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?

Calling all feminists! Hillary Clinton needs your support

Did you grow up during the feminist movement of the '60s and '70s? I did, and although I was too young for most of it to actually get involved, I remember the point of it very well, and I believe I've benefited from it throughout my career. When I started in computing in the mid-'80s, it was definitely a male-dominated field (still is today!, but not as much). I never let that concern me, as I knew that I was just as capable as any man of being a great programmer and system administrator, and I plunged in and made my mark. My first job was at a furniture store chain, and it was up to me to transition them off their IBM System/3 mainframe and onto a multi-location, multiuser UNIX system. Talk about a challenge! But I loved every second of it. To this day I don't think I would have been given the opportunity had it not been for my older "sisters" who worked hard to break down glass ceilings and make the idea of women holding powerful jobs, especially in areas that were historically male-dominated, seem mainstream.

Today, I'm reminded of the passion of the feminist movement by the presence of a woman--a strong, intelligent, capable woman--as a viable candidate for president of the United States. I always hoped I'd see a female president in my lifetime and now, with Hillary Clinton running for the office, I'm excited beyond description.

Before going any further let me make something very clear: I would absolutely NOT support a woman for president just because she's a woman. The reason I'm so passionate about Hillary Clinton becoming president is because she's a woman AND she's the best qualified candidate. A mediocre female candidate would never win my support over a better qualified male. Period. So when I say I support Hillary's bid for president it needs to be understood that, first and foremost, she's QUALIFIED for the position; the fact that she's a woman is just icing on the cake.

I'd like to put out a call to all feminists--male and female--to support Clinton's run for president. Those of you who are too young to even grasp what it was like when women were relegated to lower-paying, lower-prestige jobs just because they were women, really need to have a little history lesson! You should read up on what it was like when women were nurses--not doctors, secretaries--not executives, legal secretaries--not attorneys, data entry clerks--not programmers or system analysts, etc. If you're currently in school studying to be, or you already are, a physician or a lawyer, an engineer or a chemist, a rocket scientist or an astronaut, please stop and think about HOW you got there. Trust me, things weren't always like they are now! In fact, women weren't even expected to work. No, really. College educated women were expected to give up working once they were married, and stay home cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, etc., while her husband earned the money--and made all the financial decisions, and had all the power. You're LUCKY to be living now, when you're free to make your own choices--if you [or your husband] WANT to stay home and cook/clean/change diapers, you [or he] can!, but if you want to continue pursuing your career, you can do that, too.

Please join SmartAssProducts.com in supporting Hillary Clinton for president. This really is a chance to make history! We didn't start out being anti-Obama, but have basically become so as he's gotten endless hype, adulation, endorsements, and media coverage--undeservedly so, in our opinion. Forget about the supposed history-making that electing a black (actually, HALF black) man would create. He's still male! If you're truly interested in making HERstory...er,history, support Hillary Clinton. She's more qualified, better prepared, and has vastly more experience than Barack Obama, and that's why we think you should support her. But it cannot be denied that putting a woman into the White House will be a profound step for American women which may, finally, put us on equal footing with men in the workplace.

One last thing: Please contribute to Hillary's campaign! And encourage others to do the same.