Flashback:
This Is What A Feminist Looks Like
It’s not every day Ms. puts a man on its cover.
In choosing the cover for this special Inaugural issue, Ms. wanted to capture both the national and feminist mood of high expectations and hope as the 44th President of the United States takes the oath of office.
Expectations have only grown since the election, with President-Elect Obama now enjoying over 80% of the public’s support. Most people wish him well, and indeed hope he does “save” us from economic disasters, unending war and occupation, global warming, the decline in our international reputation, and relentless attacks on women’s rights, civil rights, human rights, science, privacy…the list goes on.
When the chair of the Feminist Majority Foundation board, Peg Yorkin, and I met Barack Obama, he immediately offered “I am a feminist.” And better yet, he ran on the strongest platform for women’s rights of any major party in American history. Feminist Karen Kornbluh, the platform’s principle author, ensured women’s rights, opportunities, advancement, and issues were addressed throughout the historic document.
Never has it been easy fighting for equality and social justice. The politics of Washington, our nation, and our world are tough. We have spent far too many years fighting to hold the ground we had already gained. Now is the time to move forward. We are in one of those rare transformational times in history.
and there was this:
That was then, this is now:
Because I’m still just so fucking furious.
Egalia has an excellent round-up of the reactions, very much worth reviewing: Round-Up: Obama Betrays Women & Science Over Plan B Birth Control.
[...]
Meanwhile, the handful of Obama apologists still left in the tubes are making their faint squeaking noises. I’m not going to link to any of it, because, bullshit. In addition to the chess people (“Obama will overturn this as soon as he’s re-elected!”) and the Wingnut Appeasement Squad (“The Republicans forced this move on Obama!”) and the President Who? team (“Goddamn that Sebelius!”), there are the usual attempts to blame “us” rather than Obama — “us” being feminists and liberals. One clown says this is “our fault” for not turning out in sufficient numbers to vote Democrat in the 2010 mid-terms. Another clown says this is “our fault” for not making a strong public case for the joys of teenage sex. Then there’s the clown who says this is “our fault” for not adequately lobbying for Plan B, which is fucking hilarious considering the history.
Even worse are the Obama apologists—Democrats, presumably—who are nodding along with the President’s “wisdom.” Good move, they say; makes sense. The Overton Window is now somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy.
One minor quibble with Egalia and Violet – I’m not sure that it’s fair to call anything Obama does a “betrayal,” especially at this point. To betray implies a violation of trust, and anyone who is still trusting Obama is too stupid to be walking around without a keeper.
I never trusted him and expected the worst. He has exceeded my expectations.
Filed under: Abortion, Barack Obama, Disingenuous Democrats, Sexism and Misogyny Tagged: | Abortion, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Sexism and Misogyny
At least if it was a Republican in the White House doing this shit, the Democrats would whine and complain about it.
Funny how that works out, huh?
I’d like to revisit this woman’s thoughts too. From Feb 2009….
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/sometimes-a-president-is-just-a-president/
Thanks, you just ruined a KFC 3-pc meal.
Since you’re eating chicken, safe to post this?
http://www.planbburger.com/flash.html
I’m not eating anything now.
ew.
That’s pretty sickening all right. But I like to think how their souls have now been crushed by reality and my smile returns.
Yeah, this must be that Judith Warner’s article. What a whacko. With crazies voting like this voting for him, it is no surprise we are where we are today.
Katha Pollitt now:
She did. Here’s what Katha Pollitt said re: Stupak-Pitts:
How much you want to bet that next year she tells us to vote for Obama because the Republicans are worse™?
FUCK Katha Politt.. that what I said yesterday and I will repeat it today.
HONK!!!!!!!
WTF? Obama was “the best possible president?!” You know what I call those women who voted for Obama over Hillary in the primaries? Stupid bitches.
HONK HONK!!!
yep
You don’t have to wait, same article at the bottom pretty much does that:
She appears to be advocating voting for obama but not having passion while voting.
Oh, and emphasis is mine on that quote…
Think you’re right. She’s pathetic. Wonder if she still goes to sleep thinking she voted for “the best possible president.”
When I mentioned this decision by Obama to my husband over dinner, his instant reaction was ‘that one decision is all I need to know to not vote for him’ and he never did the first time and will never do the second time around.
Gosh, where’s our Obot troll Susan now? Cat got her tongue.
Near as I can figure, she crawls in during the wee hours of the morning when the sex dreams about Obama wake her up in a cold sweat.
People say that Republicans are worse, but back when Reagan was president we had 3 women’s health clinics right in the middle of town and a bar on every corner. Today our town is looking very sad. Not only are there no women’s health clinics anymore, but you can’t have an old fashioned bar in the city limits now days. No smoking on public streets and cameras everywhere. It’s not my working class neighborhood anymore.
We’ve been controlled by Dems for a long time now. They do ban a lot of things “for your own good,” just like Republicans do, but the real problem is the people. When Republicans are in charge, there’s a backlash, suddenly people care about things. When the Dems are in power it’s as if people just drink koolaid and pretend all is right with the world.
Seriously, I’m longing for a really rabid Republican again. Perhaps that will bring back the anti war protests, the women’s health clinics, people who actually care about civil rights again. I honestly think I prefer this country when people are rebelling. At the moment Obama has banned a form of birth control, executed a couple of US citizens, and is likely engaged in a covert war with Iran. The people’s response? Silence. Well at least he’s not a Republican. Well damnit, it that’s what it takes to make people care again, then replace him with one.
I think you’ve got something there.
I wish I could care. I don’t. I don’t personally think it’s a betrayal or even that important that teenage girls have access to Plan B. I’ve read all the arguments, including “Do boys have to ask for condoms at the drugstore?”
I don’t know about where you all live, but yes, in fact, boys do have to ask for condoms at our drugstores, because all that shit and the pregnancy tests, too, are behind glass so the little rug rats don’t steal them. And guess what? Girls buy condoms, too. And both boys and girls have little trouble getting access to other over-age products, like beer, and illegal products, like pot. So I don’t see how this is much of a hardship for many of them, and I’m not sure that because a handful of teenaged chicks in America might not be able to work around it is reason enough to make it easier on all of them. To my thinking, this is more of the sex-and-abortion-on-demand thinking, which has been a complete disaster for our teenagers, anyway.
Fuck it. I’ll care when these jack-aces start caring about getting women elected. Until then, choke on it, morans.
Until recently, I taught 13 year-olds in a typical middle class town. Some kids on reduced lunches, but most not. Very few of them would have the $50 on hand that Plan B typically costs so shoplifting might be the only avenue open to them if they found themselves needing it. I have mixed feelings about this. As an adult woman I am angered at Obama’s “Father Knows Best” attitude toward women on more than just this issue. But it breaks my heart to know that my “baby girls” are participating in “Rainbow parties”. They are doing too many grown up things before they give themselves a chance to grow up first. Denying them access to Plan B, even if they have to steal it, isn’t going to change that, though.
myiq, I just want to say thank you. Yours is the first post I’ve seen on this despicable decision, by a blogger of the male persuasion. True, I frequent only a small number of blogs so perhaps there’s plenty of men out there who are disgusted and angry with this huge setback for reproductive choice, but I haven’t come across them. I dunno if it’s a sad or a happy day in Muddville when the only guy who makes some noise about women’s rights is the man with the serial killer clown icon. But, either way, thanks bunches.
(Hey, wait a minute, where did Captain Spaulding get off to?)
A couple weeks ago some pinheads were denouncing me as a Republican.
I linked two articles on this here yesterday. You’re right about not seeing much on this. The Politt and Traister articles were the shortest lived articles on memeorandum yesterday — no one wrote about them and linked them. Fuck those bastards.
ditto, I appreciate it too.