From Former foes Clinton, Obama present picture of unity (6/28/08):
Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton embraced, praised each other and locked hands in unity Friday, hoping to persuade legions of still-skeptical Clinton backers to rally around her one-time rival.
“She rocks. That’s the point I’m trying to make,” a grinning Obama told the throng of 4,000 squeezed into a soccer field in the small western New Hampshire town of Unity…
Both candidates said their six-month rivalry, which ended early this month when the Illinois senator clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, was history.
“We may have started on separate paths, but today our paths have merged,” Clinton said. “Today our hearts are set on the same destination for America.”
Obama spoke of how their campaigns had shattered barriers, and how they faced gender and racial bias.
But, he said, because of Clinton’s campaign, “My daughters and all your daughters will know there’s no barrier to who they are. … They will take for granted women can do anything that the boys can do, and do it better, and do it in heels. I still don’t know how she does it in heels.”
Sigh…the Democratic Party mantra on gender sure gets tiresome. A few points:
1) Obama says that because of Clinton’s campaign, “My daughters and all your daughters will know there’s no barrier to who they are.” Not true–Obama’s daughters and the young women today do not face any barriers, and they already knew it.
2) All things being equal, I did think it would be nice to have a woman president. Why? For one, yes, it would’ve been nice for my daughter to see a woman president in addition to all the women senators, governors, etc.–not a big deal, but a nice thing. They’ll be one soon enough.
More importantly, a woman president might actually be able to do things to help men and fathers without having her hands tied by fear of being accused of being “sexist.” Clinton, to her credit, did say a few things about the problems faced by low-income noncustodial fathers, and might have been able to help a bit had she been elected. (To learn more, see my co-authored column Hillary Clinton’s Youth Opportunity Agenda Will Help Low-Income Fathers, Black Press USA Network, 1/25/08).
3) Obama said, “They will take for granted women can do anything that the boys can do, and do it better.” Of course–the ladies aren’t equal to men, they’re better. I’ve never understood why some women have this great and unending desire to be told that they’re better than men and to put men down. Obama, a smart politician, is pandering to this desire.
4) Nice that Obama is telling boys that the girls are better, given that girls are already doing so much better than boys in school.
5) “Obama spoke of how their campaigns had shattered barriers, and how they faced gender and racial bias.” Hillary faced no significant “gender bias.” As I’ve said before, she does get attacked for a lot of stupid things, but that’s anti-Clinton bias, not gender bias. How do we know? Because Bill Clinton always got attacked far more viciously (and often more unjustifiably) than Hillary did.
6) Does Obama face racial bias? Sure, but I think that for every racist who doesn’t want a black president there are five people like me who, all things being equal, would like to see a black president.
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1 Response
My younger sister was once held (about 10 years ago)in some sort of trance for several months whilst she was on Prozac (after the death of both our parents within a 6 month period). She didn’t notice the subtle change in her character but to me the changes in her were very evident - it also showed up in her life choices when she got engaged to a guy who I KNEW was not really her type at all. I was wise enough to keep my opinion on this to myself so I tackled her on the artificialness of her behaviour and demeanour and strongly suggested that she summon her inner resolve and quit taking prozac as soon as possible. Much to my delight she listened to me because when I next spoke to her on the phone she had been off prozac for a couple of weeks and she told me that one morning she woke up and looked at the guy sleeping next to her and thought “what on earth am I doing with THIS guy?” She then broke off the engagement and weathered the heavy criticism she received from his family which I guess was fair enough because it wasn’t his (i.e. ex fiance) or his families fault that my sister was simply not in her right mind when she met and got engaged to him. My sister has since re-married to a fantastic guy and their life and marriage after 8 years still thriving. The point I am making is that feminism is like that prozac - it’s victims are locked into some sort of hallucinatory world view where everything is simplified in terms of it’s simple dichotomony of male perpertrator and female victim model. In this model men must be forever held in check or ‘corrected’ whereas women being the victims must be cosseted and ‘helped’. Until society is weaned of this dangerous drug we have no chance of real change I’m afraid.
Posted on July 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 am
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