NY Times sexist re Hillary Clinton?

Pretty remarkable that the morning after Hillary Clinton, the U.S. secretary of state, gave a major foreign policy speech at the influential Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, the New York Times sole coverage of it is a piece focusing on rehashing the supposed personal Clinton-Obama rivalry theme. All about whether or not she is being shunted to the sidelines and whether she is trying to re-grab position. Cat-fight overtones here? Hardly a mention of the substantive foreign policy issues Clinton discussed, not even her interesting comments on reasserting State Department's role in foreign policy, i.e., demilitarizing it back from Pentagon.

And this is the take the Times chooses to put on page 1? You have to wonder, if it had been a similar speech by a male would they have handled it this way?

Machinists union stands up to right-wing/media b-s

A major national political development took place on Monday in Florida. The 2,600 delegates to the International Association of Machinists convention enthusiastically voted to endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States. They set in motion a major on-the-ground election effort in key battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

This move by the nation’s second largest industrial union — those famous blue-collar voters the Republican right and the corporate media have been voicing oh so much concern about — came despite a week of assault by the very same Republican far-right embodied in the McCain/Palin campaign, with a cowed corporate media largely following their script.

The IAM had backed Hillary Clinton, and during the primaries IAM President Tom Buffenbarger made some over-the-top comments. Yet, this week, he and this 700,000-member blue collar union took their stand based on the nitty gritty of what is at stake for America’s working class in this election. It was a significant rejection of all the b-s the anti-worker, anti-family, anti-women, anti-democracy McCain-Palin campaign is spewing.

Yet a Google search today turned up barely a word about this in the corporate media.
Aside from our newspaper, you have to go to the Machinists web site to get any information about it.

Likewise, Hillary Clinton’s rousing speech to that convention, and her campaign tour of Florida, drew skimpy and tepid coverage in the corporate media.

The IAM notes that:

The packed convention hall rose to their feet repeatedly during Clinton's remarks and displayed unequivocal support for her request to back the candidacy of Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

"You were with me from the start, and I want you to know that I will stand with you as we try to change what's going on in this country," Clinton told the delegates. "I believe this country is worth fighting for, and that's why I am fighting to elect Barack Obama the next president of the United States.

"I don't think there's ever been higher stakes in an election than what we're facing this November. Barack and I may have started on different paths, but we are on one journey now, and it's a journey to take back our country because Americans do better when we have a Democratic president," declared Clinton.

"I know Senator Obama. I've seen his passion and determination. He understands both the economic stresses here at home and the strategic challenges around the world," said Clinton. "We've got to start with a president who actually understands the changes we have to make. And no one has more at stake in this election than the American labor movement."

Immediately following her remarks, delegates unanimously passed a resolution endorsing Barack Obama for president. "This union is not half-hearted with its endorsements," said IAM President Tom Buffenbarger, who was an early and strong supporter of Sen. Clinton in the primary race. "We will have boots on the ground in every state to make sure our members understand that Barack Obama is the best chance in a generation to reclaim the American Dream for working families."

The endorsement of Obama will trigger a massive education campaign among IAM members and extensive publicity in union publications and worksites nationwide. The IAM is a significant political presence in the key industrial states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Quote of the week

"Here's a whole row of old white women who are voting for Obama and have no hesitation about it," said 64-year-old Karen McFadyen of Orlando, as her companions nodded agreement. "The only thing Sarah Palin has in common with me is that she wears a skirt."

In Kissimmee, Fla., on Hillary Clinton's Florida campaign tour for Obama yesterday.

Young Clinton delegate: Hillary won wavering Dems to Obama

I found a great piece on the California Progress Report blog by Don Gibson, a student at the University of California at Davis, president of College Democrats and a Democratic Convention delegate pledged to Hillary Clinton. It's titled "Young Calif. Democratic Convention delegate: Hillary won wavering Dems."

Here are a few excerpts:

"Hillary Clinton proved why she inspired millions of Americans. The grand speech she gave reaffirmed the support that she garnered from her years of public service. Before she started speaking, she had 2 minutes of a standing ovation to her. Her speech would not have brought in every PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) supporter but it effectually convinced all of the iffy supporters to vote and campaign for Obama. …

"My friend and die hard Clinton supporter John Vigna said 'So tonight, Hillary elected Barack Obama.' He is right. I do not have any more significant qualms about voting for Senator Obama.
I hope all of the PUMA’s sleep in and do not cause a ruckus at the roll call vote which many of us are not sure how it will work. I was elected to vote for Hillary and that is what I plan on doing. I do not see anything that will change my vote as of now. Hillary had her light in the sun and the American people listened. Obama may have just won the election because of this remarkable woman.

" … Monday’s speeches were all about getting to know who Obama is. It is working and I have been learning so much about this man."

Read the rest here.

- Marilyn Bechtel

Thoughts on Hillary's speech

All the buzz on Hillary's speech is she did what she was supposed to do -- and with a lot of style, substance and grace. Of course, McCain is focusing on what she -- according to their campaign -- should have said and didn't. Talk about male supremacy!

Anyway, the speech was masterful politics. And the thing that really struck me. She appropriated the Obama-style of doing politics and made it her own. From the grassroots -- bottom up change, references abounded. She even mentioned "union workers" two times. HArriet Tubman quote. Bush, McCain and the Twin Cities were all great parts of the speech.

At the All Boats Rise forum on the economy NY Times columnist Paul Krugman said even Rubin doesn't agree with Rubin-economics anymore. Well even Hillary Clinton doesn't agree with Clintonian politics anymore.

The brilliance of the Obama campaign was they understood this particular moment in history -- the end of the Bush era, the incredible changes taking place with new technology, and the mushrooming up of a major political movement in response to the corporate, ultra right offensive.

Clinton's campaign did not see the future but started out basing her campaign on the 1990s and "triangulation" -- or ameliorating the ultra-right.

But so much has changed since the 1990s. In the economy, look at the disaster their financial free trade has wrought. Subprime, credit meltdowns, foreclosures, bleeding jobs, wages stagnant, bankruptcies from skyrocketing health care costs/millions without insurance. Not to mention the civil rights gains being repealed, college costs, public schools and of course the Iraq war with its lies, deaths, and treasure spent.

I really agree with the previous post by Joelle Fishman. A major political realignment is underway and Hillary Clinton gets it and is going to be part of shaping the flow of history.

I wonder if her husband will get it, too.

On Hillary supporters and PUMA

The media is going crazy over the Hillary Clinton supporters vs. reality -- meaning that Barack Obama is going to be nominated. Here's my take on it.

I was at a Denver event celebrating the 88 years since women won the vote. The place was packed with older and younger women either in Denver for the DNC or supporters who live in Colorado. I talked to staunch Hillary supporters but the overwhelming majority of the hundreds and hundreds of women who were there were behind Barack Obama.

Yet the women I did talk to who were Hillary delegates -- from Ohio and Kentucky, both Clinton states -- were pretty adamant: They weren't happy about the pending Obama nomination and they weren't going out of their way to work for him.

All these women were white.

In one conversation the women from Ohio claimed that Hillary had brought out the Republicans and Independents in their rock red county and now these voters are going to McCain.

A former New Yorker, turned Coloradan who was a member of the Colorado State Assembly overhearing this conversation, interjected with a New York-Western attitude, "I don't believe it."

This shook these Buckeyes up and they said they were really going to work for Obama but they didn't think he'd win Ohio. "I don't believe it" this seasoned Coloradan elected official said.

Then a boisterous group of women from Kentucky wearing "Pitch Mitch" paraphanalia walked in. Knowing that Republican Mitch McConnell is in trouble for his Senate seat, I wanted to talk to them.

Well I got an earful. "Obama missed a great opportunity when he didn't pick Hillary for vice president. It could have united the party." On and on they told me how upset they still are. How unappreciated they felt. How they weren't into working for an Obama election. "Now don't get me wrong. I've been a Democrat all my life." But they were putting their all into "Pitching Mitch."

"Do you know anything about this lawsuit to prevent Obama from becoming the nominee?" I asked. The woman's face lit up. "Yeah," she blurted out. "The lawsuit was filed for a temporary restraining order but the judge denied it." Then her face changed. And she said, "No, I'm not a part of it." And our animated conversation came to an end.

I was really pondering this phenomena. Could there be women that felt so strongly about a woman president, and Hillary herself, that they are so hurt that they can't really "move on?"

I was feeling a bit foreign from these Hillary feminists. How could they not be worried about a John McCain election? How could they not be working their butts off to prevent McCain, who has a terrible record for women's rights -- declaring himself against pay equity and reproductive rights?

Then another woman came up to me and whispered: They are PUMAs.

"What is PUMA?" I asked.

"Party Unity My Ass" she said.

Hmmm, I thought. Then afterwards it dawned on me. It was history repeating. When the women's rights and abolitionist movement clashed in the 1800s it was ugly. What I read was lots of ugly, racist opinions trying to bolster the women's rights cause. The movement was too young and immature to realize you can't use racism, or be influenced by racism, to bolster another struggle for rights. It just doesn't work.

There are all sorts of people in the Democratic Party, including those influenced by racism, or those who don't want to struggle with their friends and neighbors on the issue. So instead of coming to grip with reality and fighting, these women have chosen to drop out or complain. And objectively that means McCain could win and set back women's rights 100 years. Racism does not advance women's rights.

As I heard a progressive congresswoman say to those who weren't happy about John Kerry: Just get over it!

These women are -- I'm estimating -- no more than 20 percent of the Democratic electorate. But in a tight race that's a lot! What could drive the thinking of such voters. I don't think it can be sugar-coated. It's racism. That's what distorts people from voting for their self-interest. I'm so grateful for the labor movement which has decided to take on the issue head on.

There will always be those who look for the easy way out. The non-struggle path. But as Frederick Douglass once said, Power cedes nothing without struggle, it never has and it never will.

So PUMAs -- do you really want four more years of Bush? If not, then struggle.

The Best videos of the primary season

Now that the primary season is over(thank god!) I wanted to share the most popular viral videos of the primary campaign season. This is in no order of preference; however i will say that my 2 favorites are "The Empire Strikes Barack" and "I got a crush on Hillary" if you know of others or want to share your thoughts on these please comment. Also coming soon i will share the best McCain spoofs i like.


Vote Different



The Empire strikes Barack




Hillary and Bill spoof the Sopranos ending



"I Got a Crush...On Hillary" (take that obama girl!)



"I Got a Crush...On Obama" By Obama Girl

Obama Blues Over?

Now that Obama leads in superdelegates, and Hillary has started to take a slightly less divisive tone, is his oxymoronic first-place runner up status finally over? Don't count on it. And don't underestimate the manipulative powers of the corporate media and the Democratic Party machine.