Ever been lost in the desert for five blazing days with some asshole who 45 minutes in started complaining about being thirsty, whining about a blister, sharing her unhelpful opinion that there was no likelihood of rescue, and viciously blaming everyone but herself, even though she’s the one who dropped the map and compass down the mine shaft? The answer to this is, “No.” No one who is alive today has ever had such an experience, because there is literally no way to survive such a difficult and dangerous ordeal without ditching the loser.
I say we scrape this one off. Otherwise, we all go down with her.
(The column is behind the scumsucking NYT pay barrier, so hit “…Read on” below for excerpts. If you want to be annoyed, that is.)
From Maureen Dowd’s latest frankly misogynist, mean-spirited Irish bully whine:
The Democrats were throwing haymakers at the White House this week, but they will never succeed as long as they’re perceived as the party in skirts.…Two of them, who could have stopped W. and Dick Cheney before they undid 230 years of American democracy, didn't, because they allowed themselves to be painted as girlie men. The other, a manly girl, has been so cautious and opportunistic about weighing in on everything from Schiavo to Alito and Iraq that when she finally sang out on Monday and railed against W., she sounded more soprano than basso profundo.…
Ever since the 2000 race, the Democrats have let Republicans caricature them as effeminate. The Democrats have let the G.O.P. give them their shape, and it’s an hourglass.…
If the Democrats are like the dithering “Desperate Housewives,” the Republicans have come across like the counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer on “24”: fast with a gun, loose with the law, willing to torture in the name of protecting the nation. Except Jack Bauer is competent.
The Democrats’ chronic impotence led to the Republicans’ reign of incompetence.
As if Maureen Dowd’s vicious and deeply frivolous attacks on Al Gore in 2000 were not critical to Bush’s ascension to office. See this 2003 post, “A Turtle on a Fencepost Didn’t Get There by Himself”, by Jerry. Also, see this earlier Bad Attitudes attack on Dowd: “What a failure, and what a waste of a bright mind and a real life force.”
But she's won the Pulitzer Price for distinguished commentary on the Lewinsky case!
Posted by: Peter on January 20, 2006 12:25 PMMoDo the Ho!
Posted by: chrisanthemama on January 20, 2006 1:07 PMI wrote something up yesterday alluding to the same thing (www.politicalsports.com). That woman is so sour she would pucker a lemon. No wonder she isn't married, can you imagine having someone that negative around allllllllll the time. No matter what or who it is she is always complaining. Think of Gore, or Kerry, or Edwards, or any Democrat, they are all wimps to her. Given her readership, it is not inconceivable that her negative crap might have influenced at least 500 votes in Florida.
Posted by: Political Sports on January 20, 2006 3:43 PMHer characterizations of Cheney and Bush have been amusing and accurate. I did find it rather odd that she rather overdid it on the feminization critique of the Democrats. I would have chosen different images, but I find the essence of her criticism pretty accurate. Both Gore and Kerry were horrible campaigners and stood for very little, even the things we thought they believed in. Hillary's approach towards the Iraq war has been atrocious and I would not trust her and would devoutly hope she is not nominated.
On the other hand, if Gore failed to connect with his recent speech, that is certainly not for lack of cohones. I think he did connect with his haymaker to the extent that the White House was desperate to respond and try to marginalize him, as usual.
In any event, we need to give Gore a second look. If Gore has changed for the better (which I believe he has), it will be said that he has grown a set of balls. I think most people don't even consider the fact that the constant use of that image is pretty misogynistic. Thanks for pointing that out. Can't we just have courage without having to make gender references?
The media, and especially the right wing fawners, both male and female, have considered Bush's strength to be his big balls, both figuratively, and apparently literally. There was much swooning over that mission accomplished picture, even though his balls might have been pumped up somewhat by the failure to release his parachute. Unfortunately, that region is also, apparently, where Bush's brain, such as it is, is located.
In any event, I think Dowd is worth reading. Her characterizations of the Bush crowd are priceless. In this dark hour, she makes me laugh.
Posted by: tstreet on January 21, 2006 11:05 AM