A New Wave

Bush (& Company) World

"I could have used better rhetoric":

John McCain's Bad Day

It Was a Two-strike Plus Day For John McCain:

An Open Letter To Taylor Marsh

An Open Letter To Taylor Marsh

Dear Taylor:

I write this because I consider you a peer, an honorable person and one who has given your all to Hillary Clinton.

Formalities out of the way, I have two or three real beefs with you about your "handling" of Clinton supporters, which comes at a time when emotions are very raw. In one week's time they/we (and I mean every person who supported, voted for, worked for and donated to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign) experienced anger and deep sorrow when she ended her presidential bid last Saturday.

The Toxic Mix Of Religion And Politics

This is only June. We have five months to go before the GE.

But the public has already been treated to a toxic mix of religion and politics, starting in February with the Rev. John Hagee's endorsement of John McCain (which was subsequently withdrawn after Hagee's comments "that Adolf Hitler had been fulfilling God's will by hastening the desire of Jews to return to Israel in accordance with biblical prophecy").

Then in March, we met - in earnest - Barack Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, whom Obama later "denounced" after Wright made an even bigger spectacle of himself at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Now, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama is actively "reaching out to" the religious community (again):

Draining The Ocean...Part II

Well, maybe we are making a small dent in sexism and misogyny after watching the performance of media professionals (and others who will go unnamed but fall under the general heading of Liberal/Progressive) during the primary campaigns. News articles over the past four days have been filled with story after story about not only the depth and breadth of sexism and misogyny displayed, but the admiration and respect Clinton has earned - even among detractors. Some examples:

Anybody Notice The Equal Pay Act Anniversary?

Hillary Clinton did...

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the 45th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act

WASHINGTON, DC—Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today issued the following statement to mark the 45th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act:

"The Equal Pay Act was an important step forward, giving women the chance to be full, equal participants in the workforce and to earn equal pay for equal work. Women have shattered so many barriers in the 45 years since the Equal Pay Act was enacted. And for young women paving their way in the workforce today, the sky is the limit. But we still have work to do to truly level the playing field.

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BREAKING: Clinton Is Not Releasing Her Delegates

Blogger and radio talk show celebrity Taylor Marsh reported on her blog earlier today that Hillary Clinton had released her delegates:

If reporting or word comes in to change what I learned this morning I will post on it. Otherwise, the message is clear: Clinton is throwing her full support behind Barack Obama, which includes asking her delegates to support him as well. If you don't like the word "release," well, pick another one. It's a technicality in the political world right now.

However, in a conference call last night with delegates, Harold Ickes said that there are historical precedents for Clinton not to release delegates:

Misogyny And Anger

I got into a discussion the other night with a poster at Salon.com, after reading Joan Walsh's excellent article on Hillary Clinton's "concession" speech.

There are several articulate women at Salon who are more than a little ticked at the way Clinton was treated during the primary season. Several more women who regularly post letters/comments at Salon have written that they refuse to fall in line and support Barack Obama for POTUS, for which many men are giving them great grief.

Thinking About Supporting John McCain?

I know that some of you are incredibly hurt and angry about the Democratic primary; you're pissed at the DNC and Democratic leaders for some shabby and less than progressive behavior toward the sexism that permeated the election coverage. And you are mad as hell at the arbitrariness of "da rulz." So am I. Honestly, I haven't known quite where or how to express this anger, although that is starting to change.

What I DO know is this: Hillary Clinton showed us where her values and ideals are - they are forward looking; they are progressive; they are pro-woman and pro-children and pro-family. She will always fight for these values and ideals, no matter what her future role.

Playing Catch Up

First, let's backtrack.

Here's Hillary's speech from yesterday - in full. It gets better each time I watch it. It doesn't make the pain any less, but it makes me feel proud, knowing that I support(ed) this dynamite woman. I think she has herself a movement...whether she wants one or not! She's heads and shoulders above those who vilified and demonized her without mercy. And each of us who support her can and should stand tall and stand WITH her now. Any chance we have for progress will be lost if John McCain is elected as POTUS. No matter how you feel right now (and believe me, I'm smarting at the moment, too), those of us who believe in what Hillary Clinton stands for do not honor her or these ideals by voting for John McCain.

Here are excerpts from the speech. And here is her speech in its entirety:

[SNIP]