April 15, 2015

"These guys are ready to do whatever they can" to get Hillary!

Email, yesterday, from the Democratic Party. Guys are ganging up on Hillary. They'll do whatever they can, those meanies. I'm filing this under "gender politics," but it's rather weak gender politics, deniable gender politics.

It's not like it says "These guys are ready to do whatever they can to make sure that a woman isn't the 45th President"... but "These guys are ready to do whatever they can" is... well... for the sensitive... trigger-warning-worthy....



That reminds me... I just read the Playboy interview with Bill Maher, wherein he was asked "Who’s your money on for the White House race?" And he said:
I’d say Scott Walker will be the nominee for the Republicans. Jeb Bush is building momentum, but he’s attached at the hip to Common Core, which the Tea Party despises. True, he’s not the doofus his brother was, but in today’s Republican Party, that’s actually a huge minus. Then there’s Chris Christie. His numbers with Republican primary voters are horrible, close to Sarah Palin level, though if you like small government, he’s the guy for you, because soon half his administration will be in jail. But Walker? He’s a folk hero with the people from the Tea lagoon and with the establishment wing. His father was an evangelical preacher—a huge plus with the snake handlers and flat-Earthers who make up the base. And he won three times, including a recall, in a blue state, and he faced down public unions. The one problem is he didn’t graduate from college—oh wait, that’s a plus too, because book learnin’ is, you know, suspicious.

55 comments:

Tank said...

Surprisingly nice picture of those five guys.

MayBee said...

Playing into the "scary Hispanic man" stereotype. Bigots.

mccullough said...

Snake handlers and flat earthers. Maher is getting old. Tea lagoon was pretty good, though

pfennig said...

Why is the Democratic Party running this? Doesn't Hillary have to beat some men to get the nomination first?

Ann Althouse said...

"Surprisingly nice picture of those five guys."

Yeah. I noticed that too.

I think they put some thought into not overplaying this, making the men look too scary.

On the other hand, the subliminal gang rape threat says: Frat Boys!

Ann Althouse said...

Yeah, they look nice enough, but wait 'til they lead you to that dark room with the glass coffee table.

Sebastian said...

"deniable gender politics"

The best kind. Making a pass without seeming to. Must have hired a PUA adviser.

""These guys are ready to do whatever they can" is... well... for the sensitive... trigger-warning-worthy…."

The conundrum of contemporary sexual(ized) politics: are guys "ready to to do whatever they can" a turn-off or turn-on for voting females?

Ann Althouse said...

She's trying to break the glass ceiling.

They want to break her on the shards of the glass coffee table in the frat house...

Laslo Spatula said...

"Yeah, they look nice enough, but wait 'til they lead you to that dark room with the glass coffee table."

Or the room with the glass ceiling. Being Republicans. Of course.

I am Laslo.

Jane the Actuary said...

This all feels very odd to me -- the fact that the Democrats are already shilling for Hillary because there is no other declared or highly probable candidate in the wings. Has this happened before? -- for a non-incumbent candidate to have no primary opposition at all?

And I'm just not impressed with the story the Hillarites have to tell. She has great moral fortitude because she withstood a philandering husband? She is a tireless advocate for women because she gave speeches here and there?

I just don't see a pitch that she is qualified, other than "she supports mainstream Democratic policy positions, and I'm a Democrat."

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/janetheactuary/2015/04/who-supports-hillary.html

traditionalguy said...

And so, Maher says Scott walker has all of the winning cards for the GOP nomination, and Old Hillary is the Dem's best candidate. He is acknowledging Walker is going to be President.

Walker has even gotten support from cruelly neutral liberal Althouse. What more could a conservative man do running against the first woman?

Ann Althouse said...

Laslo owes me a Coke.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, book learnin' is suspicious.

Which is why Ben Carson and Rand Paul , with their fancy MDs, and Ted Cruz and Rubio, with their hoity toity JDs, are so unpopular.

Snork!

(but we all know by now that Maher's shtick is flinging snot at the right)

chillblaine said...

Bill Maher is proof that smoking too much dope rots your brain.

SGT Ted said...

Democrats sure like to be sexist when it suits them, don't they?

Bill Maher is a twit.

Curious George said...

Bill Haher. Next stop cable access.

SGT Ted said...

chillblaine,

That's unfair to weed. That's like blaming booze for drunks.

MayBee said...

Poor Joe Biden! Is the DNC trying to tell him not to run?

MAJMike said...

Folks with all that "...book learn'n..." have brought us to this sorry pass.

I'm so tired of the sneeringly smug self-proclaimed elite.

(For the record I have multiple degrees in History and Political Science along with a diploma from the Command and General Staff Officers' Course.}

Big Mike said...

Bill Maher better hope I don't recognize him in Chipotle.

And, quite frankly, Carly Fiorina is doing the most damage to Hillary Clinton right now. Certainly Hillary's alleged "accomplishments" as senator pale next to Kelly Ayotte. Nikki Haley, Susan Martinez, Jodi Ernst are all women of accomplishment.

TCR James said...

Ray DeBlasio and Martin O'Malley (and the guy in the WH grooming Elizabeth Warren) aren't on the poster. She oughtta worry about them before she starts worrying about Marco Rubio.

SGT Ted said...

Hillary's popularity stems from the fact that leftists and Progressives are authoritarians and control freaks.

That's how you get "Super Supporters" openly threatening to bully people as sexists for using certain words to describe her accurately. That's how you get sexist ads like the one for this post.

Brando said...

Bill Maher illustrates the problem of believing your own caricature of the opposition. It makes it that much harder for him to recognize that there is a large proportion of the voting public that reject his brand of simplistic leftism, and that among the religious as well as the rest of the GOP rank and file they are more likely to be educated and economically secure than the general public.

Republicans should make sure not to make the same mistake, assuming the Democrats' supporters are all jealous and hateful morons. It makes it easy to miss large groups of reachable voters and ignore the faults in your own policies, message and candidates.

Peter said...

Bill Maher says a lot more about himself then he says about those Republican candidates, but what else would you expect?

madAsHell said...

for a non-incumbent candidate to have no primary opposition at all?

Yeah....I really thought that Lizzie Warren would generate a few more headlines.

I'm looking back at the 1960 primary. It appears that Lyndon Johnson never entered a primary, and Hubert Humphrey bailed out after he was clobbered in West Virginia. After that, Kennedy was running by himself.

mikee said...

The ad explicitly calls for violence against political opponents, asking if the reader is "ready to beat them." Not defeat them, not overcome them, beat them.

That is uncivil, to say the least, and perhaps an incitement to violence.

I expect the ad to be fully repudiated by Althouse and all other right-thinking people immediately for its vile attempt to cause violence to others.

But I won't be holding my breath while waiting.

Mark said...

The DNC are a bunch of sexist pigs.

How dare they call her by her first name as if she were a child.

Todd said...

Jane the Actuary said...
This all feels very odd to me -- the fact that the Democrats are already shilling for Hillary because there is no other declared or highly probable candidate in the wings.

And I'm just not impressed with the story the Hillarites have to tell.

I just don't see a pitch that she is qualified, other than "she supports mainstream Democratic policy positions, and I'm a Democrat."

4/15/15, 8:40 AM


Well sorry but after the "Age of Obama" that is all that really matters. That was amply demonstrated for two election cycles now and so it goes.

Deirdre Mundy said...

Because "Book learning" only happens if you have a certificate to prove it, of course.

That is why we should only listen to perpetual students. All learning stops once it no longer counts as credit toward a degree.

That girl I know who's been racking up one Master's degree after another in things like Communincations and Social Networking and Creative Writing is way smarter than someone with only ONE advanced degree.......

Brando said...

"Because "Book learning" only happens if you have a certificate to prove it, of course."

What certificate does Bill Maher have? I don't think he even has a college degree. By that standard, Geoge W. Bush is far and away smarter than Maher.

The GOP routinely does far better than the Democrats among more educated voters (college degree, some college, and high school degree) except at the PhD level. And Americans who consider themselves "religious" also tend to have more money and more education than the average American. Maher just needs to believe that Republicans and religious people are slack-jawed rubes because it is the only way he can justify why they don't hold his "sophisticated" opinions.

Much easier than actually considering that intelligent and educated people might disagree over various issues.

Brando said...

When I see that poster, I see a group of GOP candidates that is 40% hispanic, plus another candidate who has hispanic children and is fluent in Spanish. And that's because they left out another GOP candidate--a black guy. Compare that to the 100% WASP comprising the Democrats' only candidate.

I guess racial diversity was so 2008.

Dan Hossley said...

Where is Carly Fiorina in this picture?

That's the problem with democrats. Successful women are invisible to them.

Hagar said...

It's an interesting picture. Even Jeb Bush is made to look young.
Is that what the Democrats are going to run on? Trust grandma and her accumulated wisdom over these inexperienced fratboys?

damikesc said...

The one problem is he didn’t graduate from college—oh wait, that’s a plus too, because book learnin’ is, you know, suspicious.

Given what is "taught" in college, a high level college degree isn't exactly a qualifying thing to promote.

He calls GW Bush a dunce but his academic credentials obliterate Maher's.

And I'm just not impressed with the story the Hillarites have to tell. She has great moral fortitude because she withstood a philandering husband? She is a tireless advocate for women because she gave speeches here and there?

And got an accused rapist (not her husband who is ALSO an accused rapist) off. Don't forget that.

That's the problem with democrats. Successful women are invisible to them.

I almost criticized...but then noticed that Hillary and Warren have done shit in their entire professional lives and realized your point was hella-cogent.

Fritz said...

"The one problem is he didn’t graduate from college—oh wait, that’s a plus too, because book learnin’ is, you know, suspicious."

When I think back on all the crap I learned in Grad School. . .

Fandor said...

Who is Bill Maher???

Alex said...

Laslo owes me 10 butt plugs, 20 dildos and 30 whips.

I am not Laslo.

Todd said...

Alex said...
Laslo owes me 10 butt plugs, 20 dildos and 30 whips.

I am not Laslo.

4/15/15, 11:48 AM


Do you care or have a preference as to the state of the items you are due? New verses used for example?

Bruce Hayden said...

Where is Carly Fiorina in this picture?

My guess right now is that she is the likely Republican VP candidate if Hillary! gets the Dem nomination. The problem that most of the Rep candidates have is that if they attack Hillary!, they look like bullies. Not so if a woman attacks her. Fiorina has been turning heads recently due to her attacks on Dems, esp. Hillary! This is exactly what it will take to get proper notice for being the VP nominee.

Etienne said...

Bottom line: The only way Mrs. Clinton, and her chaperon Huma Weiner, can get elected, is if Chris Stevens appears on CBS and says he doesn't blame the two for getting him killed.

Bilwick said...

Everyone once in a while, faux libertarian Maher (is he still bothering to maintain that façade?) says something rational; but it's clear he's still deep in the "liberal" cocoon.

Brando said...

"...faux libertarian Maher (is he still bothering to maintain that façade?)..."

Once upon a time he would occasionally say something libertarian--I recall him having such "get off our backs" attitudes about cigarette regulation. But somewhere in the 2000s he went full Lefty. I think the only libertarian things he favors now are legalization of prostitution and drugs (though not having watched him in a long time, I don't know if he even believes in those things anymore).

Brando said...

"Where is Carly Fiorina in this picture?

My guess right now is that she is the likely Republican VP candidate if Hillary! gets the Dem nomination."

The problem is Fiorina never got elected to any office or held any government position--no one knows how she'd do on the stump and people do want at least some government experience. I figure the Governor of New Mexico is a better bet--twice elected, female, and Hispanic. If the top of the ticket is someone who can appeal to hispanics as well, it could mean locking in NV, CO, AZ, NM, FL and giving an advantage in OH, VA and PA. It'd make up for much of the GOP electoral college disadvantage.

SteveR said...

Hillary and the democrats have the media to do all that for them.

knighterrant said...

Has this happened before? -- for a non-incumbent candidate to have no primary opposition at all?

Vice-President Al Gore had minimal opposition from Bill Bradley in 2000. Richard Nixon had even less in 1960.

Excluding vice-presidents and you have to go back to pre-primary days. In 1928, Herbert Hoover had only token opposition. For Democrats you need to go back to 1908 and William Jennings Bryan, he too had token opposition.

If you want a non-incumbent who had absolutely no opposition the latest I could find is the 1868 Republican Convention and Ulysses Grant.

Brando said...

"Has this happened before? -- for a non-incumbent candidate to have no primary opposition at all?"

It's remarkable when you consider what sort of cases explain candidates being "coronated" with nominations and no real competition. Incumbent presidents, incumbent VPs with the blessing of a popular sitting president--even war hero Ike had competition in 1952!

Then you have Hillary, who was a lackluster Secretary of State (no accomplishments anyone can name, and some scandals and embarrassments), served an unremarkable 8 years as a Senator from a "safe" blue state, and ran a terrible presidential campaign in 2008 where she found defeat in the jaws of victory--an embarrassment that would disqualify any other candidate seeking high office, or at least encourage a primary challenge. The only thing that stands out about her is she was First Lady--and hardly one of the noncontroversial, or beloved ones. She's not really the darling of the Left (they would take Liz Warren in a heartbeat) and even moderates groan about her drama and scandals. If anyone didn't deserve a coronation, it's this woman.

But it does make sense when you realize the Clinton gang is dead set on a restoration, and is using their slimiest tactics to clear the field--telling donors, volunteers and advisers that if they back anyone besides her at any time they will be frozen out of any access to the White House.

Not a health political party.

Freeman Hunt said...

Interesting that they chose pretty friendly pictures of the Republicans. They don't look like they're out to get anyone.

traditionalguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
traditionalguy said...

The video is almost ready. It has these guys riding a party bus in tuxedos singing, "There will never be a female Presidentee."

That says it all.

cold pizza said...

Five Guys Burgers. You want fries with that? -CP

Skeptical Voter said...

Maher was,is and always will be a kinghell doofus.

Anonymous said...

Ugly bigot.

Marc in Eugene said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Marc in Eugene said...

This is all very interesting but I can't restrain myself any longer (Brando at 3:04pm, this has nothing to do with the substance of your so often interesting, thoughtful observations, and at least you used the quotation marks): when did it become acceptable to use 'coronate' as a verb? Please God, nobody will ever coronate Mrs Clinton. No, no, no.

Clyde said...

If cable TV needs an enema, then just plug it into Bill Maher.