Liberal & Media Hatefest Of Hysterical Hypocrisy: The Mommy Wars

The Unbearable Class Snobbery of Privileged Elite, White Women in the Media and Democrat Party

SANDRA TSING LOH has an opinion piece in the NYTimes yesterday entitled "The Rantings of a P.T.A. Mom" asking why the other candidates couldn't send their kids to a public school like Sarah Palin did.

...it is with huge grief-filled disappointment that I discovered that the Obamas send their children to the University of Chicago Laboratory School (by 5th grade, tuition equals $20,286 a year). The school’s Web site quotes all that ridiculous John Dewey nonsense about developing character while, of course, isolating your children from the poor. A pox on them and, while we’re at it, a pox on John Dewey! I’m sick to death of those inspirational Dewey quotes littering the Web sites of $20,000-plus-a-year private schools, all those gentle duo-tone-photographed murmurings about “building critical thinking and fostering democratic citizenship” in their cherished students, living large on their $20,000-a-year island.

Meanwhile, Joseph Biden, the Amtrak senator, standing up boldly for the right to be a Roman Catholic, appears to have sent all three children to the lovely looking Archmere Academy in Delaware. Archmere’s Web site notes some public school districts allow Archmere students to use public school buses. Well, isn’t that great — your tax dollars at work in the great state of Delaware because with $18,000 a year in tuition, they can’t afford their own buses.


We should be asking:"How can we support and make policies and safety nets stronger and better for ALL moms, dads, parents, children and their families?"


Then again, a spot of happy news for the Democrats: not only did John McCain’s four children attend elite private schools in Arizona, but collective donations to their children’s private schools between 2001 and 2006, totaled $500,000.

And yes, I know I appear to be ranting on like a pit bull without lipstick, which brings me to the final nail in the coffin in this sorry election year. As a Democrat I am horrified that Sarah Palin is the one who snagged the deeply profound — and absolutely ignored by professional smart people — emotional real estate of “P.T.A. mother.” I too am, in fact, not just “my kids’ mom” but their Title I Los Angeles public school P.T.A. secretary. This unheard female howl is, for better or worse, what Ms. Palin has set out to tap into; it is real, and I am sick that we’ve let the Republicans charge this ground.

Sarah Palin’s children went to what looks like a humble little public school: Iditarod Elementary on Wasilla Fishhook Road. The school’s score on www.greatschools.net is a 4. That’s a lot of street cred, for a gun-totin’, snow-mobilin’ creationist-lovin’ lady.

Oh, I’m such a depressed, Democrat P.T.A. mother.

Amen. Thank you Sandra. Sending you healing, supportive energy on your journey. Thanks for bringing this touchy subject up. I'm no longer a democrat. I dumped them too and am now an independent.

While we're at it, the main reason for this entry: I'm totally disgusted with the progressives, leftists, self-described feminists and democrats who — with the blessings and instigations of the media and democrap party — immediately launched the mommy wars, attacking Palin for NOT staying home, for having the audacity to be ambitious and answer the call for the #2 slot in the WORLD, not just the nation.

HUH? !!!! WTF have we all been fighting for all these decades if not for women to make their own decisions, be able to SUPPORT their families as well develop our own professional, personal, creative and intellectual talents whether at home with the kids, volunteering in the community or out in the work-world.

It is hypocrisy of the WORST most disgusting kind; truly infuriating. The writers of the New York Times, Washington Post among the WORST. Sally Quinn (OMG is there a pointier, snootier more hypocritical nose in the D.C. arena? A complete joke. She pooh-poohed Hillary and Bill for not fitting in when they arrived in Washington to begin his first term. Did she do anything to HELP Hillary pass health care reform? HELL NO! She acted like the privileged, rich, adulterous, sniveling hypocrite she still is. Ruth Marcus -- Give Me A BREAK. Shame on you. All the poseurs at the Huffington Post? God has there ever been a more useless, reactive, narcissistic group (other than Daily Kos)? Nancy Pelosi? Nothing like putting party over principles.

And that Dowd woman: puhlease — all women are her enemies and competition. She's the ultimate male-identified college girl who won't grow up. All those democrats who riled against what happened to Hillary and are now making excuses for it because it's directed at Palin (who may be a republican, but she's also a Woman and Working Mom.

All those ridiculous 'liberal democrats' (faux feminists) showing that it is actually their social and class sensibilities — not feminist principles — that have been mortally wounded by a working class woman from Alaska who has enraptured the nation. I seem to remember a black dude politician who captured the imagination of millions not too long ago. Hysterical hypocrisy seems to fit pretty well.

Not only does Palin have a lot of street cred, but also tremendous natural potlical talent. Her entry into the campaign with her amazing story should have offered the perfect launching pad for a national discussion about STRENGTHENING family support systems, child care, family leave, living wages, health care, etc.

Instead, the elite, entitled WOMEN in the media acted (and the obamabots of both genders in the blogosphere) -- not out of feminism -- but out of snobbery and classism.

And it's the classic patriarchal trap and set up: Women destroying other women so that the patriarchal system can claim innocence. Males, male systems, dehumanizing thugs who hold the power and make policies that harm women, children and families once again escape unscathed. They get to stand at a distance, say and pretend: "This is not about us, it's all you silly women. See. We told you that women can't handle power."

Economic power, equality, equal opportunity for ALL women -- ESPECIALLY working class and poor women -- support for all women and their children REGARDLESS of political affiliation or belief system. That's what feminism is supposed to be about.

We should be asking: "How can we support this amazing and talented woman and helping her be the best she can be—as a mother, leader, woman, role-model? How can we encourage HER to be an advocate for all working mothers (the old saying: all mothers are working mothers) and their families (regardless of their political affiliation, etc). How can we support and make policies and safety nets stronger and better for ALL moms, dads, parents, children and their families?" (in all the many forms including foster and grandparents raising their grandchildren)

Why aren't those questions being posed, much less discussed?

The fact that the media owners/publishers have given so much print/page/digital/air time to the HYPOCRITICAL voices attacking Palin very much betrays their superficial reactive, non-grasp of the real issues affecting women, children and their families. They surely don't give a flip about what's best for women, children, families (which by the way, includes men/male relatives of some type in the overwhelming majority of them) or they would not have instigated and fueled this ridiculous bullshit in the first place.

I can't believe how quickly the leftists, democrats, feminists and others who are SUPPOSED to be advocates for women's rights so quickly and easily trashed their own street cred and descended into complete and utter hypocrisy.

Among the few women in the media whom I've heard refuse to jump in to the fray and who also defended Palin: Mika Brezenski of Morning Joe, Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Hillary Rosen (a democrat analyst who supported Hillary), Gail Collins of the New York Times, Joan Walsh of Salon.com and the always annoying but sometimes brilliant Camille Paglia, who has a recent piece in which she proclaims "the charismatic Sarah Palin, a powerful new feminist."

The only national feminist LEADER so far that I know of who hasn't joined the hatefest of hysterical hypocrisy: Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Sandra's complete piece is here.

And Now the Press Begins Picking Apart Obama: No longer the shiny new object

Contains updated material:

As the iconic California pol, Willie Brown, wrote a couple of days ago: "The democrats are in trouble. Period."

His column was entitled "Palin floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee."

"Whenever you start having to explain things, you're on defense." He added that dems don't win elections while on the defensive. Since the brilliant pick of Palin, the dems have been on the defensive. Completely and totally. And totally screwing it up.

The media is bored with Obama.

Here's another reason why Obama is failing to connect as an online reader posted on the washington post politics chat with Dan Balz this week with regard to the race for the White House:

"New York: Dan, as someone who intends to vote for Obama, I'm constantly puzzled at how he seems flummoxed when answering questions he should clearly expect to be asked: about NAFTA, when life begins, and most recently the surge. He seems to be thinking out loud, as though he hasn't thought it through ahead of time. Maybe the campaigns folks just don't consider these burning issues? But it seems to me it goes to character and trust, which may matter more than issues. What's going on here?

Dan Balz: That's an interesting point. ...... Does his style of answering questions make him look less decisive than he really is?"

Duh. Yeah. Looks and sounds unsure, defensive, whiny, complaining (or as Cohen wrote today -- detached, disconnected, dispassionate, disinterested and thus reinforces the NOT READY meme.)

Mostly I keep hearing " those mean republicans aren't playing fair!!! boo hoo hoo! wah wah wah."

Every clip I have seen of Obama recently he sounds like a defensive distant clueless ineffectual John Kerry in 04 -- (sighing Gore in 2000, Dudley Dukakis in 88, Carter in 80) -- he's taken to whining and complaining about the unfair mean old republikkkans. Boo Hoo Hoo some more.

Total losing / loser tactics.

Plus Obama looks like he is sleep walking through this. As if all he needed to do was win the primary and the anointment would be complete. give me a break.

Tom Friedman puts it this way:

...[H]ere’s what I’ve been feeling for a while: Whoever slipped that Valium into Barack Obama’s coffee needs to be found and arrested by the Democrats because Obama has gone from cool to cold.  ...

I don’t know how long or high the “Sarah Palin bounce” will go, but I would take her very seriously as a politician. She may not know nuclear deterrence theory, but she can deliver a line. 

Sarah Palin is ... is connecting at a gut level. So does McCain — and, therefore, they don’t need to give their constituents many details.

This race has a long way to go. It is still Obama’s election to lose. But Obama got where he is today by defining himself as the agent of change and by defining change as the issue in this election. McCain, with Palin’s help, has once again not only made Obama’s experience an issue, but has now moved in on Obama’s strength and tried to define the G.O.P. ticket as the party of “change.”

How, you ask, can two people running with the exact same policies as the party that has been in power for eight years, claim to be the agents of “change?” That’s politics. There’s no shame. But what this has done is to make the word “change” as a campaign slogan meaningless. Obama will need to find another way to connect his ideas — clearly, crisply and passionately.

Because, while the pollsters tell us it is still really close, my own totally unscientific, seat of the pants poll tells me this: When you say Obama’s name today and ask people for their first impression — a quick, flash, gut, first impression — no single word or phrase or policy comes to mind. His opponents will fill that vacuum if he doesn’t. They already are.

Surprise. It's Not Over! Obama only won the primary, not the election (barely) and The democraps are not winning the national election anymore —again. If Obama does lose, there are some party heads that should roll: start with Dean, Pelosi, Reid.

Sarah Palin didn't have to prove she was "of the people."
She really is the people.

P.S. It's not Hillary Clinton's responsibility to win independents, other Hillary supporters, and white working class voters for Obama. That's his responsibility. And he's blowing it.

Hillary is doing the smart thing by NOT joining the hysterical hatefest against the talented and energetic Palin. After all, she knows exactly what being on the target end of that hatefest is like.

The media is bored with Obama. They need their "newness" fix. Obama's no longer the shiny new object that captured the A.D.H.D. stenographers' pool 20 months ago (yes, that's sarcasm, not intended for most of the print-only press). The "shiney new object" honor, especially as regards the cable news tweeties and their ilk, now goes to Sarah Palin (once they get past their snobbish boorish behavior; they'll likely never get over their sexism, however).

Here's more keen insight from Willie Brown (and bad news for the dems/Obama):

As for Palin herself, she is going to be very, very effective on the campaign trail, especially if McCain's people can figure out how to gently keep her from getting into confrontations with the press.

If she can answer questions like she handled herself at the convention, Palin will turn out to be the most interesting person in all of politics, and the press will treat her like they treated Obama when he was first discovered.

And remember, the Palin bandwagon needs to roll for only two months.

And as was easily predictable, Obama's adoring media is now turning the corner, turning on him, and will join together to throw him under the bus soon. Then wash their hands with a "Tsk tsk." Totally predictable.

Once again: snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

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Updates: several columns on this very topic beginning to pop up:
And another blogger, Leah McElrath Renna, at the Huffington Post is in full-blown panic mode:

Most of us are out here watching, listening to and reading media that shows a campaign continually in responsive mode and not in charge of the message..."

Actually, I'd use the word "reactive" instead of "responsive."

Chris Cillizza's The Fix on WashingtonPost.com: Obama on Losing End of Personality Contest

WP's right-leaning Richard Cohen: Too Cool to Fight? Obama's moral commitment is being tested, and he doesn't seem to care.

Tom Friedman's NYT column is here.

Be sure to read those columns!

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Upon re-reading it, I think the full text of Willie Brown's thoughts are worth posting en toto:

The Democrats are in trouble. Sarah Palin has totally changed the dynamics of this campaign.

Period.

Palin's speech to the GOP National Convention on Wednesday has set it up so that the Republicans are now on offense and Democrats are on defense. And we don't do well on defense.

Suddenly, Palin and John McCain are the mavericks and Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the status quo, in a year when you don't want to be seen as defending the status quo.

From taxes to oil drilling, Democrats are now going to have to start explaining their positions.

Whenever you start having to explain things, you're on defense.

I actually went back and watched Palin's speech a second time. I didn't go to sleep until 1:30 a.m. I had to make sure I got the lines right.

Her timing was exquisite. She didn't linger with applause, but instead launched into line after line of attack, slipping the knives in with every smile and joke.

And she delivered it like she was just BS-ing on the street with the meter maid.

She didn't have to prove she was "of the people." She really is the people.

There is one thing she should have done: announced when her 17-year-old daughter and the teenage father of the girl's unborn child are getting married and invited all of us to the wedding. It should be like Sunday at church.

As for Palin herself, she is going to be very, very effective on the campaign trail, especially if McCain's people can figure out how to gently keep her from getting into confrontations with the press.

If she can answer questions like she handled herself at the convention, Palin will turn out to be the most interesting person in all of politics, and the press will treat her like they treated Obama when he was first discovered.

And remember, the Palin bandwagon needs to roll for only two months.

Here's the transcript from the Washington Post Dan Balz chat. Here's the complete Willie Brown column in the San Francisco Chronicle; it includes a few thoughts on John and Cindy McCain, too.

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