One hundred and fifty years ago today, American women turned out to vote in the presidential election, exercising their right to have a say in their government by choosing either Democratic candidate Horace Greeley or Republican incumbent Ulysses S. Grant.
I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR! Nancy Pelosi is the embodiment of what Abigail Adams represented in the 18th century. Joan of Arc, Golda Meir, Mother Teresa, Heather Cox Richardson. Today American women represent more than half of college students and law school students.
The men have been making a muck of America. Itโs past time for the women to take the helm of our ship of state.
All Ds, male and female, better roar on Tuesday. And sadly, women can fall into the same ruts as men a la Thatcher and that gal who got trussed by a lettuce. Also I make note of the many truly awful females who belong in the wing nut category and are running for office all over the place. Please just give me someone who understand the ideals of our Constitution, who understands the all means all, not just straight white people, who understands that a true Christian, or spiritual person, works to help those who are less fortunate in a multitude of ways, who understands that the rule of law applies to all, who is dedicated to public service and not greed and power. Well, I can dream.
Yep, residing in the UK at the moment I can testify that either sex can be a selfish, delusional political dork-head. I ask myself when evaluating candidates - who or what do they serve? And what is their source of inspiration? For the spirit within us all, if it is not asleep, must choose to serve something.. to create good or evil, to promote virtue instead of vice. These stirring words about the American history of women and black voting rights gave me chills. Humanities moral tide goes in and out but always seems a bit closer to the shore. Hoping tomorrow is a true sea change.
I enjoy the relief of a smile when I read some very apropos phrasing in the comments section... 'selfish, delusional political dork-head' is one of them. Thanks, Robin. ๐
Robin As an historian I can attest to far, far more male โselfish, delusional political dork-headsโ than female. Ruling should not be a test of testosterone.
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth IIโan awesome trio.
As a male Wordweaver, I can literally "attest" to the origin of such words. Roman men would hold their scrotum when "testifing." All such words come from the root word testes.
I might add that women should not get "hysterical" over these words that come from the white male dominant cultures of past. ("hyster" = uterus)
Which brings us to the modern discrimination against Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists and any other person taking oaths who don't buy the Buybull. I have on so many occasions refused to say "so help me god" and lined thru it on written oaths. A "religious test" has always been unconstitutional, but also ignored.
Keith, I think the point being made is that when we vote, we need to carefully avoid selfish delusional political dorkheads, regardless of gender. I agree that most of the dorkheads fitting that description are male, but there are some doozy female selfish delusional political dorkheads running for office right now. I happily vote for their male opponants when that happens. (Or if it is a dorkhead faceoff, withhold my vote entirely.)
Witch being the pejorative used in Europe and early colonies/states as a way of silencing women who were too outspoken or who chose to run their lives as they saw fit, and also to undermine healing women as men took over the practice of medicine, thoroughly screwing it up for a long while (that isn't quite over yet). The underlying spiritual beliefs have nothing to do with devil-worship or doing harm. But the term has been co-opted to apply to women that discomfit men, and then into the general lexicon to mean just the opposite of what it originally was. Let's please stop that. MTG and her ilk are unpleasant people, but they are not witches.
There also are "some doozy female selfish delusional political dorkheads" already in office. It doesn't take much to come up with a short list in both the House & the Senate.
The first Elizabeth is my favorite historical character, but not without fault although I attribute some of her m.o. to a female operating in a male world. As I have learned more about the second Elizabeth, I have started to respect her more. Right now I am reading The Legacy of Violence about the British Empire and nobody is coming off very well. I have just started the post WWII years and so I don't know what the author (a woman) will say about ERII. It is a hard book to read although rarely, I have laughed.....described a foreign secretary as being able to clear a room with flatulence...Bevin. I have started to read more about Victoria and am still ambivalent about her.
Michele I agree that Queen Elizabeth I & II are spot on, while Queen Victoria is less clear. She had a dreadful childhood and was well served by Albert, until his death. After that a grieving Victoria had some bizarre moments.
She did indeed. I have read about her childhood and that craziness. Albert had lots of good ideas. I do love the tales of Brown and I have forgotten his name at the moment, the Indian. It is also clear that the rest of the family couldn't wait to get rid of him after she passed. I recently read a book on British reform in the 19th century. The author couldn't stand Disraeli, but the Queen liked him. He sounded like a con to me while Gladstone came off as the better person. I also try to keep in mind that people are the product of their upbringing and times and try not to judge them by modern standards. The book I am reading now has nothing good to say about most Brits involved in empire including Lawrence of Arabia.
I've not read about Elizabeth I, but she certainly was operating in a male world, back then, and at her level of achievement.
I did learn a lot about Elizabeth II at the time of her departure, and I'm very impressed with her.
But I think one is likely at best to be ambivalent about most leaders. JFK, LBJ, O, and even FDR, although he did so much good, so there is less ambivalence.
I enjoy English history and am not so informed about US history, so this is one of the reasons I enjoy Heather so much and learn from her and the many poster. I read a recent bio of Eleanor Roosevelt and it made me into a fan of her, but saw a lot of his shortcomings.
Michele, do not despair. I am one of those โDโsโ and will keep at preserving democracy until I draw my last breath. Since I am 73, that could be after I type this or 25 years from now. I roar AND I vote!
I am 79 and will do the same. I have voted already and my ballot is at the clerk's office ready to be counted. The older I get, the feistier I have become. I worked in a school where a certain amount of holding back was required, but am now retired.
My mother had a female cousin who lived to be 104, and passed a driving test with flying colors at 96. Alas, I only met Ruth Hornbein Kahn Stovroff once, when I was 8, but she voted and I'm sure she roared, and she was a big woman in Buffalo for probably around 80 years. (My mother would probably be alive at 99, had she not has the MS.) Anyway, I'm rooting for you to get those 25 years and may they be good!
Dream it is, the republicans use the same verbiage as Demsโฆโour democracy is at stake, we will lose our countryโ blah blah. All the time doing their best to make democracy history in favor of autocracy. Progress can never be taken for granted. HST knew that โSocialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years.โ Make that 100 years and you are right on target HST.
Whenever the S-word is used, the reply might be, "Socialism?? Oh! you mean Democracy! I can understand how you might get confused. It's actually Democracy you are speaking of."
Everone who believes our democracy is 'socialism' should immediately disenroll from Medicare, Social Security, and any other benefits whatsoever they receive from our national government, including use of highways, food, drug, and banking protections, etc. Watch them drown in a libertarian sea.
Jack, We, The People, paid into our Medicare and Social Security benefits. I worked for my entire life, from 18-60. Hardly โsocialismโ. I will fight like a mad dog to defend those benefits.
I decided long ago that a government predominantly of women was going to be an improvement. And I still think so, sort of. It was Michelle Bachmann that first made me stop and think some more. I think the most potentially dangerous person in Congress today is a woman - MTG. She, more than anyone I know of, is exhibit "A" of what the brain can become on a strict diet of Right wing extremism. So I guess that now I think gender cannot be a factor, as long as representation is roughly equal.
But representation is HARDLY โequalโ, not even close, james. I agree about Bachman and MTG and all the others. But we canโt let that stop us from supporting progressive, intelligent women who give a damn about us! And encouraging them actively to participate. I adore AOC, for exampleโฆ.
I should amend my statement in light of the unequal representation. Yes I agree. I maintain though that there are plenty of woefully terrible candidates from both genders.
JR, RBG, Eleanor Roosevelt and Susan B. Anthony are all looking down at Earth rolling their eyes and shaking their heads in dismayโฆ..but then, they see the rest of us! They are smiling and rejoicing that they left a REAL legacy!
Eleanor Roosevelt is a hero for me (Iโm a teacher). Sadly, Iโm seeng more and more Republican women who are competing to be as greedy, dishonest and corrupt as their male counterparts.
You said it. And quite eloquently. Thank you for expressing these ideals our leaders once aspired to. May we elect enough of them to lead us out of the dark.
Totally in sync with your words. ๏ฟผI say, go ahead and dream! If we keep pointing ourselves towards the dream we will get ever closer to its reality.๏ฟผ
In the last few days, I spoke with a couple of women who were uncomfortable about voting. I hope that I was supportive and encouraging enough, so that they will become active American citizens. They liked when I spoke of citizenship. That seemed touch on their eagerness to be respected as Americans. Afterward, I found an educational organization that may be helpful to all of us.
'Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate' The following is its explainer for FAIR AND FREE ELECTIONS.
'Elections are the essence of democracy. They allow people to select their political leaders and then to hold them accountable. But for elections to fulfill their critical function, they must be free and fair. Just holding an election is not enough: if some citizens are prevented from voting or the results are not counted properly, an election canโt be called โfree and fair.โ
'What is a free and fair election?'
'A free election is one in which all citizens are able to vote for the candidate of their choice, and a fair election is one in which all votes have equal power and are counted accurately. There are standards that governments need to meet before, during, and after an election to ensure that an election is free and fair.'
'The eight standards that follow define an ideal. Most countries meet them imperfectly, but the more standards that are met, the more accurately an election represents the will of the people.'
'One Person, One Vote'
'The phrase โone person, one voteโ is often used as a shorthand for free and fair elections. The principle of โone person, one voteโ means that every person has the ability to vote, and each vote has equal power. In the electoral system of the United States, this principle does not always hold in a literal sense. For instance, equal state representation in the US Senate means that individual votes in less populous states have more power in the Senate and electoral college than individual votes in more populous states. Watch the video One Person, One Vote: Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims to learn more about the concept of โone person, one voteโ and the court cases that require states to follow this principle.'
'Before Voting'
'Citizens are able to register to vote'
'Governments can place some restrictions on who can register to vote based on age, residency, or citizenship status. However, for an election to be free and fair, governments cannot prevent eligible voters from registering or make it more difficult for some groups of people to register than others. For example, until the Voting Rights Act was passed in the United States in 1965, many Southern states required Black voters to take literacy tests in order to register to vote. [These tests were designed to be impossible to pass and to prevent Black people from voting, which means that the elections held in these states during this time period were not free and fair.'
'ASK YOURSELF:'
'What is the process to register to vote in my country, state, or region?'
'Are there restrictions on who can register to vote where I live?'
'Are these restrictions necessary and fair? Why or why not?'
'Note: If you live in the United States, you can use the resource vote.gov to look up voter registration in your state.'
'Voters have access to reliable information'
'Governments cannot prevent the media from covering certain candidates or political parties, and they also cannot intentionally spread misinformation. For example, in the 2020 presidential election in Burundi, President Nkurunziza ran for a third term. His government threatened or imprisoned journalists to prevent them from reporting on the candidates who ran against him. Even when governments do not intentionally share misinformation, it can spread online and through social media. Voters need access to reliable and unbiased information to freely make decisions about which candidate to support.'
'ASK YOURSELF:'
โWhat, if any, challenges do I face in finding reliable and unbiased information about candidates and elections?โ
'Do the internet and social media make it easier or more difficult to find quality information?'
'Citizens can run for office'
'Governments cannot attack or intimidate people who decide to run for office or create discriminatory rules about who is allowed to run. For example, in a 2019 city election in Moscow, Russia, opposition candidatesโpeople who were running against the ruling partyโwere not allowed to place their names on the ballot. Voters cannot freely exercise their right to select their leaders if certain political parties or candidates are unfairly blocked from running for office.'
'ASK YOURSELF:'
'What restrictions are there in my country, state, or region on who can run for office?
โWhy do I think these restrictions are in place?
'Are these restrictions necessary and fair? Why or why not?''
To finish reading this Explainer of Free and Fair Elections see the link below. 'Facing History and Ourselves' is an excellent source for lessons in civics.
"Politicians spiel" is only part of the problem. It's a challenge to inform oneself thoroughly, especially on regional and local races, when the media are so unreliable in so many places and the more money you have, the more "free" speech you get.
Citizenโs United is the greatest threat to our democracy and takes free and fair out of every election. Campaign Finance reform should be at the top of the list of issues ( there are so many) that need to be addressed if our democracy is to survive and thrive!
It disgusts me that nine people, no different from you and me, have the power to make decisions for 330 MILLION of us, The People. More and more, I believe we should stop lifetime appointments of ANY judges. How Obama caved to the bs that Merrick Garland could not be vetted for the Court, is just beyond meโฆ..sad emoji. AND we should expand the court to 13, to represent all the Federal Court districts. ASAP.
Fern you are the BEST! Thank you for this--Iโm going to share it with my Metro St. Louis League of Women Voters: brilliant summary of what we all must know ๐บ๐ธโฎ๏ธ๐
Oh my goodness, FernโI really am not that smart to answer your thoughtful questions except to offer my opinions ๐. Iโve lived in Missouri since November 1976 (after St. Louis husband and I finished our service in the USAF) and hubby returned to finish his undergrad education at UM Columbia, MO. In those days, this state was more Democratic, but has evolved into a political nightmare. So if you want my thoughts on the United States as a whole, Iโm hopeful.
Linda, Those were some of my questions. I am sorry that I wasn't clear. The questions represented my uneasiness about where we are in America -- not a list for anyone to answer but intended to elicit the thoughts of other subscribers. Did the software cut you off as you were about to list some of your opinions concerning our situation? I apologize for not being clearer concerning my motivation. Salud, Linda.
Gee, I was in the process of answering this and stopped to fix dinnerโeverything I did went away. Iโm thankful I didnโt bore you any further than what I started ๐!
Through the information Iโve been hearing in my womenโs club, I was very surprised to learn that in smaller counties itโs very hard to get registered to register voters. But Texas, you know! Dumped registered voters without notifying them too. And mail in ballots rejected too. If you donโt have computer access you might not ever know your ballot was rejected.
A woman at my school says she doesnโt vote because sheโs not political. I told her youโre political youโve just given up your power. She loves to take over our children programs. Maybe this week when sheโs running rough shod over our Veterans Day program Iโll suggest she go tell a veteran how she doesnโt vote. Letโs see their reaction to โIโm not political!โ
My sister claims to โnot be political โ but posted an awful photo of Obama with a Hitler mustache on her FB page a few years ago (โthe kids thought it was funnyโ), agreed with her husband that Sandy Hook was a false flag operation (sheโs been an educator her entire adult life. WTH?), and has spouted Tucker Carlson talking points about Covid, vaccines, pandemic shutdowns, and transgender rights.
No, we are not having any holiday dinners together...probably ever again.
Michele, I am very impressed with how clear, structured and informative 'Facing History and Ourselves' website is. Their Explainer, which I started is excellent. I hope subscribers go for the whole nine yards.
Thanks for the heads up. I will be looking into this one. Right now my head is going to take in a few pages of The Legacy of Violence about the British Empire and then find my pillow. I am making note of the site right this minute too, so that I don't forget.
It is no tragedy that people are uniformed about the details of the government's forms and functions as they apply to citizens, but the common failure of both. Perhaps, it has gotten worse in the USA. What hasn't? Maybe, it's a farce or a 'comedy of errors'? Ok, perhaps, it's a tragedy as well.
I will forward this link to our County Voter Registration office. Thank you. I created a document 'Democracy is Hard Work' to pass out to the doubters who approached our registration table saying, why bother?" Hoping the registration office will use it when they canvas our high schools on the next round.
David, my maternal grandmother graduated Summa Cum Laude and was elected Phi Beta Kappa eleven years before she could vote. Thank heavens for the incredibly strong and intelligent women who came before us and who had the โfire in the bellyโ to persist. That fire will accompany my daughters and me when we vote this Tuesday!!!!
I like the sentiment behind what you have just written, Keith Wheelock, BUT...
We are all equal.
[That includes children, who may not have attained the physical and mental maturity required for the exercise of citizenship, yet may already be far wiser than most adults. It includes the mentally handicapped and underlies their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of what brings happiness, if not necessarily enjoyment of all the rights of citizenship.]
But the big "BUT" has nothing to do with gender, nothing to do with what the ultra-patriarchal John Knox called "the monstrous regiment of women"...
It has to do with the monstrous skewing of two principles present in every one of us, regardless of gender, the masculine and the feminine.
The monstrous, unrelenting tyranny of the masculine principle over the feminine cripples human beings and human societies... makes our minds like birds with one wing.
We need to bring balance to our hearts and minds, balance between qualities masculine and feminine, balance between a power which, untrammeled, can destroy the world, and that power -- the feminine -- which ensures survival.
It is the deep need of Life that is bringing the citizens of Iran, women joined by men, together to take a stand, risking their lives against the forces of Death.
Americans, this -- beyond party, prejudice or any lesser allegiance -- is what your vote is really about: the triumph of Life.
Thank you Mr. Burnett. 100% agreement here! Humankind does indeed need both the male and female principles to be in balance for a healthy culture and society.
"The meaning of a man's life is to support the feminine." (Bert Hellinger)
At the time he said this, everybody believed he thought women should be in the kitchen and give birth to children, so he wisely avoided to say anything about the meaning of life of women. Since I have taken his words to my heart, I have proposed: A meaning of a woman's life is to support new life.
Peter By birth and/or gender some people are โmore equalโ than others. This was reflected in Disraeliโs Two Nations back in the 1850s, the history of discrimination in America and elsewhere, and the educational gap that separates groups. I was fortunate, in 1933, to be born a white male in the United States in a family where my dad hadโand-keptโa good job. That clearly gave me a head start in the human race.
Peter, I agree that itโs so important to recognize the masculine and feminine in all of us, and the gross imbalance represented in leadership positions currently. Unfortunately, for a woman to attain leadership in our society, it often requires her to emulate men. To access the masculine in her personality. What I sense we desperately need is more women who embrace their femininity, their protective and maternal instincts, in order to truly advocate for what is best for society. Despite her tough demeanor, I actually think that this is part of the key to Nancyโs success.
Ok listening to Keb while I write... In the process of learning the language to express support for LGBTQ and trans kids in our schools, might it be that the Hellinger quote also means supporting the masculine and feminine in each of us? The term gender spectrum appears in some of the research, the idea that along with biology, each of us occupies a unique place on that continuum. Learning as I go...
Living in India when Mother Theresa died was so interesting. She was not well liked, of course, by the Calcutta, now Kolkata, communists. They were angry because she fished people out of gutters, got them well enough to become Christian, and then let them die. She was a heavy duty Christian missionary in a Hindu/Muslim country.
Thank you for that penetrating๐ฏobservation Elizabeth. Not to mention systemic poverty, a sharply stratified Caste system with complex city-country divisions which has created virology issues in the past & in the on-going pandemic to name a few. Thank you Hugh below.
Only one minor correction: mostly it is white men who are still making a muck of America, with a few female and a few men of color, exceptions, working to join them.
Michele, I do gag every time I force myself to listen to them. Kari Lake is particularly horrendous....with her good All American looks and delivery. She is a complete asshole. OMG.
Yes, they all seem to have a certain look, don't they. I mute ads and have given up for now on the national news. What really ticks me off is when i am watching football or basketball and one of these ads comes on.
Betsy just a distraction from Phil Knight to pull votes away from Tina Kotek. After getting her on the ballot he funded his real candidate, the Dragon Lady.
I am willing to bet that Betsy will pull votes away from Republican Drazon, who is way more under the influence of extreme right wing than she looks right now. I sure hope so, because though Drazon has modified her rhetoric, she is still basically a mouthpiece for the radical right. And supported by their considerable wealth.
Betsy also has been a pain in the rear for years and has a very large ego. Also she isn't poor. She should have bowed out when it was clear, she didn't have a chance, but not Betsy. I am not a fan of Uncle Phil although I have enjoyed many a game in Matthew Knight arena.
Susan Collins, MTG, Amy Coney Barrett, Lauren Boebert, Kari Lake, Sarah Palin, Elise Stefanik, Betsy DeVos, Elaine Chou, Jan Brewer, Kyrsten Sinema, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Joni Ernst, Kelly Loeffler, and Oprah come to mind....
May I add Tudor Dixon, the Republican Candidate for Governor here in Michigan? She says that a fourteen year old girl who is raped by her uncle is the perfect example of why there should be no exceptions to banning all abortions. In her TV commercials she says that girl should to experience being able to be a "Mommy"! Then there is the R.candidate for Secretary of State a woman, who says she is running for that government position so she can get Satin out of government! I don't even want to remember her name. She is " Bat S***" crazy! Both are QAnon followers! Tudor has been recorded explaining how the government put micro chips in the Covid Vaccine. At this point, if the polls are to be believed, she has almost caught up to Governor Whitmer.
I wish someone would tell me how to sleep at night. Please!!
That is why I say we all need to run out and invest $2 in a single Powerball ticket. Someone will win, eventually, and we need to keep that money out of the wrong hands, it can buy a lot of Congressmen.
Oh yes, she and one running for sec of state are exactly the type I have in mind. Some are motivated by greed and power and others, by some kind of twisted "Christian" beliefs.
Now that's a tough one. I can usually decide what I think is best WRT politicians. But to this day I am on the fence about that one. I suppose that if Al Franken were not the outstanding politician that he was, it would have been easier. My heart sank when the allegations surfaced.
Yes, all of those, but I was thinking about some of the current candidates. We have some real pieces of work here in Oregon and elsewhere like that wing nut in Arizona.
I think we've got thing backward here. Interesting that so many of us seem to have a handy list of women to list as dorkheads. And lots of people jump on board with more. Why? List the male candidates who fit that definition - and then name their opponants and why they are better. Stop giving attention to the ones we need to sideline and start promoting the people who might be able to get them out of the way so our system work. Make what you write count for something that can change business as usual.
The list of women on my county ballot is impressive! Years of education and experience! Proud to vote for them and support them. Lawyers, teachers, judges, housewives. Astute and articulate, great vision for what Texas can be.
I'm thinking it took her so very very long to do the right thing endorsing Fetterman, maybe too late even, and long before this current omission she has done great damage to a lot of gullible people by promoting one of the most successful charlatans ever to fleece them and mentally abuse them.
Oprah endorsed Fetterman. His campaign welcomed the gesture. โIt speaks volumes that Oprah would endorse Fetterman over Oz, after declining to weigh in during Ozโs primary election,โ
Alright, I've let this pot boil long enough, and I do appreciate the responses. My real point? Gender is just one of many irrelevant identities, and it pains me to see this brought up again and again as some kind of pass.
A bad politician is bad, regardless of their chromosomes. Yes, the list of awful male politicians seems endless, if only because they had a head start by excluding women for a very long time. As there are more women allowed in politics, the awfulness disparity will most certainly disappear, if you're watching.
Please look well beyond gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, money, connections, DNCC endorsement, celebrity endorsement, etc, etc, and even age to find the best candidate.
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....
I agree, people are either essentially good or essentially bad. I had to explain this to my basketball team when they didn't think they should lock up their stuff while playing at Catholic school. I said it didn't matter....lock it up.
Maybe the problem is that the kind of women we like and are looking for are not willing to get down into the political muck. I am not sure why the women on your list won their races but I'm guessing that their opponents were less palatable to their constituents. In each case it would interesting to visit what was wrong, whimpy, or too scummy (or not scummy enough) about their male opponent.
Betsy DeVos wasn't elected. Elaine Chao wasn't elected. Amy Coney Barrett wasn't elected. Kelly Loeffler was never elected. Though I rattled this list off the top of my head, I tried to not make it about voters, but about women leaders, however they got there, Oprah included.
But I like where I thought you were going with this -- what if voters just chose the better candidate, regardless of their gender or party? (Heads up DNCC, no crappy candidates of any gender). And I do definitely think that for all candidates, we are generally missing the brightest because of the increasing toxicity of politics. Paul Pelosi's experience will definitely not help able, bright candidates step up.
That is where I was going with my thought. Remember when it was commonly accepted that people voted on who they wanted to have a beer with? When did that end? Remember when they thought the tallest, most charismatic candidates won? When did that stop? Trump? Obama? Bush 2? Clinton? Bush 1? Carter? I don't think most people analyze the issues or understand how to vote in their own best interest. They don't really understand the importance of the job. DJT was the wake up call that your vote only matters if you make it matter. Biden was in our own best interest and it took a pandemic to show us we need experience and brains to navigate safely threw turmiol here and abroad. We are having record turnouts. Fingers crossed that he gets to be captain with Nancy and Chuck.
And I've always hated the saying that "anyone can be President." No, anyone cannot, and should not. I have a lot of skills, but I also know I don't have what it takes to run this country well. Few candidates seem burdened with such considerations, and IQ45 sure wasn't.
If I'm reading you right, your assumption is that these women won not because the voters in their districts were bombarded with (and chose to accept) lies and falsehoods from various well-funded right wing PACs and pundits, but because they were running against deeply flawed male candidates? That strikes me as an odd assumption. Some of the opponents were women, some were respected incumbents (male or female). And most of these are areas that leaned heavily right, making voters vulnerable to right wing rhetoric. In some places they winners because a rightist legislature placed obstacles to voting (which states are most gerrymandered or have limited voting places?).
Yeah some of these right wing women won against weak candidates, but weak why? Your list of things to look for is pretty narrow, and all negative, and applied only to men. I have a problem with that kind of thinking. It is way more than that.
I see A LOT of women stepping into the electoral fray. In some places, women hold more higher offices than men. There are even legislatures in which women hold nearly a many seats as men, and two that I know of who hold more seats than men, in spite of the misogyny that seems to be increasingly pervasive in some other states. So the problems would appear to lie elsewhere. Fear, perhaps? Look at some of the things that happen in some places: voters arbitrarily removed from the rolls. Fear of harassment. A feeling that their votes don't matter.
Just look at the papers, listen to the news. They are actually covering this stuff finally, so it's not as if it is happening in the dark.
I wasn't overlooking anything. I just focused on one aspect of John's list...most of the women on that list are either horrible (in my mind) or disappointing at best. The exception is Oprah. So I was thinking, why were they elected in the first place? His list included Susan Collins, MTG, Lauren Boebert, Kari Lake, Sarah Palin, Elise Stefanik, Jan Brewer, Kyrsten Sinema, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Joni Ernst, and Kelly Loeffler. I honestly don't understand how anyone can listen to any of them and not be turned off. Women that think Trump is grand just boggle my mind. But it takes all kinds and these women saw the opportunity that they could win. Why? What was different? HRC should have been president because she won the popular vote and I know many people that voted for her but they were doing it simply because DJT disgusted them. So I was just wondering about their competition that opened the door to people like MTG. I'm hoping to find out this week that voters won't be fooled again and we move away from politics as a reality show.
I threw Oprah in that non-exhaustive list for a very important reason. It's not just about the politicians, but the influencers who help put them there. Oprah tends to get a pass as a "good" person, yet the irreparable harm Oz has done (see my occupation) is breathtaking. I suspect most people are unaware, like the third of registered voters who didn't even show up in 2020. Oprah is hugely complicit in not speaking up until Nov 4, 2022, and even then she left the jeannie out of the bottle, free to continue doing damage. She has a microphone, and a stage, and numerous opportunities to use them, but self-preservation is her driver.
I am not an O fangirl but I definitely don't put her on the same list as the ridiculous MTG. She made her fortune honestly, owns her mistakes, and is not going to run for office. I also never watched Dr Oz or Dr. Phil. Snake oil salesmen on TV is buyer beware....I don't want them running my country. We saw where that got us.
While I appreciate your casting women as saints it ends up doing women no service. Women are not saints. We need to be viewed as tough without being called a bitch, intelligent without being called a shrew and successful without being called a word I won't say.
It is most definitely irony that as women have gained a greater voice there has arisen a whole bunch of women who I wish hadn't gotten the empowerment message. It's been said MAGA women are betraying their gender. Marjorie Greene, Kari Lake, Lauren Boebert, Amy Barrett, Laura Ingraham, Elise Stefanik, Kellyanne Conway, etc. are not betraying women any more than Jordan, Meadows, McCarthy, McConnell etc. are betraying men.
It is a bitter irony that in today's political world some women have gained equal footing with men by being as nasty, conniving and anti-Democracy as their political male counterparts.
"We need to be viewed as tough without being called a bitch, intelligent without being called a shrew and successful without being called a word I won't say."
A fair number of men, Barbara, do indeed lead their lives in a way that does recognize talented women and treats them in an equal way with men......in professional careers.
I remain friends with the best woman project manager I ever met, period, regardless of sex (which I did not ever participate with her in). Friends with her husband as well.
In fact, I would argue that most men are in the category of willing or more than willing to treat capable professional women well.
The challenge comes, just as with incompetent male managers, when an incompetent female comes along that is a complete project disaster.
Then? Unlike how I deal with a male incompetent, which, is to directly contest his judgement, openly, to protect the project outcomes, I cannot directly, and aggressively contest the woman's judgement.
Because, if I do, I might land in HR with a complaint about harrassment or whatever.
So, there are challenges on both sides of the issue of women being treated as "equals".
The tough conversations and difficult situations that guys deal with aggressively and with some significant snarl, really cannot be utilized with women the workplace.
So, it is not only women that struggle in complex professional situations legitimately Barbara.
Somehow you wandered off-base, Mike. Good idea to pay closer attention.
BTW, to your point: while working for a state agency in PacNW, I quit a job after repeatedly complaining about working conditions and being ignored My supervisor was a man who was almost totally unfit for his position, and hideously mysogynistic. He was finally asked to change to a different agency were he "might feel more at home". they also made him attend equity training. But only after complaints from three women after me. Pay-back for them, but no relief for me.
I was let go from another agency because the supervisor literally did not know anything and kept giving me conflicting direction. Technically my interstate program was independent, EPA funded and oversight, but administered by the involved states-and one province. Funding for coordinator went through Vermont, so that's where I worked. Placed in his dept only as convenient place to put the position. He got upset when he found out that under state law, I should be paid more than him because VT pay was based on number of people supervised (I had staff in two states and a province, two times more than he had).
Rather than addressing the problem, and disengaging my program from existing structure, the state failed to respond. So I talked with staff and organizational partners about ways to restructure both the program and its priorities, and sent the resulting recommendations to everyone involved with the program. I was fired without notice the following week, and heard from every one of my staff, who supported me. Some restructuring resulted, but the basic problems remained. The staff was stymied by the state's failure to allow them to be effective. A couple years later the EPA yanked the program from VT because for the very reasons I had complained about, including not having made any progress toward the purpose of the program. Their organizational partners were not sanctioned, and welcomed the change because it meant Vermont would finally be held accountable. By this time ALL of my recommendations had been implemented, and the program was under EPA, who paid all staff. I was even asked if I'd be willing to return to the program, but by then I was having too much fun doing field work and writing award winning papers at another fed agency.
Long before that, still in the PacNW, I had a woman supervisor who was asked to resign. Nothing to do with me. Just ordinary quality of work issues. That's how they get rid of women who can't do the job. But guys seem to go on and on until the employer can no longer overlook the problems. That dynamic has not fundamentally changed. Except for wealthy women who are willing to be the mouthpieces for authoritarian men.
"By this time ALL of my recommendations had been implemented, and the program was under EPA, who paid all staff. I was even asked if I'd be willing to return to the program, but by then I was having too much fun doing field work and writing award winning papers at another fed agency."
So, in summary, you did all the right things, and, moreover, good things happened for you and for the program!
Home Run Annie is what we will henceforth refer to you!
Now, that is not a story everyone can tell, even if, in the middle of your story, it did not feel like things were going to turn out well!!
"So, it is not only women that struggle in complex professional situations legitimately Barbara." Find the sentence in my comment where I said this.
My thesis was to let women be as nasty as men and to stop with the women as saints stuff. I didn't mention women in the workplace. I've been working with this topic since the 70's and just don't feel like re-litigating all the nuts and bolts.
My professional mantra was always been fair, firm and friendly. This was applied in my academic career as well as my corporate career.
As to why we not as adept as being nasty as others? I don't know. I have siblings who are awful/close to evil and they enjoy it. We are cut from the same cloth so to speak and yet here we are. I was noted for being gentle of spirit from an early age. How we are when we are born is the answer? Who knows. I believe in reincarnation so there's that to consider if someone is so inclined.
These arenโt my words. Itโs a song. Also known as art. There have been plenty of examples given of women we wouldnโt like to see in charge. I hope there are more, some as yet unknown women, with the courage and desire to lead. Katy Porter comes to mind. Elizabeth Warren โฆ my little fearless and vocal granddaughters in 30 years or so โฆ โบ๏ธ
The sadness, is that stupidity and cupidity are NOT sex linked. Think MTG, and others. Think of the ladies in your local church (OK we are dealing with the older distaff side here). If only women were the embodiment of all things nurturing and sensible - but sadly, that is a pedestal we can't put anyone, male or female on. Sad, but reality.
I believe 'The myth of female innocence' is something we all tend to support; since after the war on Troy: - "and they killed all men and boys , and shared the women between them."
When the men are standing there, with their bloody hands and their obvious guilt, there is only one hope: the other half of humanity must be innocent. And the journey back to the humane and the feminine, the Odyssey is full of obstacles and delays.
The challenge, perhaps, is not to make of the other the problem but the desire to be the other and thus the solution. I am of the opinion, at this time, that perhaps it is time to ceed governance to women, not because this is the best thing to do, but the time is right for men, who have for centuries proven themselves ineffective (and surprisingly so) in achieving lasting peace and prosperity for the majority of those whom they serve or control to move aside. I am only of this opinion at this time, because it has been the exceptions who have proven in their lifetimes to be deserving of our praise, not for their beauty or intellect, but for their kindness and seriousness of acts and behaviors. I am of this opinion, that governance should be women's work, in that I expect the exceptional will be borne of this time, women with kindness, wisdom, thoughtfulness, integrity, proofs delivered, and other to be defined traits bearing peace and prosperity, who will had lead successfully in the decades ahead. It may be, in another time, we may find leaders with those qualities arising; the exceptions borne of the decades as we are seeing among wise and strong and sentient women taking their place in governance and other leadership positions. That time will be a period, not of binary distinctions of good or bad, cause or solution, male or female, white or of color. It will be, my hope is, that those we promote to positions of power and governance will be for reasons of merit, ability, and actions pertinent to the challenges of times going forward.
While Democrats hope women will take a look at voting, the Republicans are running religious services with all kinds are crazy stuff from prophecy of Donald Trump being ordained by God to be President to the end of times if he is not elected.
Really nutty stuff that is completely normal in Baptist parts of America.
Lots of women out there in those regligious audiences everyone. Lots. As Trump might say.
Well DeSantis has competition. The disgraced 2 times impeached former President thinks he has dibs on being the second coming or whatever.
To your point. Looking at your historical references it only works for so long. The arc of the Universe is intelligent and there always ends up being a counter balance eventually. I've watched it for years. Nixon, Agnew, Jim Baker, Napoleon, former guy, Jim and Tammy Faye type folks, 1950's McCarthy, the British, Hitler, al Queda, Gadaffi, Hussein, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Milosevic, Marcos, Batista and on and on and on.
We'll get through this too. And we will still be nice.
"We'll get through this too. And we will still be nice."
I am not sure the arc of the universe is intelligent. I am sure that, in a Monte Carlo simulation, starting with random input, fixed boundary conditions and, running many, many, many trials, one will, eventually find multiple optimal points of solution.
I hope so. Also, if you ever get a chance, although I think you may have already read it, please read "The Power of the Charlatan".
It was written in Europe, maybe in France, I don't remember, and translated at Yale in 1939. Absolutely stellar book written at the height of Charlatan existence in Europe (or maybe that is just every day, not sure).
AnnaKuz Nothing is 100% except death and taxes. Many more men than women are โcrazies,โ especially white, male, poorly-educated โChristian evangelicals.โ Education, however, is not a litmus test. Some Trumpublicans with impressive Ivy League credentials are very deliberately โcrazy.โ
I would love to know how Nancy Pelosi is the embodiment of all these other historical figures. She is, quite frankly, a corporatist Democrat who has often stood in the way of progress that would improve the lives of the 98%. She has actively sought to help replace incumbent progressives with moderates. In my opinion she is part of the problem, not the solution.
I am not seeking perfection. I just donโt get that comment other than the second paragraph. Must be something I donโt get, because some 445 people have tacitly agreed with it in part or wholly. You can probably tell I am not a Pelosi fan. I do however empathize with her on the constant threats and the horrible attack on her husband. That is all very untenable and it defies comprehension. Politically, however, I think she remains part of the problem and does not represent the future needs of most Americans. Just because she has been in Washington a long time and has garnered a lot of power does not make her Joan of Arc. She goes after trump, which might seem impressive, gutsy on the surface, but he is really low hanging fruit.
Pelosi โgets it doneโ if it suits her and her position. Just like Mitch. She has funded moderates and worse, far right candidates so a progressive wouldnโt get the vote. The same despicable move the DNC made in 2016. The reason this makes me so angry is because working people are being held down with less pay, less benefits (healthcare and retirement arenโt โthingsโ, anymore) less safety and no options. My state primaried Bernie in 2016 and he won! Until the DNC said he couldnโt represent democrats. Now, thanks to them, my state is a Republican super majority. Weโre much less safe than we were... the job market stinks ... services are disappearing... things are not improving and these people are blaming Biden. Itโs making me crazy.
Where is hers and other Dems voices who wield Dem power when it comes to getting money out of politics? We are facing an almost wholly corrupted political situation. It matters not from whom or where it comes, or where it goes, it is money designed to influence legislation to meet the needs of wealthy special interests.
I shared this letter on FB with a warning to my female friends that if they don't USE this RIGHT to vote, those old white supremacist males will simply take it away. Look no further than the Stench Bench and Congress, with its sprinkling of crazies (think Marjorie Traitor Green) and crazed candidates like Kari Lake
You do know that Mother Teresa was a tool of the male dominant Catholic Church, and she was more concerned about saving souls than alleviating suffering.
In the 1980s while working with AIDS patients in the public hospital in Miami, the nuns from the Missionaries of Charity order in their white saris with blue trim, would visit Catholic patients. One young man told the nurses to keep them away from him. They did not give him comfort in his dying, just grief for sinning and getting the "gay disease."
Professor! Youโre early ๐๐ป. Next week is sure to be a ๐ฉ storm of news. Please take a day or two with your handsome husband. Thank you for your letters, written so faithfully.
HCR - my favorite type of your Letters! When you write about a historical event, period or person almost entirely from your impressive body of knowledge! (Very few citations of resources in your Notes) Thank you for teaching us something and making interesting and relevant connections to important issues facing the American people today. You are a rare and valued storyteller and source of history.
โ...those of us who have not been cut out of the right to vote by one or another of the measures...โ Such a sad and stressful place to find ourselves. My mom - 91 - just keeps saying, โI never thought Iโd see it happen here.โ Letโs hope the turnout is nothing short of a tidal wave. Holding my breath starting... now.
My 100 year old aunt is die hard Republican. When the Clinton trump debates were going on, sheโd call me to say weโre never going to win if trump doesnโt go after Clinton! How are we related?! I think sheโs just party line without an ability to reason out change. But man she votes!
Iโve been wondering if โoriginalistโ Amy Coney-Barrett will side with her Federalist Society fraternity brothers to gut the 14th Amendment and then resign. After all, the founding Fathers never conceived of women voting, much less serving as judges.
It was not just the southern states that restricting voting to US citizens. Until 1960 in NY State, one had to go to the police station every year to register to vote. Plus one had to prove an eighth grade education, oral and verbal proficiency in English. These laws were designed not just to prevent African Americans from voting but Jewish, Caribbean, southern and Eastern Europeans as well as Chinese immigrants/new citizens from voting. The NY State League of Women Voters, mobilized to overturn these restrictions. My mother was one of the people leading that campaign. The New Yorker magazine profiled her work.
Southern White 'Conservatives' (SWC) have made progress in their antidemocratic pursuits. They now seek to suppress the votes not just of Blacks, all minorities and women...but ALL people who don't vote for their SWC candidates. Their sense of entitlement has consistently undermined this country since inception.
The inevitable arc of justice intersects and conflicts with the evil, seemingly interminable, arc of injustice and prejudice, now and again, as we face the corrupted party of President Abraham Lincoln, the newly darkened Republican Party, tonight and tomorrow and the day after... until we, we the people, vote and vote and vote till we drop... and return our blessed democracy to the inevitable task of righteousness, justice and decency once and for all Americans.. we end The Big Lie and charge those responsible for our present crisis and treat one and all as the criminals they are.
No one is above the law, the constitution rules us all, and our judicial system must deal properly and effectively with the criminal element in all parts of our government and society, without delay and without prejudice. To ignore the criminality of a former president is to encourage the next misfit to hold office.
To wit, Republican Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew were criminal. They were not handled properly. All knew this.
Letโs handle this bunch properly. Letโs end actions of the Party of insurrection with appropriate charges from DOJ, Party wide.
We need Good PEOPLE in power. We default to gender-saviorship pining when we are frustrated. I do understand that patriarchal rules have advantaged white, heterosexual, Christian men in the past. But to flip the script and say we would be saved if the genders were flipped is just completely proven equally foolish when looking at the roster of gop female candidates that are wing nut crazy also. Human Beings are equally endowed by their creator to be batshit crazy. Letโs stop electing them. All of them. We need Good People in positions of power. And we all need to participate so they are not corrupted by outside influences taking advantage of an apathetic electorate of both genders.
The christian nationalists use the christian to rope people into the fascist nationalists term. Their seven mountain prophecy and taking over our nation is backed by Stephen Miller! When I told this to a fellow teacher she didnโt know who Stephen Miller was. Itโs a scary group of fanatics! And very little is getting heard about who they are!
You wonder why Stephen Miller is pushing a fascist agenda? Because heโs evil incarnate! He wants to suppress the masses and do harm to his non followers. Everything evil during TFG presidency was pushed by Stephen Miller. Like children being separated from their parents at the Mexican border with no plans to return them. The Seven Mountains Prophecy started in the 70s but Miller is pushing it forward. Had he not gotten involved it probably would have died out.
Tongue in cheek, Denise. He is the Goebbels of the Dump administration. I fully agree. He hates immigrants. He is from a Jewish family who fled persecution in the 19th century. If HE had been in charge back then, there would have been no mass immigration to the United States. Al the Jews would have been killed in the Pogroms. It is BECAUSE of our open policies that he was even born!
Jeri Chilcutt - "Christians canโt be assumed to be good people anymore."
Between 2011 and 2016, white Evangelicals went from the American demographic ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ that โ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ง๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ดโ to the group ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ with that statement.
How did this happen? Thatโs why the evangelicals accept all the sex crimes of their priests and politiciansโฆ.how sickening is that???? Not to mention all the other crimesโฆ.
MLR, not sure if you are male or female. Iโd like to say that all the countries that have women at the helm currently, are in much better shape for it. Better covid response, better response to anti-Muslim terrorism (New Zealand) and over all better. So I donโt agree with you. Of course, I canโt stomach certain women in politics. We agree there. But we need more women, more young people and more people of color in all walks of life, including politics. Just sayinโ....
Black women in the north voted. But the first free nationwide election was held in 1968. After which the attempts to roll back what the 1965 Voting Rights Act accomplished began with Nixon's Southern strategy. LBJ knew and said the South was lost to the Democrats for a generation. He was wrong. It's been my entire adult life and I am 76.
Me, too. Unfortunately, the majority of Southern Democrats moved to the Republican Party. Heather has excellent insight on this and notes it wasnโt the first time the parties โflipped.โ
I have never in my life phone banked or canvassed, or done anything other than donate to a campaign. This weekend I am getting on a bus with Swing Left to knock doors in WI and IL-17 because I cannot imagine doing anything else with my free time. There is just too much at stake in this election. We just finished our WI canvass today for Evers & Barnes. The bus was packed. People are fired up to vote MAGA out!
The original Constitution never used the word "male"?! That is certainly news to me! And then the word was inserted into the Fourteenth Amendment giving former slaves the right to vote (if they could pass a hundred different hurdles) -- but STILL not women! Mind-blowing.
The statesโ rights malarkey is a mess--& is the next major push that must be made to voters by DEMS. It will result in the stripping of rights unimaginable. Thus, we need to focus on โ(OR) THE PEOPLEโ in lieu of the many corrupt (R) legislators who will strip them. Ballot measures! In every state, we must have ballot measures that get The People out to vote for popular measures to protect their rights & turn back this shady statesโ rights/legislators scam!
Thank Goodness, we have that right in Michigan. Not only do we have a Constitutional Amendment proposal on the Michigan Ballot to Make Roe vs Wade a constitutional amendment, but one labelled Protect the Vote, which would make all citizens of Michigan the constitutional right to vote and guaranteeing that all votes legally cast or mailed by poll closing on election day be counted! That proposal is being pitched by Veterans saying that they don't want to worry about having their votes counted when they are deployed overseas! Very canny!
Yes, and I was one of those petition circulators! It took all my courage to overcome my left over PTSD to wander the countryside in my car gathering signatures.
Pitched by veterans because many of their votes weren't getting counted from overseas. I am so proud of what we have accomplished in Michigan, including our fair redistricting of the 2010 Republican gerrymandering!
Iโve been on an emotional see-saw since November 3, 2020, worrying about the outcomes of our elections. More recently, despite the election of Joe Biden and the work of the January 6th committee to document the actions of Trump, the perpetrators of the failed coup and Trumpโs continued stonewalling have caused my fears to become more tangible and less theoretical. I have done what I can (financially and otherwise) to support rational, intelligent candidates in House and Senate races across the country. My mail-in ballot has been received by the county clerk. At this point, all I can do is wait out the next few days. I must trust that the Courtโs reversal of Roe v Wade has mobilized folks to vote Blue and that a new Silent Majority of people fed up with the mendacity and hypocrisy of the GOP/MAGA will rise up and make their voices heard loudly and clearly come Tuesday.
You just spoke for me. At nearly 82 I have done all that I can physically and financially and Iโm scared. One minute there is optimism, the next pure dread. May we all be rejoicing here next week.
I read LFAA religiously, first thing every morning. These letters are an invaluable source clear information and context. Sometimes the news here is so positive that I warily become optimistic for our future. And other days the news is such that I grow despondent that America's 235 year experiment with democracy will come crashing down around our feet. Like Eisenhower on 6 June 1944, all I can do now is sit and wait.
I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR! Nancy Pelosi is the embodiment of what Abigail Adams represented in the 18th century. Joan of Arc, Golda Meir, Mother Teresa, Heather Cox Richardson. Today American women represent more than half of college students and law school students.
The men have been making a muck of America. Itโs past time for the women to take the helm of our ship of state.
All Ds, male and female, better roar on Tuesday. And sadly, women can fall into the same ruts as men a la Thatcher and that gal who got trussed by a lettuce. Also I make note of the many truly awful females who belong in the wing nut category and are running for office all over the place. Please just give me someone who understand the ideals of our Constitution, who understands the all means all, not just straight white people, who understands that a true Christian, or spiritual person, works to help those who are less fortunate in a multitude of ways, who understands that the rule of law applies to all, who is dedicated to public service and not greed and power. Well, I can dream.
Yep, residing in the UK at the moment I can testify that either sex can be a selfish, delusional political dork-head. I ask myself when evaluating candidates - who or what do they serve? And what is their source of inspiration? For the spirit within us all, if it is not asleep, must choose to serve something.. to create good or evil, to promote virtue instead of vice. These stirring words about the American history of women and black voting rights gave me chills. Humanities moral tide goes in and out but always seems a bit closer to the shore. Hoping tomorrow is a true sea change.
I enjoy the relief of a smile when I read some very apropos phrasing in the comments section... 'selfish, delusional political dork-head' is one of them. Thanks, Robin. ๐
Agree. One of the many benefits of comments from other lands is a fresh crop of adjectives to liven up our language.
Robin As an historian I can attest to far, far more male โselfish, delusional political dork-headsโ than female. Ruling should not be a test of testosterone.
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth IIโan awesome trio.
As a male Wordweaver, I can literally "attest" to the origin of such words. Roman men would hold their scrotum when "testifing." All such words come from the root word testes.
I might add that women should not get "hysterical" over these words that come from the white male dominant cultures of past. ("hyster" = uterus)
Rob Hmmm Does the word โscrodโ have a more devious meaning than simply young haddock or codโas in โIโve been scrod?โ
Past pluperfect participle of 'screw'.
As a Bostonian, that's particularly funny! (Somehow I think it originated here, but I could be wrong.)
Well, the Romans didn't have a Bible, so they had to find something infinitely precious to guard them from lying.
Which brings us to the modern discrimination against Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists and any other person taking oaths who don't buy the Buybull. I have on so many occasions refused to say "so help me god" and lined thru it on written oaths. A "religious test" has always been unconstitutional, but also ignored.
Keith, I think the point being made is that when we vote, we need to carefully avoid selfish delusional political dorkheads, regardless of gender. I agree that most of the dorkheads fitting that description are male, but there are some doozy female selfish delusional political dorkheads running for office right now. I happily vote for their male opponants when that happens. (Or if it is a dorkhead faceoff, withhold my vote entirely.)
Annie I agree that dorkheads are not only of male gender. I contend, however, that Marjorie Taylor Greene and her ilk are witches, not women.
Witch being the pejorative used in Europe and early colonies/states as a way of silencing women who were too outspoken or who chose to run their lives as they saw fit, and also to undermine healing women as men took over the practice of medicine, thoroughly screwing it up for a long while (that isn't quite over yet). The underlying spiritual beliefs have nothing to do with devil-worship or doing harm. But the term has been co-opted to apply to women that discomfit men, and then into the general lexicon to mean just the opposite of what it originally was. Let's please stop that. MTG and her ilk are unpleasant people, but they are not witches.
Amen, Keith.
There also are "some doozy female selfish delusional political dorkheads" already in office. It doesn't take much to come up with a short list in both the House & the Senate.
The first Elizabeth is my favorite historical character, but not without fault although I attribute some of her m.o. to a female operating in a male world. As I have learned more about the second Elizabeth, I have started to respect her more. Right now I am reading The Legacy of Violence about the British Empire and nobody is coming off very well. I have just started the post WWII years and so I don't know what the author (a woman) will say about ERII. It is a hard book to read although rarely, I have laughed.....described a foreign secretary as being able to clear a room with flatulence...Bevin. I have started to read more about Victoria and am still ambivalent about her.
Michele I agree that Queen Elizabeth I & II are spot on, while Queen Victoria is less clear. She had a dreadful childhood and was well served by Albert, until his death. After that a grieving Victoria had some bizarre moments.
She did indeed. I have read about her childhood and that craziness. Albert had lots of good ideas. I do love the tales of Brown and I have forgotten his name at the moment, the Indian. It is also clear that the rest of the family couldn't wait to get rid of him after she passed. I recently read a book on British reform in the 19th century. The author couldn't stand Disraeli, but the Queen liked him. He sounded like a con to me while Gladstone came off as the better person. I also try to keep in mind that people are the product of their upbringing and times and try not to judge them by modern standards. The book I am reading now has nothing good to say about most Brits involved in empire including Lawrence of Arabia.
I've not read about Elizabeth I, but she certainly was operating in a male world, back then, and at her level of achievement.
I did learn a lot about Elizabeth II at the time of her departure, and I'm very impressed with her.
But I think one is likely at best to be ambivalent about most leaders. JFK, LBJ, O, and even FDR, although he did so much good, so there is less ambivalence.
I enjoy English history and am not so informed about US history, so this is one of the reasons I enjoy Heather so much and learn from her and the many poster. I read a recent bio of Eleanor Roosevelt and it made me into a fan of her, but saw a lot of his shortcomings.
Michele, do not despair. I am one of those โDโsโ and will keep at preserving democracy until I draw my last breath. Since I am 73, that could be after I type this or 25 years from now. I roar AND I vote!
Older than you, roar is quieter but still should scare the greedy bastards
Roar on Jeri๐ช๐ช
I still roar, Jeri, I just have a hard time getting out of the chair
I am 79 and will do the same. I have voted already and my ballot is at the clerk's office ready to be counted. The older I get, the feistier I have become. I worked in a school where a certain amount of holding back was required, but am now retired.
You go Gyrl!
My mother had a female cousin who lived to be 104, and passed a driving test with flying colors at 96. Alas, I only met Ruth Hornbein Kahn Stovroff once, when I was 8, but she voted and I'm sure she roared, and she was a big woman in Buffalo for probably around 80 years. (My mother would probably be alive at 99, had she not has the MS.) Anyway, I'm rooting for you to get those 25 years and may they be good!
trussed by a lettuce!!
Couldn't help myself. We have a friend who is one of the world's greatest punners and I live with a punner, so....
Dream it is, the republicans use the same verbiage as Demsโฆโour democracy is at stake, we will lose our countryโ blah blah. All the time doing their best to make democracy history in favor of autocracy. Progress can never be taken for granted. HST knew that โSocialism is the epithet they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years.โ Make that 100 years and you are right on target HST.
Whenever the S-word is used, the reply might be, "Socialism?? Oh! you mean Democracy! I can understand how you might get confused. It's actually Democracy you are speaking of."
Everone who believes our democracy is 'socialism' should immediately disenroll from Medicare, Social Security, and any other benefits whatsoever they receive from our national government, including use of highways, food, drug, and banking protections, etc. Watch them drown in a libertarian sea.
Jack, We, The People, paid into our Medicare and Social Security benefits. I worked for my entire life, from 18-60. Hardly โsocialismโ. I will fight like a mad dog to defend those benefits.
You may have too ... because that is how those working to take away those benefits already fight! Politics are on its way to becomng a dog fight.
๐คฃ๐๐๐
Lauren Boebert is a woman. Marjorie Taylor Green is a woman. Elise Stefanik is a woman. Kari Lake is a woman. Kristi Noemโฆ
I decided long ago that a government predominantly of women was going to be an improvement. And I still think so, sort of. It was Michelle Bachmann that first made me stop and think some more. I think the most potentially dangerous person in Congress today is a woman - MTG. She, more than anyone I know of, is exhibit "A" of what the brain can become on a strict diet of Right wing extremism. So I guess that now I think gender cannot be a factor, as long as representation is roughly equal.
But representation is HARDLY โequalโ, not even close, james. I agree about Bachman and MTG and all the others. But we canโt let that stop us from supporting progressive, intelligent women who give a damn about us! And encouraging them actively to participate. I adore AOC, for exampleโฆ.
I should amend my statement in light of the unequal representation. Yes I agree. I maintain though that there are plenty of woefully terrible candidates from both genders.
JR, RBG, Eleanor Roosevelt and Susan B. Anthony are all looking down at Earth rolling their eyes and shaking their heads in dismayโฆ..but then, they see the rest of us! They are smiling and rejoicing that they left a REAL legacy!
Eleanor Roosevelt is a hero for me (Iโm a teacher). Sadly, Iโm seeng more and more Republican women who are competing to be as greedy, dishonest and corrupt as their male counterparts.
Quite the array of exactly the type of women who should never be in power.
Not really. They actually are puppets.
JR Might Boehart, Greene, and Stefanik be female biological freaks with testosterone?
Please people, don't forget Kari Lake is a TV tested propaganda machine.
They are call girls. Every one of them that you mentionโฆ.
Always will be a few that choose that โcallingโ. Lonely at best.
๐ฝ
You said it. And quite eloquently. Thank you for expressing these ideals our leaders once aspired to. May we elect enough of them to lead us out of the dark.
Totally in sync with your words. ๏ฟผI say, go ahead and dream! If we keep pointing ourselves towards the dream we will get ever closer to its reality.๏ฟผ
heart
In the last few days, I spoke with a couple of women who were uncomfortable about voting. I hope that I was supportive and encouraging enough, so that they will become active American citizens. They liked when I spoke of citizenship. That seemed touch on their eagerness to be respected as Americans. Afterward, I found an educational organization that may be helpful to all of us.
'Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate' The following is its explainer for FAIR AND FREE ELECTIONS.
'Elections are the essence of democracy. They allow people to select their political leaders and then to hold them accountable. But for elections to fulfill their critical function, they must be free and fair. Just holding an election is not enough: if some citizens are prevented from voting or the results are not counted properly, an election canโt be called โfree and fair.โ
'What is a free and fair election?'
'A free election is one in which all citizens are able to vote for the candidate of their choice, and a fair election is one in which all votes have equal power and are counted accurately. There are standards that governments need to meet before, during, and after an election to ensure that an election is free and fair.'
'The eight standards that follow define an ideal. Most countries meet them imperfectly, but the more standards that are met, the more accurately an election represents the will of the people.'
'One Person, One Vote'
'The phrase โone person, one voteโ is often used as a shorthand for free and fair elections. The principle of โone person, one voteโ means that every person has the ability to vote, and each vote has equal power. In the electoral system of the United States, this principle does not always hold in a literal sense. For instance, equal state representation in the US Senate means that individual votes in less populous states have more power in the Senate and electoral college than individual votes in more populous states. Watch the video One Person, One Vote: Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims to learn more about the concept of โone person, one voteโ and the court cases that require states to follow this principle.'
'Before Voting'
'Citizens are able to register to vote'
'Governments can place some restrictions on who can register to vote based on age, residency, or citizenship status. However, for an election to be free and fair, governments cannot prevent eligible voters from registering or make it more difficult for some groups of people to register than others. For example, until the Voting Rights Act was passed in the United States in 1965, many Southern states required Black voters to take literacy tests in order to register to vote. [These tests were designed to be impossible to pass and to prevent Black people from voting, which means that the elections held in these states during this time period were not free and fair.'
'ASK YOURSELF:'
'What is the process to register to vote in my country, state, or region?'
'Are there restrictions on who can register to vote where I live?'
'Are these restrictions necessary and fair? Why or why not?'
'Note: If you live in the United States, you can use the resource vote.gov to look up voter registration in your state.'
'Voters have access to reliable information'
'Governments cannot prevent the media from covering certain candidates or political parties, and they also cannot intentionally spread misinformation. For example, in the 2020 presidential election in Burundi, President Nkurunziza ran for a third term. His government threatened or imprisoned journalists to prevent them from reporting on the candidates who ran against him. Even when governments do not intentionally share misinformation, it can spread online and through social media. Voters need access to reliable and unbiased information to freely make decisions about which candidate to support.'
'ASK YOURSELF:'
โWhat, if any, challenges do I face in finding reliable and unbiased information about candidates and elections?โ
'Do the internet and social media make it easier or more difficult to find quality information?'
'Citizens can run for office'
'Governments cannot attack or intimidate people who decide to run for office or create discriminatory rules about who is allowed to run. For example, in a 2019 city election in Moscow, Russia, opposition candidatesโpeople who were running against the ruling partyโwere not allowed to place their names on the ballot. Voters cannot freely exercise their right to select their leaders if certain political parties or candidates are unfairly blocked from running for office.'
'ASK YOURSELF:'
'What restrictions are there in my country, state, or region on who can run for office?
โWhy do I think these restrictions are in place?
'Are these restrictions necessary and fair? Why or why not?''
To finish reading this Explainer of Free and Fair Elections see the link below. 'Facing History and Ourselves' is an excellent source for lessons in civics.
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/free-fair-elections
Really interesting and informative. People need to be thorough on who they are voting for and not just go with politicians spiel.
"Politicians spiel" is only part of the problem. It's a challenge to inform oneself thoroughly, especially on regional and local races, when the media are so unreliable in so many places and the more money you have, the more "free" speech you get.
โPoliticians spielโ is what Citizens United has given us.
Citizenโs United is the greatest threat to our democracy and takes free and fair out of every election. Campaign Finance reform should be at the top of the list of issues ( there are so many) that need to be addressed if our democracy is to survive and thrive!
Agreed. The Rs worked for years to overturn Roe v Wade and we need to work hard to overturn Citizens United-no matter how long it takes to do it.
"Thanks" Leonard Leo! S/
Citizens United was decided in 2010 in a 5-4 decision; Kennedy, joined Roberts, Scalia, Alito and Thomas,
It disgusts me that nine people, no different from you and me, have the power to make decisions for 330 MILLION of us, The People. More and more, I believe we should stop lifetime appointments of ANY judges. How Obama caved to the bs that Merrick Garland could not be vetted for the Court, is just beyond meโฆ..sad emoji. AND we should expand the court to 13, to represent all the Federal Court districts. ASAP.
(And let's not forget that the Federalist Society is funded by dark money-ergo the courts have been utterly corrupted by it.)
Fern you are the BEST! Thank you for this--Iโm going to share it with my Metro St. Louis League of Women Voters: brilliant summary of what we all must know ๐บ๐ธโฎ๏ธ๐
Hello, Linda. I have the following questions:
1. Will the democrats vote in overwhelming numbers? (Do African Americans
and young voters favoring the democrats show up?)
2. Do Independents show up? More favoring which side?
3. Are the results with or without marked meddling?
4. What is the level of political violence and how is it handled?
5. The DOJ, what does it do in the next six months? How do other potential
cases against Trump proceed or not? How does the Supreme Court affect
the challenges to Democracy?
6.. How do the majority of Americans, the administration, social media and the
free-press respond if the Republicans take both the House and Senate as
well as many of the election deniers elected to positions in local, states and
federal government?
What are your thoughts, Linda?
Oh my goodness, FernโI really am not that smart to answer your thoughtful questions except to offer my opinions ๐. Iโve lived in Missouri since November 1976 (after St. Louis husband and I finished our service in the USAF) and hubby returned to finish his undergrad education at UM Columbia, MO. In those days, this state was more Democratic, but has evolved into a political nightmare. So if you want my thoughts on the United States as a whole, Iโm hopeful.
1. I have hope that Democrats and
Linda, Those were some of my questions. I am sorry that I wasn't clear. The questions represented my uneasiness about where we are in America -- not a list for anyone to answer but intended to elicit the thoughts of other subscribers. Did the software cut you off as you were about to list some of your opinions concerning our situation? I apologize for not being clearer concerning my motivation. Salud, Linda.
Gee, I was in the process of answering this and stopped to fix dinnerโeverything I did went away. Iโm thankful I didnโt bore you any further than what I started ๐!
Through the information Iโve been hearing in my womenโs club, I was very surprised to learn that in smaller counties itโs very hard to get registered to register voters. But Texas, you know! Dumped registered voters without notifying them too. And mail in ballots rejected too. If you donโt have computer access you might not ever know your ballot was rejected.
A woman at my school says she doesnโt vote because sheโs not political. I told her youโre political youโve just given up your power. She loves to take over our children programs. Maybe this week when sheโs running rough shod over our Veterans Day program Iโll suggest she go tell a veteran how she doesnโt vote. Letโs see their reaction to โIโm not political!โ
My sister claims to โnot be political โ but posted an awful photo of Obama with a Hitler mustache on her FB page a few years ago (โthe kids thought it was funnyโ), agreed with her husband that Sandy Hook was a false flag operation (sheโs been an educator her entire adult life. WTH?), and has spouted Tucker Carlson talking points about Covid, vaccines, pandemic shutdowns, and transgender rights.
No, we are not having any holiday dinners together...probably ever again.
Thanks for posting this, Fern.
Michele, I am very impressed with how clear, structured and informative 'Facing History and Ourselves' website is. Their Explainer, which I started is excellent. I hope subscribers go for the whole nine yards.
Thanks for the heads up. I will be looking into this one. Right now my head is going to take in a few pages of The Legacy of Violence about the British Empire and then find my pillow. I am making note of the site right this minute too, so that I don't forget.
Sleep well. We need every hour possible to rest, refresh and carry on.
Thank you, you as well.
thanks, Fern. I'm going to take a look at this one.
๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ ๐
The tragedy is, that you should even have to consider this.
It is no tragedy that people are uniformed about the details of the government's forms and functions as they apply to citizens, but the common failure of both. Perhaps, it has gotten worse in the USA. What hasn't? Maybe, it's a farce or a 'comedy of errors'? Ok, perhaps, it's a tragedy as well.
Excellent guidance, Fern!
I will forward this link to our County Voter Registration office. Thank you. I created a document 'Democracy is Hard Work' to pass out to the doubters who approached our registration table saying, why bother?" Hoping the registration office will use it when they canvas our high schools on the next round.
Thanks, as always, Fern! Clarity! Democracy!
Wow. The "Facing History and Ourselves" website is a treasure. I book marked it and signed up as a "Life Long Learner".
'Facing History & Ourselves'.
Thanks Fern for the resource. Added it to my follow.
Good to see you, Fred. Souls, minds and hands together as we persevere.
Corrected
Nancy Pelosi has been an amazing Speaker--in her 80s, no less! We are lucky to have her.
In other matters, my maternal grandmother, Mildred Hornbein Wiesman, earned her PhD five years before she got the vote.
David, my maternal grandmother graduated Summa Cum Laude and was elected Phi Beta Kappa eleven years before she could vote. Thank heavens for the incredibly strong and intelligent women who came before us and who had the โfire in the bellyโ to persist. That fire will accompany my daughters and me when we vote this Tuesday!!!!
I like the sentiment behind what you have just written, Keith Wheelock, BUT...
We are all equal.
[That includes children, who may not have attained the physical and mental maturity required for the exercise of citizenship, yet may already be far wiser than most adults. It includes the mentally handicapped and underlies their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of what brings happiness, if not necessarily enjoyment of all the rights of citizenship.]
But the big "BUT" has nothing to do with gender, nothing to do with what the ultra-patriarchal John Knox called "the monstrous regiment of women"...
It has to do with the monstrous skewing of two principles present in every one of us, regardless of gender, the masculine and the feminine.
The monstrous, unrelenting tyranny of the masculine principle over the feminine cripples human beings and human societies... makes our minds like birds with one wing.
We need to bring balance to our hearts and minds, balance between qualities masculine and feminine, balance between a power which, untrammeled, can destroy the world, and that power -- the feminine -- which ensures survival.
It is the deep need of Life that is bringing the citizens of Iran, women joined by men, together to take a stand, risking their lives against the forces of Death.
Americans, this -- beyond party, prejudice or any lesser allegiance -- is what your vote is really about: the triumph of Life.
Thank you Mr. Burnett. 100% agreement here! Humankind does indeed need both the male and female principles to be in balance for a healthy culture and society.
"The meaning of a man's life is to support the feminine." (Bert Hellinger)
At the time he said this, everybody believed he thought women should be in the kitchen and give birth to children, so he wisely avoided to say anything about the meaning of life of women. Since I have taken his words to my heart, I have proposed: A meaning of a woman's life is to support new life.
Thank's for your comment Peter Burnett
Peter By birth and/or gender some people are โmore equalโ than others. This was reflected in Disraeliโs Two Nations back in the 1850s, the history of discrimination in America and elsewhere, and the educational gap that separates groups. I was fortunate, in 1933, to be born a white male in the United States in a family where my dad hadโand-keptโa good job. That clearly gave me a head start in the human race.
I agree to much of what you say but men can be disadvantaged by the same .
Peter, I agree that itโs so important to recognize the masculine and feminine in all of us, and the gross imbalance represented in leadership positions currently. Unfortunately, for a woman to attain leadership in our society, it often requires her to emulate men. To access the masculine in her personality. What I sense we desperately need is more women who embrace their femininity, their protective and maternal instincts, in order to truly advocate for what is best for society. Despite her tough demeanor, I actually think that this is part of the key to Nancyโs success.
I like your take on this and my sentiments exactly. Thanks for posting.
Hereโs a catchy tune to bolster this sentiment
https://youtu.be/FciQeRGYFlw
Carla, you made my day! I reposted the song on fb. It was delicious! Thank youโฆ.
Ok listening to Keb while I write... In the process of learning the language to express support for LGBTQ and trans kids in our schools, might it be that the Hellinger quote also means supporting the masculine and feminine in each of us? The term gender spectrum appears in some of the research, the idea that along with biology, each of us occupies a unique place on that continuum. Learning as I go...
Carla Childress - "Hereโs a catchy tune to bolster this sentiment"
๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ
[Verse 1: Keb' Mo']
Way back when
In the beginning of time
Man made the fire then the wheel
Went from a horse to an automobile
He said, โthe world is mineโ
He took the oceans and the sky
He set the borders, built the walls
He won't stop โtil he owns it all
And here we are
Standing on the brink of disaster
Enough is enough is enough is enough
I know the answer
[Chorus: Keb' Mo' & Roseanne Cash]
Put a woman in charge
(Put a woman in charge)
Put the women in charge
(Put the women in charge)
Put a woman in charge
(Put a woman in charge)
Put the women in charge
(Put the women in charge)
[Verse 2: Keb' Mo' & Roseanne Cash]
The time has come
We've got to turn this world around (World around)
Call the mothers
Call the daughters (Call the daughters)
We need the sisters of mercy now
She'll be a hero
Not a fool
Sheโs got the power
To change the rules
She's got something (Something)
That men don't have (Yes we have)
She is kind and she understands
[Bridge 1: Keb' Mo', Rosanne Cash, Both]
So let the ladies
Do what they were born to do (Ahh-ahh)
Raise the vibration
And make a better place for me and you (Ooh-ooh)
[Chorus: Keb' Mo' and Rosanne Cash]
Put a woman in charge
Put a woman in charge
Put the women in charge
Put the women in charge
Put a woman in charge
Put a woman in charge
Put the women in charge
Put the women in charge
[Bridge 2: Rosanne Cash, Keb' Mo', Barack Obama]
Hallelujah
(Hallelujah)
Hallelujah
We're gonna feel the magic
When the girls take over (Take over)
It's gonna be fantastic
(We need more women in charge)
[Outro: Keb' Mo', Rosanne Cash]
Put a woman in charge (Put a woman in charge)
Put the women in charge (Put the woman in charge)
(Put a woman in charge)
(Put the woman in charge, Put the women in charge)
Put a woman in charge
Put a woman in charge (Put a woman in charge)
Put the women in charge
Put the women in charge (Put the woman in charge)
Time to put a woman in charge
Put a woman in charge (Put a woman in charge)
Put the women in charge (Put the woman in charge, that's right, come on yeah)
Put a woman in charge
Put a woman in charge (Put a woman in charge)
Put the women in charge
Put the women in charge (Put the woman in charge)
It's about time to put a woman in charge
Let a woman in charge (Put a woman in charge)
Come on y'all, letโs put the woman in charge
(Put a woman in charge, put the women in charge)
Put a women in charge
Put the women in charge (Put the woman in charge, put a woman in charge)
Put the woman in charge
Put the woman in charge (Put the woman in charge, come on somebody)
Put a women in charge
Put a women in charge (Put a woman in charge)
Put the woman in charge
Put the woman in charge (Yeah, yeah, put a woman in charge)
๐๐ผ
Love it! Shared it with my friends!
... Mother Teresa, Heather Cox Richardson ...
Mother Teresa is actually quite a controversial figure.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/mother-teresa-saint
Living in India when Mother Theresa died was so interesting. She was not well liked, of course, by the Calcutta, now Kolkata, communists. They were angry because she fished people out of gutters, got them well enough to become Christian, and then let them die. She was a heavy duty Christian missionary in a Hindu/Muslim country.
Thank you for that penetrating๐ฏobservation Elizabeth. Not to mention systemic poverty, a sharply stratified Caste system with complex city-country divisions which has created virology issues in the past & in the on-going pandemic to name a few. Thank you Hugh below.
๐ฝ
Saving souls for a non-existent god.
And she was a woman.
Bryan And of course Heather!
Especially Heather.
Only one minor correction: mostly it is white men who are still making a muck of America, with a few female and a few men of color, exceptions, working to join them.
Too many women in my opinion. I look at the women running as Rs in Oregon and at Machine Gun Betsy and i want to gag.
Michele, I do gag every time I force myself to listen to them. Kari Lake is particularly horrendous....with her good All American looks and delivery. She is a complete asshole. OMG.
She is the face of our modern Goebbels, way cuter and well spoken. Just as black hearted
Jeri, I thought Stephen The Nazi Miller had that role. I guess they have enough room in their so-called party for TWO Goebbelsโฆ.omg.
Not to speak of the fact that she is completely unqualified for the position she seeks.
Why on earth would anyone want their state run by a journalist?
I don't know that I'd call her a journalist...more of a news reader. Now, a true investigative journalist with integrity might be worth considering
Yes, they all seem to have a certain look, don't they. I mute ads and have given up for now on the national news. What really ticks me off is when i am watching football or basketball and one of these ads comes on.
A litmus test would be helpful
Betsy just a distraction from Phil Knight to pull votes away from Tina Kotek. After getting her on the ballot he funded his real candidate, the Dragon Lady.
I am willing to bet that Betsy will pull votes away from Republican Drazon, who is way more under the influence of extreme right wing than she looks right now. I sure hope so, because though Drazon has modified her rhetoric, she is still basically a mouthpiece for the radical right. And supported by their considerable wealth.
Yep, I hope so. She tries to show herself as just one of the ordinary gals visiting the nursery the coffee shop, etc. She is awful.
Betsy also has been a pain in the rear for years and has a very large ego. Also she isn't poor. She should have bowed out when it was clear, she didn't have a chance, but not Betsy. I am not a fan of Uncle Phil although I have enjoyed many a game in Matthew Knight arena.
Simple solution: vote for Kotek. We don't need to wallow in angst when we have a valid candidate to support.
I have and i hope enough others have as well.
Susan Collins, MTG, Amy Coney Barrett, Lauren Boebert, Kari Lake, Sarah Palin, Elise Stefanik, Betsy DeVos, Elaine Chou, Jan Brewer, Kyrsten Sinema, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Joni Ernst, Kelly Loeffler, and Oprah come to mind....
May I add Tudor Dixon, the Republican Candidate for Governor here in Michigan? She says that a fourteen year old girl who is raped by her uncle is the perfect example of why there should be no exceptions to banning all abortions. In her TV commercials she says that girl should to experience being able to be a "Mommy"! Then there is the R.candidate for Secretary of State a woman, who says she is running for that government position so she can get Satin out of government! I don't even want to remember her name. She is " Bat S***" crazy! Both are QAnon followers! Tudor has been recorded explaining how the government put micro chips in the Covid Vaccine. At this point, if the polls are to be believed, she has almost caught up to Governor Whitmer.
I wish someone would tell me how to sleep at night. Please!!
Evil can be bought, cheaply. Sad to say
That is why I say we all need to run out and invest $2 in a single Powerball ticket. Someone will win, eventually, and we need to keep that money out of the wrong hands, it can buy a lot of Congressmen.
๐คฃ Thank you. Every chuckle counts this week.
Oh yes, she and one running for sec of state are exactly the type I have in mind. Some are motivated by greed and power and others, by some kind of twisted "Christian" beliefs.
Lavender tea?
Keep in mind all that's going right. Don't let the bastards get you down.
And I would add Senator Gillibrand for driving (with the help of Roger Stone) Al Franken from the Senate. Thank you for your list.
Now that's a tough one. I can usually decide what I think is best WRT politicians. But to this day I am on the fence about that one. I suppose that if Al Franken were not the outstanding politician that he was, it would have been easier. My heart sank when the allegations surfaced.
I have a little more hope for Oprah since she endorsed Fetterman. She made Oz who he is and at least she sees heโs gone off the deep end,
Yes, all of those, but I was thinking about some of the current candidates. We have some real pieces of work here in Oregon and elsewhere like that wing nut in Arizona.
I think we've got thing backward here. Interesting that so many of us seem to have a handy list of women to list as dorkheads. And lots of people jump on board with more. Why? List the male candidates who fit that definition - and then name their opponants and why they are better. Stop giving attention to the ones we need to sideline and start promoting the people who might be able to get them out of the way so our system work. Make what you write count for something that can change business as usual.
The list of women on my county ballot is impressive! Years of education and experience! Proud to vote for them and support them. Lawyers, teachers, judges, housewives. Astute and articulate, great vision for what Texas can be.
Agreed. But it would take you a LOT of time to list all of the rotten and dangerous men who are seeking power and who have had power for far too long.
Leave Oprah off this list, good lord. What are you thinkingโฆ
I'm thinking it took her so very very long to do the right thing endorsing Fetterman, maybe too late even, and long before this current omission she has done great damage to a lot of gullible people by promoting one of the most successful charlatans ever to fleece them and mentally abuse them.
To wit,
Nov 2:
Our columnists made their midterm picks. Can you beat their predictions?
#2. "One of Bernieโs favorites vs. Oprahโs favorite doctor"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2022/midterms-predictions-quiz-power-rankings/
Nov 4:
Oprah endorsed Fetterman. His campaign welcomed the gesture. โIt speaks volumes that Oprah would endorse Fetterman over Oz, after declining to weigh in during Ozโs primary election,โ
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/04/oprah-winfrey-endorse-fetterman-oz/
Nov 8:
Alright, I've let this pot boil long enough, and I do appreciate the responses. My real point? Gender is just one of many irrelevant identities, and it pains me to see this brought up again and again as some kind of pass.
A bad politician is bad, regardless of their chromosomes. Yes, the list of awful male politicians seems endless, if only because they had a head start by excluding women for a very long time. As there are more women allowed in politics, the awfulness disparity will most certainly disappear, if you're watching.
Please look well beyond gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, money, connections, DNCC endorsement, celebrity endorsement, etc, etc, and even age to find the best candidate.
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....
I agree, people are either essentially good or essentially bad. I had to explain this to my basketball team when they didn't think they should lock up their stuff while playing at Catholic school. I said it didn't matter....lock it up.
Maybe the problem is that the kind of women we like and are looking for are not willing to get down into the political muck. I am not sure why the women on your list won their races but I'm guessing that their opponents were less palatable to their constituents. In each case it would interesting to visit what was wrong, whimpy, or too scummy (or not scummy enough) about their male opponent.
Betsy DeVos wasn't elected. Elaine Chao wasn't elected. Amy Coney Barrett wasn't elected. Kelly Loeffler was never elected. Though I rattled this list off the top of my head, I tried to not make it about voters, but about women leaders, however they got there, Oprah included.
But I like where I thought you were going with this -- what if voters just chose the better candidate, regardless of their gender or party? (Heads up DNCC, no crappy candidates of any gender). And I do definitely think that for all candidates, we are generally missing the brightest because of the increasing toxicity of politics. Paul Pelosi's experience will definitely not help able, bright candidates step up.
That is where I was going with my thought. Remember when it was commonly accepted that people voted on who they wanted to have a beer with? When did that end? Remember when they thought the tallest, most charismatic candidates won? When did that stop? Trump? Obama? Bush 2? Clinton? Bush 1? Carter? I don't think most people analyze the issues or understand how to vote in their own best interest. They don't really understand the importance of the job. DJT was the wake up call that your vote only matters if you make it matter. Biden was in our own best interest and it took a pandemic to show us we need experience and brains to navigate safely threw turmiol here and abroad. We are having record turnouts. Fingers crossed that he gets to be captain with Nancy and Chuck.
I'd have a beer with you.
And I've always hated the saying that "anyone can be President." No, anyone cannot, and should not. I have a lot of skills, but I also know I don't have what it takes to run this country well. Few candidates seem burdened with such considerations, and IQ45 sure wasn't.
If I'm reading you right, your assumption is that these women won not because the voters in their districts were bombarded with (and chose to accept) lies and falsehoods from various well-funded right wing PACs and pundits, but because they were running against deeply flawed male candidates? That strikes me as an odd assumption. Some of the opponents were women, some were respected incumbents (male or female). And most of these are areas that leaned heavily right, making voters vulnerable to right wing rhetoric. In some places they winners because a rightist legislature placed obstacles to voting (which states are most gerrymandered or have limited voting places?).
Yeah some of these right wing women won against weak candidates, but weak why? Your list of things to look for is pretty narrow, and all negative, and applied only to men. I have a problem with that kind of thinking. It is way more than that.
I see A LOT of women stepping into the electoral fray. In some places, women hold more higher offices than men. There are even legislatures in which women hold nearly a many seats as men, and two that I know of who hold more seats than men, in spite of the misogyny that seems to be increasingly pervasive in some other states. So the problems would appear to lie elsewhere. Fear, perhaps? Look at some of the things that happen in some places: voters arbitrarily removed from the rolls. Fear of harassment. A feeling that their votes don't matter.
Just look at the papers, listen to the news. They are actually covering this stuff finally, so it's not as if it is happening in the dark.
I wasn't overlooking anything. I just focused on one aspect of John's list...most of the women on that list are either horrible (in my mind) or disappointing at best. The exception is Oprah. So I was thinking, why were they elected in the first place? His list included Susan Collins, MTG, Lauren Boebert, Kari Lake, Sarah Palin, Elise Stefanik, Jan Brewer, Kyrsten Sinema, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Joni Ernst, and Kelly Loeffler. I honestly don't understand how anyone can listen to any of them and not be turned off. Women that think Trump is grand just boggle my mind. But it takes all kinds and these women saw the opportunity that they could win. Why? What was different? HRC should have been president because she won the popular vote and I know many people that voted for her but they were doing it simply because DJT disgusted them. So I was just wondering about their competition that opened the door to people like MTG. I'm hoping to find out this week that voters won't be fooled again and we move away from politics as a reality show.
I threw Oprah in that non-exhaustive list for a very important reason. It's not just about the politicians, but the influencers who help put them there. Oprah tends to get a pass as a "good" person, yet the irreparable harm Oz has done (see my occupation) is breathtaking. I suspect most people are unaware, like the third of registered voters who didn't even show up in 2020. Oprah is hugely complicit in not speaking up until Nov 4, 2022, and even then she left the jeannie out of the bottle, free to continue doing damage. She has a microphone, and a stage, and numerous opportunities to use them, but self-preservation is her driver.
I am not an O fangirl but I definitely don't put her on the same list as the ridiculous MTG. She made her fortune honestly, owns her mistakes, and is not going to run for office. I also never watched Dr Oz or Dr. Phil. Snake oil salesmen on TV is buyer beware....I don't want them running my country. We saw where that got us.
So happy you put Suzie first on your list!! ๐๐ผ๐๐ผ๐
Surprised to have Oprah on that list,: she just endorsed Fetterman.
just
While I appreciate your casting women as saints it ends up doing women no service. Women are not saints. We need to be viewed as tough without being called a bitch, intelligent without being called a shrew and successful without being called a word I won't say.
It is most definitely irony that as women have gained a greater voice there has arisen a whole bunch of women who I wish hadn't gotten the empowerment message. It's been said MAGA women are betraying their gender. Marjorie Greene, Kari Lake, Lauren Boebert, Amy Barrett, Laura Ingraham, Elise Stefanik, Kellyanne Conway, etc. are not betraying women any more than Jordan, Meadows, McCarthy, McConnell etc. are betraying men.
It is a bitter irony that in today's political world some women have gained equal footing with men by being as nasty, conniving and anti-Democracy as their political male counterparts.
"We need to be viewed as tough without being called a bitch, intelligent without being called a shrew and successful without being called a word I won't say."
A fair number of men, Barbara, do indeed lead their lives in a way that does recognize talented women and treats them in an equal way with men......in professional careers.
I remain friends with the best woman project manager I ever met, period, regardless of sex (which I did not ever participate with her in). Friends with her husband as well.
In fact, I would argue that most men are in the category of willing or more than willing to treat capable professional women well.
The challenge comes, just as with incompetent male managers, when an incompetent female comes along that is a complete project disaster.
Then? Unlike how I deal with a male incompetent, which, is to directly contest his judgement, openly, to protect the project outcomes, I cannot directly, and aggressively contest the woman's judgement.
Because, if I do, I might land in HR with a complaint about harrassment or whatever.
So, there are challenges on both sides of the issue of women being treated as "equals".
The tough conversations and difficult situations that guys deal with aggressively and with some significant snarl, really cannot be utilized with women the workplace.
So, it is not only women that struggle in complex professional situations legitimately Barbara.
Seriously.
Somehow you wandered off-base, Mike. Good idea to pay closer attention.
BTW, to your point: while working for a state agency in PacNW, I quit a job after repeatedly complaining about working conditions and being ignored My supervisor was a man who was almost totally unfit for his position, and hideously mysogynistic. He was finally asked to change to a different agency were he "might feel more at home". they also made him attend equity training. But only after complaints from three women after me. Pay-back for them, but no relief for me.
I was let go from another agency because the supervisor literally did not know anything and kept giving me conflicting direction. Technically my interstate program was independent, EPA funded and oversight, but administered by the involved states-and one province. Funding for coordinator went through Vermont, so that's where I worked. Placed in his dept only as convenient place to put the position. He got upset when he found out that under state law, I should be paid more than him because VT pay was based on number of people supervised (I had staff in two states and a province, two times more than he had).
Rather than addressing the problem, and disengaging my program from existing structure, the state failed to respond. So I talked with staff and organizational partners about ways to restructure both the program and its priorities, and sent the resulting recommendations to everyone involved with the program. I was fired without notice the following week, and heard from every one of my staff, who supported me. Some restructuring resulted, but the basic problems remained. The staff was stymied by the state's failure to allow them to be effective. A couple years later the EPA yanked the program from VT because for the very reasons I had complained about, including not having made any progress toward the purpose of the program. Their organizational partners were not sanctioned, and welcomed the change because it meant Vermont would finally be held accountable. By this time ALL of my recommendations had been implemented, and the program was under EPA, who paid all staff. I was even asked if I'd be willing to return to the program, but by then I was having too much fun doing field work and writing award winning papers at another fed agency.
Long before that, still in the PacNW, I had a woman supervisor who was asked to resign. Nothing to do with me. Just ordinary quality of work issues. That's how they get rid of women who can't do the job. But guys seem to go on and on until the employer can no longer overlook the problems. That dynamic has not fundamentally changed. Except for wealthy women who are willing to be the mouthpieces for authoritarian men.
Annie,
Sorry for slow reply. Long, long day.
"By this time ALL of my recommendations had been implemented, and the program was under EPA, who paid all staff. I was even asked if I'd be willing to return to the program, but by then I was having too much fun doing field work and writing award winning papers at another fed agency."
So, in summary, you did all the right things, and, moreover, good things happened for you and for the program!
Home Run Annie is what we will henceforth refer to you!
Now, that is not a story everyone can tell, even if, in the middle of your story, it did not feel like things were going to turn out well!!
"So, it is not only women that struggle in complex professional situations legitimately Barbara." Find the sentence in my comment where I said this.
My thesis was to let women be as nasty as men and to stop with the women as saints stuff. I didn't mention women in the workplace. I've been working with this topic since the 70's and just don't feel like re-litigating all the nuts and bolts.
โMy thesis was to let women be as nasty as men and to stop with the women as saints stuff. โ
Understood and completely agree. Thank you for clarifying.
One thing I did try to do in my long career was to be kind even while being firm and making my perspective clear.
Even in situations where being kind was not warranted.
I think I benefited from this approach.
Being nasty is worse for me when I am nasty than it is for others. So. Why?
My professional mantra was always been fair, firm and friendly. This was applied in my academic career as well as my corporate career.
As to why we not as adept as being nasty as others? I don't know. I have siblings who are awful/close to evil and they enjoy it. We are cut from the same cloth so to speak and yet here we are. I was noted for being gentle of spirit from an early age. How we are when we are born is the answer? Who knows. I believe in reincarnation so there's that to consider if someone is so inclined.
Barbara,
Why not as nasty as others? I don't know either. Maybe we got lucky and had kind, careful parents? How they turned out like that? No idea.
These arenโt my words. Itโs a song. Also known as art. There have been plenty of examples given of women we wouldnโt like to see in charge. I hope there are more, some as yet unknown women, with the courage and desire to lead. Katy Porter comes to mind. Elizabeth Warren โฆ my little fearless and vocal granddaughters in 30 years or so โฆ โบ๏ธ
The sadness, is that stupidity and cupidity are NOT sex linked. Think MTG, and others. Think of the ladies in your local church (OK we are dealing with the older distaff side here). If only women were the embodiment of all things nurturing and sensible - but sadly, that is a pedestal we can't put anyone, male or female on. Sad, but reality.
I believe 'The myth of female innocence' is something we all tend to support; since after the war on Troy: - "and they killed all men and boys , and shared the women between them."
When the men are standing there, with their bloody hands and their obvious guilt, there is only one hope: the other half of humanity must be innocent. And the journey back to the humane and the feminine, the Odyssey is full of obstacles and delays.
The challenge, perhaps, is not to make of the other the problem but the desire to be the other and thus the solution. I am of the opinion, at this time, that perhaps it is time to ceed governance to women, not because this is the best thing to do, but the time is right for men, who have for centuries proven themselves ineffective (and surprisingly so) in achieving lasting peace and prosperity for the majority of those whom they serve or control to move aside. I am only of this opinion at this time, because it has been the exceptions who have proven in their lifetimes to be deserving of our praise, not for their beauty or intellect, but for their kindness and seriousness of acts and behaviors. I am of this opinion, that governance should be women's work, in that I expect the exceptional will be borne of this time, women with kindness, wisdom, thoughtfulness, integrity, proofs delivered, and other to be defined traits bearing peace and prosperity, who will had lead successfully in the decades ahead. It may be, in another time, we may find leaders with those qualities arising; the exceptions borne of the decades as we are seeing among wise and strong and sentient women taking their place in governance and other leadership positions. That time will be a period, not of binary distinctions of good or bad, cause or solution, male or female, white or of color. It will be, my hope is, that those we promote to positions of power and governance will be for reasons of merit, ability, and actions pertinent to the challenges of times going forward.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/06/trump-reawaken-america-republicans-midterms-branson-missouri
While Democrats hope women will take a look at voting, the Republicans are running religious services with all kinds are crazy stuff from prophecy of Donald Trump being ordained by God to be President to the end of times if he is not elected.
Really nutty stuff that is completely normal in Baptist parts of America.
Lots of women out there in those regligious audiences everyone. Lots. As Trump might say.
Did you see the most recent DeSantis ad where he infers he is God or anointed by God? You gotta watch it.
Barbara. Thank you for the pointer.
It makes complete sense to indicate that God is your sponsor.
It worked for Moses big time.
It worked for Jesus, if you ignore that crucifixion thing.
It worked for Constantine. Big time.
Claiming God is on your side is the best of the best of references.
Nobody can ever prove you faked your resume if God is your main reference.
Well DeSantis has competition. The disgraced 2 times impeached former President thinks he has dibs on being the second coming or whatever.
To your point. Looking at your historical references it only works for so long. The arc of the Universe is intelligent and there always ends up being a counter balance eventually. I've watched it for years. Nixon, Agnew, Jim Baker, Napoleon, former guy, Jim and Tammy Faye type folks, 1950's McCarthy, the British, Hitler, al Queda, Gadaffi, Hussein, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Milosevic, Marcos, Batista and on and on and on.
We'll get through this too. And we will still be nice.
Barbara,
Apology for delayed reply. Long day.
"We'll get through this too. And we will still be nice."
I am not sure the arc of the universe is intelligent. I am sure that, in a Monte Carlo simulation, starting with random input, fixed boundary conditions and, running many, many, many trials, one will, eventually find multiple optimal points of solution.
I hope so. Also, if you ever get a chance, although I think you may have already read it, please read "The Power of the Charlatan".
It was written in Europe, maybe in France, I don't remember, and translated at Yale in 1939. Absolutely stellar book written at the height of Charlatan existence in Europe (or maybe that is just every day, not sure).
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Power_of_the_Charlatan.html?id=PQXPAAAAMAAJ
Almost makes me want to become a preacher!!
The book is currently unavailable. My Library doesn't have it either. Sounds like a good read.
Does it count that I've met my fair share of charlatans?
Have a good week. God Bless America.
Yes. Absolutely appalling.
The disgraced twice impeached former President is incensed. He thought he was anointed.
Well, what about the crazies, mtg, lb, kl etc? The women are not all "righting the ship", but rather aiding in the sinking of said ship
AnnaKuz Nothing is 100% except death and taxes. Many more men than women are โcrazies,โ especially white, male, poorly-educated โChristian evangelicals.โ Education, however, is not a litmus test. Some Trumpublicans with impressive Ivy League credentials are very deliberately โcrazy.โ
I would love to know how Nancy Pelosi is the embodiment of all these other historical figures. She is, quite frankly, a corporatist Democrat who has often stood in the way of progress that would improve the lives of the 98%. She has actively sought to help replace incumbent progressives with moderates. In my opinion she is part of the problem, not the solution.
Jeff.
Nobody is perfect.
๐ฅน
I am not seeking perfection. I just donโt get that comment other than the second paragraph. Must be something I donโt get, because some 445 people have tacitly agreed with it in part or wholly. You can probably tell I am not a Pelosi fan. I do however empathize with her on the constant threats and the horrible attack on her husband. That is all very untenable and it defies comprehension. Politically, however, I think she remains part of the problem and does not represent the future needs of most Americans. Just because she has been in Washington a long time and has garnered a lot of power does not make her Joan of Arc. She goes after trump, which might seem impressive, gutsy on the surface, but he is really low hanging fruit.
Jeff,
Pelosi is a consumate politician that learned how to get and weild power effectively.
I am sure that you are in the great, great majority of people who dislike anyone like this.....Pelosi included.
However, if you want to get something done in a complicated people situation?
You need a Pelosi to do it.
So, it is important not to make judgements on who we like, but, who gets it done.
Pelosi gets it done.
Pelosi โgets it doneโ if it suits her and her position. Just like Mitch. She has funded moderates and worse, far right candidates so a progressive wouldnโt get the vote. The same despicable move the DNC made in 2016. The reason this makes me so angry is because working people are being held down with less pay, less benefits (healthcare and retirement arenโt โthingsโ, anymore) less safety and no options. My state primaried Bernie in 2016 and he won! Until the DNC said he couldnโt represent democrats. Now, thanks to them, my state is a Republican super majority. Weโre much less safe than we were... the job market stinks ... services are disappearing... things are not improving and these people are blaming Biden. Itโs making me crazy.
Thank you for your comment ๐
Where is hers and other Dems voices who wield Dem power when it comes to getting money out of politics? We are facing an almost wholly corrupted political situation. It matters not from whom or where it comes, or where it goes, it is money designed to influence legislation to meet the needs of wealthy special interests.
โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ
I shared this letter on FB with a warning to my female friends that if they don't USE this RIGHT to vote, those old white supremacist males will simply take it away. Look no further than the Stench Bench and Congress, with its sprinkling of crazies (think Marjorie Traitor Green) and crazed candidates like Kari Lake
You do know that Mother Teresa was a tool of the male dominant Catholic Church, and she was more concerned about saving souls than alleviating suffering.
I did pause at that one. I had an aide who was British and loathed Mother Teresa for just what you have mentioned. She could also perfectly mimic her.
In the 1980s while working with AIDS patients in the public hospital in Miami, the nuns from the Missionaries of Charity order in their white saris with blue trim, would visit Catholic patients. One young man told the nurses to keep them away from him. They did not give him comfort in his dying, just grief for sinning and getting the "gay disease."
I didn't know that explicitly but I'm not the least surprised, and thank you for pointing this out.
Prove it.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mother-teresa-was-no-saint_b_9470988/amp
https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/the-dark-side-of-mother-teresa-b8b9f93df835
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/02/25/why-to-many-critics-mother-teresa-is-still-no-saint/
https://allthatsinteresting.com/mother-teresa-saint
I'm not doing this. There are just as many opposing views in other media. Why make it a thing? She is dead. Let the woman rest in peace.
My apologies, I misunderstood your request to "prove it"
Snark aside John. I was being absolutist in my "prove". An attempt at humor seeing as how she has died.
Can we please not jump on every. single. thing. as a society to quarrel with one another?
Shanti.
Professor! Youโre early ๐๐ป. Next week is sure to be a ๐ฉ storm of news. Please take a day or two with your handsome husband. Thank you for your letters, written so faithfully.
HCR - my favorite type of your Letters! When you write about a historical event, period or person almost entirely from your impressive body of knowledge! (Very few citations of resources in your Notes) Thank you for teaching us something and making interesting and relevant connections to important issues facing the American people today. You are a rare and valued storyteller and source of history.
โ...those of us who have not been cut out of the right to vote by one or another of the measures...โ Such a sad and stressful place to find ourselves. My mom - 91 - just keeps saying, โI never thought Iโd see it happen here.โ Letโs hope the turnout is nothing short of a tidal wave. Holding my breath starting... now.
My 100 year old aunt is die hard Republican. When the Clinton trump debates were going on, sheโd call me to say weโre never going to win if trump doesnโt go after Clinton! How are we related?! I think sheโs just party line without an ability to reason out change. But man she votes!
Tidal wave...
I hope you are right.
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Around and around it goes. The scumbags never give up, do they?
We never give up either and we've won a lot so far
โ๏ธ โ๏ธ โ๏ธ
Another excellent letter and history lesson; thank you once again, Heather.
I wonder, as the current Supreme Court continues to re-interpret the 14th amendment, if certain citizens could once again lose the right to vote.
Iโve been wondering if โoriginalistโ Amy Coney-Barrett will side with her Federalist Society fraternity brothers to gut the 14th Amendment and then resign. After all, the founding Fathers never conceived of women voting, much less serving as judges.
She wonโt resign
WOW! What a frightening thought!
That is their aim, isnโt it?
It was not just the southern states that restricting voting to US citizens. Until 1960 in NY State, one had to go to the police station every year to register to vote. Plus one had to prove an eighth grade education, oral and verbal proficiency in English. These laws were designed not just to prevent African Americans from voting but Jewish, Caribbean, southern and Eastern Europeans as well as Chinese immigrants/new citizens from voting. The NY State League of Women Voters, mobilized to overturn these restrictions. My mother was one of the people leading that campaign. The New Yorker magazine profiled her work.
Wow. I did not know that. Kudos for your mother's important work!
Southern White 'Conservatives' (SWC) have made progress in their antidemocratic pursuits. They now seek to suppress the votes not just of Blacks, all minorities and women...but ALL people who don't vote for their SWC candidates. Their sense of entitlement has consistently undermined this country since inception.
It is not just Southerners. They are everywhere..
Which inception consisted of stealing the land from the Native People- - -
The inevitable arc of justice intersects and conflicts with the evil, seemingly interminable, arc of injustice and prejudice, now and again, as we face the corrupted party of President Abraham Lincoln, the newly darkened Republican Party, tonight and tomorrow and the day after... until we, we the people, vote and vote and vote till we drop... and return our blessed democracy to the inevitable task of righteousness, justice and decency once and for all Americans.. we end The Big Lie and charge those responsible for our present crisis and treat one and all as the criminals they are.
No one is above the law, the constitution rules us all, and our judicial system must deal properly and effectively with the criminal element in all parts of our government and society, without delay and without prejudice. To ignore the criminality of a former president is to encourage the next misfit to hold office.
To wit, Republican Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew were criminal. They were not handled properly. All knew this.
Letโs handle this bunch properly. Letโs end actions of the Party of insurrection with appropriate charges from DOJ, Party wide.
A republic if we can keep it.
Dress rehearsal is over. Letโs roll.
Roll we must, or be rolled over
Channeling Yoda, yes?
Let's roll, indeed. Thank you, Sandy.
As a 74 year old white man, with all the accoutrements given, this makes me so sad. We need women in power!
We need Good PEOPLE in power. We default to gender-saviorship pining when we are frustrated. I do understand that patriarchal rules have advantaged white, heterosexual, Christian men in the past. But to flip the script and say we would be saved if the genders were flipped is just completely proven equally foolish when looking at the roster of gop female candidates that are wing nut crazy also. Human Beings are equally endowed by their creator to be batshit crazy. Letโs stop electing them. All of them. We need Good People in positions of power. And we all need to participate so they are not corrupted by outside influences taking advantage of an apathetic electorate of both genders.
Christians canโt be assumed to be good people anymore. The inquisition is back.
The christian nationalists use the christian to rope people into the fascist nationalists term. Their seven mountain prophecy and taking over our nation is backed by Stephen Miller! When I told this to a fellow teacher she didnโt know who Stephen Miller was. Itโs a scary group of fanatics! And very little is getting heard about who they are!
I wonder whyโฆ.?
You wonder why Stephen Miller is pushing a fascist agenda? Because heโs evil incarnate! He wants to suppress the masses and do harm to his non followers. Everything evil during TFG presidency was pushed by Stephen Miller. Like children being separated from their parents at the Mexican border with no plans to return them. The Seven Mountains Prophecy started in the 70s but Miller is pushing it forward. Had he not gotten involved it probably would have died out.
Tongue in cheek, Denise. He is the Goebbels of the Dump administration. I fully agree. He hates immigrants. He is from a Jewish family who fled persecution in the 19th century. If HE had been in charge back then, there would have been no mass immigration to the United States. Al the Jews would have been killed in the Pogroms. It is BECAUSE of our open policies that he was even born!
Totally agree, Denise.He tried to stay in the background, but was the main voice in tfg's ear. We haven't seen the last of him.
Jeri Chilcutt - "Christians canโt be assumed to be good people anymore."
Between 2011 and 2016, white Evangelicals went from the American demographic ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ that โ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ญ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ช๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ๐ง๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ดโ to the group ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ with that statement.
https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/the-third-rail/63655811ce44df0038db1d96/make-character-great-again-herschel-walker-donald-trump/?fbclid=IwAR1Okj9tBxcwhfa65tONrk11DwDa-VKT5iWPBuoY177-wWr8NsuO9FYCvQ4
How did this happen? Thatโs why the evangelicals accept all the sex crimes of their priests and politiciansโฆ.how sickening is that???? Not to mention all the other crimesโฆ.
SOME Christians. Reverend Barber is one of my personal heroes and many othersโฆ.
Definitely! Just now one cannot assume the word Christian means a good thing. At least not in Texas.
One cannot assume the word Christian means Christian, but then, thatโs been the case for a long time.
MLR, not sure if you are male or female. Iโd like to say that all the countries that have women at the helm currently, are in much better shape for it. Better covid response, better response to anti-Muslim terrorism (New Zealand) and over all better. So I donโt agree with you. Of course, I canโt stomach certain women in politics. We agree there. But we need more women, more young people and more people of color in all walks of life, including politics. Just sayinโ....
Agreed. As I said, more good people.
Unfortunately, the suffragists left the Black women to march in the back and it wasn't until 1965 that Black women could vote
Black women in the north voted. But the first free nationwide election was held in 1968. After which the attempts to roll back what the 1965 Voting Rights Act accomplished began with Nixon's Southern strategy. LBJ knew and said the South was lost to the Democrats for a generation. He was wrong. It's been my entire adult life and I am 76.
Me, too. Unfortunately, the majority of Southern Democrats moved to the Republican Party. Heather has excellent insight on this and notes it wasnโt the first time the parties โflipped.โ
I have never in my life phone banked or canvassed, or done anything other than donate to a campaign. This weekend I am getting on a bus with Swing Left to knock doors in WI and IL-17 because I cannot imagine doing anything else with my free time. There is just too much at stake in this election. We just finished our WI canvass today for Evers & Barnes. The bus was packed. People are fired up to vote MAGA out!
WONDERFUL!!! THANK YOU KYLE!!
The original Constitution never used the word "male"?! That is certainly news to me! And then the word was inserted into the Fourteenth Amendment giving former slaves the right to vote (if they could pass a hundred different hurdles) -- but STILL not women! Mind-blowing.
The statesโ rights malarkey is a mess--& is the next major push that must be made to voters by DEMS. It will result in the stripping of rights unimaginable. Thus, we need to focus on โ(OR) THE PEOPLEโ in lieu of the many corrupt (R) legislators who will strip them. Ballot measures! In every state, we must have ballot measures that get The People out to vote for popular measures to protect their rights & turn back this shady statesโ rights/legislators scam!
Thank Goodness, we have that right in Michigan. Not only do we have a Constitutional Amendment proposal on the Michigan Ballot to Make Roe vs Wade a constitutional amendment, but one labelled Protect the Vote, which would make all citizens of Michigan the constitutional right to vote and guaranteeing that all votes legally cast or mailed by poll closing on election day be counted! That proposal is being pitched by Veterans saying that they don't want to worry about having their votes counted when they are deployed overseas! Very canny!
And it took hard, hard work and the dedication of thousands -- mostly women -- to get those proposals on the Michigan ballot.
YES!
Yes, and I was one of those petition circulators! It took all my courage to overcome my left over PTSD to wander the countryside in my car gathering signatures.
Pitched by veterans because many of their votes weren't getting counted from overseas. I am so proud of what we have accomplished in Michigan, including our fair redistricting of the 2010 Republican gerrymandering!
Michigan is showing us all the way to do it, by voting Whitmer, Benson & McMorrow into power. They are impressive! ๐ช๐ผ๐ช๐ผ๐คฉ๐คฉ
Louise, did not know those amendments were on the Michigan ballot. Maybe that helps explain why your early vote turnout is so high. Love it!
Wow!
We are all so fortunate to have you here with the DEEP history on the USAโs history.
I consider myself reasonably informed, etc. but truly at the end of my day, I come here to drink from the water in your well of knowledge.
Thank you for being a voice of truth, of history, and all the late hours you put in!!!
Wherever it all ends up, we have a beacon of light within your writing. ๐๐โค๏ธโค๏ธ
Iโve been on an emotional see-saw since November 3, 2020, worrying about the outcomes of our elections. More recently, despite the election of Joe Biden and the work of the January 6th committee to document the actions of Trump, the perpetrators of the failed coup and Trumpโs continued stonewalling have caused my fears to become more tangible and less theoretical. I have done what I can (financially and otherwise) to support rational, intelligent candidates in House and Senate races across the country. My mail-in ballot has been received by the county clerk. At this point, all I can do is wait out the next few days. I must trust that the Courtโs reversal of Roe v Wade has mobilized folks to vote Blue and that a new Silent Majority of people fed up with the mendacity and hypocrisy of the GOP/MAGA will rise up and make their voices heard loudly and clearly come Tuesday.
You just spoke for me. At nearly 82 I have done all that I can physically and financially and Iโm scared. One minute there is optimism, the next pure dread. May we all be rejoicing here next week.
I read LFAA religiously, first thing every morning. These letters are an invaluable source clear information and context. Sometimes the news here is so positive that I warily become optimistic for our future. And other days the news is such that I grow despondent that America's 235 year experiment with democracy will come crashing down around our feet. Like Eisenhower on 6 June 1944, all I can do now is sit and wait.
Right there with you.
I'm right there with you.