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Submitted by lambert on Fri, 02/15/2008 - 7:37pm
Tags: 
Barack Obama

AP:

"[OBAMA] I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she's feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal," he told reporters.

'Cause you know how women are....

Driven by feelings.... Worried about their [sex] appeal... Prone to tears... The whole phases of the moon thing...

And did you catch the dogwhistle in "periodically"?

NOTE Apparently, Andrea Mitchell and Nora O'Donnell noticed as well. Even if the boys on the bus didn't -- or approved. Looking for links...

UPDATE Best I can do on the links comes from Googling on Mitchell and O'Donnell and ending with this transcription. If I had a TV, maybe I'd know what show was being referred to, and could go look for an official transcript of their reactions.

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amberglow's picture
Submitted by amberglow on

and i'm sure tv will spend time obsessing and attacking about this sexist snipe--not.

Next he'll just come out and say that she's "on the rag" or something, probably. Chris Matthews will then actually have an orgasm on-air, instead of just "shivers". ugh.

Joebasic's picture
Submitted by Joebasic on

Recovered DU member

I mean really..one of the more disturbing aspects of this whole campaign is how willing some women, who happen to support Obama, are perfectly willing to throw gender equality under the bus to see Obama succeed.
I used to belong to another online discussion group where the femal Obama supporters would titter and chuckle with each other as Hillary was called a shrew..as the media obsessed over her cackle..criticized her pantsuits..and obsessed about her "ageing befor our eyes".
Those women, the Maureen Dowd mean girls crowd..thought this was all just perfectly fine..as long as Obama won. Do they not see, that by sitting passivly back as these kind of things occur, that they are allowing this cycle to perpetuate long after the election. Will these MoDo mean girls continue to titter and chuckle when their male boss or co-workers dismiss them as just being "shrill, or cranky, or of just needing a good lay"? Somehow..I don't think they'll be smirking then. I hope they will find some satisfaction that their man won the White House, although I do not think that will happen, but if it does, then some women will have accopmlished this by willingly, even gleefully, allowing womens rights to be pushed back a few steps. I hope they will find it was all worth it. I mean, after all, Hillary is a cranky, mean bitch who should just get out of the way and let the men run the show..right gals? It is now Ok to just call you "shrill and catty" and judge you on youe clothes..right gals? How about a good old fashioned slap on the butt and a request to get coffee for the guys? All OK now...right?
Still tittering and giggling?
Joebasic

Recovered DU member

corinne's picture
Submitted by corinne on

As much as I'd love to see that assclown hoisted with his own petard, I noticed that article was by Nedra Pickler so she put her own special spin on it, I'm sure.

Here's another sample of The Pickler's handiwork from the last election. Here, she talks about how fabulously wealthy John Kerry is--and neglects to note that George Bush is also a millionaire:

Kerry was educated at boarding school in Europe, prep school in New England and at Yale. He married two wealthy women and his second wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, is heir to the $500 million Heinz food fortune.

Like Kerry, President Bush is a Yale graduate who has benefited from his wealth and family connections. But Bush spends his down time as more of an everyman, preferring to spend vacations at his Texas ranch clearing brush.

Class warfare, anyone?

The Mis-Education of Nedra Pickler (CJR)

Nit Picklering

chicago dyke's picture
Submitted by chicago dyke on

we don't need The Pickler's help. next time, find another reporter to support your case. she's worthless.

liars and fabricators who work in public discourse can be removed in only one way: when everyone stops talking/linking/publishing their stuff. look how fast 'the wall' came down, etc. Pickler is only good for Shunning. /turns face away/

Submitted by lambert on

Same quote from Jeff Zeleny and Steven Greenhouse of the Times (i.e., not just picking it up off the wires, but bylined).

I'm sure Our Nedra is doing her usual thing, but all I care about is the quote. Stay classy!

UPDATE Plus John McCormick of the Baltimore Sun:

Earlier today, at a news conference in Milwaukee, Obama said he has participated in 18 debates already and that he needs the time to meet with voters.

"I understand Sen. Clinton, periodically, when she is feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal," Obama said in Milwaukee.

Again bylined. Not just Nedra.

CD, Corrine, you know I love you. But....

UPDATE And Maria Gavrilovic of CBS. Again, bylined. Not just Nedra.

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi

corinne's picture
Submitted by corinne on

It would appear, then, that these reporters were all at the same press conference and heard the same thing? Which does nothing to change the original premise, which is Obama laughing at his own joke.

[insert Beavis and Butthead laugh here] Periodically. Heh. Heh. Heh.

Submitted by lambert on

Mkay?

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi

hypnot's picture
Submitted by hypnot on

Maybe I'm not deep enough in the Clinton-Obama hate wars, because I'm not getting the same complex message that you are. Served out of context, Obama's statement is obnoxiously dismissive, but I don't catch all the sexist harmonics you're picking up.

I went to the AP article for context, and this is what I got: "During a news conference, he was asked about Clinton's accusation that he watered down a bill regulating the nuclear industry. He pointed out that Clinton is criticizing him for a bill she voted for and touted on her Web site."

It's too bad he didn't leave it at that, but I can't get to the sexist extrapolations and dog whistles without employing way too much imagination. I hope you're not suggesting that we rely on Mitchell and O'Donnell to refine our perceptions. They usually have the opposite effect.

I'm not defending one candidate or attacking another (tonight). I don't care how the Republican candidates are treated, because they are irrevocably tied to wrong and evil. I do care how the Democratic candidates are treated, because one of them will emerge as the nominee from a process that has been unfair in many ways. Whatever fairness we can salvage is worth the pain and trouble. I'm not convinced that you're justified in nailing Obama on this one.

Submitted by lambert on

If you were in a meeting at work, and somebody said that about an absent (woman) co-worker, you'd know exactly what was going down. You might even shift uneasily in your chair. Ditto--making various assumptions, here--the same thing was said about your daughter, your girlfriend, your wife, or your mother.

It's precisely the reasons for the dismissal, and the nature of the obnoxiousness, that are at issue with the statement.

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi

scarshapedstar's picture
Submitted by scarshapedstar on

...and I think this may be a dogwhistle too far. As in, not a dogwhistle.

But I still believe
And I will rise up with fists!!

But I still believe
And I will rise up with fists!!

kangeroo's picture
Submitted by kangeroo on

And if you're male (which I'm guessing is the case), then you prove my theory that the most vocal and thoughtful critics of sexism in this campaign have been men, a la BTD at TalkLeft. I love you guys. :)

Susie from Philly's picture
Submitted by Susie from Philly on

And put my feet up with some reasonable people. Today I have been called a racist, "over the top" and "unhinged" because I dared to criticize Obama for his sexist dog whistle.

And I'm even not really criticizing Obama, because he's just another politician. I'm criticizing these people who consider themselves so informed for being so gullible.

Then they attack me for describing their cult-like behavior. They say it's "demeaning." I've been a professional writer for 20+ years and I thought my job was to use the right word - not to keep from hurting their feelings. Oh well.

It might help if I explain that I worked on a high-powered political campaign with the very same communications consulting firm now employed by Obama. Trust me, the comment was no accident and we're not reading something into it - I sat in on meetings with the exact same people.

I will bet a week's pay that he has been coached to use those terms whenever he thinks he can get away with it.

Submitted by lambert on

I'll repost here a revised version of a comment I made over at Big Media Matt's:

Many of us were first introduced to Obama online by supporters who were explicitly trained to discuss personal conversion narratives and not policy. The Obama campaign also trained its advocates, when questioned about policy, simply to refer to the website. (This happened over and over and over and over again in the threads at DK, so the training took.)

And certainly conversion narratives are one (though by no means the only) aspect of cult-like behavior. Unfortunately, the conversion narrative is generally the way that cults introduce themselves, so again, it's only natural that some would react badly -- or as desired, if the introduction was designed as a filter -- to such an approach.

So, it's entirely understandable that Obama's campaign was perceived, by those who care about policy, to be without substance, because the basis of Obama's appeal was carefully engineered to avoid discussions of policy. Ditto the perception of cult-like behavior (though I prefer "fans").

But what would I know? I'm "dishonest," a "liar," a "racist," a "shill"--and, to go on with what kid oakland memorably called the "casual poetry" of the Obama campaign--a "hack," "wrong," "ignorant," and have "reading comprehension" problems. At some point, in every relationship, you come to the bottom line, right?

My working assumption is that the flame war at Kos from which all those quotes originated was orchestrated, though whether from the inside or the outside, or whether there even is such a distinction, I don't know.

If only they'd been able to pretend I was a moderate Republican....

[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.

First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win. -- Mahatma Gandhi