Or am I not listening? Was Laura Bush attacked when George ran for President in 2000? How about Dole's wife? Or McCain's? Maybe I just don't read articles from the opposing view. But I just don't see why demeaning these women is helpful or fair or even human. Hillary's problems as a viable candidate might date back to the attacks launched on her as a wife of the candidate in '92 and '96. The groundwork was laid then. Why do Republican pundits see wives as fair game for attacks? Why do they care about their hair style, their weight, whether they bake cookies, their words even.
Can somebody explain this?
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Well, because some "political" disucssion is utterly trivial and nasty (and the more you watch commercial cable "news" the more you'll absorb), and Nancy Reagan and Barbara Bush certainly got their share of it, too. Cindy McCain is being ridiculed for her repeated attempts to overcorrect for HRC's I don't have time to bake cookies like a slacker comment. Which leads us to those who invite snotty commentary, by making clumsy statements at best or actually being ridiculous or even dangerous...Tipper Gore's RAISING PG KIDS activities with the PMRC and otherwise were often an actual abuse of her position-by-marriage, and HRC was no less a hack in the '90s than she has been recently, and Nancy Reagan was a scold and a wastrel, among other unpleasant things.
I don't remember Nancy and Barbara being vetted for office when their husbands ran. It was more later in their "terms." It's a nasty business and I don't know why "family" is fair game.
We didn't have cable "news" bullshit shows, at least not nearly as many, when elder Bush and Reagan ran. Even Limbaugh wasn't much to worry about.
I'm listening to last night's THE DAILY SHOW right now, which is mocking this nonsense, including the "yakkers" (as Harry Shearer enjoys labeling them) picking on Ms. McCain (or is that definitely Mrs.).
http://www.hulu.com/watch/23818/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-mon-jun-23-2008
And, for anyone remotely responsible, picking on families isn't really fair game, but why should that stop anyone? And spouses, including Bill C, when acting as spokespeople for their spouse candidates, put themselves on the table.
Everybody attacks everybody in politics, as Ed Gorman illustrates so well in his novel SLEEPING DOGS. Which is why some of us have pretty much said a pox on both their houses. I'll vote in November, but grudgingly.
Sleeping Dogs got it right. I don't know why anyone wants to be president in these hard times. I almost hope McCain wins and has to deal with what his party has largely brought about by favoring the insanely rich for 8 years.
And one could wish it was restricted to professional governmental politics, James..
I like Michelle.
What I don't like is how, under the guise of news and commentary, some of these "journalists" make slanderous remarks or jokes because of name similarity to people we don't like (Obama/Osama) and joke about having a person assassinated.
It's reprehensible. It's as asinine as fundamentalist Christians associating me with Santa and accusing me of detracting from the true meaning of Christmas because the name is similar to Sandra. We can all see how absolutely ridiculous such an association would be, but Fox throws out the Obama/Osama thing and thinks it's funny? Thinks it's acceptable?
The more of this garbage I hear, the more sympathy I have for the Obama family. They seem like decent, nice people. And I don't think McCain will actually deal with the mess Bush has made of things. I think he'll just compound it.
My theory is that the Republicans figured out how effective it can be to attack a candidate's wife back when Edmund Muskie was buried in the '72 primaries when he openly wept defending the horrible personal attacks against his wife. When politicians find something that works, they keep doing it.
They've all been easy picking since Eleanor, I think.
Why do most men dis on any strong-minded, opinionated woman who is not afraid to speask her mind?
Because they're afraid they will be criticized, that's why.
Prez nom's wives, or otherwise, strong, smart women are denigrated because they're not dependent and therefore cannot be controlled.
Talking about strong women, how the heck are you, JD. I miss your blog.
Hurry back in the fall.
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