Tuesday, January 15, 2008

The Boys' Club?

Today's Washington Post features an article titled: All Revved Up Over Michigan's Place in Politics: Today's Primary Is Now Secondary, And Debbie Dingell Is In Quite A State.

Thus, in the most wide-open presidential election in a generation, confusion and disillusionment reign supreme in a state already full of both. While Republican candidates devote advertising money and time to win their remaining delegates, Democratic voters have been ignored (save by Dennis Kucinich, the one candidate to break from the pledge). Edwards and Obama supporters have been told to vote "uncommitted" to support their candidates, though there's no guarantee of whom uncommitted delegates will support -- if they're even seated at the convention.
It's actually not a bad overview of the history of how our primary came to be so screwed up... but at the same time, it's one of the more sexist things I've read in quite a while.

Now, I don't think that Debbie Dingell & Co. did our state any favors by playing politics (literally!), and their arrogance borders on breathtaking.

At the same time, I was irritated to read things like this

So it's understandable when Dingell walks into the UAW hall and begins to rant.
and this
Later on she bellows, "We want them talking about our jobs! We want to see them talk about manufacturing!
oh, yeah - and this
It is apparent over the course of a week that she can speak about the primary at only one speed, no matter the venue. There's no soft beginning, no slow crescendo. You simply get Debbie Dingell, Angry or Angrier or Angriest -- a point where her voice is strong enough to destroy whole star systems.

"You tell me what kind of power it takes to have a candidate take their name off the ballot!" Dingell screams.
I haven't read anything about Carl Levin "screaming" or Mark Brewer being in "quite a state." For that matter, I haven't heard about Kucinich's incredibly nasal voice. (Though I have heard repeatedly that Hillary is "shrill.")

Do I think Debbie showed good leadership? Heck, no! But her failures (and successes) deserve to be evaluated on their merits, not on physical attributes and lazy journalistic cliches.

(cross-posted at Michigan Liberal)

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