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News & ArtsMonday, May 18, 2009
Politics / The Ladies The Gender Gap
Posted by Dan Savage on Mon, May 18, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Gee, hard to understand why the GOP has such a difficult time attracting female voters.
Oh.
1
It seems only the truly ugly at heart can't find beauty in others. Oh, and way to be superfical asshats, guys.
2
I truly do not understand the Pelosi hatred and vitriol. A guy I know (Republican-oriented), put her on one of those Facebook "5 People I'd like to Punch in the Face" lists, calling her a bitch. I mean... really... I don't get it. What exactly has Pelosi done that so enrages these people?
She seems pretty innocuous to me. If anything, it seems like it should be the left that's upset with her for not being more active. I find it hard to see why the right hates her so much unless it really is just about a woman in a position of power...
She seems pretty innocuous to me. If anything, it seems like it should be the left that's upset with her for not being more active. I find it hard to see why the right hates her so much unless it really is just about a woman in a position of power...
3
What a bunch of pricks.
Yet this makes me very happy -- keep it up, guys: you couldn't be advertising your true (reptilian) colors any better. SHOW the people who you really are, so the people can decide who they want to align themselves with. Keep the patriarchal sexist bullshit coming, please.
Yet this makes me very happy -- keep it up, guys: you couldn't be advertising your true (reptilian) colors any better. SHOW the people who you really are, so the people can decide who they want to align themselves with. Keep the patriarchal sexist bullshit coming, please.
4
There will come a day when the GOP will be just another question on a History exam, just like the Whig party.
Good riddance.
Good riddance.
5
@2: She's a strong Democratic woman in power who doesn't give a fuck and isn't interested in looking fuckable for them. That's what seems to drive them batty.
6
She's a symbol for their limp dicks. They are politically impotent and their minds associate that with a female challenge to their crude vulgar masculinity. Pitiful. I just hope she ignores them and continues on as Speaker.
7
Rasmussen has a poll showing more people support her than the opposing point of view in the did-the-CIA-lie-to-her thing.
You'd have no idea, from watching mainstream media, or MSNBC.
You'd have no idea, from watching mainstream media, or MSNBC.
8
@2
she enrages people by not doing anything truly hateful. these pundits attack her image because they can't argue with her politics. its simple bullying. if anything, these sorts of insults prove she's doing a good job.
besides, even when he was oppressing the whole planet, didn't we all smile a little through our tears when g.w. bush stumbled over his words? it almost made the destruction of human rights palatable...
she enrages people by not doing anything truly hateful. these pundits attack her image because they can't argue with her politics. its simple bullying. if anything, these sorts of insults prove she's doing a good job.
besides, even when he was oppressing the whole planet, didn't we all smile a little through our tears when g.w. bush stumbled over his words? it almost made the destruction of human rights palatable...
9
"I find it hard to see why the right hates her so much unless it really is just about a woman in a position of power... "
Julie @2: I think you've answered your own query. It also recalls some of the hostility that was shown to Hillary Clinton when she started to emerge as a woman with the potential for a political life of her own. To a lesser degree, there was some of that toward Elizabeth Dole and if you look at potential and confirmed appointees for the Supreme Court and for Cabinet positions, the hostility for the female candidates tends to have a particularly nasty edge to it that seems to be rooted in misogyny.
Julie @2: I think you've answered your own query. It also recalls some of the hostility that was shown to Hillary Clinton when she started to emerge as a woman with the potential for a political life of her own. To a lesser degree, there was some of that toward Elizabeth Dole and if you look at potential and confirmed appointees for the Supreme Court and for Cabinet positions, the hostility for the female candidates tends to have a particularly nasty edge to it that seems to be rooted in misogyny.
10
You can have their model, where they make hilariously inappropriate and unprofessional cracks about Pelosi's hideous Joker face.
Or you can have ours, where we almost always burst into pussified tears over something as marginal as bitch rights.
Or you can have ours, where we almost always burst into pussified tears over something as marginal as bitch rights.
11
Please, everyone knows that the women of the GOP don't listen to political broadcasts -- they stay in the kitchen and vote for who their husbands tell them to!
13
Women voters support gay marriage, national health care, leaving Iraq, and pretty much all other progressive issues at an overwhelming majority. Women voters voted for Gore and Kerry at a clear majority; male voters supported Bush both times in a landslide. This is despite more women than men identifying as religious. We need to redefine masculinity away from cruelty and oppression to make any sort of democratic progress.
See Mr. Poe for a prime example.
See Mr. Poe for a prime example.
14
"I truly do not understand the Pelosi hatred and vitriol."
I know what you mean Julie. We saw similar with Hilary Clinton, and not just from conservatives but from supposed liberals too. Why does anyone think this is an effective way to attract people to their side?
I know what you mean Julie. We saw similar with Hilary Clinton, and not just from conservatives but from supposed liberals too. Why does anyone think this is an effective way to attract people to their side?
15
I have difficulty listening to Rush fucking Limbaugh. Thank you Jesus that the video doesn't show his face.
16
You can't pile on Palin or Prejean, but Pelosi is a perfect target?
And what is their preoccupation with women whose names start with "P"?
And what is their preoccupation with women whose names start with "P"?
17
@12: I'm sorry, these men are proving me wrong how? They have no respect for women aside from beauty queens. Oh, wait, that's not respect either.
The GOP has no desire for women to have any real power or sway.
The GOP has no desire for women to have any real power or sway.
18
@13
Oh my gosh! I had no idea! About any of that! Thank God you're taking me srsly.
@17
Nobody cares.
Oh my gosh! I had no idea! About any of that! Thank God you're taking me srsly.
@17
Nobody cares.
19
their job is to throw mud until something sticks. how do you attack a woman? her looks. how do you attack a man? his erections.
see above.
see above.
20
Q: What's the difference between a bigoted hatemonger and a bigoted hatemonger who says he's just joking when confronted?
A: Nothing!
A: Nothing!
24
I love it when white, middle-aged male Republicans get their asses kicked by dried-out old Botoxed hags. Go, hags, go!
I can't wait for the 65-year-old Julia Roberts to play her in the biopic.
I can't wait for the 65-year-old Julia Roberts to play her in the biopic.
26
I don't know if people can help their reactions to how people look, but the Republicans are way too ready to jump on how the female politicians look, especially when they're threatened by what's coming out of their mouths. I recall a debate in high school that I was winning, and my opponent (a jock) said "Well, you're just UGLY so I don't need to listen to you." He got the required laugh. I won the debate. And high school is about where those boys on TV are at.
27
I've coined the buzzword of the 2009's
P E L O N E Y !
As in, that guy with the ab roller is full of peloney!
Use it, plagiarize it...but love it, too.
P E L O N E Y !
As in, that guy with the ab roller is full of peloney!
Use it, plagiarize it...but love it, too.
28
I'm sorry. Is this not the website that has been calling Prejean a cunt bitch whore for the past two weeks? Give me a goddamn break.
The fact of the matter is when a woman does something that others don't agree with, the first thing that comes out of people's mouths is "she is a cunt bitch whore". Stop pretending to be any different.
The fact of the matter is when a woman does something that others don't agree with, the first thing that comes out of people's mouths is "she is a cunt bitch whore". Stop pretending to be any different.
30
Sarah @26: Thanks for sharing that story (and glad to hear that you won - it's always nice when reasoned facts can trump blowhards & their diversionary tactics).
Funny isn't it that a high school debater would use grade school playground taunts to try to win an argument - and sadder that so-called "adult" pundits resort to those same tactics.
Funny isn't it that a high school debater would use grade school playground taunts to try to win an argument - and sadder that so-called "adult" pundits resort to those same tactics.
31
who is this Mr Poe character? did they time travel from the 1950's?
I wish I was surprised by the comments.... but it is the art of distraction, rather than discuss the ideas or issues, pick apart how the woman looks or the dislike for her pant suit.
I wish I was surprised by the comments.... but it is the art of distraction, rather than discuss the ideas or issues, pick apart how the woman looks or the dislike for her pant suit.
32
I completely agree that those comments about Pelosi are not only hateful, but have no relevance to the job she's doing. However, I don't think we should pretend that men NEVER deal with this sort of thing. I mean, in the last election (in which I voted and campaigned for Obama, by the way), how often were there comments made about John McCain and how old he was, and how he's falling apart. I mean, obviously someone's age and health are important as far as the Presidency, but the jokes went beyond competency on the job and went straight for mean-spiritedness. Ever since the dawn of televised elections, the way a politician looks has been extremely important. There have been polls that show that women are more likely to vote for guys they think are attractive, or give off the APPEARANCE of being a good leader, regardless of whether they actually ARE one. Do women get judged based on a different set of criteria? Yes. But are they the only ones being judged on looks, manner of dress, or youthfulness? No.
I don't know why but, even though I'm a woman and even though I'm usually one of the first to point out the gender gap, it bothers me when people complain about stuff like this - in either Pelosi's case or Hillary Clinton's. I guess it's because I'm tired of making the woman out to be the victim all the time. I guess it's because I don't think these two women in particular give a rat's ass what people like Rush "Pill Popper" Limbaugh say about them, and that our rushing to their aid without them expressing a need for it also contributes to demeaning them.
I don't know why but, even though I'm a woman and even though I'm usually one of the first to point out the gender gap, it bothers me when people complain about stuff like this - in either Pelosi's case or Hillary Clinton's. I guess it's because I'm tired of making the woman out to be the victim all the time. I guess it's because I don't think these two women in particular give a rat's ass what people like Rush "Pill Popper" Limbaugh say about them, and that our rushing to their aid without them expressing a need for it also contributes to demeaning them.
33
The appropriate response to Bloato making remarks about Pelosi's looks would be to point out that he and his excess half-ton of jiggly yellow blubber aren't precisely God's gift to humankind, either.
34
@ 33: No shit. It always amazes me when Limbaugh and his kind bitch about women being ugly. It's like "bitch, do you own a mirror?"
Looks are irrelevant anyway. It's not as if a person should vote based on who they want to fuck. (though pretty much anyone would still rather fuck Pelosi than Limbaugh. Not that anyone could find his dick in the first place)
Using looks like this is just sexist bullshit dismissal. Argue with her on merit. It's not like everyone made fun of Bush "wow, he has big fucking ears on a little head." It's true, but we were too distracted by how stupid and/or evil he was.
Looks are irrelevant anyway. It's not as if a person should vote based on who they want to fuck. (though pretty much anyone would still rather fuck Pelosi than Limbaugh. Not that anyone could find his dick in the first place)
Using looks like this is just sexist bullshit dismissal. Argue with her on merit. It's not like everyone made fun of Bush "wow, he has big fucking ears on a little head." It's true, but we were too distracted by how stupid and/or evil he was.
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