Let’s all admit that the likelihood that John Edwards is actually going to be in this Presidential race for all that long is pretty slim. Even so, until today I was planning to vote for him in the primary. I liked him 4 years ago, appreciated his views on a number of issues, found him to be somewhat refreshing in his willingness to take on influential groups, and absolutely loved watching him debate Cheney.
And then he went all stereotypical white male in power.
As surely almost everyone knows, Hillary Clinton got a bit choked up when answering a question today. I must say that the second I heard it, I thought “Oh shit! The female candidate is crying! Shitshitshit!”
It’s not like I was going to vote for her because I wasn’t (contrary to what so many pundits and pollsters seem to think, not all women vote exclusively based on whose genitalia happens to match ours), but I really, really didn’t want her to tear up. And it isn’t because I think people should keep all their emotions bottled up or put forward some sort of artificial front, but because she has just provided her opponents with a vast array of fodder to feed the “a woman can’t run the country cause she gets all hormonal.”
As if that weren’t enough, my guy Edwards (and his wife — who I definitely thought was above such things even though she called to nag Ann Coulter about how she was talking about her family. While Ann certainly deserves far more than just nagging, it needs to be better thought out and more solidly carried out that that was) was the person who came out with the comments I expected to come from slimy talking heads.
Seriously? Seriously?? Dude just dared to whip out the “she isn’t strong enough” card? Seriously??? What kind of idiot would think that would be a good idea and would, in any way, sway Democratic voters to his camp? Seriously???? Perhaps more disappointing is that Elizabeth jumped on that bandwagon rather than doing a full-on hubby smack down (which is what DM would have been looking at had he even contemplated such a comment).
I am disappointed. I am insulted. I am really glad I hadn’t yet made a contribution to his campaign — he ain’t touchin’ my money now!
Obama, on the other hand, had the sense to make a general comment about the difficulty of campaigns and otherwise offered no comment. While I may have been concerned about Obama’s lack of experience in certain areas I think will be pivotal in the next several years, what he just showed me is that he has a solid grasp of common sense — something that’s been sorely lacking in Presidents for awhile now and something that goes a hell of a long way on any issue. Plus, the guy’s favorite TV show is The Wire. Now that’s a person I can (and will) vote for!
In the Pkin Patch 