126 thoughts on “hillary clinton: the psycho ex-girlfriend of the democratic party”

1. This cartoon was published over a month ago in the Villiage Voice:
   http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0814,cartoonist-jules,398686,9.html
   It’s kind of scary how accurate it’s predicted things thus far.

2. BTW, I happen to support Obama, too. But I support him because I like his handling of the issue with that pasture of his, not because I’m threatened by Clinton’s vagina.
   @danah: I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely fucking terrified of Hillary Clinton’s vagina.

3. You can correct me if I am wrong (and God I hope I’m not) but didn’t Former Senator Tom Daschle from South Dakota, state on the Daily Show that the Superdelegates agreed to back the canidate with the most delegates after the primaries had finished?? Obama ’08

4. Dear Wil,
   I won’t say that you’re being sexist — but I will say I’ve heard a lot of comments in this primary season that made me realize that sexism is alive and well and living in my neighborhood. It’s sensitized me a bit, and now I’m getting that bitter aftertaste off of things that perhaps wouldn’t have seemed bad a year ago.
   This type of “psycho ex-girlfriend” stuff can seem sexist because it’s still pretty unusual to have a politician that could exist in that context. We’re not used to being able to put “presidential candidate” and “ex-girlfriend” together, so for some of us, the choice to do so seems inappropriate. (That’s what those “you wouldn’t say ex-boyfriend about McCain” commenters are trying to convey. I know I’m not explaining this well, but I really did want to comment — because I don’t think sexism is just a straw man, and I wish people could understand where people like me are coming from).
   The primary for where I live is coming up in 2 weeks, and I still don’t know whom I’m voting for. I do kind of like to think that whomever I vote for, my vote matters; I support the previous commenter’s point that we can let the system play out to the end. It’s kind of like when a TV station calls a local election after the big precincts vote, and all the people out in the rural areas ticked off — calling things early makes some voters feel like their participation in the process didn’t matter (even if it couldn’t have made a statistical difference).
   Part of me wishes I loved Obama — many of my friends do — but I’m not excited by him, and the refusal on the part of some of his supporters to see how loaded the critique and jokes they make about Clinton are disappoints me.
   Clinton, on the other hand, has disappointed me in other ways. I guess my vote has to be on which candidate I feel will disappoint me less if elected.

5. Maybe it’s because I’m an atheist, but why is everyone flipping out because a preacher said something weird and offensive? Aren’t these the people whose job it is to make you believe that an invisible old man in the sky is going to send you to a place of continual torture and pain for all eternity if you eat meat on Friday or watch porn all because a talking snake told a woman made from a rib to eat an apple so the old man had to send his son — who was himself — to get nailed to a tree to make us able to not be tortured as long as we eat a cracker and drink a sip of wine and repeat little special incantations so the old man will look upon us and let us win the lottery just by asking him really nicely?
   Seriously, why the hell is everyone talking about Obama’s preacher? Is it just because they can’t find any character flaws about Obama himself? I wish someone would explain this to me.

6. I agreed with every friggin’ bit of this post.
   Really. I registered just to say that. You are 110% on the mark.
   Before this campaign period, in the late 2007’s and early 2008’s, I supported Hilary. Now, I’m disgusted that I ever did.
   I pray (without a deity to direct it to) that Hilary doesn’t mess this up for all of us.

7. Hi, Wil,
   I’ve been hearing about your blog for a while, and now I see why. I used to be unconcerned which of the two Dems got the nod, but Hillary has proven herself to be no different than any of the other politicians, and her steadfast refusal to relinquish the race is getting, as you so eloquently put it, embarrasing.

8. The facts about Hilary are right on. I am certain that if I took my time to research it, I would find that they are not new, however. The Democratic party has finally admitted to something they have long denied – Hilary Clinton is a self-serving panderer.
   Now the next step in the maturity of the party members and supporters is this: Barack Obama = John McCain = George Bush = Barack Obama = etc., etc. Blasphemy, you say? I would expect that. Simply look at what each man has done. I challenge you, the reader, to take a step back from the trees you’re looking at and see the whole forest of your candidate, and the whole forest belonging to other politicians. While you will find different actions and beliefs that may align with yours, you will most likely find that the absolute whole of the person you support is just as repulsive as the absolute whole of the opponent.
   Let’s not single out Hilary Clinton or George Bush. The crop of politicians that we see in the public eye *because they want to be there* are all self-serving panderers. Even the brilliantly charismatic Barack.
   I agree with cantwininnov. This election was decided a long time ago. Americans (not Democrats or Republicans) who vote in the national election vote in large part based on name recognition. More conscientious voters vote in the primaries (they actually care what’s happening) and make more informed decisions (although a large part of these also make their decisions without a single bit of hard evidence – just on hearsay). Since Americans are going to look at the polls and vote with what the recognize, they will see Obama’s name and remember something bad (and trust me, this disgusts me more than anything) and then they will look at McCain’s name and say to themselves, “Oooh, that sounds much better than ‘Obama’. Didn’t that guy…” You know what I mean.
   And although there are so many throngs of individuals out there that actually think before they vote, the sad reality remains. Most don’t. And thus, McCain will be our next president.
   My urgency to all sides, (D), (R), (I), is to stop backing people and start backing ideas. When politicians realize that we support an idea, not a person, they will deliver. Or be voted out of office. But that will take some research on the part of Americans which they most likely won’t do.
   Sigh. We could have such a great country if we could only band together for the right things instead of trying to get more for ourselves. Our political system is a reflection of us as a people. We can fix this if we fix ourselves.

9. I don’t know why you see the Bush years as so awful for the USA. You state it as a given but there is no real truth behind your statements.
   Saying McCain is running for Bush’s third term is just silly. You might as well say he is running for Reagan’s seventh term.

10. I never comment on anything but I love fark(how I got here) and i loved ST:TNG (how I know who you are, so I decided to bother – with bullet points.
    1) The Primary is not over. People should stop whining that it should be. A ten point spread is only a ‘landslide’ or a ‘crushing defeat’ in the spun out world of politics. The reality is that the party is split pretty evenly between Obama and Hillary, and most of us will be ok with either one – so let’s play it out. Honestly, if McCain wins it won’t be because we spent time ironing out our issues prior to the Republicans getting a hold of them, it’ll be because he’s an extremely viable candidate who has always been liked and respected by people on both sides of the aisle. Try to keep your vision clear through all that foam coming out of your mouth.
    2) The superdelegates are not a bad idea at all. They are supposed to counterbalance the randomness of proportioned delegates and more importantly, stop starry-eyed partisans caught up in the moment from dooming their party. If they put Clinton in, they wouldn’t be going against the will of the people (the national polls are pretty much tied right now), and they’d be telling people who just started voting that ‘hey, better luck next time – now let’s see whether you care more about the party than you do about being a fanboy.’
    3) Closely related, inspiration is not really a reason to vote. The President of the US is the CEO of the corporation that is the US Government. I’ve never owned stock, but I doubt CEO’s are hired based on their ability to fire up a crowd (or maybe they are, thus explaining our current economic mess). Voting for someone because they are cool rarely works out. We got (kinda) lucky with Bill, but Ronnie and W should more than cancel that out. We should pick a candidate based on issues – even if that candidate isn’t someone we’d like to hang out with. It’ll be ok, she doesn’t want to hang out with you either.
    4) I don’t much bother to tell members of Obama’s cult of personality to look into him (or themselves) anymore – but I’m going to take a stab since someone brought up that gas thing that people are jumping all over. It’s illustrative. The reason that poor white people vote for Hillary is because she brings something to the table besides an eloquent prayer at the beginning. No, a break on the gas tax isn’t really going to make that big a difference financially. But it will definitely make people, especially scared bitter people (zing!) feel better. I know its hard to understand as you pop that gas card into the machine, but that’s actually worth something. It’s not the most high-minded economics, but hey, hopes and dreams only pay the bills if your bills are already paid dig? Besides, look at Obama’s economics people – go neoliberalism (and anti-universal healthcare I might add)!
    5) Almost everybody in this election is racist or sexist (i think i narrowly avoided this by NOT voting for Obama simply because we’re both black j/k). That’s fine. Group bias is hardwired in the brain. However, people who all of a sudden want to be serious about politics might do well to not liken duly elected US Senators to the debris of our dating history landscapes.
    6) Yes we can? What does that even mean? Yes we can what? How can we do this? Are you serious? Is this American Idol or something???
    I like Obama. I really do. He seems like a good guy. He just isn’t the best candidate. Also his supporters get creepy quickly.

11. A self-made individual is not one who believes government will provide all the answers. You’re out on that count, Obama, you magnificent dose of self-medication!

12. First, I just want to say I don’t find you’re sharing of that blog sexist. I think it’s funny as hell. I love political humor that’s right on the mark and that is.
    The other thing I want to say is that we don’t need a presidential history that goes like this:
    Bush, Sr
    Clinton, B
    Clinton, B
    Bush, Jr
    Bush, Jr
    Clinton, H
    It’s time for new blood in the White House. Obama might lack some experience in the world arena but the mark of a good leader is surrounding yourself with people smarter than you are about their particular field. I think he’s smart enough to do that.
    Hilary is not well liked around DC. She has a rep for being a bitch. A good number of people around DC don’t want her for Prez including me. I think McCain is too old from a health point of view. He’s over 70 and that means from a statistical pov he’s more likely to get seriously ill or die while in office. That wouldn’t be good for the country either.
    My apologies to the spelling and grammar police. I know I blew it.

13. Her actions only seem confusing if you look at them in a 2008 context. Step back and look at the bigger picture.
    She knows she can’t win in 2008. If the superdelegates select her, she goes down in flames and takes a ton of Democrats with her, it’ll take a decade or more for the party to recover.
    If Obama wins, he is the automatic choice for the 2012 nominee, and she hasn’t a chance until 2016.
    If McCain wins, she can run again in 2012, and the odds are in her favor because the GOP at that point has been in charge for 12 years, which is historically about as long as it gets.
    Suddenly her strategy makes sense; beat the hell out of Obama for as long as she can, to try to get a McCain victory so she can run in 2012.

14. I am living in Germany right now and the people in my English conversation class were completely freaked out by her “obliterate Iran” comments.

15. @andrew: what you are saying is trivially true. A writer who creates a metaphor and then uses it to communicate is, of course, taking advantage of something in his or her reader to succeed in the communication. That much of the “sexism is in the reader” point is true, because the phrase “pscyho ex-girlfriend” certainly takes advantage of something in the reader. But that in no way diminishes what is built into the phrase itself, because the phrase is designed to evoke a response in readers, and this design is where the problem is.
    Someone can use the phrase innocently, ignorant of what it will evoke. And someone can point a loaded gun at someone without being aware that pulling the trigger will fire the bullet.
    But, innocent usage or not, and response-in-reader notwithstanding, the phrase is a choreographed little bit of sexist language.
    So, happy to make your point for. But realize that finding sexism in one place does not preclude it being somewhere else.

16. Maybe it’s because I’m an atheist, but why is everyone flipping out because a preacher said something weird and offensive? Aren’t these the people whose job it is to make you believe that an invisible old man in the sky is going to send you to a place of continual torture and pain for all eternity if you eat meat on Friday or watch porn all because a talking snake told a woman made from a rib to eat an apple so the old man had to send his son — who was himself — to get nailed to a tree to make us able to not be tortured as long as we eat a cracker and drink a sip of wine and repeat little special incantations so the old man will look upon us and let us win the lottery just by asking him really nicely?
    Seriously, why the hell is everyone talking about Obama’s preacher? Is it just because they can’t find any character flaws about Obama himself? I wish someone would explain this to me.
    Posted by: Abstruse | May 08, 2008 at 03:23 AM
    One, most of the doctrines you’re talking about are Catholic, not universal Christian values.
    Two, pastors are supposed to be a moral compass, providing counsel and guidance for good behavior. The exact nature of their influences varies depending on the pastor, the congregant, the culture in which they exist, and the denomination- for example, Obama’s church is part of the UCC, which has a more lenient view of the pastor’s role, especially compared to, say, a Southern Baptist, where the pastor has a more Father-type role.
    Three, you do realize that you are condescending to MILLIONS of Democratic Christians, right?

17. You’re someone I respect, Wil, and I have no problem with you despising Hillary – I prefer Obama myself. But dude, I’m not really digging the “it’s not sexist because I say it’s not sexist” business. Seems a little like “there’s no global warming because I say there’s no global warming, because that would be inconvenient for me.” It’s offensive because there’s no similar stereotype for men (oh, except stalker, I suppose). And because it reinforces ideas of irrational, emotional, clingy women. Saying it’s not sexist doesn’t make it true – it just makes you sound intractable; it’s a cheap tactic to say you reject someone else’s opinion out of hand before they express it.

18. Wil,
    I just heard someone on my favorite radio show (Stephanie Miller) compare Hillary to a crazy ex-BOYfriend who doesn’t accept that it’s over, and keeps showing up at your house with flowers… So don’t worry about the haters calling you sexist. Just keep on to laugh at them.
    I think we neeed to relax though. Obama has won. It IS over,regardless over whether she’s ready to accept it. What needs to happen, IMO, is that we should just let the primaries play out, and about a week later, once all the delegates have been assigned, and the super delegates have come out for Obama, she can bow out gracefully. We only need to worry if she can’t figure out a way to get out with her pride intact, and insists on going on to the convention without accepting Barack’s victory. At that point, we need to start pressing the superdelegates to give her a good talking to, and convince her that she’s out.

19. That’s awesome. XD Psych ex-girlfriend indeed.
    I am Canadian, but am hoping and praying with all my heart that Obama gets the Democratic nomination. I have hope and faith that he has the ability to change the US as a country, and bring it back on the right track to being a respectable and well-known nation.
    I agree with everything you said Wil. 🙂 Keep it coming.

20. Sorry, **psycho.

21. Barack Hussein Obama – and the Democratic Party in general … Now that INTERPOL has confirmed the authenticity of Paul Reyes’ computer files, the Communist guerilla insurgency attempting violent overthrow of a legitimately elected government and in control of the vast cocaine cartels in the Americas … those files not only contain damning evidence of uranium issues, money laundering on an epic scale, multi-national smuggling operations on a scale that almost dwarfs Wal-Mart’s trans-ocenanic shipping … those files also contain frequent references to Obama, key Democratic Party operatives and officers and joint plans between FARC and the Democrats.
    Communists, drug cartels, insurgencies, overthrow … good lord.
    How do you justify supporting the Party of Treason?

22. The psycho ex-girlfriend of the Democratic Party… hehe, I love it.
    Three comments, though:
    1. George W Bush is much less universally hated than Harry Truman was when he left office; or Lincoln after the civil war for that matter.
    2. I find it ironic that a party so heavily invested in the Democratic process has a nomination policy that’s dependent upon backroom-deal politics.
    3. McCain was the darling of the left until he won the Republican nomination this year.

23. Backpacking Dad, Stephanie Miller on her radio show this morning described Hillary as being like the “psycho ex-boyfriend” who just doesn’t get it and shows up every night with flowers. It’s an apt analogy and not stereotypical, sexist, or even gender-specific.
    Great post, Wil!

24. Once again, I turn to the poet laureate of our nation in order to express the powerful emotions that the current political situation causes to well up in my heart.
    http://www.apples4theteacher.com/images/dr-seuss-books/marvin-mooney-will-you-please-go-now.jpg
    Hillary Clinton, will you please go now!

25. Hey Wil,
    First, I’m kind of thrilled to be posting a comment on your site, because yours is my favorite blog to read. I’m a writer and something of a geek and your writing is nothing short of inspiring.
    Second, I just wanted to chime in as one of the few (only?) Hillary supporters who are likely to post here. I truly believe she is the better candidate in this race. She is a brilliant communicator, an effective deal-maker and a policy savant. She has fought a tough and sometimes nasty campaign, but, in the largest part, a fair one. (There was only one instance where I felt she had truly dipped into the dirty, but in the grand scheme of campaign politics it was a lapse that I felt I could forgive.) I find her speeches more inspiring that Obama’s by a long shot. I don’t thing of myself as particularly stupid or naive, so I really don’t understand why more people don’t feel or think the way I do.
    I also fail to understand why she is not getting the respect she deserves. Even my well-educated, seemingly rational friends talk about how she wouldn’t be where she is if she hadn’t rode there on Bill’s coattails, which I find not only patently untrue, but an insult to her character and experience. Granted, much of her experience in Washington has been as First Lady, but how does that make it unimportant? And First Lady or not, it takes more than being married to a former president to run and be elected Senator of New York. And I don’t want to talk about sexism or whatever, but really, I think you should have more respect and not stoop to using a psycho ex-girlfriend metaphor. That left a bad, bad taste in my brain, when you did that.
    The primary is not over, and while people who educate themselves about the mechanics of the thing understand that Obama is looking like a fairly sure bet, it’s also still true that no one is the clear winner yet. It’s more and more likely that the superdelegates will start moving, en masse even, towards Obama…but that hasn’t happened yet, and that’s why she’s still running. That, and I really think she does believe that she is the better candidate. Call her narcissistic or deluded by visions of her own grandeur if you like, but there are those of us who happen to agree with her. I feel like she’s running for us. Actually, I feel like she’s running for me. Maybe it is I who am narcissistic or deluded, but I really do feel like she wakes up in the morning, asks herself, is it time for me to quit yet? and then answers, No, because it would piss Christy off, just like when she got pissed off after Gore conceded to Bush. No, I’m going to see this thing through to its (hopefully not too bitter) end, because Christy would pretty much be satisfied by nothing less. And when that bitter end comes, I will quit, and Christy will shed a few tears, drink a few beers, and eventually throw all her support behind Mr. Obama, hoping against hope that he will be able to beat McCain.
    And yes, I (Christy) am truly fearful that Obama will win the nomination only to have his bones crushed into fine meal by the Republican machine. If you think Hillary has been running a tough/mean campaign, frickin’ wait until after June, when the real knives come out.
    Thanks for letting us use our indoor voices and making me feel like it’s possible to have a civil discourse about politics – it’s a rare, rare treat these days.

26. I have to say I don’t typically disagree with you, Wil, but I think you may be missing the bigger picture. I suspect she knows the time is coming to concede, but I also think she understands that it will be when Obama gets the official nomination. Time had an interesting article today that summarized in a simple sentence what I thought when I read your blog entry. “As the first woman to have come this far, Clinton has told those close to her, she wants people who invested their hopes in her to see that she has given it her best.” (http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080508/us_time/thefivemistakesclintonmade)
    You don’t see the guys in last place at the Olympics just stop and refuse to compete anymore because it’s hopeless. They continue to the end instead of quitting. If Hillary quits now, the same people that are lambasting her for staying in the race will be saying “See, women don’t belong in politics because they quit when the chips are down.” She’s in a position to influence not only her future political career and runs for the office, but those of other women. She won’t be the psycho girlfriend until all the votes are in. I don’t think this is an evil plot to hand McCain the presidency, I think it’s a matter of staying in the race until it’s over. Is it too much to ask that we support her decision to try her best? Like her or not, you’ve got to give her points for effort.

27. I’m a Hillary supporter, but most importantly, a grown-up. I don’t see the big deal if she wants to keep this going for another two weeks – go outside and play if you don’t want to watch the coverage anymore.
    One thing’s sure – I’m not going to stomp over to the Elephants just because my choice didn’t win. That’s how democracy works. You vote, the one with the most wins. You voted, then you shut up about it.
    Every wingnut that snits that they’ll vote McCain if their person isn’t the Dem nominee, deserves to have their party registration revoked. Period.

28. Speaking of absolute worst ideas in the history of politics, superdelegates are just an extension of our form of government – which ain’t a democracy, people, it’s a republic. You know, where some people get appointed to vote for us. Because we’re just stupid and can’t vote for ourselves. How about that for the absolute worst idea in the history of politics?

29. Will,
    You make some valid points (I agree with you completely BTW) but you’re over looking something very important. It’s what I call the Bush Factor. As bad as he is, and as dumb as he gets, this country elected him twice. Sure you can say he stole it, but we let him. Bush is average Joe America, and average Joe America is too redneck to vote for someone female or black, no matter how good they may be. Sadly, I don’t think this country is as advanced or as civilized as we like to believe.

30. To me it’s not black vs White or Male vs Female.
    It all comes down to the liar/thief vs unknown.
    The term Whitewater is also sometimes used to include other controversies from the Bill Clinton administration, especially those such as Travelgate, Filegate, and the circumstances surrounding Vince Foster’s death, that were investigated by the Whitewater Independent Counsel.[5]
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitewater_(controversy)
    I’m sorry… but if you are willing to lie, cheat, steal to get what you want.. even if the evidence is not enough to get you locked up or you can buy your way out (behind the scenes I am sure some money was exchanged)… I am not voting for you.
    I probably won’t vote Obama either… because typically Republicans and Democrats have hurt us… I intend on throwing my vote away by going Libertarian. They haven’t had full access to lie to us in force yet.. and some of their ideals are pretty cool.
    Way I think about it is by throwing my vote Libertarian even if they don’t win… which they never have… I am at least expressing my disgust of the other 2 parties… and that is worthwhile.

31. When Bill finally admitted he had had sex with Monica, if Hillary had said, “You know, he had better hang on to his ass, because I am going to hand it to him on a plate, otherwise.”, and left him, I would have had more respect for her – and that goes for all the other wronged wives of politicians. Instead, we have photo ops of them dancing together on the beach. She knew she was going to make a run at the white house. A very calculated move…she’s just another politician.

32. I think you’re wrong about her motivation. I was an Edwards supporter who never took to either Obama or Clinton. Perseverance has always worked for the Clintons. People thought Bill Clinton was done after Iowa in 1992. People were saying his presidency was over when the Monica Lewinsky stuff came out. The Clintons have always kept at it when the conventional wisdom has told them to give up. I think that’s what she’s doing here.

33. Whatever her motivation may be, I just find it really difficult to believe that she wasn’t counting on people who respect and admire her husband (which, setting aside his personal issues, I do) to support her. I think she knew it would be very difficult without him. Though, sometimes I think he is secretly sabotaging her campaign in a weird passive -agressive way.

34. Look I am not a fan of Operation Chaos but lets be fair here people, there were plenty of democrats changing their affiliation to vote in the primaries for McCain to push down Romney. So there should be fault laid at the feet of Dems and Reps for this thing.
    I don’t think for a primary, which is about the party determining their candidate it should be open to all or that you should be able to chose your affiliation that day. And if you want to be independent then I am sorry that is your choice and you don’t get to pick from one of the two major parties because you chose to stay out of them.
    In a general election then by all means vote which ever way you want to go D go R go I I don’t care just vote for someone on the ballot.
    And by the way I think there should be a national primary as well and not this few states here and there thing. They campaign long enough make it national and be done with it. Then you wouldn’t have these Michigan and Florida issues. They went early because they felt they were disrespected, no one wanted to campaign there because the primary meant nothing…well in normal cycles this one is just special.

35. Thank you for posting that Wil, I needed a good chuckle. I agree with you 100%. A poster earlier had said someone told them “I want a woman to be president, just not her.” That is exactly how I feel. Something always bothered me about Hillary and it wasn’t until I was watching a debate between her and Obama that I knew why. When she speaks, she sounds like a politician. She sounds like she’s telling us what we want to hear, not necessarily what she believes. I hate that. When Obama speaks, I BELIEVE him. I feel that he truly means and believes in what he’s saying. Whether it’s all bullshit or not, he knows how to speak.
    It also bothered me that she started a negative campaign for awhile. That is the biggest turn off for me. It’s a sign of desperation and I can’t believe that some people actually fall for that. Don’t tell me why I shouldn’t vote for the other candidate – tell me why I should vote for you. Otherwise, don’t bother.
    Yes, there are still primaries left, but just about every news agency has stated that it is mathematically impossible for her to catch Obama, unless all the SuperDelegates throw their support to her, which would be, as stated, a big Fuck You to the majority of voters. The popular vote is not a virtual tie – yes, it’s not a landslide, but Obama has the clear majority. I only hope the super delegates (that sounds like some lame ass super hero) vote for the candidate who has the most delegates and popular vote. Otherwise, why the hell did we all go out and vote?

36. Tell me Wil, what does Barak stand for? Change??? What is that? Really, what is change? I swear, I have been trying to figure out what he stands for, what tangible policies he wants to implement, no can do. Great speechmaker, but what’s behind the curtain? Splain this to me please.

37. Using overtly sexual stereotypes to mock our very first ever real female presidential candidate? Why would anyone call that sexist?
    That said, I can’t wait for President Obama to take the White House! I want him to give a speech every day.

38. My favorite was her victory speech in Indiana. The virtual tie there all but killed her chances, and she says, “They said if we lost North Carolina, it would be a tie, but Indiana would be a tie-breaker. We’ve won Indiana, and now it’s on to the White House.”
    Dear Mrs. Clinton:
    As your husband has become George HW Bush’s favorite son (“Wow! He’s like W with an IQ! Just liberal.”), I’m sure the current administration would be happy to invite you to the White House anytime you want.
    However, if you mean on to the White House after January 20, 2009, all I can say is the White House tours start at 9 AM Monday thru Saturday. Try not to throw yourself at President McCain/Obama* as he’ll be busy cleaning up the mess your husband’s adopted brother made.
    Thanks,
    The Aggravated Independent
    *M comes before O, so McCain goes first. Personally, I’m with Wil. It should be Obama in the White House.

39. Less politics…
    More Poker 😉

40. Wil: I just came over from Balloon Juice and I wanted to comment on this remark you made here since a few folks thought you were too enthusiastic about the possibility of an Obama Presidency.
    “I have never been so excited or inspired by a candidate—or, really, any leader—in my life, and I view this election as an historical opportunity—maybe even a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—to not only save my country from the disaster wrought by Bush and Cheney, but fundamentally change how my government interacts with the rest of the world, and how it works for me and my fellow Americans.”
    I don’t have a single problem with your remark. It has to do with one’s BEST hopes for the future. You know…something about “having a dream”. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it at all.
    When we stop believing a better day is possible we should just throw in the f*cking towel. I’m 58 now and this reminds me of how John Kennedy’s candidacy inspired young folks at the time. Did he entirely match up to that expection? No, but a lot of those young folks ended up DOING inspirational things themselves. Don’t discount that by-product, it is our main hope in the future.
    I’m more afraid that too many have already done that than I am of folks going a little over the top over Obama. The cynicism that at first crept and now flourishes in our society threatens to choke and paralyze us. Yes, we need to keep our eyes wide open, but we mustn’t give in to all the negativity. It’s a nasty pit that easily becomes a grave.

41. I realize that I am several days late to the game on this one, given that this post is dated two days ago, but I have to admit that I was a little suprised that you repeated that post on your blog. I read your blog quite frequently and, even when I don’t agree with you, I generally find your opinions to be thoughtful and well put. As has been said, and more eloquently that I can say it, that piece is blatantly sexist. You can decide that people who think that are wrong, or unintelligent or humorless or whatever, but it is. Perhaps if the post had said something about Obama that invoked any one of the myriad race stereotypes out there, you would see the point. Although the “psycho ex-girlfriend” is certainly not as invidious a stereotype as one based on race, it is still an insulting stereotype that removes the dignity from the debate in which our country is engaged. Obviously this is your blog, Wil, so you can say and post what you want. The solution for those who find its content objectionable, of course, is to stop reading it. I don’t plan on going that far, but given the insulting tone at the end of your post, I have a notion that you wouldn’t really care if someone who found it objectionable actually did stop reading.
    One more thought: so what if Hillary keeps going all the way to the primary? Apparently she’s not taking any money away from Obama, who is raking in way more in donations than she is and has been for months. Let the debate continue. Isn’t that the point of democracy?

42. @”Backpacking Dad”:
    If we are going to talk about sexism and gender dynamics, we need to include all of them and be honest about the situation. And that includes the fact that Senator Clinton herself — along with her surrogates like Gloria Steinem and Geraldine Ferraro — has invoked her gender over and over.
    Clinton herself has done this both explicitly and implicitly. From past and recent rhetorical exploitation of the falsely-defined group “women voters” to try to manipulate people into seeing her as more successful and necessary than she is, to repeated invocation of the Wounded White Woman/White Woman in Distress theme, she has been pushing her gender to the forefront whenever and wherever it suits her, trying to get it to serve her goals
    Further, her actual claimed experience is based almost entirely on her heterosexual relationship with a powerful man whose ties to the Democratic Party yielded her unearned access.
    I found the dialogue very very funny. Part of the funny, for me, is its actual coded reference to these very dynamics she has sought to use to her advantage.
    And, I strongly reject any “feminism” that denies women agency. I find such “feminism” too much in line with the racialized sexist stereotype of white women as weak and pure and childlike, incorrectly implying that such women hold no responsibility for the consequences of what we actually do.
    I also found the sexual orientation fluidity very funny. Maybe you hetero folks aren’t noticing it (or maybe you are) but — the DEMS in the dialogue could be either female or male, and in any case is bisexual. Yay queer visibility!

43. Check out some of the election shenannigans from the Clinton campaign in Indiana, courtesy of this attorney assigned to observe polling places for fairness:
    http://samtheeagle.livejournal.com/

44. wil
    love your blog,
    i read it every day
    but your politics are… ahhh, how do i put this…really naive.
    someone once said,
    “if you are not a liberal when you are young, you have no heart, and if you are not a conservative when you get older,
    you have no brain”
    what does this obama hussein really stand for?
    seriously?
    i respect your opinion
    please post a blog on what this man’s positions really are…convince me to vote for obama
    give me the real reasons this man will be good for this nation
    cuz i don’t see it
    he appears to be a man of ideas but no substance
    remember jimmy carter?
    “there is no there, there”
    sorry
    but your seemingly blind devotion has no basis in reality
    please convince me otherwise

45. wil
    love your blog,
    i read it every day
    but your politics are… ahhh, how do i put this…really naive.
    someone once said,
    “if you are not a liberal when you are young, you have no heart, and if you are not a conservative when you get older,
    you have no brain”
    what does this obama hussein really stand for?
    seriously?
    i respect your opinion
    please post a blog on what this man’s positions really are…convince me to vote for obama
    give me the real reasons this man will be good for this nation
    cuz i don’t see it
    he appears to be a man of ideas but no substance
    remember jimmy carter?
    “there is no there, there”
    sorry
    but your seemingly blind devotion has no basis in reality
    please convince me otherwise

46. @Michelle:
    As far as Wil’s original claim goes “this isn’t sexist, don’t call it sexist”, and my attempt to examine this assertion, your point doesn’t really add anything…
    So what if she started the gender crap? That’s got nothing to do with whether or not Wil is correct when he claims the comparison isn’t sexist.
    If Wil is right, or if Wil is wrong, the answer is not going to depend on anything Hillary has done. If the joke is sexist it is sexist on its own merits, not because of anything she does; if it’s not sexist it’s not on its own, not because of anything she does.
    So you could be right. But you are talking to the wrong person. I never claimed anything to do with the points you bring up, important as they might be.

47. Sorry, the comment is totally sexist. Imagine a term as equally loaded/full of specific stereotyping used for another group besides women.
    Obama — the Uncle Tom of the Democratic party
    And an imagined 2:00 am phone conversation that had Obama going: “Yassa, I sho’nuff like dat watermelons!”
    Villaraigosa — the Wetback Mayor of Los Angeles
    “Si, si, we get many taxes, andale, andale!”
    Anytime you get a specific stereotype going that perpetuates a negative image of a group as a whole, to invoke it about one member of the group is to unload a whole BUNCH of unrelated crap on that person’s head and tar them with a big, fat brush.

48. I wouldn’t expect that kind of name calling from the bratty little brother of Star Trek.

49. I voted for Obama and have been appalled by much of the Clinton campaign, but I find post disappointing.
    Just because you say it isn’t sexist, and you didn’t mean it to be sexist, doesn’t mean it isn’t sexist. And you, as a man who will never experience such sexism, are being arrogant and presumptuous to render such a glib dismissal of the issue. I enjoy your blog but this was not your best moment.

50. “And allow me to just head something off right now that’s already come up on Twitter: I’m not sexist. This isn’t sexist. That’s a stupid straw man, and if you try to make that claim, I will point and laugh at you.”
    Oh, Wil Wheaton, no!
    You’re so much classier than this. Don’t be that guy.
    Don’t be the guy who dismisses attempts to point out sexism as people just being too dumb/reactionary/lacking in sense of humour/whatever without even giving them a chance to speak first.
    You’ve no evidence the man is made out of straw if you won’t even let anyone introduce you to him.

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