The man has been saying goodbye for so long, he’s come to resemble one of those reconstituted rock bands that have been on a farewell tour since 1982. We had exit interviews by the carload and then a final press conference on Monday, in which he reminisced about his arrival on the national stage in 2000. “Just seemed like yesterday,” he said.
I think I speak for the entire nation when I say that the way this transition has been dragging on, even yesterday does not seem like yesterday. And the last time George W. Bush did not factor into our lives feels like around 1066.
(...AND....three...two...one...)
18 comments:
I keep thinking, "Next week, next week, next week..."
Sorry, this is totally off-topic, but you've got to read this, if you haven't already. Violet Socks gets noticed and outed by Naomi Wolf. Brain-melting.
Oh, dear. Naomi, Naomi. -tsk-
You know, though, given the fapping about Obot "paid bloggers" and the various other conspiracy theories that have been floating through PUMA land, I don't think, overall, they can point too many fingers.
Still one of the better pieces she's done in a long time, Violet. That's right; she actually used to be funny, once.
--oh, wait, wait a minute. Why was I thinking she was talking about RL?
Um, but, right, it's just...she's not the only one who's founded "New Agenda," amirite? I mean, wossname, she IS kind of a right winger...god, what the fuck is her name again?
Well, it's nice that Violet came together to create a "New Agenda" that explicitly does not put reproductive rights as a fundamental principle of feminism anymore. Yeah. We're on board she's not actually working for Scaife, nudge nudge wink wink. Can I still call her a sellout? Groovy.
and, okay, created the website; is she funding shit? is there anything to actually fund, really? I mean, if you look at the other wossname, Murphy's site, she's constantly soliciting funds to "keep the lights on;" it's not clear which lights she's referring to because that blog is either freeware or damn close, but, well.
Siskind. Amy Siskind. Yeah; and Murphy (who's now on the outs with TNA) -did- donate to McCain...basically I think it's a money-making racket for her, at least, at this point. dunno what Siskind's personal saga is, but yeah, kind of underwhelmed with "the New Agenda," thanks.
-holds up a square with spokes in it- "Isn't it great? I call it a 'weele.'"
sister of ye says:
The more I see of Donna Brazille and Naomi Wolfe, the more I’m convinced that Al Gore was purposely sabotaged in 2000. Which makes me wonder who’s funding their payroll. A little projection there, Naomi?
...fuck all y'all, I'm going bowling.
I don't even like bowling. But I'm going anyway.
jesus.
NoMo says:
OMG, saw this and had to comment. Here goes a long rant.
I can’t believe how Siskind’s protest of this has been spun. These people do not get that Obama won because of extreme misogyny in this country! Do they really think he was qualified to be president on his own merit? I mean how ridiculous are these Obama supporters?
And to add insult to injury, misogyny was openly compared to race and even though the misogyny was a gazillion times worse than the racism, the country declared that race was more sacred than gender and that women were not to be given equal consideration and respect as citizens of this country! I mean this was bad! Our sisters in Sweden were fainting at the sheer misogynistic hatred, all in the name of electing Obama! There were some seriously big statements on the state of civil rights in our country this year–for both women and gays, btw. Meanwhile these same women have spent a lifetime fighting against racism and fighting for minorities. It was an enormous slap in the face to watch women be cheerfully humiliated and gleefully hated by all the country’s demographics. I could go on.
Anyway, this was done ALL IN THE NAME OF ELECTING OBAMA. THAT is why it is so insulting to see him on the cover. Wake up, Wolf, et. al!! Next are we going to see Wolf sporting “Bros before hos” and “I wish Hillary had married OJ instead” tees? What is going on??!
...o Christ, are they still on about the bloody Ms. cover?
...ooookay. Having watched the video; well, yes, some of Wolf's mannerisms kind of grate, and "Christmas and Hanukah and Arbor Day" or whatever is a -bit- overwrought; but yeah, I agree with the basic point, which she gets back to toward the end: everyone gets hung up on symbolism; what about the damn policies? It's a bloody magazine cover; yes, it means -something-, but his policies are about the same as HRC's would have been (and yes, that would've been a huge-ass Ms. fullcolor multi-volume series, and rightfully so). Whinging that -Palin- should've been on instead, as apparently at least someone out there did, is...just, o go -away-.
I think she could've used better examples to show how Obama's policies are -explicitly- going to be better for women-reversal of the gag rule, for instance--o wait! TNA doesn't think reproductive rights are that important! Never Mind.
and yeah, good call with Bush; he did play the "no, really, it's all about the women" crap as an excuse for bombing the shit out of Afghanistan and later Iraq (!) (you know, all those oppressive Moslem men are exactly the same; liberation through death and maiming FTW!) And some people fell for it, and continue to fall for it. Some of them frequent TNA, yep, mhm.
I know Violet's never exactly been a fan of Dubya, but I'm sorry, I just can't take anyone who tried to throw the vote to McCain seriously on this shit.
And yeah, you know, a passing glance at TNA--presumably it's all Wolf spared it, and why would she bother with more? are they that important? yeah, you -would- wonder if it's right wing or what, because, gosh, it sure -reads- right wing in many respects. Many many. It's not like Violet's Feminist Creds are all over the front page; and anyway, um...who cares?
and I guess I'm missing the Funny Part about how Violet's snark in the direction of Hugo some years ago (at least we agree on something; Hugo -is- insufferable) would be related to Wolf?
The thing that struck me. Beyond the diversionary attempt to pass the whole thing off as "Naomi is clearly offended that I wrote a piece full of anti-Christian sneering, which I was directing at that asshole HUGO, I'll have her know" (why would Wolf have read this, let alone taken offence?), beyond the Manchurian-candidate ironising, beyond all that and the usual Obama-bashing - Violet doesn't actually deny that she's receiving financial support from the Republicans. At no point, so far as I can see, does she actually say "the charge is, of course, without foundation".
at least we agree on something; Hugo -is- insufferable
Hugo (smiling a smile both masterful and indulgent): "Before I saw the light, I would have resented that remark; but after several fruitful confrontations with Amanda Marcotte and with God - all of which were learning experiences (because you know, even teachers can afford to learn a thing or two - for example, how not to fuck their students), I can find it in my heart to forgive you, Belledame. Go your way in peace."
I...assumed the "Naomi is personally offended by me, personally" thing was meant to be some kind of joke, but...it's hard to tell?
I mean, I guess I'm not up on my Naomi Wolf; I hadn't realized that she was some kind of supra-Christian, or that this was somehow risible for some reason while Palin's Christianity, say, is not.
I could I suppose say something to the effect of, she doesn't deny receiving moneys from the Scaife foundation (also missed where Wolf mentioned Scaife specifically, but I lost the last 30 seconds or so; or maybe I'm just being irony impaired today) just means she's laughing it off. Then again, I've been following too many "Birfers" spouting too much conspiracy theory crap, along with o so familiar cries of "Obot! Obot!" to feel too arsed about it. Naw, she's not a Birfer, I'm sure, but after all the tinfoil bullshit she's enabled, directly and indirectly, with her stupid website(s) and ranting about how ghastly terrible Obama is...somehow, her turning around and sneering at -other- people for being ludicrously conspiracist isn't as thigh-slapping as it could be.
Fine, she's got impeccable creds as a bona fide genu-wine leftist. So did most of the neocons, before they went neocons, you know? If you walk like a Republican and talk like a Republican, don't be surprised if people start to think you -are- a Republican.
but yeah, the effect of both pieces, especially if you don't actually look at the video, is that Klein gives, or -ought- to give, more of a shit about TNA, much less Violet herself (whom?) than she clearly does. Basically CNN grabbed her for a "celebrity feminist on the street" opinion, and she opined ("who -are- these feminists who're still betching about Ms. and/or the election, and what's their problem already, anyway?" roughly). I doubt it's a question she put loads of time and energy into answering, no. Mostly because: are they -worth- it? I mean, rubbernecking schlubs like me might be paying attention, but I suspect I have a lot more time on my hands than Klein, somehow, especially before classes start again.
Meanwhile, over at PUMPAC (no longer speaking to TNA last I checked--splitter!!), as ganked by someone else:
While I was briefly skimming murphy’s latest missive, which was too long and stupid to actually read, I noticed this nugget. As she was ennumerating the myriad ways Obama is totally the same as Bush ( I mean, isn’t it obvious?), she slipped in this example of “disrespecting the first amendment.”
“pays astroturfers to attack and smear opponents.”
Remember during the primary when the PUMAs were crying about the mythical 400 bloggers that Obama had hired to attack and smear Obama’s opponents?
I never really understood where they got the number 400 from. Besides the idea that there weren’t any genuine Obama supporting bloggers out there, I was always amused by the certainty of the PUMAs repeating this obviously baloney idea.
I havn’t heard this one too often recently, and had naively thought it might have fallen out of favor with the PUMAs. I mean, it’s not as though there havn’t been hundreds, if not thousands, of stories written about the sophisticated Obama messaging operation that failed to mention this. Somehow this top-secret story was exposed by the PUMAs but was never acknowledged by anyone else.
But there goes Darragh Murphy throwing it out there again!
Truth be told, my feelings would be hurt if it were true! I mean, here I am like a schmuck attacking PUMAs for free! I didn’t even get offered a political appointment or ambassadorship! If there’s money in anti-puma blogging, I sure havn’t found it!...
oh yeah, I can't imagine why the mainstream media and/or feminists don't take them more seriously.
http://stupidpumas.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/the-whats-her-name-of-politics/
One relatively unsung star of the PUMAsphere and exemplar of its long-term commitment to feminism has been Christi Adkins. I offer as tribute these examples (my bold):
…
In the DNC’s flawed process, the 18 million invested everything they had only to be left feeling scorned and ignored for believing that “now was the time.” When will the voices of these 18 million angels begin to matter to the DNC - if ever? Or, is their best option to fly to the side of an American hero, the maverick AKA, John McCain?
With their wounded spirits, the 18 million face an all too familiar struggle. How can they justify staying home when their fore-mothers demonstrated the power of women’s will on August 26, 1920?
Almost to the day, in unison, though wounded, jaded, mocked and hated, those brave angels of democracy struggled to end the brutality of women’s suffrage…they ended forever in the country the haunting silence of women’s voices. Are women to be hushed once again on August 26, 2008?
…
http://cristiadkins.blogspot.com/2008/08/will-these-broken-wings-stay-home-or.html
DNC March May 31…All Voices Heard, All Votes Matter
Free Press Release
“On August 26, 1920 Women Ended Their Suffrage & Won the Right to Vote…some of those women born before given the right to vote still live. They live in Florida; they live in Michigan…they live”
For_Immediate_Release:
United States of America (Press Release) May 19, 2008 — On August 26, 1920 Women Ended Their Suffrage & Won the Right to Vote…some of those women born before given the right to vote still live. They live in Florida; they live in Michigan; they live to have their voices heard before they no longer live…
…
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200805/1211226760.html
Obviously, quite a few PUMAs do know what suffrage was and is (you don’t need to be an arch-feminist for that). But Adkins was a (hopeless) PUMA spokesperson on TV at Denver. I’ve seen that press release copied to a number of PUMA-sympathetic sites. On none of them did the commenters pick up on the idiocy!
But Naomi Klein is a "lightweight." Klein is.
I mean, granted, we can't expect everyone in the PUMA movement to have the impeccable creds and knowledgey knowledges of Violet, but.
I think they are getting ready to spontaneously combust over there...
-brings out marshmallow kebob-
Seriously, he's really truly finally gone. It does seem faintly incredible.
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