“How do we beat the bitch?”
Shocked at such language? John McCain apparently wasn’t when a woman posed the question to him to other day at a kaffe klatsch with voters. No doubt you realize the “bitch” in question is Hillary Clinton. (I guess we can be thankful Barack Obama didn’t come up.)
The response? The crowd guffawed. “I thought she was talking about my ex-wife,” joked one audience member.
McCain, reprising his deft “Bomb Iran” touch, praised the questioner: “That’s an excellent question…”
No, senator. It’s not. Of course, Clinton would be excoriated if she raised gender issues. Then again, look at the gender of the person who asked the question. Telling, perhaps. All the same, it would have been nice, I think, if Sen. McCain had responded like a, well, man.
See the video here.
This campaign season marks another turning point in this exchange and I believe that we’ll witness some of the worst name-calling or innuendos since the early years of the nation. Our veneer of respectability before the world has been shattered by waterboarding, secret renditon, and lenient military trials — and this campaign season and the yet to be had real debate about Iraq wind-down or withdrawal may be a coup de grace until we reach a national place of shame and once again climb some road to reform.
Another example of the decline of civility (see previous thread thereon) and the guffawing of the crowd indicates an abusmal ignorance by the so-called involved voters.
It is a great comfort to see this noted — and denounced — at dotCommonweal. However, I would respectfully disagree with Bob Nunz’s categorization of the incident as “another example of the decline of civility.”
While there might have been more civility in past political discourse, that was a past in which women would never have run for president. What the allegedly civil past and McCain’s raunchy present have in common is a misogyny that isn’t particularly new, and never was even a little bit civil.
And Misogyny vocalized by a woman which is supposed to give it respectability. No wonder Hilary talks to Eleanor Roosevelt who had to deal with the misogynist Spellman among the others.
This speech, as I sees it, finishes McCain who just cannot get untracked. This video will rightly haunt him for as long as he runs for president.
And, of course, he refers to the “Democrat Party.”
Ooooh! A mean question during an American political campaign! How very shocking!
I’m not a Hillary Clinton supporter. I think she is rigid and egotistical, and that these qualities were largely responsible for killing any kind of reasonable health care compromise.
She has refused to say she regrets, even in retrospect, having voted for the incursion into Iraq.
Some say she’s softened, become more able to compromise, is less paranoid about the vast right-wing conspiracy.
They said similar things about Richard Nixon.
So, much as I’d like to support he sisterhood and all that, and much as I’d have phrased my question in a more ladylike way, I guess I, too, want to know, as a Democrat, how we beat her.
I am stymied that the candidate I think has the broadest experience, most level head and best qualifications is running far behind the Big Three: Bill Richardson.
Jean, be thankful–you will be granted a half a loaf (or somewhat less) when Richardson is put on the ticket with her.
Richardson would make a better Sec of State than VP, which is a job for pitbulls (Chaney) or lapdogs (Quayle).
And, lest I seem to be picking on Hillary Clinton, I have to wonder why someone like Giuliani, who seems not to care about much of anything, is the Republican front-runner (or was last time I looked).
While I disagree with McCain on some issues, I think he has integrity and experience, and is more qualified than anybody else who’s running. But he’s foundering in the polls.
Given that we have wars going in two countries (Afghanistan and Iraq) and some hotspots in Korea, Pakistan and Iran, not to mention myriad problems domestically, this is no time to be electing people who are untried–or tried and found wanting.
Had I been McCain, I would have chided the crowd and told them their behaviour was out of libe and then told the questioner not to act llike Don Imus.
Sure we allow lots of rudenes – that’s just acceptong any old spit is good enough.
As to Richardson, the smart money in NM seems to think, if it’s Hilary. it’s Bill for VP (latino/western vote.)
Bob, I forgot you’re from NM. Any thoughts about why Richardson isn’t doing better or how he could improve the ticket as VP, if that’s what it’s going to come down to?
What’s the inside dope?
Richardson is often the sunject of much humor on the blogs here; he’s also been known to exagerate his accomplishments, political and personal.
Still, he’s been very effective in his foreign trips and the State is on good financial footing.
In the few times I’ve met him, he’s most personable and relates well.
But coming from this small poor state, he was at an immediate disadvantage in fundraiing and I can’t see how he’ll get by the 8-ball of outdoing the top tier folk.
I have a friend who worked 26 years in the Senate cloak room. He is a disabled “little one” who is yet intelligent in his own way, and extremely perceptive about people. He reports that Senator Clinron was regularly rude to the point of offensive with him–treating him like “dirt beneath her feet”–even though he was in the position of doing services for her on a routine basis. He is so upset that a “person” like this is a candidate for President–and masuerades as someone concerned about her fellow humankind, he HAS to tell people about his experiences iwth her. Personally, I know people like this are getting into politics and running many of our important agencies–and we condone this. I refuse to vote for her–under any circumstances. I am a Democrat. If that means I do not vote for President–so be it. I support someone I RESPECT and who respects me: Dennis Kucinich, the man for PEACE and economic development..