Sexism Is <i>Not</i> Everywhere
No, I agree with The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder that Obama did not call Sarah Palin a pig. I don’t believe all references to “lipstick” are, from here on out, oblique references to her. The “lipstick on a pig” word picture has been with us for a while. It’s probably not the best word picture to use at this point in time, but I don’t think it was a personal attack.
What I’m hoping comes out of this election season is a realization by the many “professional victim” groups that sexism (or racism or homophobia) isn’t hidden in every disagreement. So, Democrats, stinks to be on the other end of the hysteria, eh?
Update: Speaking of hysteria, looks like the term “community organizer” is now forbidden.
At the Crain’s Business Forum this morning, [NY Gov. David] Paterson drew attention to a phrase used numerous times by speakers at the Republican National Convention to describe Barack Obama’s leadership experience: community organizer.
“I think the Republican Party is too smart to call Barack Obama ‘black’ in a sense that it would be a negative. But you can take something about his life, which I noticed they did at the Republican Convention – a ‘community organizer.’ They kept saying it, they kept laughing,” he said.
Guess some Democrats aren’t getting the realization.
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I agree, this is nothing personal, just a silly phrase that people use. And if Sen. Obama was thinking of being personally insulting, wasn’t the comment directed at Sen. McCain anyway? In the context that I have seen, it certainly was. Pointing it at Palin is a red herring being used by the Rovian people within the McCain campaign. A tactic that works from time to time, but has the danger of being exposed for what it is.
As far as Democrats being the butt of hysteria, I assure you they feel it all the time, even coined an acronym for it:
IOKIYAAR … or It’s Okay if you are a Republican
The more I read blogs from the left, the less I believe they subscribe to that acronym.
I wonder, too, if now this means Republicans might be able to use the phrase “the pot calling the kettle black” without being greeted with hysteria. Hmmm.
I thought the McCain team’s use of the term ‘community organizer’ as a perjorative – as they clearly have been doing – is big time stupid and offensive to all the hardworking community organizers out there striving to make our communities better places.
MLK was a community organizer, Gandhi was a community organizer, thousands upon thousands of people are out working to make the world a better place and they want to demean this?? How bigtime stupid can you get?
However, it never crossed my mind that it was “code for black.” That sounds like a poor argument, to me.
I don’t think Senator Obama meant to call Governor Palin a pig. But clearly the audience made the connection. He should have stopped himself right there and clarified that it wasn’t his intent. By coming out this morning and attacking Senator McCain for crying foul just means that the story runs a little longer. His biggest mistake was not coming out and apologizing this morning and making clear that was not his intent. By attacking McCain he only diminishes himself.
On the other hand, I think McCain would have been better off to just leave the whole thing alone and let the media run with it. It was such an obvious gaffe they couldn’t have possibly ignored it.