General Discussion

kpete

(71,991 posts) Sat Mar 17, 2012, 03:41 PM Mar 2012

Alright, girls, that's enough

Are Democrats in Danger of Looking Too Political on the Violence Against Women Act?

Alright, girls, that's enough

.....................

At the end of the Times piece, Senator Roy Blunt suggests that the new champions of women may be “in serious danger of overplaying their hand,” and I actually think he has a point. While I certainly praise the support that Democrats have displayed for women’s issues in this election cycle, I’m starting to be turned off by the giddiness with which they’ve taken on the mantle of lady defender. I admit that the issue of political tone is small potatoes compared to the very important programs and services at stake in these debates, but I’m still a little uncomfortable with the unequivocal friend-or-foe rhetoric that has come to dominate this conversation.

For the sake of victims of domestic violence, VAWA should be reauthorized as soon as possible, but Democrats need to remember that we all know they’re in the midst of a tough election contest, too. Fight the good fight for women, but please, leave the noble posturing at home.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/03/16/are_democrats_in_danger_of_looking_too_political_on_the_violence_against_women_act_.html
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/alright-girls-thats-enough.html

22 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Alright, girls, that's enough (Original Post) kpete Mar 2012 OP

J. Bryan, go fuck yourself sideways with a chainsaw Warpy Mar 2012 #1

Who is this guy? Kalidurga Mar 2012 #2

He does look like a concern troll muriel_volestrangler Mar 2012 #18

Slate's editor is a major right winger Aerows Mar 2012 #20

wow. more men telling us women to stfu ..... and what and how we are suppose to feel seabeyond Mar 2012 #3

+10000 nt Mojorabbit Mar 2012 #7

Even our own are telling women DearAbby Mar 2012 #8

yup. they let us get hysterical and emotional for a couple weeks seabeyond Mar 2012 #9

I feel the same way marlakay Mar 2012 #10

everything has been pointing to this fro about a decade. it took a long time seabeyond Mar 2012 #11

Agree AsahinaKimi Mar 2012 #15

Seriously. Jennicut Mar 2012 #21

we haven't even started yet wendylaroux Mar 2012 #4

roy blunt wendylaroux Mar 2012 #5

Digby and I share some memories. Cerridwen Mar 2012 #6

Seriously?!?!? shcrane71 Mar 2012 #12

Shit - ohheckyeah Mar 2012 #13

I have worked for over a decade with domestic violence victims nadine_mn Mar 2012 #14

Worry, worry, worry. Be scared. randome Mar 2012 #16

Ummm ........ oh, nevermind. Ship of Fools Mar 2012 #17

Trivializing... ProfessionalLeftist Mar 2012 #19

This kind of thing just makes me angrier. I will not sit down and shut up. yardwork Mar 2012 #22

Warpy

(111,261 posts)

1. J. Bryan, go fuck yourself sideways with a chainsaw

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 03:46 PM

Mar 2012

This bozo is so eager to bash Democrats he's missed the point that the party itself has been acting with extraordinary mildness while women do all the work of pointing out just how outrageous his own party is.

I suppose he thinks women were put on this earth for men to batter.

Republicans seem to think so.

Kalidurga

(14,177 posts)

2. Who is this guy?

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 03:51 PM

Mar 2012

He writes for a liberal slanting website, yet this could have easily been written for freepers.

muriel_volestrangler

(101,316 posts)

18. He does look like a concern troll

Reply to Kalidurga (Reply #2)

Mon Mar 19, 2012, 09:41 AM

Mar 2012

See his recent articles: http://www.slate.com/authors.j_bryan_lowder.html

Mind you, I think Slate is more 'centrist' than 'liberal'.

Aerows

(39,961 posts)

20. Slate's editor is a major right winger

Reply to Kalidurga (Reply #2)

Mon Mar 19, 2012, 10:13 AM

Mar 2012

Slate is far from liberal. This dude is a major concern troll.

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)

3. wow. more men telling us women to stfu ..... and what and how we are suppose to feel

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 03:52 PM

Mar 2012

with all the attacks on us, and hated namecalling.

truly amazing

thanks men, for letting us know, we are going too far, expecting too much

silly women

Mojorabbit

(16,020 posts)

7. +10000 nt

Reply to seabeyond (Reply #3)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 04:43 PM

Mar 2012

DearAbby

(12,461 posts)

8. Even our own are telling women

Reply to seabeyond (Reply #3)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 04:48 PM

Mar 2012

Settle down little lady, point taken, now shut the fuck up.

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)

9. yup. they let us get hysterical and emotional for a couple weeks

Reply to DearAbby (Reply #8)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 05:20 PM

Mar 2012

now it is time to quiet it down.

lets hear the women in congress, and the women across the nation in state govt roar.

grab the microphone and make it about us.

works for me.

limbaughs whole intent was to shut women up. it gave all of us more of a voice.

marlakay

(11,468 posts)

10. I feel the same way

Reply to seabeyond (Reply #3)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 05:23 PM

Mar 2012

What is happening? All of a sudden it does feel like war…I just hope the young pay attention and get their heads out of FB and twitter enough to sign up and vote!

seabeyond

(110,159 posts)

11. everything has been pointing to this fro about a decade. it took a long time

Reply to marlakay (Reply #10)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 05:51 PM

Mar 2012

for people to get here. for men to be comfortable using this language with us, out loud, publicly. and for society as a whole to be accepting. there has been a lot of conditioning over the last decade to get us here.

and yes....

it would be welcome to hear the youth be outraged. but they think slut and bitch is acceptable and dont seem to get the laws being passed. maybe it is a decade of rights being eroded.

AsahinaKimi

(20,776 posts)

15. Agree

Reply to marlakay (Reply #10)

Mon Mar 19, 2012, 07:32 AM

Mar 2012

Jennicut

(25,415 posts)

21. Seriously.

Reply to seabeyond (Reply #3)

Mon Mar 19, 2012, 10:38 AM

Mar 2012

This guy sounds like a major tool. Women have had enough. As a liberal woman I will not shut up.

wendylaroux

(2,925 posts)

4. we haven't even started yet

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 03:59 PM

Mar 2012

are you kidding? we know that no one is going help women,but women,not men or politicians. get out of the way.

wendylaroux

(2,925 posts)

5. roy blunt

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 04:04 PM

Mar 2012

what a joke.

Cerridwen

(13,258 posts)

6. Digby and I share some memories.

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 04:41 PM

Mar 2012

That's right, it's a tough election fight and the last thing Democrats need is to look like all they care about is a bunch of whiny bitches. Let's not lose our heads here.

Believe me, this is not an uncommon reaction. How do I know this? Because I've been watching this go down for my entire adult life. Any time "women's issues" start to become prominent, a certain kind of liberal male gets very nervous. The stuff I heard during the 1992 "year of the woman" election was enough to curl my hair. And I see no reason to believe anything's changed. I've already seen plenty of evidence that it hasn't.

I'll be looking for a major Stanley Greenberg poll any day now showing that allowing all these women's issues to dominate is alienating the American Holy Grail --- the white male. We'll be back to fetishizing NASCAR and fightinterrists with our bare hands right quick.

An article that includes a bit about Stanley Greenberg and a focus group of reagan democrats:

<big snip>

The voters were broken into four groups. Each participant was paid $35 for two hours and fed cold cuts. The tone was set when Greenberg read a quote from Robert Kennedy, a man held in reverence by these heavily Roman Catholic voters. The quote was RFK’s eloquent call for Americans to honor their special obligation to black citizens whose forefathers had lived through the slave experience and who themselves were the victims of racial discrimination.….

“That’s bullshit,” shouted one participant.

“No wonder they killed him,” said another.

<snip>

The resulting report sent a shudder through state and national Democrats. It was the first of a continuing series of research projects during the latter half of the decade that explained the problem, quite literally, in black and white.

<more...big snip>

There is so much more than merely four paragraphs can hope to depict. Please check out the link for the above excerpt. There is also discussion of the dlc handling of "The Year of the Woman".

shcrane71

(1,721 posts)

12. Seriously?!?!?

Reply to kpete (Original post)

Sat Mar 17, 2012, 06:07 PM

Mar 2012

ugh...

I admit that the issue of political tone is small potatoes compared to the very important programs and services at stake in these debates, but I’m still a little uncomfortable with the unequivocal friend-or-foe rhetoric that has come to dominate this conversation.

Sooo... women should just shush up about controlling their own bodies?