womeninpolitics, ; Taylor Inc Company History'html

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

banana_grabber
11/09/09

In reply to Democrat Or Republican, Political Women Have a Tough Road To Walk
I think it takes some sorting out though; Palin and Clinton were treated poorly because they were women and also a host of other issues. I am totally biased, but particularly Palin was viewed negatively because of some solid problems with her as a candidate. And she really tried to accentuate her gender and be a sexual candidate and take advantage of that. From 'pit bull with lipstick' to 'hockey mom' she really emphasized her female-ness without really putting any substance behind that or recognizing issues that effect women (besides taking advantage of the choice to carry your fetus to term). Yes Palin suffered as a candidate because of sexism, but she was sexist towards herself (if that's even possible) and that was just kind of weird.

Clinton on the other hand has kind of dealt with the whole thing by de-emphasizing her gender. I think that has mainly served to help her in political office, but I'm not sure if I would want that to be a mandatory thing in order to serve as a woman in politics.

So, I'm not sure where to go with all that, but those were just my first incoherent thoughts in response to this. Hopefully someone else can add to them and complete them into something better! #womeninpolitics
Reply

hortense promoted this comment banana_grabber was starred banana_grabber was unstarred

nozer
11/09/09

@banana_grabber: I don't necessarily think that Clinton de-emphasized her gender; she just didn't make it a bigger issue than it was. I completely agree, however, that Sarah Palin was "sexist towards herself" in that she felt that being a woman was enough to get people to vote for her.

Men don't emphasize or de-emphasize their gender as politicians. I think women should do the same, and I honestly believe that Clinton is a prime example of this (and not the only woman in politics to have achieved this). #womeninpolitics
Reply

hortense promoted this comment nozer was starred nozer was unstarred

hej hej
11/09/09

@nozer: What is truly sad is that Sarah Palin was right. Amy Siskind and her P.U.M.A. cohorts really did vote for Palin just because she is a woman. #womeninpolitics
Reply

hej hej was starred hej hej was unstarred

banana_grabber
11/10/09

@nozer: I agree for the most part. But, I do think that a woman can emphasize her gender in a positive way. I think of Michelle Obama for example (although, she's not elected and I'd be curious about how she would speak differently if she was). She really talks about policy issues as a woman and as a mom. I'd be curious how men feel about how she does this, but I think it's really positive the way she has talked about health care, for example, as a woman's issue. And Barack Obama speaks as a father and husband sometimes when he speaks about women's or men's issues. So, I think it's possible to to speak for your gender without making it the focus of your issues. But, I wouldn't want a woman to feel as though she has to do that. That's obviously not Clinton's style at all and if she started talking about things like Michelle did, it would just be weird.
Reply

Edited by banana_grabber at 11/10/09 10:33 AM banana_grabber was starred banana_grabber was unstarred

ShinyMcShine
11/09/09

In reply to Democrat Or Republican, Political Women Have a Tough Road To Walk
"the example both Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin set is so admirable"

Being a hateful fear-monger who was chosen to run for national office solely because she was pro-life and attractive despite her inability to string together several comprehensible sentences or name any newspapers that she reads, who used her unwed, uneducated teenage daughter's pregnancy for political gain, whose policies are hostile to women, this is an admirable example? Sarah Palin is an example of nothing except for the hypocrisy and sexism of the Republican party.

I'm all for Meghan McCain doing her thing and didn't have much of an opinion of her one way or the other until now, but that just makes me think she's an idiot. #womeninpolitics
Reply

hej hej promoted this comment ShinyMcShine was starred ShinyMcShine was unstarred

hej hej
11/09/09

@ShinyMcShine: That statement also made me do a double-take.
What exactly does McCain find admirable? Inciting racial tension and terrorist threats against Barack Obama at her hateful rallies? Forcing rape victims to pay for their own rape kits during her tenure as governor of Alaska? Pandering to the dumbest and most insecure conspiracy theorists of middle America?
McCain needs to include some supporting evidence to back up such a bold claim. Because I, for one, am having a really hard time finding any admirable qualities. #womeninpolitics
Reply

hej hej was starred hej hej was unstarred

sweet_communist
11/09/09

In reply to Democrat Or Republican, Political Women Have a Tough Road To Walk
I sincerely hope Ms. McCain continues to feel uninspired to run for political office. #womeninpolitics
Reply

hej hej promoted this comment sweet_communist was starred sweet_communist was unstarred

Jack_Burton
11/09/09

In reply to Democrat Or Republican, Political Women Have a Tough Road To Walk
Even though Meghan isn't the "sharpest knife in the drawer," I'd still vote for her over Palin, were they the only alternatives. Now, she's abstaining from politics, I don't lean the same way on most issues and hopefully, I would never be subject to such a scenario - but I think she has a refreshingly open mind for someone who has been so immersed in circle of Republican "royalty." She's likely not the heir to the prowess of William Buckley, but she's no Ann Coulter, either.

In many ways, I hope the Republicans (Dems, too) can be less of a platform-party and more of a party of issues; If 3rd parties can never fully realize strength in America, the next best thing, to me, would be a variety of individuals in each party that held integrity, compassion, justice, intelligence, and objectivity in high esteem.

I know... Keep dreaming. #womeninpolitics
Reply

Jack_Burton was starred Jack_Burton was unstarred

BearDownCBears
11/09/09

@Jack_Burton: Our system is necessarily a race to the middle, especially with the oligarchical and rurally dominant senate and the immense power o the executive. I'm hot and cold on the magnitude of the power of the exec branch, but a unicameral legislature would be much more populist and active. #womeninpolitics
Reply

BearDownCBears was starred BearDownCBears was unstarred

yvanehtnioj
11/09/09

In reply to Democrat Or Republican, Political Women Have a Tough Road To Walk
I have the hardest time feeling anything positive about Meghan McCain. Even when she says things halfway intelligent like this, my instant response is, "And it took you how many years to figure this out?"

A hyperrich white young attractive blonde woman who got an instant platform in the national media because her father is a conservative Republican Senator realizes that some women have it hard. News at 11! #womeninpolitics
Reply

yvanehtnioj was starred yvanehtnioj was unstarred

dismantledwoman
11/09/09

@yvanehtnioj: i think your assessment of meghan mccain is a tad judgmental. she may have gotten a pulpit through no work of her own, other than campaigning relentlessly for her father, but she is an intelligent and compassionate moderate republican. she has been attacked to no end by conservatives for her unwavering support of gay marriage and the gay community. though i may disagree with her politics for the most part, i respect that she has her own mind and her own voice, despite all of the forces trying to put her in a different box - labeled CONSERVATIVE.
Reply

cand86 approved this comment dismantledwoman was starred dismantledwoman was unstarred

emerson.ellie
11/09/09

@yvanehtnioj: I don't know your age, but speaking from the standpoint of a 20 year old girl, it is a bit of a realization that women have to work harder than men to get half as far. We are taught in school that women have achieved equality, and it really isn't until our first foray into the "real world" that we get slapped with the reality that women have not come as far as your high school history teacher would have you believe, particularly if you come from an upper middle class background. Most of my girlfriends in college still haven't realized how much harder the workforce will be for them. I only realized it in its entirety when I took a year off between high school and college to move to New York City to work (for Hillary Clinton's campaign, no less).

Reply

curiousgeorgiana approved this comment emerson.ellie was starred emerson.ellie was unstarred

Valkyrie607
11/09/09

@emerson.ellie: I love your comment, and actually, even though I'm about 10 years older than you, I had a similar awakening upon entering the workforce. I had absorbed similar messages from school and parents about equality being a done deal.

Also, I know you may not feel like one, but please: you're 20 years old. You're a woman. Not a girl. Referring to yourself as a girl is probably unconscious, but think about how that impacts how people perceive you, and other 20-year-old women. #womeninpolitics
Reply

yvanehtnioj promoted this comment Valkyrie607 was starred Valkyrie607 was unstarred

yvanehtnioj
11/09/09

@emerson.ellie: But that's exactly my point. I think it's normal for people to buy into the whole "This is America, you can do whatever!" mentality until they get into the real world (although it's also very common for people that are politically aware / sensitive to see through that earlier), but the fact that she's 25 and just now getting a glimpse (emphasis on glimpse) of the real world is an example of her privilege. Most people are done with college by 21, and a huge percentage start work before that. She still doesn't have to "work" (you know, with interviews and bosses and such); her career is to be a blogger without having done any previous writing work or time in the trenches learning the craft because of who her dad is, while many talented and experienced writers are out of work due to the economy and death of print media and whatnot. I really just can't dredge up any sympathy.

@amandavmead: Nothing you just said is inconsistent with anything I said. So, um, okay? Yes I do judge her. #womeninpolitics
Reply

yvanehtnioj was starred yvanehtnioj was unstarred

bumbleleaf
11/09/09

@yvanehtnioj: I agree with emerson.ellie -- in school, many people get a sense that all these "struggles" and such are in the past, that feminism isn't in the news so much, so it must be over. I've been a feminist for a long time, and I still had a bit of a rude awakening since leaving college. (Maybe I thought it "wouldn't happen to me"?)

While MM definitely speaks from a place of (largely unexamined) privilege, you can see she's trying to leave her shelter and slowly get a grip on the world (the world world, not the world invented by the likes of Michelle Bachmann, R-Crazytown) -- even if she's not straying too far from the tent.

I think she's a ninny, but I have to admit I sort of stand behind her stated mission to reform (or at least youngify) the GOP from within. Not that I think it will work. But it's like when my parents wouldn't pull my brother out of Boy Scouts over the gay scoutmaster case, because they reasoned that if all the liberals left the BSA in protest, the organization would have no one left interested in changing its policies. #womeninpolitics
Reply

yvanehtnioj promoted this comment bumbleleaf was starred bumbleleaf was unstarred

yvanehtnioj
11/09/09

@bumbleleaf: But this is exactly my point: She's having these realizations like 5 years behind her peers because she's so. danged. privileged (which is annoying). And sure it's a somewhat natural progression to come to these realizations, but watching her interact with reality for apparently the first time ever just drives home the point that she has no business having this national platform. It's just another reminder that she hasn't earned our attention, she's inherited it.

Look, I don't hate the woman, she's not the antichrist, she's not the worst Republican of the bunch, and I hope to heaven that she can convince some of those nutjobs of basic things like "gay people deserve human rights". But I don't like her, and I find that every time she makes the news she speaks from a position of such oblivious, blind privilege that it sets my teeth on edge. #womeninpolitics
Reply

yvanehtnioj was starred yvanehtnioj was unstarred

bumbleleaf
11/09/09

@yvanehtnioj: well, yeah. hmm. You're right. #womeninpolitics
Reply

bumbleleaf was starred bumbleleaf was unstarred

emerson.ellie
11/09/09

@yvanehtnioj: I wouldn't say that I exactly bought into a "you can do whatever you want in America" mentality," and I resent your implying that I was not politically aware or sensitive (um, hello...I worked for Hillary Clinton beginning right after my 18th birthday). I'm simply saying this girl should be villanized for coming from a position of privilege. She certainly didn't choose it, and she seems to be trying to pop that "bubble" that you are referring to. Perhaps she is behind (although I think you are overestimating a significant portion of the population), but she's getting there. Should we begrudge her for trying?
Reply

yvanehtnioj promoted this comment emerson.ellie was starred emerson.ellie was unstarred

Valkyrie607
11/10/09

@yvanehtnioj: Yes, you judge her--accurately. #womeninpolitics
Reply

yvanehtnioj promoted this comment Valkyrie607 was starred Valkyrie607 was unstarred

yvanehtnioj
11/10/09

@emerson.ellie: I think resentment might be a bit of an overreaction, given that I was working from your own description that it was a surprise to discover that life was not as your high school history teacher described. But even still, I'm saying it's a common problem.

More importantly, there's nothing at all about Meghan McCain that says she's trying to pop the "bubble" of her privilege. Where did you get that idea? The way she fell ass-backward into her sinecure? Her self-appointed position as Important Republican Voice? (As much as the Rs do need better voices and serious reform, it takes a hell of a lot of chutzpah to think of yourself as the go-to person to reform one of America's two major political parties before you've ever even held down a job.) Her privilege is entirely unexamined. Realizing that there is such a thing as sexism is not the same as examining your own privilege. And yes, if you are among the most privileged people in the world and don't ever take the time to reflect on that reality or acknowledge its benefits, I will be tempted to villify you. That's the kind of attitude that allows blatant disregard for the less fortunate, and "she didn't ask to be a billionairess" doesn't negate the need for self-awareness with me.

And lastly, I was talking about entry into the real world when I said she's at least 5 years behind her cohort. We both know that there're many people who never think about sexism (though these people are very rarely women), so I surely didn't mean to imply that everyone is an informed feminist by 25. But when you factor in people that start working straight out of high school and people that work their way through community college and/or college, yes. She's very far behind her peers in re: dealing with the real world. #womeninpolitics
Reply

yvanehtnioj was starred yvanehtnioj was unstarred

clintosterholz
08/16/09

In reply to Iranian Government Adds Three Women To Cabinet
Which would you rather--a progressive feminist man or a conservative anti-feminist woman?

We'll have to see what sort of change this affects. My guess is, well, zero.
Reply

suck_it_monkeys promoted this comment clintosterholz was starred clintosterholz was unstarred

suck_it_monkeys
08/16/09

@clintosterholz: Exactly. Having token women in office to placate protesters is insulting. It's the John McCain vice presidential candidate school of logic.
Reply

suck_it_monkeys was starred suck_it_monkeys was unstarred

Mireille is German for the Bart, the.
08/16/09

@suck_it_monkeys: Or Silvio Berlusconi who names former models to his cabinet just to have someone to ogle I think.
Reply

Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith promoted this comment

Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith
08/17/09

@Mireille tried, and she failed miserably! The...: At least the women named by Ahmadinejad are qualified to hold the roles they have been given... I don't think that Berlusconi is an apt comparison in this circumstance.
Reply

Nariel
08/16/09

In reply to Iranian Government Adds Three Women To Cabinet
This seems kinda like when McCain chose Palin for his VP.
Reply

suck_it_monkeys promoted this comment Nariel was starred Nariel was unstarred

suck_it_monkeys
08/16/09

@Nariel: I didn't see your comment when I left mine, but yes, exactly. Transparent as fuck.
Reply

suck_it_monkeys was starred suck_it_monkeys was unstarred

Dallifornia
08/16/09

In reply to Iranian Government Adds Three Women To Cabinet
Yeah, but the AP article says that 1 of his 12 vice presidents was a female already (I'm guessing from his previous administration). I'm really worried that any gynecologist appointed by Ahmadinejad is probably in favor of female circumcision (but I'm assuming here).
Reply

Dallifornia was starred Dallifornia was unstarred

HBIC!
08/16/09

@Dallifornia: I might be way off base here, but isn't FGM mainly a North African phenomena? I wasn't aware that FGM was widely practiced in Iran, since it's not a practice that arises from any writing in the Qur'an, but from (at least in the case of N Africa) tribal traditions.
Reply

Lin-Z [linguist on duty] promoted this comment HBIC! was starred HBIC! was unstarred

Lin-Z [linguist on duty]
08/16/09

@HBIC!: Yes, female circumcision is mainly practiced in N. African countries where it is a hold over from older customs. Islam makes no directive for this, but in cultures where it was already practice, they graft it into islam.

I tried to look up a statistic for this in Iran, but this is the best I could find. I'm not sure if this means that it doesn't happen at all, or if there is no data. I'd look harder but I have to leave for work: [www.unicef.org]
Reply

Dallifornia
08/16/09

@HBIC!: Okay, but what I'm saying is, if it's a woman who is supported by a radical person like Ahmadinejad, I would be worried she's more likely to support restrictive and detrimental policies rather than progressive ones. Like Harriet Miers would have been with George W Bush.
Reply

Dallifornia was starred Dallifornia was unstarred

Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith
08/17/09

@Dallifornia: This is bullshit. FGM is not an existing/widespread practice in Iran, and irrespective of the governing regime (or the religion of that regime, if we want to look at yr comment for what it really is), Iranians have long been open to women's education, etc., and Iranian women are not exactly uninformed. While his female appointees may indeed turn out to be moderate/conservative, in no way does this indicate a governmental position on FGM.
(ps: has Ahmadinejad ever advocated for FGM, or are you just basing this all on Islamophobic assumption?)
Reply

Dallifornia
08/17/09

@Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith: I am not being Islamophobic, I made specific mentions to his radical beliefs and compared her to Harriet Miers. Maybe if you would actually read the thread, like where I said "FGM is [outside of the Kurish regions] NONEXISTENT in Iran" you wouldn't have made such a stupid comment.
I do not associate FGM with Islam, btw. It was/is prominent in Kenya, a Christian nation (and not a nation in the North, either). I associate it with restrictive governments. So thanks for the assumption, madam put-words-in-my-mouth.
Reply

Dallifornia was starred Dallifornia was unstarred

Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith
08/17/09

@Dallifornia: But his radical beliefs do not involve FGM. And Kenya is nowhere near to Iran. So how are either points relative, exactly?
Reply

Dallifornia
08/17/09

@Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith: About Kenya: That's my point. When people said it was restricted to Islamic/North African regions (again, read the thread), but that's not true on either account. I doubt that a female gynecologist appointed to office by Ahmadinejad is going to progress female rights.
I can't really believe you read my first post though. It's like you took a basic idea out of it and ran with it. When I said "I'm assuming here", that wasn't an accidental typing. When someone pointed out I was wrong, that should have proved you right. Instead you had to pile on. But okay, I get your point. Let me polish your star for you.
Reply

Dallifornia was starred Dallifornia was unstarred

sarah.of.a.lesser.god (aka Mrs. BrutallyHonestHobbit)
08/16/09

In reply to Iranian Government Adds Three Women To Cabinet
Right, of course it begs the question of how much autonomy these Cabinet members will have if they actually want to improve the lives of Iranian women. My guess is very little. But I'll try not to be too cynical...
Reply

casi nadie (loves MCC forever)
07/26/09

In reply to Hillary Clinton: "It Will Take The Right Woman" To Win The Presidency
I hate that he cited "being married to a former president" as a reason why running for president should be easier.
Reply

Snowbunny
07/27/09

@casi nadie (é o português de Curly Crown): Although you have to admit it probably did will help her. She has real knowledge of what being a president entails from the eight years the was elbows deep in the White House. So, yeah. Rude statement, could have been phrased far better, but there is underlying truth.
Reply

Snowbunny was starred Snowbunny was unstarred

teenypanini09
07/26/09

In reply to Hillary Clinton: "It Will Take The Right Woman" To Win The Presidency
I think Hillary stayed classy when discussing Palin's chances of presidency. If it were me, my response would be "That bitch won't be president as long as I'm alive."
Reply

BowlingForDollars promoted this comment teenypanini09 was starred teenypanini09 was unstarred

thegogglesdonothing
07/26/09

In reply to Hillary Clinton: "It Will Take The Right Woman" To Win The Presidency
I think there will be at least a female presidential nominee, if not an elected female president, in the next 4 cycles (more likely in 2016/2020/2024 than 2012 for the obvious reason that we already know one of the 2012 nominees). I also think that it's probably too close to call as to which party she'll be from - probably more likely to be Democratic, but probably not as much more likely as people may think.
Reply

thesciencegirl promoted this comment

nora charles
07/26/09

@thegogglesdonothing: I actually think I'd put the odds on the Republican party to nominate one first (if they can find one that'll be taken seriously, of course). As the U.S. continues to get more and more racially diverse, the Republicans are going to have to branch out if they want to stay relevant and viable. In order to prove that they're not just a party for old white men, they're going to have to nominate somebody who's not just an old white man. And my guess is that many members of the GOP would be more comfortable with a white woman in charge than a person of color.
Reply

thesciencegirl promoted this comment Edited by nora charles at 07/26/09 7:32 PM nora charles was starred nora charles was unstarred

Dodgergirl
07/26/09

In reply to Hillary Clinton: "It Will Take The Right Woman" To Win The Presidency
Hortense, are you posting about this because of your bitter hatred for male presidents? Oh, and men have been like, 100% of the Presidents so just STOP IT, GOD! I have a graph, but I won't link to it now.

(On a more serious note: It was nice to see Hillary talk about this stuff, and she and Obama have made a pretty fantastic team.

I think she's right-- getting the first female president will take the right person with the right story at just the right time, but I do think it will happen sooner rather than later. Before Obama burst onto the scene, not a lot of people thought a black man had a realistic shot at the Presidency, but look what happened there. I am hopeful).
Reply

Dodgergirl was starred Dodgergirl was unstarred

ricardvs
07/26/09

In reply to Hillary Clinton: "It Will Take The Right Woman" To Win The Presidency
I can't help but think that *she* is the right woman. Sadly I don't think there's a woman right now who can come out of left field and win the presidency like Barack Obama did. (Gloria Steinem has said so herself, and I agree with her.)
Just look at Palin, she's wilting under pressure. Say what you say about Hillary, Hillary was and is no quitter.
Reply

TheGuvnah promoted this comment Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane approved this comment ricardvs was starred ricardvs was unstarred

Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane
07/26/09

In reply to Hillary Clinton: "It Will Take The Right Woman" To Win The Presidency
I live in New Zealand, and ever since I've been politically aware, the Prime Ministers were women, first Jenny Shipley, then Helen Clark, who is now the head of the UN Development Fund. Of course it is possible in your lifetime Hillary, and of course for POTUS it has to be the 'right woman', it just has to be the right 'person' full stop. Cannot be leader of a country with out the requisite skills (although GWB.....)

But growing up in a country where at one stage, the official and de facto head of state (Queen of New Zealand, and the Governor-General), and the head political officer (Prime Minister), and the Chief Justice were women, and little issue made of it means that the whole world can have equality in the leading offices.

Just time for some asshats to pull their heads out their arses and recognise it.
Reply

willwriteforfood
07/26/09

@Cesybabe or Nirvanah Crane: I recall, during the campaign, some reporter (I want to say on Fox but unfortunately I couldn't swear to it) asking a foreign head of state how Europeans felt about the possibility of interacting with a female American president. The European just looked at him like, duh, you dumbass, but very politely pointed out that many, many other countries have already had female heads of state, so they would probably deal with an American one just fine, thanks.

Americans. We're so behind.
Reply

willwriteforfood was starred willwriteforfood was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

#womeninpolitics #taylorinccompanyhistoryhtml

Jezebel

#womeninpolitics#taylorinccompanyhistoryhtml

Jezebel

SUBSCRIBE TO Jezebel

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment

#womeninpolitics #taylorinccompanyhistoryhtml