Lynette Long

THE NEW AGENDA AIN'T BLUFFING!

Aug 18th 2008 8:00AM

Filed Under:eHillary Clinton, Democrats, Barack Obama, John McCain

There's a new group called The New Agenda, and they're coming for you, Chris Matthews. The LA Times reports that the group considers Matthews a good start:

The nonpartisan group, called the New Agenda, held its first meeting this week and established as one of several goals getting Matthews yanked from his long-running show, "Hardball with Chris Matthews."

Amy Siskind of Westchester, N.Y., a founder and Clinton supporter, said the group was urging that Matthews' contract not be renewed because "the kind of language he uses and the kind of behavior he exhibits in the public domain toward women objectifies them and leads to bad things for our society and to domestic violence."

Siskind would not reveal what tactics the group would use to get Matthews off the air. She likened the organization to the Navy Seals, saying their methods would be covert.

The group's press release goes into more detail about The New Agenda's agenda, which is indeed new. The group has a set of issues that they are shopping, but I guess Matthews was the "grabber." I talked with Amy Siskind on Thursday, and she said I should talk to Cynthia Ruccia about The New Agenda, that it's a much more interesting story.

So, I did. It turns out there are lots of "grabbers" to this story.

We talked for hours, and I found her to be very compelling. It would be tough to be fair to her without relaying our conversations in their entirety, because these are tough issues that belie reduction to soundbites. I will write a more comprehensive piece on our interview in the next day or so. Think of this as a primer.

EARTH TO DEGETTE: WE ARE NOT COMING HOME!

From the Washington Post:

DeGette, a congresswomen from Colorado, and Minority Whip, is using her book tour, which she plans to kick off next week at the Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue in New York, to continue working over disenchanted Hillary Clinton supporters who have been threatening to vote for McCain. The Colorado congresswoman was a co-chair of Clinton's presidential campaign but is now lobbying disgruntled Clinton supporters who have been flooding her offices with angry phone calls not to back Barack
Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee. DeGette says the barrage of phone calls from die-hard Hillary fans have let up. Still, she says, "This is not a done deal for Obama."

What do I think:

Well if the calls have let up, we better start calling again.  Remember, anything worth having is worth fighting for.  We can't give up easily.  We can't give up at all.  I will not show my blind alliegence to the democratic party but I will fight with every breath I have for Democracy.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOYALTY ELIZABETH

By Anonymous Guest Blogger

It was the Spring of 2007.  John Edwards was lagging far behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in his run for the Democratic Nomination for President.  As financing dwindled, getting out of the race was an option.  Then, alas, his dear wife Elizabeth announced that her cancer had returned and was not curable.  The country watched as this courageous women told her husband to press forward with his presidential run.  Suddenly, John Edwards’ campaign was reinvigorated and the money came in and the polling numbers improved.

Thank you for your loyalty

Elizabeth

And a year later, in the Spring of 2008, shortly after the Democratic Primary in his home state of

North Carolina

, John Edwards again stepped forward.  This time he chose to endorse Barack Obama.  Strange timing thought many.  Strange as well that

Elizabeth

had spent so much time focused on healthcare – an issue championed by Hillary Clinton.  Some speculated that

Elizabeth

did not even know that her husband would endorse Obama.  But she sat quietly by as her husband did what he needed to do to have a shot at Vice President.

Thank you for your loyalty

Elizabeth

And so what better way to repay such love and loyalty?  To be stuck in the men’s room at the Beverly Hills Hotel at 2:30 a.m. and need to call security to be escorted by the press in waiting.  To have it be known that the reason for the visit was to meet a mistress and love child.

Thank you for your loyalty

Elizabeth

SEXISM SELLS BUT WE'RE NOT BUYING IT

A great video on the impact of sexism in the media by the Women's Media Center.

QUIZ - THE STATE OF WOMEN

1. There are over 180 countries in the world, how many have women heads of state?
2. What percent of the members of national parliaments worldwide are women?
3. Which country has the highest proportion of women parliamentarians in the world?
4.became the first nation to grant women full voting rights.
5. What is the only country in the world that does not have universal suffrage?
6. How many women ambassadors are there to the United Nations.
7. In how many of the world's states, women's income is 50% lower than men's income?

8. In the United States, who votes at higher rates, men or women?

9. Who became the first US woman nominated by a major political party for President?

10. In what year will the US elect the first woman president?

Click for answers.

KATIE COURIC DISCUSSES SEXISM AND RACISM

"I have no doubt in my heart that I made the right move, accepting the CBS offer. I would have regretted it otherwise. It's true that the pressure was immense and the expectations almost impossible. One person cannot perform such miracles and transform a whole network on his own.

"It's also true I'm not doing today exactly what I've been brought to do, and that my chance to express myself is fairly limited in the 22-minutes format, but I still enjoy my work, I think it's important and fascinating, and do believe we can make a change with time, bit by bit.

"Unfortunately I have found out that many viewers are afraid of change. The glory days of TV news are over, and the media landscape has been dramatically changed. News is available now for everyone, everywhere, all the time, and everybody fights for the last pieces of the shrinking pie. The corporate pressure and the ratings terror are intensifying all the time, and the situation is not simple. I find myself in the last bastion of male dominance, and realizing what Hillary Clinton might have realized not long ago: that sexism in the American society is more common than racism, and certainly more acceptable or forgivable. In any case, I think my post and Hillary's race are important steps in the right direction." 

 

THE PROPOSITION

by Lynette Long

A member of the Obama campaign keeps calling my office phone and leaving me messages. He often leaves ten minute rants on my phone exasperated that I am not supporting Obama.  "What's wrong with you? Why are you so irrational?"  Finally, tired of the constant calls, I called him back, "Guess Who?" I made him and Camp Obama a proposition.  "I will vote for Obama.  I will tell my friends to vote for Obama.  I will campaign for Obama."  He was eager for the rest.  "I only want one thing."  "What's that?" "I want gender parity.  I want Obama to go on National television and announce the he will select a female running mate and that half of his cabinet will be women."  He was silent for a second and then sheepishly replied,  "We can't do that?" "Why not?" I asked.  "We are over half the population?" "We can't do that!  What if there isn't a competent woman?" I was stunned. "There are 300 million people in this country, and you can't find a handful of competent women for the cabinet?" I chided.  "You want affirmative action.  I don't believe in affirmative action."  "That's my offer, take it or leave it."  He left it and guess what, he hasn't called me any more.

Obama doesn't believe in supporting women.  I'll use a recent NYT article as evidence.  It cited that Obama has 300 foreign policy advisers.  The times posted pictures of the top twenty-one of them.  Two were women. That's less than ten percent.  So much for parity.  So much for the politics of change.

FEMINIST MAJORITY REACTS TO NEW YORKER COVER

ELEANOR SMEAL sent out this email today to members of the Feminist Majority.

Let the New Yorker's editor-in-chief, David Remnick, know your outrage over the magazine's July 21 cover. Of course some will say that feminists have no sense of humor, but there is absolutely nothing satirical or funny about it.   This is a vicious attack masquerading as satire.

By choosing to publish this artwork without context on its cover, the editors have created a visual representation of racial, ethnic, religious, and sexist fear-mongering.  If the New Yorker wishes to condemn the myths, lies and prejudices being spread about Barack Obama, why not ridicule those who are perpetuating them, rather than furthering their cause. 

As feminists we refuse to be silent.  We who have been infuriated at the sexist media coverage of Hillary Clinton will not tolerate the racist and sexist coverage of Michelle and Barack Obama.  Express your outrage to David Remnick and demand that the cover be pulled.

For Equality,

Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority

Where was the anger when Hillary Clinton was raked over the coals by Keith Oberman and Chris Mathews?  Did I miss something?  I am outraged at the silence of the feminist community during Democratic Primary.   I think it's time Obama sees what it is like to be a Presidential candidate.  Obama, you want to give a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate and receive the Democratic Presidential Nomination in front of 72,000 people.  Well then, be prepared to take a little ribbing.

CALL TO ALL HILLARY SUPPORTERS...TAKE ACTION ON SATURDAY, JULY 19th

Saturday, July 19th, 2008 is the 160th Anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention (The first Women's Rights Convention), during which the Declaration of Sentiments was adopted.

On Saturday July 19th, 2008, Senator Clinton's Supporters will gather together nationwide to celebrate this historic anniversary at house parties, cocktail parties, and public gathering places, where they will adopt their own "Declaration of Resolutions" at "Resolution Day" parties nationwide.

For Details visit http://july19action.blogspot.com/

SEXISM IN THE MEDIA

Someone in the comment section asked for examples of sexism. Here is a tape of made by "Shut the Freud Up."