Media
Randi Rhodes Plays Don Imus
Kudos to Air America for suspending Randi Rhodes because of her utterly inappropriate, unprofessional comments about Hillary Clinton. During a rant in San Francisco, at a public event sponsored by an Air America affiliate, Rhodes called Clinton a f**g whore, among other incendiary language.
Sexist slurs are no more right coming from a liberal commentator than from a Don Imus, and they are just as wrong coming from a woman as from a man. Air America’s swift and sure action was the responsible course. Rhodes should not be allowed back on the air until and unless she apologizes publicly to Clinton and the women of America. In addition, she should be sent for remedial training to the nearest Women’s Studies program.
Here’s what Air America’s chair, Charlie Kireker said in a brief statement. I encourage you to post your support for Air America’s action there. The Hillary haters are posting in abundance; they seem unable to separate their personal animosity for the candidate from the issue at hand, which is the continued and almost knee-jerk use of sexist language in the media to disparage any woman not in the favor of the talk show host. Sorry, but that’s unacceptable no matter whom one supports for President.
Read MoreSpeak Up Some More on Hillary
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with the snark about Hillary Clinton, judging things about her they would never even notice in a man.
But when you are the first anything, you’ll never be seen with an unjaundiced eye. In the end, Hillary Clinton’s candidacy is a giant step toward normalizing the idea of women running for highest office. Until then we will continue to be barraged with misogynist Chris Matthews rants and websites selling Hillary Clinton nutcrackers.
Fortunately, as a counterbalance and a ligher touch, in the February MORE.com forum online, Deborah Siegel, author of Sisterhood Interrupted, asked women (generally 40 and up) who have themselves accomplished many firsts to weigh in on what a Hillary presidency might look like. Says Deborah, ” The forum is richer than the squabbles that dominate the news, and I feel it’s so very important to inject some fresh takes into the public conversation.”
Read MoreClinton, Couric, and Chris Matthews’ Sexist Spin
When it comes to Chris Matthews’s interpretation of Hillary Clinton’s words—any of her words—she’s damned if she yeas and damned if she nays.
After gloating that a new poll found Hillary losing in a matchup with any one of five Republican presidential candidates, Matthews later in the same program spun her November 26 interview with Katie Couric, in which–like any candidate with half a brain and a quarter of a spine–Clinton showed confidence in her ability to win the Democratic nomination.
Read MoreBest of the Web?
In the you-never-know-what’s-going-to-catch-them category, I was surprised to discover this morning that the Wall Street Journal, of all places, took umbrage at my clever rendition of Rudy Giuliani’s well reported cross-dressing appearance, and cited a blog lambasting me and others as “gay baiters” in their “Best of the Web” section. Well, OK, just spell my…
Read MoreThank You, Imus, for a Teachable Moment
This is a Moment with a capital “M”. The opportunity for fundamental social change doesn’t come often, so let’s take full advantage of it.
Shock jock Don Imus’s racist and sexist remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team didn’t go beyond his typical bottom feeder discourse, but in this age of YouTube and internet rapid response capability, his sleazy pot shots against a target so clearly undeserving of epithets have captured the nation’s attention. We’ve been riveted to the story and it has brought us together. Interest soon turned to outrage; the outrage continues to mushroom into new social expectations. Suddenly it is Imus who’s shocked. Even Oprah is talking about it, and when a story reaches that level, you know Imus had better head for rehab fast because the times, they are a-changing.
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