PHOTO INDEX: FORMER SENATOR GEORGE McGOVERN, (CIRCA 1972, ACTUALLY THIS WAS THE PHOTO USED IN McGOVERN'S CAMPAIGN POSTERS THAT YEAR) AND GOVERNOR ED RENDELL, MAYOR NUTTER AND SENATOR CLINTON.
IT'S ABOUT TIME!!
Finally, finally, someone said what needed to be said in this Presidential campaign about Senators Clinton and Obama. People close to me said it many times but were afraid, like I was, that it might be misinterpreted as politically incorrect. Governor Ed hinted and jitterbugged around it (he is great at that) by saying Pennsylvanians might not be ready to vote for a black candidate or even a woman. But it took George McGovern, a Clinton supporter to say what a lot of people were thinking, that America would sooner vote for a black man than a any type of woman. There, it was said. The undercurrent issue has not been race but sexism. There are many components to it. First off, women have been divided on Senator Clinton. You'd think that women of all ages would be united for the Senator, but there is a divide between young women (who think women's accomplishments were there for the taking all the time) and older women over 45 who remember the struggle. I'm going to throw out two local names from the 60s. Marie Carpentier from WNEP TV and Kitch Loftus from WARM. In a TV and Radio world wallpapered today with female reporters, when I was in high school there were only 2 woman news reporters on TV and Radio. It seems to me that younger women are making every excuse not to vote for Hillary because she is "old school". Worse yet, some say she's gotten where she is because she tolerated her husband's infidelities. Believe me, no woman tolerates infidelities. But women seem to be their own worst enemy. Today on "Corbett" a caller berated the host a bit because he said it was sexism for party leaders to urge Clinton to get out of the race. Corbett disagreed but the caller then said, "If Clinton was a man, they'd tell the same story, get out of the race and support Obama!" (I love talk radio but can only handle it for about 35 minutes at a clip, I have no problem with the hosts but the callers, it scares me that they re-produce and vote but that's a story for another day). To Michelle from the "Corbett" show, let me throw this out. In 1952 did the GOP stop Dwight Eisenhower from entering the race for President when it appeared Senator Robert Taft of Ohio was within 100 votes of the nomination? In 1960, did the Dems tell Lyndon Johnson not to fight on to the convention even though JFK outnumbered him in delegates 2 to 1? In 1980, did they tell Teddy Kennedy to drop out of the race even though Carter had the nomination won? In 1976, was Ronald Reagan told to pack it in just because he was within 92 votes of President Ford? Nope, these guys all went to the convention. And the operative word here is "guys". A woman is so close to the brass ring that there is a realization she might get the top spot! And what do women do? Divide themselves. What does the party do? Pat the little blond lady on the head and say, "girlie, it's time to shut it down". What do the Republicans do? They urge GOPers and Independents to switch to the Dems to vote for Obama to mess up the Clinton effort. Senator Clinton has not been perfect in this campaign but she has shown an affinity for the middle class that Obama has not articulated yet. His speeches are glorious works of prose and cadence but I judge speeches by content, Mario Cuomo content. And Obama has not hit the points of middle class life like Clinton has.
Senator McGovern is a well respected party leader. Actually in a way it is his 1972 candidacy that has hurt Mrs. Clinton. Back in 1972 the Democratic Party Credentials committee ruled that there would be no winner take all primaries. The delegate votes would be apportioned according to Congressional districts. McGovern is a party elder, a three term Senator that has finally made the point that American voters might not be as racist as they are sexist. It's about time someone made the point and you couldn't find a better guy to do it. After the 1972 debacle, when McGovern only carried Mass. and D.C., the late Stewart Alsop wrote that McGovern as well as his campaign was honorable. (He had no way of forseeing the fallout from Watergate in his post election analysis). He wrote that at the end of 1972, a battered and ridiculed McGovern would someday be embraced as a wise party elder that spoke the truth without guile or malice. And his party would embrace him for it and thank him. It happened today when George Stanley McGovern, former WWII ace bomber pilot, three term U.S Senator and failed Presidential candidate said what everybody was thinking but didn't have the credibility or moral bank account to say.
CHELSEA BITES BACK
Chelsea Clinton's respone was a bit curt when a college student asked about her mother's strength during the Lewinsky scandal. Chelsea chided him and said that in 70 college campus forums, no one brought that up and said it was no one's business. The student said he was a Clinton supporter and felt Chelsea missed a great opportunity to highlight her mother's ability to cope with adversity. Chelsea disagreed.
Isn't it amazing how we regard old party pros with such reverence. McG's comments ('member when the Daily News used that monicker) are well put and pretty astute. Men would rather have a woose as Veep (George Bush the father) than a woman, Gerri Ferraro.
ReplyDeleteIf ever anyone had a legimate entitlement to the Presidential Nomination, it was Robert Taft as you mentioned. Senator from Ohio. son of a President and known as Mr Republican. Both parties courted Ike. The Republicans won and Taft was out! He took the hit, didnt call anybody Judas and soon after died.
ReplyDeleteGeorge McGovern is one of the most honorable men in public service. He was good what Nixon was to evil. He's a straight shooter and his comments are a breath of fresh air into the muted discimination against a woman's canidacy.
ReplyDeleteI am a white male. I cannot imagine what a black person through history has gone through. I imagine the humilitation might have broken me. But one thing the Civil Rights movement did as well as sports was to put us at ease and comfortable with a black man in power, whether it be a David Dinkins as Mayor of NYC or a Doug Williams or Warren Moon as QB for an NFL team. But as a white man with a daughter, I see the sexism inherent in her trying to get through her life as a businesswoan. She has to struggle to be taken seriously. So too with Mrs./Senator Clinton. THe cigarette commercials were wrong, "they haven't come a long way baby". Just short of the goal line.
ReplyDeleteHey Dave, again your media savvy comes to the forefront. What a blast from the past, Marie Carpentier, she paved the way for Liz Purcell, Karen Harch and others.
ReplyDeleteGood for Chelsea. I always thought she was the adult in that trio.
ReplyDeletewhat you didn't have enough excuses for gore now you are going to make preemptive excuses for hillary.
ReplyDeleteSen. Clinton is a sad excuse for a human being and has no business being president.
As far as Chelsea, that was/is a legitimate question considering all the lies Clinton tells. But instead of being poised and answering she acted like the spoiled, petulant child she is