Several feminist bloggers have reported on John McCain being asked by a supporter “How do we beat the bitch?” His response was to laugh, not denounce the question, in fact call the question “excellent,” and then answer it.
More than one such thread has devolved into fight over whether the fact that McCain answered the question is something that he should be held responsible for, since, after all, he was not the one who asked it. My immediate (and continued) answer was “yes.” It seemed to me to be the obvious answer.
But some still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. And though I certainly enjoy being right, I take little glee in the irrefutably proven wrongness of those who did not immediately want to assume that McCain is a misogynist. Because more misogynists in the world is an all around bad thing.
Here they are, though. McCain has had since Monday to either denounce the remark or issue an apology. On Tuesday, his campaign actually argued that McCain showed respect for Clinton in his answer — and hey, I guess instead of saying “that’s an excellent question,” he could have been more disrespectful by saying “that’s a horrible question — Senator Clinton isn’t a bitch, she’s a stupid whore!” In light of that suggestion, maybe McCain’s response was respectful.
But now it seems that McCain’s campaign has had the gall to send out a fundraising campaign based on the remark, claiming that the big bad old liberal media is attacking him over the remark (the one he has refused to denounce or apologize for), even though it was actually, um, Senator Clinton who was called a bitch.
Excellent job there, McCain. No one could ever accuse you of lacking class.
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Agreed. And as if that isn’t bad enough, I caught a snippet of “The View” yesterday, in which the women argued that it wasn’t such a big deal… their main points?-
1. People call Bush an idiot all the time and say many disparaging remarks about him and no one cries about it like the media has been about this… ((what about the menz?!!???!?))
2. Since it was a woman asking the question, it is less upsetting than if a man said it.
3. That calling a man a bastard is the equivalent of calling a woman a bitch and would we still be upset if the woman had said “that bastard” in referring to any of the other candidates?
(that last lovely little snippet came from Whoopi Goldberg… wtf, Whoopi? When is the last time you heard anyone in the mainstream referring to men as “bastards” in a derogatory, mean-spirited, biased and/or violent way?)
ugh!!! I don’t know why I ever ever ever watch “The View.” I know its not a good idea. It never fails to enrage me.
Bonnie, I wouldn’t but much credence in what Whoopie Goldberg says. This from the woman who claimed that Michael Vick’s dogfighting ring (as cruel an activity to animals as it gets) was not really his fault, because “some activities are indicative to certain parts of the country” and “it’s part of his cultural upbringing.”
I agree that Whoopi is far from perfect, Rich, but usually she is at least decent when it comes to women’s issues and her politics are mostly liberal. I agree that she has a lot of flaws (like the one you just noted), but I do think that we could have reasonably expected better.
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