Mid-Week Mix-Up

Interesting discourse on the last post; but I have to say I find myself bristling about the folks that say "I want a woman to be President, but Hillary is not that woman." I also feel the same way about the folks that say, "I'm not going to vote for her because the Republicans hate her." Why is she the wrong woman? Because she is loud? Strong? Smart? Opinionated? Are we waiting for a more rational woman? A calmer woman, less divisive woman? One, perhaps, who knows her place?

The Republicans hate her, I believe, for two reasons: one, because she's a woman. First and foremost, I truly believe they hate her for that above all else. Secondly, they hate her for calling them on their bullshit when her husband was President and saying that there was a "vast Right wing conspiracy" against her husband. WHICH THERE WAS. Because COME ON. If you can get impeached for blowing married men, I'M FUCKED (technically, Charlie was separated. I promise he had moved out.).

Anyway. I guess I might be more of an idealist than I realized--I'll vote for her in the primary, but I'll be perfectly happy with Obama if he gets the nomination.

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Liz posted this link, proving why Huckabee scares the living fuck out of me:

"I believe it's a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards," Huckabee said.

Holy fucking shit people. HOLY FUCKING SHIT. This man cannot win.  Mitt Romney is scary too, and perhaps I'm naive to say so but Mormons have always struck me as a "Mind you own business while we do crazy shit" kind of religion rather than a "crawl up into my uterus and check out what's going on" kind. Sigh.

Please, for the love of God. The only person on the Republican side that looks like a half-way decent person to me, a total outsider, is McCain. Can anyone tell me anything different?

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Tori is fighting off another bad cold. For the three weeks she was not going to morning care, she wasn't sick. By the second day she was at morning care again, she had another cold.

How long does this go on? A year? Really?

By the way, you were all right. She's much, much happier going three days a week than she was going once a week. Now she runs up the stairs and starts playing before I can even get her coat off. She waves goodbye to me without even looking. It's awesome.

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I am totally obsessed with my 40th birthday, which is happening on April 26th this year. As it happens, that's a Saturday night. I'm going to have to have a party, aren't I?

I do not want to be a woman over 40. My boobs are sagging enough with the number 40 attached to them. It's really bothering me. I know I shouldn't care. I know. I suck. But I do.

I've decided in reaction I'm going to get pink streaks in my hair again. After all, I work from home, I never see my clients in person, there's nothing to stop me. I'll probably get another tattoo as well. So take that, 40, in the ass.

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A couple of links!

First of all, Sarah mentioned this awesome love story that she watched happen through her photography group. They have started their own Cafe Press store as a way to see each other since they live on opposite sides of the country. If you need some Gay Gear, buy it from them, would ya? Help make the dreams of a couple of girls come true.

Also, I happened upon this cool lady while masturgoogling (you know, googling myself). We have the same name! And she makes such cool cards, I couldn't help but share her with you all. Course, I thought when I saw "cecily ink" I was gonna get another highly tattooed gal like myself, but you can't have it all. I'm planning on ordering some of her stuff. Like these. And maybe these.

Also, I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I'm gonna do it again: Sarah put out another book of her photographs! This one includes all of her first year of self portraits. Dudes, you HAVE to get it. It's beautiful. You might have to hide it from your husbands though...she's pretty hot in some of 'em.

Lastly, there's a new post at my work blog. Yee ha.

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That's it from me. Any stray thoughts from you guys?

Comments

[brooke]

hi cecily -
i've been lurking on your site for a long time, but i wanted to add my 2 cents. first off - i'm lds, a very liberal member of the church. i'm not a molly mormon type - oh goodness no - and while there is secrecy in the church - there seems to be some level of secrecy in a lot of religions. *shrug* anyhow - i don't like mitt because he's a republican - against choice, gay marriage, and i'd bet is not a pacifist (i am pro-choice, very pro gay marriage, and working to become a pacifist to my very core).

as far as hillary - i don't intend to vote for her in the primary because i don't think she is electable. i'm not going to vote for dennis kucinch - even though his views about the world are most in line with my own - because heck, he can't even carry a majority in the ultra liberal precinct in eugene, ore. that i vote in. i'm going with edwards - even though he's not doing well in primaries. why? because i think he's electable. i can't deal with another 4 years of a war mongering republican in office. if there's going to be a war mongerer in office i'd rather they have a democrat in office at least. this election - and the last 2 in fact - have been about a pragmatic vote for me. after reading sarah shulman's "my american history" before the 2000 election i got a better idea about how the lgbt and aids rights communities faired under a bush, and i needed to do what i could to make sure that didn't happen. it did, and it's even worse for them under this bush. hence my pragmatism.

anyhow - i appreciate you talking politics on your blog. i'm very political myself, and i always love that i agree with you.

[maria]

Europe calling: Get rid of this administration, for God's sake, and we don't mind if you vote for a black man, an Inuit, a transexual,or a two-headed alien as long as she-he-it has a functional brain.

[Catherine]

Hillary is the wrong woman because she is completely owned by Big Corporate, and will allow them even more access to our federal government than they already have. That's why. And I have to say that *I'm* starting to bristle at people who accuse me of being "not feminist enough" because I don't support her.

Anyone who says Romney is more scary than Huckabee hasn't done his research. I don't know how many places I've posted this same information, but here we go again...While governor of Arkansas, Huckabee forced a mentally disabled minor child rape victim to bear her own stepfather's child, rather than waive the parental notification laws. Also while governor, he granted clemency to a convicted rapist after the rapist claimed he "found religion" while in prison; after Huckabee released him, he went on to murder another woman.

He is a batshit crazy religious zealot lunatic. He doesn't believe in evolution. He believes there should be a constitutional amendment to have prayer in schools, to have the 10 commandments posted in government buildings, to put creationism into all school curriculums, to ban abortion permanently. He is terrifying.

[Catherine]

PS. JuliaKB: you have McCain fucking NAILED. It drives me crazy when people think he's a "good guy" because they haven't bothered to do the slightest bit of investigation to find out that this lying, toadying piece of shit is so far up Bush's ass we may as well elect Jeb. Well done.

[alyssa]

ah, politics. i keep wavering among the democrats i'll vote for in a few weeks. hilary, forget it. i find her abrasive and just plain irresponsible. and a doormat in her marriage, if you want to know the truth.

i love obama, but love edwards more. at this point, i don't care who it is so long as they get a dem in office.

[Ann]

I'd love to see a woman president but not Hillary. There may have been a "right wing conspiracy" against her husband but they didn't make him get a bj, didn't put his dna on the dress, and didn't make him LIE to the grand jury. In my opinion, he made an absolute fool of her by sending her out there to defend him when he knew he was lying. Yet she sacrificed her pride for her blind political ambition. That is NOT the example of a strong woman that I want my daughter to see.

About being 40, join the club. Come on in, the water's fine. 50 is the new 30 these days so 40 is nothing. Celebrate it!!

[wookie]

I don't dislike Hillary, I just get a vibe off of her that she's got something to prove, and that is her #1 motivator. I'm not comfortable with that in my presidential candidate. I'd love to see Obama in though. Hell, I'd love to see Hillary as his running mate. Just not in the presidential seat.

That being said, if she won the Democratic ticket, I'd still vote for her because she's (obviously) the lesser of the evils by FAR, she's just not my *top* choice.

[Camille]

I truly get "irked" when I read things about Bill Clinton being impeached because of a blow job. No. He was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. Lying in court is bad. Everyone knows this. The president knew this. He did it anyways and about such a stupid ass thing too. He should have manned up and said, "yep, got a blow job in the Oval office". What would have happened? No impeachment.

All that being said, I'll probably vote for Hillary. I want my daughters to know that if they want to be president they could be. If we don't elect Hillary, I feel it will be a long time before another electable female will be running for president.

However, if I don't vote for Hillary, I will probably vote for Obama, again because I'm a believer in breaking down barriers and this is another important milestone in our country.

[ls]

I just want a democrat. Like you, I turn 40 in April, 20 days before you, as a matter of fact. Some weekly news magazine, Time or the like had a cover or article recently about our year, 1968, entitled, (get this) "The Year That Hope Died". Nice. I spent more than a few years doing tons of drugs, making bad choices, then got preganant in my mid-30's rather unexpectedly, and now I am on the cusp of a point I never thought I would reach alive. So I am actually pretty happy about it.

[grammice]

As I see it Hillary stayed with Bill because it was to her advantage at that time & it has worked. Alot of men use women the same way so why is it bad when a Woman does it.
40 is TOTALLY COOL Pink hair and a tattoo live on the edge. I got my first tattoo at 40. I'm so proud!
Have a party, make limeade sherbert punch, eat chicken wings in hot sauce till you die! LOL

[Leann]

Here is a good site for following all the candidates and where they stand on the issues.

http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

They also have a vote match quiz to compare your positions with each candidate.

http://quiz.ontheissues.org/Quiz.htm

[Alison]

LOL on the Mormon comment and turning 40. Well, 40 is the new 30! Make it a sexy one. Anyway, I had this big long comment planned about Hillary and sexism, but my little girl here is kvetching so all I'm going to say is, this post of yours is so UPPERCASE. Love it.

[trishka]

well, i'm one who said she won't vote for hillary because republicans hate her. and i agree completely with you that it is due to misogyny - she's a strong, smart, ambitious, powerful, capable, tough women and that scares the bejeebers out of a lot of people in this country.

i hate that it is that way. i really thought we would be farther along than this by now. but it is what it is.

so i'm faced with doing a protest vote (she's too centrist for me on the issues to be my first choice) or doing a tactical vote.

at this point i'm ready to do a tactical vote.

and yes, 40 is the new 30.

[Rachel]

As many others have said, I will vote for Hillary if she's the nominee, but I live in Iowa and I definitely didn't caucus for her. I've had a hard time putting into words why I can't support her enthusiastically while we have other choices, but this essay really said it all for me: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/01/10/kissling_clinton/index.html

It's been really surprising for me to realize that I'm not a big fan of hers. I'm a feminist and I'm always championing more women in government, picking women over men to make it more gender equal, but as a woman, I think that Obama will do more for the good of all women and for this country.

I just wish she could trust herself. I know she's a smart person, but she doesn't listen to her gut and if you don't trust your intuition, you've given up on your greatest asset.

[Tater's Mom]

Soooo not here to join in on the political, um...conversation.

Just wanted to totally obliterate your hope for only enduring a year of SickTori from morning care. A year? HA! My three-year-old has been in daycare full time since he was 18 months and he STILL brings home all the germs that ever germed - weekly.

From what I've been told though, we should just deal with it because it strengthens their immune system. Or some dumb shit like that.

[Kim M]

I wonder how many BJ's Bill will get in the Oval office if Hillary gets them back in???
On another note, turning 40 just plain sucks. Did that last year and, I wish I would have gotten a tattoo :) 41 was a little easier.

[Rbelle]

I agree with Catherine - I don't think HC is the right woman because she's influenced hugely by big corporate interests, and she's not anywhere near as progressive as I'd like. She really seems to have sold out since she was First Lady, and as far as I can tell, she just keeps selling. I'd love to believe that once in office, she'd move back over to the left a bit, but given that the first four years of a presidency are one big long campaign to get a second term ... I don't trust that it will work that way.

That said, I think it SUCKS that she has to work so much harder to prove herself than any male candidate. I actually DO think she's electable, since I think she's polarizing in a good way as well as a bad one, and a lot of people really loved the Clintons (though more Bill than her - how sad is it that the first potential female president this country could see was only able to become a household name based on her husband's position, not her own many accomplishments). But I can't say that she's any more electable than any other Democrat.

That said, I'll still vote for her if she's the Democratic candidate, no question. In the meantime, I'm still trying to decide between Edwards (squirrely, a little too "good old boy," and really kind of boring, but I find poverty to be at the root of the majority of society's ills, so I really like his platform), Obama (inspiring, fresh-faced etc., but seriously? Anyone who doesn't think he's just as ambitious as Hillary needs to pay closer attention - he's positioned himself *perfectly* for this run for president, in spite of a relative lack of experience. This is no naive Mr. Smith, IMHO), and Kucinich (my conscience vote!).

Sigh. I think it'll be a game-time decision, for sure.

[Mara]

As previous posters have said, impeachment talk in regards to Bill Clinton were because he lied under oath. Given that this man was president of the United States and took an oath to uphold the Constitution, and that the fact that he is a lawyer, make his perjury far graver than that of the average person... which is still terrible.

As for Hillary, I am a Republican, and secretly, I hope she wins, even though I disagree with her on just about everything she has politically. Republicans hate her because they hate the Clinton political machine, and the Clintons are dirty politicians. They really modernized the muckracking of the 1800s. Republicans actually hope that she gets the nomination--don't be fooled--we all think she is a hell of a lot easier to beat than Barack Obama, who has incredibly similar policies to her (those he actually talks about).

[Sherry]

I think you meant you being an outsider, not McCain, right? Cuz, yeah. He's so NOT an outsider.

I realize you're passionate about everything you write, I do, and I admire that tremendously since most people just don't care about politics very much. But, I get the impression that you hate Republicans simply because they're that...Republicans. We're not all bad, evil and we didn't all vote for GWB.

By the way, I'll likely be voting for Obama.

[kate]

THANK YOU for saying that you get bristled by those kinds of comments.

I do, too (as my comment from Wed. probably showed...). The one I still seem to be reading often is that "Hilary is unelectable". I just... argh! GRRR!

If, by "unelectable", you mean "I don't want to vote for her because I am only willing to do what I *think* everyone else is going to do", then, yes. By all means, go ahead and vote that way- it's much easier to just go along with the flow than to dare defy consensus (though a "consensus" without real debate can hardly be called that).

If you are saying that she can't be elected because you mean that you have some sort of prescient powers that the rest of us don't (and thus, you actually KNOW that she won't be elected), then why the fuck are you using these prescient powers to fret about who gets the nomination? Why don't you let us know how this global warming thing will REALLY turn out? Or at least tell us something more entertaining- tell us who the next American Idol will be.

Anyhow- no true rudeness meant here, I just wish that people, EVERYONE, would take the time to think for themselves. And I wish a real debate could occur without resorting to "she's unelectable" or "he's too young", etc.

And I'm sorry, but did I really just read a Republican calling the Clintons "dirty politicians"? Ummm, pot-kettle-black??? Except that I can think of 20+ more examples of dirty backroom political and humanitarian atrocities committed by Republicans that would make any sin perpetrated by the Clintons look like child's play. Seriously. Don't even start- I was born and raised in Texas, the LAND of backroom-secret-jacked-up-good-ol'-boy Republican political dealings. Please.
As for Clinton "lying under oath", um, he was LYING about something that was none of our business, something that was highly personal, and something that had NOTHING to do with his capabilities as president.

And let's be serious here. If impeachment proceedings were brought against any political leader who lied under oath, then every single president who has ever taken the oath of office would have been subject to the same scrutiny. And yet, I see that Bush's lies about reasons for entering war are, as of yet, unpunished. And his lies lead to death, destruction, and massive political turmoil. Clinton's lies lead to a media circus, a Republican-lead witch hunt, and months of public displays of Ken Starr's mental masturbation on how much holier-than-thou he could be. And truthfully, it was only such a big deal because Republicans got so danged excited that this time, finally, it wasn't one of them, unlike pretty much every past example of a politician misbehaving. It's like us Southerners when it snows- it never happens to us, so when it does, we get really, really excited.

Sorry. I tried really hard with my comment on the last post not to dog on other commenters, but this time, I'm just finding myself a little ticked at the blatant lies that people are willing to claim as basis for their political strategy. It's scary.

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

I'm pretty lib as the GOP goes, and I don't hate Hillary -- I just think she'd be wretched as President. I could spend a long time enumerating reasons, but the top two are: (a) She is of the personality type that must ALWAYS be right in any discussion. She really can't take criticism of any sort. I perceive her run for the Presidency as a bid for raw power, not a real imipulse toward serving the nation; and (b) she's a Socialist. It's not PC to call people Socialists, but if you examine her positions, that's what you'll find.

BTW, you might find it interesting that probably the majority of conservative Republicsns do not like Huckabee at all. Go to some of the conservative websites and see for yourself. They perceive him as too liberal. I myself think he would really be more at home in the Democratic party, since although he is very religious, most of his positions are really quite left-leaning. Really, I look at him, and all I see is Jimmy Carter. I don't see Huckabee going much farther in the race, unless someone takes him on as a running mate to try and get the religious vote. So maybe you can cheer up a little now. :)

[Christine]

When we first moved to AZ, I liked McCain. He was one of a few (okay, two) republicans that I thought maybe in the right circumstances, I could vote for. But over the past 8 years, I've seen the man in action. He's scary, and he'll lie, and he'll change his position to suit his own needs. As the previous comments mentioned, the way he's kissed up to Bush, after the way Bush smeared him (AND HIS KID) is offensive.

[Bob Crispen]

John McCain allowed George W Bush to rewrite the Army Field Manual any way he wanted to, to permit torture.

John McCain was

Anybody who can give up so much of his own principles, his own integrity, for a chance at power shouldn't be allowed anywhere near power.

[curiousgyrl]

Hillary Clinton is NOT a socialist. There is nothing remotely socialist about her policy positions on health care, the war, trade, or the economy in general. Hillary Clinton served on the Board of Walmart and is receiving substantial funding from defense contractors. These are not the commitments of a socialist or even of a legitimate progressive.

Its also strange to talk about Hillary's "personality type" being one that can't take criticism--if she couldn't take criticism, especially the unjustified sexist variety, if she really was the kind of brittle, power-hungry bitch she so often gets painted as, she would have retired from public life long ago and parlayed her connections into power and success int the private sector.

All that said, I think Hillary's vote for war in Iraq (which took place while protesters sat-in in her office; we were right, she was wrong)and her continued support for Bush's disastrous foreign policy disqualifies her from receiving my vote or my support in any way.

Maybe if she really WAS a socialist...

[Leta]

I am a registered Independent, but I vote Democratic 99.8% of the time. Unless the Democrats nominate a klansman or something, I'll be voting Blue in November. So here are my election thoughts:

1. It's a Clinton/Obama ticket, folks. They are profoundly stupid if they don't team up. And yes, I think Obama should be VP, as he is young/less experienced, and would be a perfect "heir apparent".

2. Don't underestimate the importance of an heir apparent. The reason that the Repubs are twisting in the breeze right now is because they didn't have one. (In '99, it was Darth Cheney's job to pick out GWB's running mate. He picked himself. Stupid. A two time heart attack can't get elected, hence chaos in the Repub race.)

3. I hope and pray that Romney gets the nomination because HE WILL LOSE. (Same goes for Guiliani, but he has run such a terrible campaign that he's nowhere near a nomination.) No offense to any LDS, but a Republican Mormon cannot win a national election. The Republicans cannot win the presidency without the Evangelicals, and the religious right is totally freaked out by Mormonism.

4. The Republican ticket that keeps me up at night is McCain/Huckabee. They are both likeable men who APPEAR to actually believe things they say. It is hard to disregard what a war hero and a minister have to say. McCain has independent appeal, yet Huckabee is seen by the Evangelical movement as one of their own. JM/MH is a ticket that could win, and it makes me sweat at night.

5. If not Hilary/Obama, then who? If not now, then when? I admit that the legacy implications of another Clinton presidency freak me out; I admit that she lacks the emotive warmth of her husband, but what other woman has a real shot at the White House? It' about time for a woman, time for a person of color. Let's do it up.

Oh, and don't call HRC a doormat or a put upon wife. Bill and Hillary could easily have an open marriage, we don't know. That's their business. HRC could be boning Tyson Beckford for all we know. I, for one, don't give a shit who someone's sleeping with unless I'm sitting in their lap. I care about the ABILITY TO LEAD.