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:
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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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Continue reading "Anybody Notice The Equal Pay Act Anniversary?" »
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First and foremost: To Hillary - a terrific woman, feminist, Senator from New York, leader, mother, wife, role-model, and 2008 Democratic Presidential candidate. We already know you're the best! But we also want 
you to know that when you showed the world your "true colors" we felt comfortable and safe in showing our true colors, too. It makes us stronger as human beings and more beautiful in our unique and complex individualities.
Thank you, Hillary!
Second: To all of Hillary's supporters - who worked our hearts out phone-banking, knocking on doors, blogging, broadcasting (Taylor Marsh), fundraising, talking, debating, stuffing enveloped, distributing flyers, letter-writing, yelling at MSNBC "pundits", and every other action we have taken on behalf of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
(BELOW THE JUMP)
Finally: In honor of Gay Pride Week (which I noted in an earlier blog, but which got screwed-up when it was published):
HILLARY, STANDING UP FOR ALL AMERICANS STILL...
As we begin Gay Pride Month, I join the LGBT community in celebrating an historic year in which our country continues to make progress towards the fair and equal treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Still, we have so much work to do. I look forward to working with the LGBT community to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits and that nothing stands in the way of loving couples who want to adopt children in need. We need to expand our federal hate crimes legislation and pass a fully-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And finally, we need to put an end to the failed policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice - the traits that define our men and women in uniform - have nothing to do with sexual orientation.
Hillary - You Showed Us Your 'True Colors' "Like A Rainbow...
Share your thoughts about Hillary, the campaign, her decision to "suspend" her campaign, your personal stories. ONE RULE: No trolls, no foul language, no sexist or racist crap of any kind! I will be moderating...
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A male writer/journalist finally notices and comments on what women have been commenting on for months: MSNBC's media bias in the Democratic presidential primary campaign. Isaac Chotiner (The New Republic) has wandered into what appears to be new territory (for the pro-Obama crowd). He makes deeply intelligent observations about the "boys" pushing Hillary out of the race. Clearly this is breaking news:
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This weekend, Hillary Clinton was "savaged" by the media over a comment she made in answer to a question posed to her by Executive Editor Randell Beck of The Argus-Leader newspaper in South Dakota. Below is the complete transcript from The Argus-Leader's editorial board meeting. I have emphasized the relevant sections to put in context Hillary's comment: read on...
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Tonight I was thinking about the Tao and I-ching, after reading a lot of email and feeling angry, sad, and very disappointed about the misogyny that has so permeated this campaign - a lot of which continues to come from "progressive" bloggers, who seem to take their cues from MSNBC/NBC and the Chris Matthews of the world. The first word that came to me in my thoughts was "solace", but my 365 Tao Daily Meditations (*) did not include it and none of the closest matches fit what I have been thinking and feeling. As an idea, I turned to today's meditation to see if it might be appropriate. Turns out, it fits like a glove:
"Hawk doesn't think during the hunt.
It does not care for theory or ethics.
All that it does is natural."
"... Reacting to a situation by asking what is right and wrong is already too slow. One must intuitively do what is correct. There should be no foreshadowing of an act, nor doubt about oneself."
(*) Ming-Dao, Deng. "Intuition." 365 Tao Daily Meditations. San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1992. 143.
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According to the latest PEW Research Center public opinion survey:
"Barack Obama may be building an insurmountable lead in the Democratic primary race, but the public is sending a strong message to journalists and pundits: It is too early to declare, as some already have, that the race is over."
"Fully 72% of the public - including comparable percentages of Democrats, Republicans and independents - say that journalists should not be anointing Obama as the Democratic nominee at this stage in the race. Just 20% say that journalists should be doing this."
[snip]
"Since mid-March, the amount of news coverage devoted to Clinton compared to Obama has
fluctuated in concert with events on the campaign trail. However Obama has consistently been the more visible candidate to the public. On average, more than half of the public has pointed to Obama as the candidate they have heard the most about in the news recently. About 30%, on average, have named Clinton. Consistently, fewer than 10% have named John McCain as the most visible candidate in the news during this period."
In Kentucky, Clinton leads by 30.5 points:
RCP Average: Clinton - 60.3; Obama - 29.8
Oregon, however, is a different matter:
RCP Average: Obama - 52.6; Clinton - 40.2
ARG shows a much tighter race: Obama - 50; Clinton - 45
Clinton Draws Strong Support in Colorado
It seems that Hillary's supporters have a far different view of the nomination process than does Barack Obama:
COLORADO SPRINGS — The state's Democratic Party brought its convention to this Republican stronghold Saturday and demonstrated that the faithful are more divided in their support of presidential candidates than the state's caucuses suggested.
Though Coloradans gave Barack Obama 67 percent of the vote during the Feb. 5 contests, supporters of his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, made up close to half of the conventioneers. A record crowd of more than 6,000 delegates and alternates attended.
Check out Hillary Supporters' Latest T-Shirt Design
I haven't seen any of the other designs, but this was put up on the Taylor Marsh web site because she thought it was (one of) the best. 
I think this was Chelsea's idea -- and as far as I know the contest is still going on. Got a great idea? Submit it for consideration.
Renewable Energy Bill Moves Forward
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation that would renew billions of dollars in tax breaks for solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy sources and extend a proposed new tax credit for ethanol fuels not produced from corn advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday."
"The bill approved by the Ways and Means Committee by a vote of 25-12 would extend about $54 billion in expiring tax breaks for renewable energy sources, education and a number of business expenses including research and development."
"Tax breaks for investment in coal gasification projects would also be expanded under the legislation, which comes as oil hit a record just below $127 a barrel this week and hovered above $124 a barrel on Thursday."
"To help pay for the cost of extending those and other tax breaks, the bill would close a tax loophole that allows hedge fund managers to defer taxes on their pay by sheltering it in offshore tax havens. The bill also would raise money by delaying for 10 years proposed rules affecting the way multinational corporations account for interest expenses."
Touring rural areas in Kentucky, Montana, South Dakota and Oregon, Hillary has laid out a comprehensive 8-point plan to address numerous concerns specific to rural communities across the country, including access to broadband, investment in renewable energy research, development and use, expanding access to capital for small business entrepreneurs, expansion of tax credits and breaks to help family farms, and Farm Bill measures to keep the food supply safe.
"Clinton worked to include several provisions in the bill. She fought for Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for meat and produce in the United States; helped develop legislation that was the basis for the Healthy Food Enterprise Development (HFED) program, an initiative to bring healthier food to new markets and underserved parts of the country; worked to expand the Community Food Grants Program to $50 million; and helped push for a commission to create and implement a Comprehensive Rural Broadband Strategy, an idea Senator Clinton proposed as part of the Rural Broadband Initiative Act."
Senate Votes "Yes" On Limiting Media Ownership
"The Senate Thursday night voted to nullify a Federal Communications Commission
rule that allows media companies to own a newspaper and a television station in
the same market."
"The unusual 'resolution of disapproval,' sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and 26 other senators, was approved by a voice vote. The measures sponsors include both Democratic candidates for president, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois."
"Dorgan said the FCC action opened a 'gaping loophole for more mergers of newspapers and television stations across the country.'"
"Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii opposed the FCC's action."
"'In recent years, we have seen an increase in coarse and violent programming, coupled with a decrease in local news and hard-hitting journalism,' Inouye said Thursday night. 'To say these trends are not in the best interest of the American people, and especially our youngest citizens, is clearly an understatement.'"
Help Hillary Win Kentucky And Oregon
Donate $5, $10..................whatever you can give.
PRIMARIES ARE TUESDAY: Make Calls to Kentucky and Oregon Voters
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Pollster.com conducts some rigorous public opinion polling, particularly around the voting electorate. Mark Blumenthal writes analyzes recent exit polls findings that present more troubling news for Democrats and for Barack Obama.
"Looking at voter demographics pre-Indiana/NC and what they show. Support for Obama among voters from about age 45 forward drops off steeply. And even though older voters with high incomes ($100K+) support Obama, those who earn less than this support Clinton by pretty large margins. And she also gets big support from voters who earn less than $50K, by about 12 points; the difference is greater from $50K-$100K (18-20 points)."
"The same is true for education. Seniors w/college degrees support her by 8 points (50-42), but those w/o degrees have backed her by whopping 48 points (69-21 percent)."
Kathy Frankovic, polling director at CBS News, looks at the same exit polling data (or presumably the same -- she explained that she combined exit polls "weighted to total votes...excluding Florida and Michigan") and adds a little more granularity for the youngest voters:
"Among white voters with a college degree, Obama and Clinton have run almost even so far this year - 49 percent for Obama, 47 percent for Clinton. The results are very different by age within this group - those under 45 have given Obama a lead, and those over 45 have chosen Clinton. This does seem to support Obama’s claim that older, better-educated Democratic voters are staying with what they know, keeping on 'track.'"
"White voters without a college degree, however, vote differently. This year, they have voted for Clinton over Obama by almost two-to-one - 61 percent to 33 percent. And the age of the voter matters less. Clinton leads decisively with just about all age groups of these voters - as long as they are over 30. She even edged Obama, 48 percent to 47 percent, among non-degreed voters under 30, but over 24 years old. Only the white non-college graduates younger than 25 have favored Obama so far this primary season. They voted for him 59 percent to 38 percent."
And Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft, takes on Jonathan Alter ("Grandma Primary" - Newsweek) for ignoring "age gap" facts in election results "when they do not fit their [pro-Obama] narrative."
"This is false in every particular. [More...] The PA exit polls prove this. Clinton won ALL voters 40-49 by 54-46. She won ALL voters 50-64 by 57-43. these two age groups comprised 56% of the vote in Pennsylvania. Of course Clinton also won all whites 60 and older by 68-32. But she also won all whites 18-29 by 52-48. She also won all whites 30-44 by 58-42."
Teddy Kennedy Weighs-in On A Clinton VP Spot
Tell me again why I am supposed to respect Ted Kennedy. Oh, yeah. It's for all the things he's done for women...
"'I don't think it's possible,' Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's 'Political Capital With Al Hunt,' airing this weekend. That is because of the 'tenor of the campaign' in recent weeks, Kennedy spokesman Anthony Coley said later."
[snip]
Kennedy, 76, without naming names, said Obama should pick a running mate who 'is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people.'
"'If we had real leadership -- as we do with Barack Obama -- in the No. 2 spot as well, it'd be enormously helpful,' Kennedy said."
Maybe he's losing his bearings, too.
Rahm Emanuel let him have it, though:
"'I have a lot of respect for Ted Kennedy, but I don't know how the hell he comes off saying that,' said Mr. Emanuel, who has ties to Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama and has not endorsed in the race.
"'The gratuitous attack on her is uncalled for and wrong. He is a better senator than that comment reveals.'"
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