A New Wave

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.

--- MORE ---

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]

Hillary Endorses Obama

Hillary speaks at National Building Museum in D.C.

"To all those who voted for me, my commitment to you is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me. You have humbled me with your commitment... Eighteen million of you from all walks of life -- women, and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian, rich and poor, middle class, gay and straight ... you have stood with me..."

"...I am a woman, and like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects every one of us," she said. "We must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and mothers."

She also thanked "all those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote who cast their votes [this year]"

"This has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family..."

"We all want a health care program that is universal, high quality and affordable... no exceptions and no excuses."

"We all want deep and meaningful equality; from ending discrimination, to promoting  unionization, to providng help for the most important job there is - caring for our families...lead by the power of our values..."

"Imagine how far we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House."

"I will continue to stand strong with you ... the dreams we share are worth fighting for," she added.

"...the journey ahead will not be easy, we will be told that it's too hard, that we're not up to the task...it has been the American way to reject "can't do" claims. It is this belief, this optimism that Sen. Obama and I share...so today I am standing with Sen. Obama to say 'Yes we can.'"

"This is now our time..."

Her web site reflects the shift in her endorsement:

Hillary And Barack Ditch The Media

The New York Times's Jeff Zeleny writes:

[snip]

But before Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton stepped forward to endorse Senator Barack Obama, which she is scheduled to do here on Saturday, they came together for a private reconciliation on neutral turf: the living room of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s home.

[snip]

Early reports suggested that Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton were holding the session at her home on Whitehaven Street, in the shadow of the vice president’s residence. It took hours to determine that the meeting did not take place there, which injected a cloak-and-dagger-like element into the drama and set off a scramble for reporters to find the real secret location.

... Andrea Mitchell was still waiting at the Clinton house this morning... Ha! (a gracious hat-tip to Shakesville for this)!

I can't tell you how much satisfaction it gives me to know that a) Hillary (and Barack) ditched the media for their meeting; and b) Hillary seriously 'dissed MSNBC this week. It was the last cable news network to know that she would be suspending her campaign - noting the story about two hours after it broke on ABC's web page and at least an hour after CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Campbell Brown reported it. Even if Andrea Mitchell wasn't really still waiting, the point is made.

And there is some justice...

Are You Feeling The Unity Yet?

Apparently not everybody is onboard the Unity Train...

PUMA notes that, No one knows what tomorrow’s speech will bring. Speculation is running like wildfire in every direction. Let’s not panic. From our perspective, there are really only two possible outcomes to tomorrow’s speech. Either she will fully and unequivocally withdraw from the race, OR she will not.

If she announces a complete and permanent end to her bid for the nomination, I, for one, do not want to waste any time being depressed. I don’t even want to spend any time feeling bad. If Hillary is out, then our path is clear ...

REUTERS: Obama Meets With Hillary

Details are sketchy about the meeting, which occurred earlier this evening in Washingon. It was initiated by Clinton and signals to some the beginning to "reunite" the Democratic Party after a highly-charged and highly-contested primary race. (EXCERPTS BELOW THE ANALYSIS):

However, Clinton's supporters are not ready to "go gently into that good night" and many have signaled they will support presumptive Republican nominee John McCain in November. Raw emotions exist over what many view as blatant sexism, driven by a large cadre of Obama's online supporters. This has  infuriated women, particularly "baby boomers" who themselves have experienced sexism and hostility as they climbed their way up the ladder in jobs and positions seen as the province of men until the 60s and 70s when a new "wave" of feminism swept across the county and was a concerted backlash against the rampant sexism women faced - even from men in their own "progressive" ranks.