Happy trails. A response to Robin Morgan.

[EFerrari]

Happy trails, Robin
A response to Robin Morgan’s “Good-bye to all that #2”
Elizabeth Ferrari

US elections 2008: The women's movement must condemn the sexist attacks on Hillary Clinton and must also unite to reject her candidacy anchored in racial division and pseudo-masculinist bullying.


To Robin I can only say this on the occasion of your good-bye: Happy trails to you.

Happy trails, double standard. I grew up in the seventies. And I fought for and lived by the idea taught to me so carefully by my feminist mentors that my life really was for itself and not for spectacle. And that dwelling in possibility was the way forward. Both, not either. As a young feminist, I fought shoulder to shoulder with other women but also, with anyone marginalized right out of their sneakers in this culture. I didn’t see the oppression foisted on me by this culture as more especially wrong. It was all wrong. It still is all wrong. The strides that any of us have made were and are due to our collaboration – not to the privileging of one form of bigotry over another.

Happy trails, toxic viciousness. It’s not enough to assert that because a woman is running for the highest office in the land that women should accept the toxic viciousness that emanates from the campaign that Clinton is waging. It wasn’t enough to be told that Clinton was inevitable, it wasn’t enough to listen to her apologies for her race baiting surrogates, it isn’t enough to watch her out-roar Obama, McCain and Bush. That she reflexively mimics the violent rhetoric of the right wing is not an achievement although it may be a measure of her ability to lead – poll-based and intemperate. This country has had enough of war mongering; the world has had enough of our war mongering to last a lifetime. A lifetime of mourning for the millions of lives lost, crippled, displaced.

Happy trails, news coverage target practice. It’s possible that if we get an actual progressive into the White House, the horrendous surrenders that the Clinton administration ceded to the corporate media might be reversed. I’m at the moment confused as to whether that surrender is a piece of the Clinton years that Hillary is claiming or disavowing. And perhaps if we succeed, the sexual predator Bill O’Reilly won’t have the privilege of hosting former First Ladies or Presidents. We can hope.

Happy trails to the meme that all blacks are male, and that all women are white. And that would herald the silence of the Clinton campaign that has figured Obama as a drug dealer, a mugger and a carjacker. That would mean that a thoughtful black man wouldn’t be “feminized” as somehow “weak” by the Clinton campaign because he prefers to deploy that old tool, diplomacy, over the mindless escalating rhetoric of obliteration as a first measure. Has anyone notified Hillary Clinton that the women’s movement and the anti-war movement have been entwined since their inception? Robin?

Finally, happy trails to, you, Robin for calling me a pouting hand-wringer:

“Goodbye to some women letting history pass by while wringing their hands, because Hillary isn't as "likeable" as they've been warned they must be, or because she didn't leave him, couldn't "control" him, kept her family together and raised a smart, sane daughter. . . Goodbye to some women pouting because she didn't bake cookies or she did, sniping because she learned the rules and then bent or broke them. -- Robin Morgan.

Happy trails to the politics of gas lighting. It’s not my problem, nor any voter’s problem, what accommodations Hillary Clinton made in her marriage. It becomes my problem when the consequences of that deal impact my government. It isn’t her cookies that disturb me. It was her support for NAFTA and later, her lies to Ohioans about her support for NAFTA. It wasn’t Bill’s blow job that I care about, but about his blowing the Colombian government for a fat fee – a government that has the highest assassination rate of labor organizers in the world -- that bothers me. That should bother you, too, Robin. They do it with chain saws. Do you get it? Hillary is claiming the lunch bucket vote while her partner is taking blood money from the murderers of union organizers.

Happy trials to overlooking vote suppression! Hundreds of thousands of black voters have been targeted for robo calls that deliver confusion ahead of the North Carolina primary. The same Clinton connected organization, Womens Voices, Womens Vote, has caused the same havoc in five other states among black voters, and all the while, pretending to be advocates for women voters. Qui bono? And, how egregious is that cover? Perhaps because I was fostered in a feminist movement that actually did believe in equality, that makes me furious. And I will continue to work for equal protection for these voters.


I will forgo voting for Hillary not because she is a woman. I cannot vote for her because I am a feminist. And because selective bigotry deployed for political purposes is anathema, is not what I busted my ass for all these years. Happy trails, Robin.

Elizabeth Ferrari
San Francisco

(Sorry: link to Morgan's piece: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/robin_morgan/2008/02/goodbye_to_all_that_2.html )

[EFerrari]

1. Kick

[H2O Man]

2. Nominated.

"Think for yourself; act for others." -- Haudenosaunee

[EFerrari]

3. Keeper. Thank you.

[grantcart]

4. sizzling hot thanks

[Warren DeMontague]

5. K&R.

Nicely done.

[K Gardner]

6. This is spot-on perfect re: Clinton HYPOCRISY. Please help Rec this up !

[Berry Cool]

7. Brava!

:applause: K&R!

[RainDog]

8. k&r

[mamalone]

9. EXCELLENT.

You pegged it.

K&R for this!

[intaglio]

10. Excellent OP

[EFerrari]

17. Morgan was one of a very few most important feminist theorists

in the 70s.

That's why there is a silence in the community over her remarks. :(

[bleever]

11. Damn good stuff.

K&R.

:thumbsup:

[EFerrari]

13. It's hard to believe that someone like Robin is using her influence

in such a reckless way. Now I've seen everything. :(

[juno jones]

97. I know.

Reading 'Sisterhood Is Powerful' at around 14 was one of the most signifigant milestones of my high school years.

This past year has forced me to re-evaluate many people who I've thought highly of for a very long time.

I am a feminist and as such will not walk lockstep.

[uponit7771]

12. K&R

[Cha]

14. Robin Morgan sounds like

a piece of work..poor little thing thinks history is passing her by if hilary doesn't slime her way into the presidency.

What form of human being is capable of latching on to that? I think she's come up with the vilest kind of sexism.

[EFerrari]

16. It's very sad. Robin was among the bravest of the voices

that would not shut up when we most needed brave talking.

I can't tell you how awful this is.

[Cha]

18. I've never heard of her

before but then I haven't heard of a lot of people.

How's your Mom doing, sfexpat?

[EFerrari]

19. I don't know how Mom is doing.

She's diehard for Hillary and we're trying not to go there.

This is who Morgan is:



She was very brave when there was nothing in it for any of us to be brave.

[Cha]

22. Thanks for the info..

When I was writing my last reply I thought about the thread you had on your Mom..and, well, it's such an emotional thing for us all no matter who we support.

I don't talk to one of my friends, who is just leaning hilary, about it at all.. when we talked politics for 8 years:(

[truedelphi]

32. I thought that name was familiar. That book

Was in 90% of all the free clinics and women clinics in No America at one point.

And you did a fantastic job of writing this. The thinking was spot on, I Loved the vocabulary and phrasing.

K & R.

[Usrename]

15. Damn straight rant there!

This is what it's all about. An awakening among American patriots.

[Yael]

20. You speak for me, too. Thank you

K&R

[merh]

21. Another treasure that is far too long for a cocktail napkin

Maybe we can have it printed on the table clothes at the next NOW gathering! :)

:thumbsup:



You done good and said all I'd have said if I could write. thank you :hug:

:loveya:

[EFerrari]

24. Don't you ever mistake me for any fool that thinks you can't write.

lol

:loveya:

[merh]

25. *blush*

that, my friend, is the bestest compliment ever! :pals:


but your OP, now that is writing! :yourock:

[KaptBunnyPants]

23. I cannot vote for her because I am a feminist.

I remember when most feminists saw their ideology as a gift to all people. It sucks to see feminism reduced to nothing more than a desire to make a woman the boss.

[DeanDem10]

26. Superb!

As a feminist who was involved since the pre-ERA-debacle days, I believe you have captured it exactly. As a feminist I cannot be told to vote in lock-step or knee-jerk. It is precisely because I am a feminist that I must vote for Barack Obama, the best candidate IMHO.

[juno jones]

98. I feel the same way

I'm a bit younger, but I remember my mom campaigning for ERA and us kids coming along to 'help out'. My best friend's mom was head of the local NOW chapter and we used to read her MS magazines after school.

It pains me to see what Morgan and Steinem have brought to this race. Perhaps that is a function of age: having your former heroes reveal their clay feet in a loud and public manner.

Welcome to DU!

[suzie]

104. As a 58 year old feminist ,

I remember hearing Robin Morgan speak at my prairie state university during the early 70s. I recall thinking that she seemed to have little comprehension of the problems of rural women on the factory line that I'd worked beside during the summer.

And, that the Dean of Women at my university was far more impressive as a feminist when she challenged the incoming freshman women to go in to law, engineering, architecture, and a host of other disciplines that had few women students or professionals.

I wasn't particularly impressed by Morgan in 1971--certainly less so now.

[EFerrari]

105. Welcome to DU, suzie.

If feminism is a vehicle to move women's issues forward, then it must be able to be a venue where women can object to being browbeaten into making a choice that is not theirs, right? :)

[ekwhite]

27. Great comment! K&R

[Dems to Win]

28. Thank you, Elizabeth.

I'm a feminist, 10 years younger than Hillary. I have not been persuaded by the 'orthodox' feminists' case for Hillary. And the Robin Morgan piece was pretty insulting.

Obama is not my first choice as Democratic nominee, but he is my favorite now. I've been on the anybody-but-Clinton bandwagon since she announced her candidacy.

Why? Because I want a Democrat to win in November. Hillary has too much baggage, primarily her husband - the IMPEACHED former president! I think that returning the Clinton co-presidency to the White House, violating the spirit of the 22nd amendment by doing so, will be a big issue if she becomes the nominee.

Plus Hillary's own sorry story that she was duped into voting for the Iraq War and her colossal failure in health care, the one big project she led while in the national spotlight. I'm truly amazed that she and her advisers ever seriously thought she could win the general election. I wish that she had chosen not to run.

I've never seen Hillary's run for President as a feminist triumph. If she should win, what would that say to America's little girls? You can grow up to be president, just find and marry a man who will be president first.

When a woman becomes President, I don't want it to be a woman who has attained power by being the first lady.

In the early days of women winning public office, the first female senator or governor was sometimes referred to as 'the first to win in her own right'. Other women had held the position, when appointed to it after the death of their husbands while in office.

If Senator Barbara Mikulski were running and a serious contender, she would be running (and winning!) 100% 'in her own right'. I would indeed see her run as a feminist milestone. Not so much when it comes to Hillary. Though I want to make it clear, I'm not a Hillary hater and think she should be treated fairly. And I'll vote for her if she's the nominee.

In the harsh and brutal world of politics, I think she pretty much has been. People have said lots of harsh things -- politics ain't beanbag. I think she's had a harder time because she's a Clinton than because she's a woman.

Senators Clinton and Obama have about the same experience holding public office -- Clinton's years as a U.S. senator and Obama's years as an Illinois state senator/U.S. senator. Yet Clinton is trying to sell herself as the experienced candidate, based on her years as first lady. I've not bought it, myself.

I recognize she has seen and heard a lot by being in the White House and meeting all the world's leaders. But when it comes to experience holding public office and leading the people of a state or nation, she and Obama are pretty similar.

Obama and Clinton have very similar positions on the issues -- both are too pro-military-spending for me. I'm not expecting miracles from Obama.

I am starting to get enthused about supporting Obama because he does seem to inspire people to get up and do something -- he has had impressive grassroots volunteer support. Which will certainly be a big help in winning the general election. If he can inspire more and more people to become active, he can precipitate a wave of real change in this country. That's the promise I see of an Obama administration.

[EFerrari]

45. Obama's best attribute may be that he's gotten so many people up

and active. That's no small thing. :)

[Irishonly]

29. Wow

Just wow! Your letter said what so many of us have been saying only it was a lot more organized.;-) My daughter read your letter and told me that was what I was trying to tell her. LOL She also said that she couldn't vote for Hillary because she thinks Hillary just says anything she can to get votes. Since Edwards dropped I have been very silent and telling her she must make up her own mind. She's taking the election very seriously because it's her first one. Secretly I was jumping up and down yelling woot woot but I told her I was proud of the research and thought she had done to get to her decision.

[bjobotts]

47. Agreed but keep in mind Obama is a centrist dem, only slightly progressive so don't be disappointed

[bjobotts]

48. I hope it's Obama but most important for the judicial and DoJ that a dem(even Hil) be president

[glitch]

30. Beautiful. K & R nt

[me b zola]

31. Great post

Not only do I agree with every syllable of what you wrote, but I absolutely loved your writing. Just wow.

Wish that I could nominate more than once. :thumbsup:

[DinahMoeHum]

33. Goes to show: your uterus is not a substitute for your conscience.

:evilfrown:

[Mad_Dem_X]

53. I like that - well said! nt

[SwampG8r]

66. this should be a bumper sticker and a tee shirt

you should copyright it
your uterus is not a substitute for your conscience

says it all

[DinahMoeHum]

84. I think Barbara Ehrenreich first said it. . .re the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0516-02.htm

(snip)
What we have learned from Abu Ghraib, once and for all, is that a uterus is not a substitute for a conscience. This doesn't mean gender equality isn't worth fighting for for its own sake. It is. If we believe in democracy, then we believe in a woman's right to do and achieve whatever men can do and achieve, even the bad things. It's just that gender equality cannot, all alone, bring about a just and peaceful world.
(snip)

:evilfrown:

[SwampG8r]

94. ok but did she copyright it?

lol
love your screen name btw

[TragedyandHope]

34. K&R - Thanks!

[a la izquierda]

35. What a great post.

My sister and I have been arguing over this one for quite a while. She's a HRC supporter, I'm not. She once said to me, "But Michele, you're a feminist, I can't believe you're going to vote for Edwards (when he was in it). I just don't understand how you can do that." It's really interesting: I'm a PhD candidate in a history department and every female professor, including the women's historians, support Obama. He is the best for the job. I'm tired of justifying myself to people. I'm tired of having to list the umpteen reasons I think HRC has run a horrific campaign and why Keith Olberman shouldn't be lambasted for calling her out on it. I'm tired of hearing someone saying that HRC has the testicular fortitude to be the president, insult Obama's manhood by saying he isn't "tough enough" and then whining about the sexist card. The adoption of the word "bitch" as a term of endearment is hypocrisy, I don't care what people say about using the language of oppressors (I study indigenous peoples and I can tell you, no Mexican Indian calls themself an "indio", as a way to adopt the language of the oppressor). It's hypocritical nonsense and I am sick of it.

Thank you for your post, it put into eloquent words what I don't have time to at the moment (it's finals week and I'm trying to write lectures for intersession).

[EFerrari]

46. Not indio but, maybe, indito.

lol

Vitamin C rules during finals' week. :)

[Splinter Cell]

36. AMEN.

The best post I've seen in quite some time.

[mod mom]

37. Thank you sfexpat-very well said!

[madfloridian]

38. Recommended

[Coexist]

39. nominated

[stillcool]

40. whoa...excellent!

:kick:

[ladywnch]

41. thank you for this. my mother is supporting Hillary because

"this is as close a chance of getting a female president as I will ever see in my lifetime."

I keep trying to tell her that getting the 'wrong' woman in the office does not serve women or the country. This says it all more eloquently than I ever could.

Thanks again.

[EFerrari]

44. I was sixteen when I first went to college and brought home Robin's

book. It was a text book in one of my womens' studies classes. My mom told me to "get that lesbian cr@p out of my house". The next semester, she went back to school. By the end of the term, she was lecturing me about my boyfriend's sexism. lol

I can't talk to Mom about this situation. It breaks my heart that she won't get what she wants and that I won't be able to share any part of that with her -- not the hope, not the disappointment, not the loss. Damn life.

[SwampG8r]

67. i hope she understands someday

that when obama is elected in november
all the walls come down

not just the walls of racism but the walls of sexism too

[mcollier]

51. great point

Thanks for the honesty. I know honesty in politics is seldom seen, but that's doesn't have to be what we expect or demand. When we start demanding accountability and higher standard, we will be taken more seriously. Its our vote that can demand that higher standard.

[Ysabel]

42. thanks sfexpat2000 k and r (n/t)...

[LaStrega]

43. nail on the proverbial head ~ k&r n/t

[democrank]

49. Bravo!

Enough "toxic viciousness."

[Cooley Hurd]

50. Recommended!

Kudos, Beth, on a very well-reasoned rebuttal.:thumbsup:

[Mad_Dem_X]

52. AMEN!

If I vote for a woman for President, I will do so because I agree with her policies, not simply because she is a woman.

[lonestarnot]

54. K & R

[quoddy woman]

55. Robin Morgan

Robin Morgan has long been one of my sheros. I was so proud to introduce her at a women's conference a few years back. .I was so disappointed in her support of Hillary. I would love to see a woman become president. But not this woman. Thank you for your excellent rebuttal of Morgan's arguments. You said it all and said it well.Thank you

[EFerrari]

56. Welcome to DU, quoddy woman.

:)

[NashVegas]

57. Obama: I Love the Smell of Women Attacking Other Women in the Morning

[EFerrari]

58. I guess I suck at being a pouty hand wringer.

:)

[jonestonesusa]

75. This is about more than conflict between feminist women

It's about building an enduring alliance between women and African Americans that endures in bad times and good.

It's about uniting to support progressive values no matter who the candidate is.

It's about remembering that to take identity politics too literally can shatter alliances rather than supporting them.

It's about remembering that core feminist values include waging peace and recognizing that, as the OP mentioned, not all women are white, and not all males are privileged.

There are too many substantive issues involved in this campaign to make it a contest of "the black man versus the white woman." However, a conversation about our identities and how we're all doing in this society - and how we will go forward from here - is really needed. Thank God we're having some of that conversation.

Go Obama!

[EFerrari]

85. That was a much more thoughtful reply than my own.

On the other hand, you have three hours on me.

Here's hoping our conversation improves as we become more practiced.

[Spazito]

59. Well said, excellent rebuttal!

Recommended.

[Pharaoh]

60. Way to Go Liz!

:toast: K&R

GOBAMA!

[Stephanie]

61. K&R!

Beautiful work! :hi:

[EFerrari]

62. Thank you, Stephanie!

Rob has it at the top of the column for a while. :)

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_elizabet_080505_happy_trails_2c_robin_.htm

[beezlebum]

63. k/r/b- you said it so well...

thank you elizabeth. you said it far more eloquently than i could, and you certainly hit every thought or feeling i have had on this subject.

kicked, rec'd, and bookmarked. :)

[ShortnFiery]

64. This Middle Aged Feminist is with you Elizabeth Ferrari!

"I will forgo voting for Hillary not because she is a woman. I cannot vote for her because I am a feminist. And because selective bigotry deployed for political purposes is anathema, is not what I busted my ass for all these years. Happy trails, Robin." :hi:

[saltpoint]

65. Ms Ferrari wields a smart scythe.

Mighty good read. A keeper.

Thank you.

:thumbsup: :hi:

[EFerrari]

93. It's not a happy moment when you disagree so sharply

with someone like Morgan.

The hope is, we will move through this time. (Soon, let it be SOON.)

[saltpoint]

102. Hi, sfexpat2000. Agree. Morgan is a major mind. She has a loyalty to

the idea of women in power, but Fate gave us HRC instead of say, Barbara Boxer.

I'll still read Morgan, of course. I hope others will too.

You said it just right.

[Marnieworld]

68. Bravo! Exactomundo!

So where will this most excellent, precise, and necessary statement be published? Have you sent this to Huffington Post perhaps?

:applause: :woohoo:

[EFerrari]

69. I can't figure out how to submit to HuffPo but it is up at OEN.

:dunce:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_elizabet_080505_happy_trails_2c_robin_.htm

[Marnieworld]

72. Well Congrats on that!

Wasn't there someone here that posted at huffpo? Besides Larissa? Cali Mary maybe? I bet you could find out. They eat this sort of thing up over there and I believe it definitely meets their standards.

I hope more people piss you off so we can read more stuff like this again. :patriot:

[EFerrari]

73. If we don't get blown to kingdom come, for sure we have to give

President Fredo a nice send off! lol

[Marnieworld]

78. It's funny you mention that

On the way to work this morning I was thinking that I want to make a hotel reservation for the inauguration now. I'm an incurable optimist ;-). But even besides witnessing Obama's Oath, I could perhaps watch Marine 1 fly off out of the city and give it the one fingered salute!

I went to a protest in DC during the first weekend of the invasion. It was a small (relatively) gathering of Veterans and the schedule was to lay a wreath at each War's Memorial on the Mall and then march to White House. Just as the march was turning from somber to rowdy Marine 1 flew overhead. I was so filled with anger and pain, especially after visiting the memorials with Veterans who knew what madness * had just unleashed, that I had the urge to give it the finger but fear stopped me. It was such a time of fear if you recall, I mean the Dixie Chicks and all that propaganda that I feared Big Brother would have seen me and punished me somehow. Silly of course but I always regretted it. Now perhaps my finger and I will have another chance. And I bet I will not be alone. :patriot:

[EFerrari]

88. We need to produce a midnight multi-finger salute.

They can't arrest us all. :evilgrin:

[Marnieworld]

89. We'll just have to organize it then

When it's gets closer to Obama's inauguration. :D

[understandinglife]

70. Recommended. Bookmarked. Sending to many. Thank you.

Peace,
Bob

[EFerrari]

71. Thank you, Bob. Good to see you.

:)

[Kurovski]

74. You write real good.

:-)

The campaign thought it could hide and protect its nastiness with the battle cry of sexism. It can't.

Sexism is real. It is destructive, it impoverishes and frustrates, it is the source of anguish and it fosters contempt, even actual slavery and at times death. That is the state of sexism in this nasty world.

The Clinton campaign overplayed its hand on this one. It used sexism as a campaign tool. The campaign has lied about sexism just as it has lied about a number of other issues.

A K&R for this to you, Beth.

[graycem]

76. Excellent writing..

you managed to capture my feelings about the whole racism v. sexism debate perfectly. :toast:

[FloridaJudy]

77. Very well put.

Sums up my own feelings quite nicely.

Obama certainly wasn't my first choice, and I didn't vote for him in the primary (not that that counts - or should, since I live in Florida). I was first a Kucinich and then an Edwards supporter. I thought Obama made some serious mis-steps - mainly the whole McClurkin fiasco. But the man is starting to grow on me. I think he's shown the ability to remain cool under pressure, and to keep focusing on the real issues this country faces. His policies are not all that different from Senator Clinton's, but I think he promotes them better.

Oh, I'll still vote for Ms. Clinton if she gets the nomination - anything to keep McCain out of office! But the direction her campaign has taken lately will mean I'd need a lot larger clothespin.

[electron_blue]

79. People see what they want to see.

[wowimthere]

80. K&R someone who knows what they're talkin' about

[mrreowwr_kittty]

81. God that was beautiful!

I am in awe of the power and eloquence of Elizabeth Ferrari. I'm a fan.

I am unbelievably disheartened by the willingness of feminists I admire, both famous icons like Steinem and Morgan, and the ones I personally associate with, to ignore the gaping flaws of Hillary Clinton and elevate her as some kind of savior to women. From her enthusiastic support for brutal neo-con foreign policy, to her racebaiting scorched earth campaign tactics, to her cozying up to scumbags like Scaife and Bill O'Reilly, she has lost all credibility with me.

I applauded this particular line in Ferrari's essay:

Has anyone notified Hillary Clinton that the women’s movement and the anti-war movement have been entwined since their inception? Robin?

Damn straight. I cancelled my NOW membership several months ago, after they helped to spread lies about Obama's record on choice in IA and NH. I don't know if I'll ever renew it. The utterly contradictory juxtaposition of their statement opposing the war and the one supporting Senator Clinton is just unfathomable to me. What kind of cognitive dissonance do you have to be operating under to think that Hillary Clinton will bring the world closer to peace, given her past acts and recent statements?

[EFerrari]

82. I'm so glad you mentioned Steinem because when

she speaks lately, it's wrenching to listen. I understand wanting a woman in office and nearly at any cost. But that only takes 5 seconds to say so, at that point, some rationale must be found to fill up the rest of the column or the speech. It's at that point that the :crazy: intrudes.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

95. And the rationale is just mind bending

I will always love and admire Gloria Steinem but this is not her finer moment. It would be such a tragedy to see her legacy go down in history like this. Look at Geraldine Ferraro: A champion of women's rights and a tremendously accomplished trail-blazer, who will forever be remembered for her racist comments.

Like the OP said, all black people are not men and all women are not white. A reality that many white Second Wave feminists never seemed to wrap their minds around.

[butterfly77]

83. K&R...

[janet118]

86. As a former head of my local NOW chapter . . .

I have often had to select between candidates who were women and/or those who supported women's issues, I always picked the latter. I mean, would you vote for Condi Rice or Lynn Cheney because they are women? Would you rule out George Mitchell or Bill Richardson because they are men?

Peace is definitely a women's issue. Mothers, sisters and daughters have always been at the forefront of peace movements. I supported Hillary Clinton's run for senator, but felt completely betrayed when she voted to give Bush the power to go to war. I knew Bush and Cheney were liars, why didn't she? I knew the reports of WMD were, at the very least, exaggerated, why didn't she? This so-called "fighter" was cowed by the big bad Republicans. This intelligent woman claims she was fooled. Well, I'm not. I will always remember those 23 senators who did stand up against the Bush/Cheney machine when it counted: Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Mark Dayton (D-MN), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Robert Graham (D-FL), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), James Jeffords (I-VT), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Carl Levin (D-MI), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Paul Wellstone (D-MN) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). Bold = Strong presidential material.


Meanwhile, back in Illinois, a young state senator with a funny name spoke out against going to war against Iraq and the resolution authorizing it. It was the first time I had heard of Sen. Barack Obama. Taking a stand against an invasion of Iraq while everyone else was cheering it on was not particularly easy or considered politically wise, especially for a man running for the US Senate. But Obama spoke out.

I would truly love to have a woman president. But I want a woman who made it there standing on her own record, not cherry-picking her husband's legacy, and a woman who stands tough on important issues like healthcare, peace, the environment, civil rights, and jobs when doing so is difficult, not just politically expedient. Where was all this supposed toughness when the bankruptcy laws for individuals were changed to the benefit of corporations? Where was Hillary Clinton's voice as the war continued for so long, squandering tax money that could have provided education, jobs, infrastructure and healthcare while sacrificing the lives of our loved ones?

I will vote for Hillary against John McCain if she wins the nomination fairly, but I will never trust her again.

I will vote for Barack without any reservations. He has earned my trust.

[EFerrari]

87. Welcome to DU, janet118.

This morning it occurred to me that to be elected, a woman might at this time need to be connected to someone as popular as Bill Clinton once was. That was a pretty grim thought.

I have to believe we are better than that and that we can do better than that.

[janet118]

92. thanx for welcome n/t

:hi:

[juno jones]

99. Phyllis Shlafly is also a woman.

I saw that bitch speak once at some open air forum for a supposedly 'D' candidate my parents brought me to. They left hurriedly, so hurriedly, one of them accidently slammed my finger in the car door. The horrible night then proceeded to the emergency room. I was mashed but OK, but my parents felt guilty for awhile.

Hearing her whine about how ERA was going to force unisex toilets on us all was one of the most horrible things I've ever experienced.

Just 'cause its got a vagina does't necessarily mean it has women's (by extension, humans) best interests at heart.

[msedano]

90. I cannot vote for her because I am a feminist.

Among the best reasons I've read for voting "no" on Hillary Clinton's candidacy.

I listen to what the administration says our nation stands for, I listen to Mrs. Clinton's outlandishly outrageous crap. I see what we've put the world through in these past eight years and think that her success would be much a carbon copy, and another phrase come to my lips: Not in my name.

(for a bit of levity, check out today's La Bloga, Rove's nightmarish deal with the devil to keep other people's kids dying in uniform, not his: http://labloga.blogspot.com/2008/05/fantasy-bring-em-on-4131-at-time.html)

regards, mvs

recommended.

[EFerrari]

91. I will check out La Bloga. Thanks.

lol

[juno jones]

96. I am stunned.

A most prodigious piece of work, thank you. I really can add nothing except 'I agree' and 'K&R'.

[Agony]

100. A Happy Trails kick...!/nt

[pollo poco]

101. Thanks so much

You have totally nailed it.

Are a lot of women feeling pressure from feminists to vote for Ms. Clinton as a litmus test of their feminism?

I have had a different problem- when addressing sexism, others immediately assume I am for Clinton. One can be against both.

Since when do the Clintons own feminism?

You are a much better writer than I, and you have nailed it. Feminism is much bigger than identity politics. Equal rights are for all people.

It's a shame that both candidates have had to endure so much prejudice. I hope we are breaking some kind of barrier, and that future elections

spend more time on substance, instead of phenotypes.

When this is over, we need to get to work. This is still not a country where a woman who hasn't been married to a president can hope to become a

president.

[EFerrari]

106. I think you nailed it:

"This is still not a country where a woman who hasn't been married to a president can hope to become a president."

We do have a lot of work to do. Welcome to DU. :)

[Kurovski]

103. Kick. (nt)