Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Media bias, sexism, racism...

Apparently, Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania made the following comment last week while meeting with the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to talk about his latest budget: "You've got conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate." So, what happens as a result? Well, because Rendell is a Clinton supporter, one thing that happened is the media reported it as coming from a "Clinton ally"--which practically implies that Clinton herself said it or that she shares Rendell's feelings. And thanks to the blatant, ridiculous media bias in Obama's favor, naturally this is getting a lot of attention.

But you know what else it did? It made clear to people like myself--who grew up in the heyday of the feminist movement--that sexism is alive and well in the USA. You may not immediately see where I'm going with this, but--trust me!--it makes sense.

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By raising the racism issue in regards to Obama--or, as I prefer to call him, ODrama--his bandwagoneers will undoubtedly get riled up and come out in droves in Pennsylvania to support him, and there will equally undoubtedly be an uproar among black leaders, in black churches, black communities, etc. But what if Rendell, or some other public figure, changed the wording just slightly? What if someone said this: "You've got conservative males here, and I think there are some males--and females--who are probably not ready to vote for a female candidate."? Would there be an equal uproar? I doubt it.

As someone on a pro-Hillary site I frequent said, "Sexism is the last acceptable prejudice..." If a woman ran for president with the identical record [and I'm using that term loosely!] Obama has, and ran against a man with Clinton's qualifications, said woman wouldn't stand a CHANCE of being nominated. There would be no unwarranted mania surrounding her--as there is with Obama. In fact, she would most likely be laughed out of the race! Can you imagine a FEMALE one-term senator, wholly lacking any other experience that made her qualified to be president, having the audacity to run? I can only imagine the hysterical laughter that would ensue from bigots and conservatives, such as Rush Limbaugh, at the very idea.

Why, then, is Obama being treated like God's gift to humanity? The man has done NOTHING to warrant the cult-like devotion we're now seeing across the country, and if a woman with his same record dared to run for president, it'd be all over but the laughing long before the election.

If, heaven forbid, ODrama actually wins the general election, be prepared for 4 more years of mayhem and economic woes. Once he's confronted with the realities of trying to clean up after 8 Bush years, and he finds out that merely saying "present"--or, better yet!, pressing the WRONG BUTTON, just won't cut it, what are we supposed to do?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

brilliant ! Which means, of course, I agree...........nice website.

Anonymous said...

I agree whole heartedly and I think it's the reason so many women who are voting Hillary are saying they won't vote Obama if he wins the nomination.

I cannot with a clear conscience vote for someone who says he is for equality and yet ran against a woman who had his same platform*because he takes a LOT Of her ideas* but, with so little experience. He knew he would split this party. He knew he could wait because their policies are so similar and so what was exactly the big "urgency of now." for Obama???

Please! That smacks of the worst egotistical move I have ever seen. She was exactly going to do what he is saying he will do so he just figured we needed him and only him to do it?? On that record?? So he dismisses her record as unimportant and thereby says that all her years of hard work just don't matter.

Once again, the more qualified woman is kept out by the new charming male in the office. Good god, he says he isn't doing that but, then he always projects blame for things he IS doing on to others. Listen closely to her speeches and his. He takes HER words and ever so slightly changes.

So again. The new guy takes credit for work she did for years and years. He flip flopped on standardized testing when it was her stance to be against it. *he was for it before tonight* On healthcare. She worked, re worked and fine tuned her plan. He's mostly got exactly what she has but, he just changed it ever so slightly to say HE had a plan at all.

This is a man who owned a hospital that Michelle Obama is the C.E.O. of that turned away the uninsured while she made millions. Now he is all for universal health care for all. Oh except not quite all. His plan is more expensive and covers fewer people but, that's what inexperience does.

No, pretty much everything to do with this race was about sexism. From the way the media covered the candidates. Discounting this hard work and wonderful career of Senator Clinton and giving Obama roses at his feet.

I will never forget this campaign and mostly because it showed me that we haven't "got passed this" as Michelle Obama dismissively said about women who felt Obama should have waited. She said we were wrong to feel this way. I wonder if it's because she has so much money and power that for women like her it's easier to be passed it. For women like me, it's worse than ever. It's more acceptable than ever to run the more qualified woman in the ground so the pretty boy with the charm and empty words can have what he wants but, hasnt' earned.

I'll leave the party if he wins and just not vote this time. I have been so disgusted at how acceptable this type of ploy and discrimination really is.

blog owner said...

Thanks for the great, and very thoughtful, comments. I'm really struggling with what I'm going to do if it comes down to McCain vs Obama. Of course I'm very concerned about McCain's anti-choice stance, but I simply CANNOT fathom casting a vote for Obama. No way. He isn't qualified--and if I'm that sure of it now, what's going to change by November? His record--or lack thereof--will still be the same, so it's not like somehow I'll magically see the light and feel that he's qualified. Not going to happen!

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