Why the Hypocrisy?

[TeamsterDem]

I'm a long-time member, a not-so-frequent poster. I started posting a bit more during the primaries but stopped after I realized I was getting a little too hostile with fellow Democrats. I don't think I was that bad, but all the same it was still below where I wanted to be.

Anyways, what I see since McCrazy announced Palin as his pick is some awfully petty and openly sexist jabs at her appearance (such as "MILF" and the rest), speculation about her baby usually reserved for the Enquirer, and other ridiculous jabs at her voice, history as a beauty contestant, and all the rest.

Folks, we're better than sexism. The fact that she's attractive has nothing to do with her qualifications or lack thereof JUST LIKE Obama's race has nothing to do with his. We can't cry foul on racists like Pat Buchanan if we're engaging in overt sexism. More important than the political fallout, though, is that sexism is wrong and WWWWAAAAAYYYYY beneath us. In fact I thought we were the party which vigorously opposed it. At least that's the party of which I'm proud to be a member. If the platform has changed in that regard please let me know because I guess I'll have to find another one.

Her baby may or may not be hers. I have no clue. I don't care. What I do care about is that she's against abortion in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE, against national health care, would apparently give a gun to anyone, and following all of that it's likely she'd recommend some more insane SCOTUS judges to McLooney for nomination to the bench. That's what I care about. That and the fact that she's got a thimble-half-full of experience.

We've got a fantastic team between Obama, Biden, and the Clintons and all other Democrats who will be campaigning for us. We win on almost every issue. We WILL LOSE if people get a sense that we're cocky or worse, sexist. When the Republicans step up the racial whispering about Obama, how can we honestly expect to be taken seriously when we complain about that if we're going after her in a sexist way? We can't.

Please stop. Let's get back to the issues. That's where she's vulnerable. After all, her stated positions suggest she's nuttier than her running mate and a Snicker's bar combined.

[madeline_con]

1. Asking if she's lying about a 5th child is not sexist.

It's about ethics, which is being made the crux of her qualifications.

[TeamsterDem]

4. I disagree

Her family is her business. Just as Bill Clinton's affair was (or should have been) family business, so is this.

You're right that it's not sexist to ask. But it is hypocritical of anyone who might have ever said that Clinton's business was his own.

[madeline_con]

5. When the Repugs made Clinton's affair public, they opened this door, too.

Who, how and what about the candidate's sex lives is fair game. Edwards was blasted. Now it's Palin's turn.

[TeamsterDem]

6. I don't want to argue

I'll just say that I find a "they started it" defense lacking. I like to think we're better than that.

[Bucky]

8. Well, at least you're open about who your role models are.

Vicious personal attacks without one shred of evidence used to be called McCarthyism.

[melody]

16. We are dealing with SOCIOPATHS

These people have enormous riches and influence beyond all of ours together. Would you honestly lecture on morals
to young kids throwing stones at men with rifles?

These people are sociopaths. They use our sense of ethics and morality against us. That's how they win all the
time. The only way to combat them is to give back to them what they're giving out -- the ONLY way. They stand
on no moral ground to object because what they are doing in secret is immeasurably worse.

[TeamsterDem]

18. Are we the "young kids" in that analogy?

If so doesn't that make us the victims? I'm not sure how that analogy is apt.

The Republicans are definitely dirty players. No one denies that. But I think the old adage about never wrestling with pigs is apt here because if we "wrestle" the Republican "pig" we can only get dirty, and since they're all about blurring the distinctions between the parties on issues where they lose, only they would like the "wrestling."

My opinion is that out-dirtying your opponent doesn't help you win. Being right on the issues and fighting back against lies does. But fighting back against a lie doesn't mean wielding a lie of your own. It just means pointing out the truth. The truth is our friend. After all we're most often closest to it.

[melody]

22. If you can't draw the analogy, I can't help you

Your "morals" will be small comfort when we're under the full weight of right-wing control.

[madeline_con]

31. Speculation is still legal.

Spell edit

Palin's misuse of power while mayor and governor opens up the door to asking if she's honest. Suddenly having a baby no one knew was coming makes for speculation.

Your own little personal attack on me, accusing me of using Repugs as role models, is quite butt like.

[CJCRANE]

7. Surely it's the REPUBLICAN hypocrisy that's the point.

They want to legislate and pry into what you do in the bed-room but hide what they do in theirs (especially when it contradicts their so-called moral principles).

It's one rule for them and a different one for everyone else. It's just like the warrantless wiretapping: Bush-Cheney can spy on everyone else but no-one is allowed to investigate them or know what they're doing.

[TeamsterDem]

9. Believe me I see their hypocrisy for what it is

I just subscribe to the philosophy that someone else's hypocrisy doesn't justify my own.

I think we (DUers) all want the same thing here: We all want Bush/Cheney and the rest of them at least out of office if not in jail. And we also don't want to see another administration just like them. But I think we put our wonderful ticket's chances in jeopardy when we betray sexism, and we also lose the moral high ground and cede the right to complain about what we all know is coming in full force: Republican racism.

[moriah]

10. "I just subscribe to the philosophy that someone else's hypocrisy doesn't justify my own."

Bless you, TeamsterDem.

:loveya: :loveya: :pals: :headbang: :headbang: :toast:

[TeamsterDem]

11. Bless You Right Back, Moriah!!!!!!

:toast:

[Bluenorthwest]

23. She disagrees

She thinks my family is her business, as does McCain. That means her family is my business.

[Celebration]

26. anybody lying about having a baby

Would lie to us about anything. We are not talking about an affair, here. Lying about having a baby, if true, is pathological.

[krawhitham]

27. seeking the truth is now sexist?

Global Warming = sexist
Iraq War = sexist
Big Oil = sexist
Fema = sexist

EVERYTHING you disagree with or dislike is sexist


get over yourself

[Onlooker]

2. Good post

A lot of DUers are getting so caught up in the politics, they are forgetting the ethics, and their posts end up being sexist. The last thing DUers should want to do is alienate women and feminists.

[southlandshari]

3. Well said.

Really, really, really well said, in fact.

:applause:

[southlandshari]

19. One caveat

Because I missed this in my response earlier - you refer to John McCain as "McCrazy".

I think we are better than that, too.

[TeamsterDem]

20. Point taken and agreed. Good catch. n/t

[melody]

12. I don't care about anything about her other than the fact she's a moron

If she were a liberal thinker and Rhodes scholar with all those other facets, no one would be saying a word about them.
People are venting, just as they call Limbaugh "fat" and other things that would never be thrown at him if he was
not a moron.

[TeamsterDem]

14. Totally agreed. n/t

[Celebration]

28. I promise this

I would be just as upset if a "liberal" woman lied about giving birth. I wouldn't be as likely to believe the story, however. If you watch Desperate Housewives, you would no why. Only a fundie would attempt to pull something off like this--because of the shame involved in having a daughter be pregnant.

But, any woman lying about having a baby is automatically unqualified to be Veep or President, politics aside.

Having said that, we don't know what the truth is in this case.

[Ellen Forradalom]

13. We used to be the party that cared about women

But notsomuch any more. The only thing my party cares about is beating women with the Roe stick if they get politically uppity.

[TeamsterDem]

15. That's a horrific thought

I hope it's not true. I really do. I disagree, I guess, but I'd like to hear your side (if you feel like it).

[Life Long Dem]

17. McSame would be torn apart if we saw this energy toward McSame

edited - "would have" to "would be".

[muffin1]

21. As more than one poster has said in the past couple of days,

Palin has made our wombs her business. Therefore, I think it's completely fair to explore hers, if you will. Additionally, she is the one running as the "high morals" candidate, again opening the door for scrutiny of those morals. While I wasn't happy about Bill Clinton's indiscretion, he never pretended to be holier- than-thou. I do think people had every right to question what he did, although spending millions of taxpayer dollars investigating a blow-job WAS ridiculous.

[Alameda]

24. I agree, unless there is some very very

strong evidence to the contrary, why go there? She has enough issues to deal with regarding her politics.

[oldskool]

25. It's called Karl Rove politics= Division

We are on the verge of a racial war brought to you by Karl
Rove (division politics). Neo-cons are in both parties and
both want "GLOBALIZATION" one world government.That
is both of their foreign policies. I wish I was wrong. All of
these leaks about the Bush administration is to divide the
country.That is why the democratic congress won't hold anyone
accountable. Just look how alot of people blogging act a lot
like neo-cons (your either with us or against us mentality).
These people are not playing checkers they're playing chess.
They are using religion and race against us (political
correctness). Everyone seems to have lost faith and feel
hopeless and want CHANGE. If you understand Rove politics you
would get it. Why does this happen every four years? Because
it is part of the Globalization agenda.

[Celebration]

29. The way *I* look at it

We are cutting her some slack by wondering if it is her daughter's baby. She showed such abominable judgment by flying after her water broke that we can't believe it. Anyone that pro-life wouldn't make such life threatening decisions, right?

If she made a decision to fly for several hours after her water broke, can you imagine what types of decisions she would make as commander in chief? I'm sorry, this is a huge issue that speaks to her judgment.

Talk about her being attractive and being a former beauty contestant is pretty sexist, however.

[everything-bolt-up]

30. MCCAIN AND PLAIN= MORE OF THE SAME!

This should be our talking point.

Hi everyone - long time lurker here. I think we should make a bookmark of this for talking points.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-smiley/make-her-whine_b_122648.html

Also, we should AVOID comparing her to Barack Obama. DO NOT TAKE THAT BAIT!! I just heard on CNN one of their idiots at the GOP at the convention said as long as we can keep comparing her to Obama we should be okay!!

THAT IS THEIR STRATEGY!! He just said it!! He just said it!!

STOP making comparisons between Obama and PLAIN. Follow the Obama campaign's lead and ATTACK - MCCAIN!!!

MCCAIN IS THE FOCUS OF ATTACK - NOT MISS PLAIN JANE!!!! The GOP realise that Mccain was a flop and so they are now trying to make the election between Obama and Palin - DO NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT.

I think the Obama campaign will be forceful about this! JUST IGNORE THEM. I can't wait for Obama to swing with deadly hook and knock them down - which we know he will and decisively. I have confidence in him and the team. But let us not take the bait.

The GOP talking point is: Palin is better than Obama. Do not let them get away with it. Let us hammer MCCAIN!! Keep hammering MCCAIN!!! Keep tying MCCAIN WITH BUSH. They are trying to run away from how we have tied MCCAIN with BUSH.

LET US NOT LET THEM DO IT. The Obama campaign has already dropped MISS PLAIN in the ad to say - she is still more of the same. Let's not get off point. Our argument - MCCAIN - BUSH and if they must - MISS PLAIN - IS MORE OF THE SAME. What we should do is to hammer away at the fact that this gimmick is typical BUSH/CHENEY tactic and therefore - MCCAIN Palin equals MORE OF THE SAME!!

[BlooInBloo]

32. "milf" is sexist?