Wednesday morning. It's over. The election uncertainty has finally ended and we have a new President-Elect. While he was not my candidate he certainly ran an organized and focused campaign. And hopefully he will be the President for all of us. Although he ran on a special interest platform i.e. those who don't have getting it from those who do have. But I digress.
As a 50-year-old woman I was excited during the course of this election to see two strong women in this race. Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. While my political ideals are far from Hillary's in most respects I couldn't help but be excited to see a woman go toe to toe with the other Democratic candidates. However the media coverage of Hillary was distracting - especially the amazing focus on her pantsuits. Bill's input into her campaign was discussed but if he had only worn a sundress maybe the coverage would have been positive....
Hillary had a political machine that she had worked for years waiting for this day and the mainstream media zeroed in on her showing a little cleavage. Yet we were treated to Barack in a swimming suit. Please. Anyway Mr. Obama, with the help of the media and their ridiculously sexist comments, steamed past the Hillary train and won the Democratic nomination. Then the man who had gone head to head with Hillary didn't even vet her for vice-president. Who can blame Bill for some animosity?
And as a woman I felt left behind again. Too much time planning the blowout Greek party to worry about mending fences and gathering support in the Democratic party. But then again it looks like it wasn't needed. Barack had Michele and her sundress behind him. Women swarmed the stores to get the same dress. In fairness to Michele Obama I am sure that she would have preferred that her achievements both professionally and personally be recognized over her sundress but we are dealing with mainstream media mentality - what is the woman (any woman) wearing....
Next up was Sarah Palin. A strong woman if there ever was one. And finally one whose political beliefs I could whole-heartedly endorse. Again the media is focussed on what she wears. The glasses, the hairdo and finally the scandal of the Republican party paying for her clothes. Issues which, of course, are much more important and should have received even more coverage than they did no doubt... (pardon my sarcasm)
Finally I cannot escape the image of the Palin effigy which was used as a Halloween decoration in California. This act and the response it received epitomized the willingness of our country to tolerate violence towards women. And the respect that serious women who have worked hard deserve for their achievements seems all that much further out of reach. I recall the horrified reactions when nooses were found at high schools and workplaces a year or so ago. Those nooses were totally wrong. But why is the reaction to an actual effigy of a woman shown hanging from a noose so muted?? This was not even considered a hate crime?!
So while this election represented a huge step for Americans of African descent and a historic achievement - and I am glad for these neighbors and fellow Americans - I find myself discouraged with the obvious continuing sexism in our country. And I find myself the most disappointed with our media. And even women in the media are subject to this sexism. Alexis Glick is one of the smartest women I have seen on TV and still she was the object of a sexist remark in passing the other day which took me by surprise. She is a consummate professional and the show went on. But wouldn't it have been nice if there was an apology or even some notice of the inappropriateness of comments on a women's appearance on a serious news show?
And wouldn't it have been nice to have Hillary running and Sarah Palin running...
I have 5 sisters (one brother) and four daughters. To them I say -
You've come a long way Baby. But there is still a very long way to go.....
As a 50-year-old woman I was excited during the course of this election to see two strong women in this race. Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. While my political ideals are far from Hillary's in most respects I couldn't help but be excited to see a woman go toe to toe with the other Democratic candidates. However the media coverage of Hillary was distracting - especially the amazing focus on her pantsuits. Bill's input into her campaign was discussed but if he had only worn a sundress maybe the coverage would have been positive....
Hillary had a political machine that she had worked for years waiting for this day and the mainstream media zeroed in on her showing a little cleavage. Yet we were treated to Barack in a swimming suit. Please. Anyway Mr. Obama, with the help of the media and their ridiculously sexist comments, steamed past the Hillary train and won the Democratic nomination. Then the man who had gone head to head with Hillary didn't even vet her for vice-president. Who can blame Bill for some animosity?
And as a woman I felt left behind again. Too much time planning the blowout Greek party to worry about mending fences and gathering support in the Democratic party. But then again it looks like it wasn't needed. Barack had Michele and her sundress behind him. Women swarmed the stores to get the same dress. In fairness to Michele Obama I am sure that she would have preferred that her achievements both professionally and personally be recognized over her sundress but we are dealing with mainstream media mentality - what is the woman (any woman) wearing....
Next up was Sarah Palin. A strong woman if there ever was one. And finally one whose political beliefs I could whole-heartedly endorse. Again the media is focussed on what she wears. The glasses, the hairdo and finally the scandal of the Republican party paying for her clothes. Issues which, of course, are much more important and should have received even more coverage than they did no doubt... (pardon my sarcasm)
Finally I cannot escape the image of the Palin effigy which was used as a Halloween decoration in California. This act and the response it received epitomized the willingness of our country to tolerate violence towards women. And the respect that serious women who have worked hard deserve for their achievements seems all that much further out of reach. I recall the horrified reactions when nooses were found at high schools and workplaces a year or so ago. Those nooses were totally wrong. But why is the reaction to an actual effigy of a woman shown hanging from a noose so muted?? This was not even considered a hate crime?!
So while this election represented a huge step for Americans of African descent and a historic achievement - and I am glad for these neighbors and fellow Americans - I find myself discouraged with the obvious continuing sexism in our country. And I find myself the most disappointed with our media. And even women in the media are subject to this sexism. Alexis Glick is one of the smartest women I have seen on TV and still she was the object of a sexist remark in passing the other day which took me by surprise. She is a consummate professional and the show went on. But wouldn't it have been nice if there was an apology or even some notice of the inappropriateness of comments on a women's appearance on a serious news show?
And wouldn't it have been nice to have Hillary running and Sarah Palin running...
I have 5 sisters (one brother) and four daughters. To them I say -
You've come a long way Baby. But there is still a very long way to go.....
6 comments:
Personally, I thought Michelle's dress was not her best, I remember the one she wore that... oh, wait. Is this what you're talking about? ;)
I completely agree with your disappointment in the media and I definitely don't think their effect can be underestimated.
I think you make valid points about equality, but I don't know what the answer is for that.
However I do think there was more to Barack's primary campaign than playing against gender, I've been reading a lot on how his campaign was managed and excecuted and it is really groundbreaking and of a magnitude that has never been seen before.
The crowd at Grant Park is what really gave me hope, more than either speech. People coming together, taking action and believing so strongly. It makes me think that we really could be headed somewhere full of hope.
Jessie, I am so glad to see so many awesome young people like yourself energized and involved in the political process. All this talk of hope is so interesting and encouraging. Although sometimes I wonder what exactly people are looking for as the basis of their hope. What is hope if not based in God? Something that will undoubtedly fizzle...because a man no matter how great or eloquent is simply that...a man, a human just like the rest of us.
To me hope must be based on concrete actions rooted in truth and love. I have yet to see any of these in the record of Barack Obama. What I have seen, however, is blatant disregard for human life as well as an extreme lack of respect for the fantastic presidency of George W. Bush. Yes, that is right I did say FANTASTIC. Americans have quickly forgotten the horror of Sept 11, 2001. Many have grown complacent and critical. No one remembers that the indiscreditions of Bill Clinton left us knee deep in a terror network that was poised to blow us off the map. After September 11, 2001 it was stated over and over by law enforcement and other officials that there was clear evidence that another catastrophic attack was looming. Talk about no hope. In the early days after the attacks everyday when my husband left for work I knew that there was a decent chance that I might never see him again. He was given a flashlight and loud whistle to use in an attack and I was given special numbers to use when an attack came so that I could call and find out if he was alive or dead. We had a new born baby at the time and I constantly looked at his sweet face and wondered what his future held and if he would be safe and able to lead a normal life...if he would grow up knowing his Dad.
Well, folks, that second attack never came and neither did countless others that were planned and disrupted by our awesome fellow citizens under the great leadership of the most undervalued president in history.
The media does not like anyone who makes God the center of their life. Therefore, they do not like George W. Bush. They have trashed his good name and belittled his accomplishments. They have blamed the mistakes of past presidents and other public officials on him. No, he was not a perfect president but can you show me a human capable of perfection? I often wonder what great things he could have done if he hadn't had to focus on dismantling the terrorist network assembled under Clinton's watch. If he hadn't had to focus on saving our lives every single day what could his domestic programs have been like? He just didn't have the time unfortunately. But he did further the culture of life and lead an incredibly succesful effort to supress terrorism and keep us all safe. That is something that truly gives me hope. The triumph of good over evil is the reason we are all here today in one piece. It is the reason that so many influential terrorists are dead or in prison. George Bush lead that triumph. Let's show a little gratitude, America. We will need to take our minds off our wallets for a minute to do that and we will definitely have to look past what the media tries to spoon feed us. Back to hope.... having my husband with me today and looking into the face of my beautiful baby now seven years old and leading a safe and happy life now THAT gives me hope. An untested man who can speak well, nope, I can't hope in that. It is just not enough.... But I will be watching him and and exercising every right I have to make sure that he lives up to the legacy of George W. Bush and keeps us all alive and safe. Hmm...sorry to hijack the post I certainly don't mean to offend anyone but I have been anything but hopeful since last night and well this has been kind cathartic! I like your blog, Kathy! Love to all.
Norton,
I think you'll appreciate this wsj article putting bush's presidency in a better perspective than the media generally offers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html
Interestingly,the person who wrote the WSJ article interned w/the Kerry legal team during the campaign of 2004.
Kathy
I saw that WSJ article the other day too. That was good.
Lets hope Obama takes the security briefings just as seriously as the Bush administration. I don't sense that he is arrogant or foolish enough to dismiss the briefings as Clinton did. Although he seems to be digging through the Clinton administrations rubbish already by picking Rahm Emanuel.
I think Obama's first security briefing is today. Keep an eye on his head for some new grey hairs!
Here's a link for a blog i enjoyed. Usually I can't stand these rants, but for someone who's been over-the-top critical of the repubs this is a bit refreshing: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alec-baldwin/the-most-moving-moment-ca_b_141562.html
I saw Dick Lugar named as a possiblity for Obama's Secretary of State. Check out http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.larson.html which is an article from 2006 and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/28/obamas-secretary-of-state_n_138682.html
I remember seeing Lugar at a Pro-Life convention I attended in KY many years ago. However it looks like he has also voted for embryonic stem cell line extensions.
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