senator Clinton's supporters who want to attend."

Some in the media slammed Sen. Clinton on Tuesday for not ending the race that night, though it was obvious that Obama had the delegates to become the nominee.  Apparently, waiting a day or two was just too odious for some people to even think about.

Sen. Clinton is exiting the at-times-vicious race with style, grace and an interest in promoting Democratic party unity that some DNC leaders seemed dead-set on not earning.  (Memeorandum has commentary.) 

Hillary Gets South Dakota Newspaper's Endorsement

by Deb Cupples |   Yesterday, the editorial board of South Dakota's Argus Leader endorsed Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.  Below are some of the nice things that the editorial board had to say about Hillary:

"For the first time in memory, every state will play a role in choosing a nominee for the nation's highest office.

"Some of those parts are small, but not ours: as one of the last two primary elections, South Dakota Democrats suddenly and improbably find themselves in a starring role...."

The State of Female Retirement

posted by Chris |  Below are a few statistics about retired women:

.

.

- 20%: the percentage of older women living alone in poverty.

- 6 : the average number of years that women live longer than men.

- 58%: women’s median retirement income as a percentage of men’s

- $800: average monthly Social Security benefit for women ($1,177 for men)

Backlash Against NARAL: an Example that the DNC Should Seriously Consider

by Deb Cupples |  Earlier today, I blogged about the backlash that many Democrats predict will come if the DNC continues to insist on disenfranchising Florida's and Michigan's primary voters. Just a few hours later, I came across a good example of a backlash: the one brewing against the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) for jumping into the fray and endorsing Barack Obama on Wednesday.

It's a move that even Obama-supporting NARAL members consider ill-timed and ill-advised, especially given that Hillary Clinton has a long, strong, and impressive record of supporting NARAL's cause and women's rights generally.  Politico reports:

California Court Rules Against Ban on Gay Marriage

As far as states go, California does tend to be a trend setter.  The California Supreme Court just struck a blow against that state's ban on gay marriage.  The LA Times reports:

"The 4-3 ruling declared that the state Constitution protects a fundamental 'right to marry' that extends equally to same-sex couples. It tossed a highly emotional issue into the election year while opening the way for tens of thousands of gay people to wed in California, starting as early as mid-June."

Memeorandum has commentary.

Step in the Right Direction: Judge Decides KBR Rape Case Should Go to Court

Yesterday, ABC News reported:

"A Houston woman [Jamie Leigh Jones]  who says she was gang raped by co-workers at a Halliburton/KBR camp in Baghdad won a major court battle late Friday when a Texas judge ordered that she can bring her case to court instead of forcing her into secretive arbitration proceedings with Halliburton and KBR.

"After months of waiting for criminal charges to be filed, Jones decided to file suit against Halliburton and KBR."

The Edwards Weigh In on the Democratic Candidates

Posted by Damozel | Neither one plans to endorse either candidate --- they plan to use their 'political capital' for poverty (John) and health care (Elizabeth) --- and both have good and bad to say about both of them.  (People.com)  I care what they think because John Edwards was the candidate I really wanted and I'd have preferred Elizabeth even to him. 

Elizabeth Edwards said again that she prefers Hillary's health care plan.  Furthermore, she was offended by Obama's 'misleading' representations of  Hillary's plan. 

In their first joint interview since John, the Democratic former senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee, dropped out of the race in January, the couple named what they liked and disliked about each of the remaining Democrats – and Mrs. Edwards didn't hesitate: "I like Hillary's health care plan.... (People.com)

Getting Down to Business: Dozens of Reasons to Vote for Hillary Clinton

by D. Cupples |   With Indiana's and North Carolina's primaries upon us, some polls are showing a significant number of undecided's.  Good!  Choosing the Democratic nominee is an important decision: people should take time making up their mind.

Campaign ads aren't very informative: they're too short to do much beyond generating sound bytes, and some ads are misleading or false.  That and many media have been too busy campaigning to objectively report issues and events in a way that helps voters. 

That said, I figured it wouldn't hurt if I listed some of my reasons for supporting Hillary -- starting with her U.S. Senate voting record (i.e., some of her votes of which I approved).

Yes, Why Is Obama Still 'the Front-runner'?

Posted by Damozel | Violet at Reclusive Leftist says:

Maureen Dowd...provide[s] a window into the babbling stream-of-consciousness irrationality of the Hillary Haters. As such, her recent Dr. Seuss column is noteworthy. Hillary has just won Pennsylvania by 10%, capping a streak that’s seen her take every single major state and swing state (except Illinois). And MoDo’s response is to beg Hillary to quit. Please drop out, O Winning Candidate, so we can nominate the guy who keeps coming in second.

You know, after 2000 I didn’t think American politics could get any weirder.  But I was wrong.   Weird?  Hell, we live here now.  Weird City.  Permanent residence.