THURSDAY UPDATE: Looks like not everyone at NOW considers the term “political whore,” off limits.
On Thursday, California NOW President Parry Bellasalma evidently told TPM, when asked, that “Meg Whitman could be described as ‘a political whore.’ Yes, that’s an accurate statement.”
Alrighty, then.
Okay, yes, I realize this whole Whoregate thing is the deadest of horses, but it is interesting, in part, because of what it reveals on all sides about political machinations.
And, also, it broaches the subject of the power contained in language.
Plus, it’s been good gossip. And human beings love to gossip. It’s part of how we tell our stories.
Okay, so the latest wrinkle in Whoregate occurred on Wednesday when the LA Times and other media outlets reported that although the California chapter of the National Organization for Women had endorsed Jerry Brown, the momma organization of NOW had not offered any such endorsement.
Until Wednesday—at which time NOW issued a statement giving Brown their support, but making clear that calling women whores—even in a political context—was not one teensy bit okay. It was hate speech, said NOW on its website. Furthermore, it was reported by the LA Times (and a string of news outlets repeated that story) that Now had “demanded” that Brown fire the staffer who said the W word.
So, what would Brown do? I wondered. Obviously, he’d shown a strong disinclination to fire whomever was the guilty party, claiming that the recording was too indistinct to know who said what. (Dude, you were there. You don’t need the freaking recording.)
And then there is the fact that, upon closer inspection, it has been widely observed that the voice in question belongs to a woman, not a man—and a woman who may very likely be Jerry Brown’s wife, Anne.
Obviously, it is not overly realistic to expect the candidate to fire his feminist, lawyer, former business executive wife, for using the W word.
Thus, what did NOW think Brown should do if it was indeed, his wife, who dropped the W bomb?
Weirdly, nobody seemed to have asked this question of NOW.
I decided to call the organization’s DC office to find out what they thought. I reached NOW’s press secretary, a smart and articulate woman named Mai Shiozaki.
Shiozaki had been fielding calls all day and it was a bit after 8 p.m. EST, when I found her, so I got right down to business.
If it was Jerry’s wife who called Whitman a political whore, did NOW honestly expect him to ankle the missus?
Shiozaki sighed. “We’re not asking for the aide to be fired,” she said. “That’s not at all what we meant. We think that if someone on either campaign says it in the future, they should be fired.” Mostly , she said, “we felt this should have been a teachable moment.”
“I’m all for teachable moments,” I said.
Shiozaki and I talked further about the spells that words can cast, for ill and for good, and what did or did not constitute hate speech. (I am more liberal on the topic than she is.) She admitted that she didn’t think the remark was gender specific in the situation with the Brown aide, or in the case of the remark made by Whitman campaign chair, former governor, Pete Wilson, when he called a large swath of the US Congress whores.
But it was still not okay, she said, not at all.
Before we rang off, Shiozaki said she’d send me a new and revised statement of NOW’s position on the matter.
The statement came a few minutes later. It read as follows:
NOW calls on Brown to take a pledge to, from now on, fire any member of his staff who uses this word or any hate speech against women. We also expect Whitman to take the same pledge. What happened last week was a teachable moment, and what we have all come to agree is that the “W” word is offensive, destructive and should be retired for good.
“Retired for good.” Okay, yes. Perfect, I wrote her back. The word should be mothballed. There are other ways to talk about hypocrisy that do not carry the same harmful freight.
Go, teachable moments!
AND IN OTHER NEWS…
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO APPEAL DON’T ASK DECISION—BUT QUICKLY
The Obama Administration is in a tricky situation. Obama wants to be rid of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. But, now a federal judge in California has ordered an immediate cessation of the policy. Should the DOD comply (which will infuriate large portions of Congress) or should they defend the policy in a higher court?
The AP describes how the administration intends to divide that particular baby:
Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned Wednesday of “enormous consequences” for men and women in uniform if a judge’s order abruptly allowing gays to serve openly in the military is allowed to stand.
The Obama administration may well ask for a stay of the ruling while it appeals. Justice Department officials worked behind the scenes on their response into Wednesday night with no word on when there would be an announcement. The uncertainty of the next step left gay-rights activists as well as the military in limbo over the status of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law.
A day after a federal judge in California ordered the Pentagon to cease enforcing the law, Gates told reporters traveling with him in Europe that repeal should be a question for Congress – and only after the Pentagon completes a study of the impact of lifting the ban, which is due Dec. 1.
Read the rest.
AND WLA JOINS ALL CHILEANS IN THEIR UTTER JOY AT THE RESCUE OF THE MINERS—MILAGROS X 33!
Did NOW Tell Jerry to Fire the ‘Whore’-Talking Staffer?—Uh, No Actually.
Ah, yes actually. That’s what their original statement said Celeste. Here it is.
A statement on NOW’s website from President Terry O’Neill said Brown’s comments Tuesday night did not go far enough.
“While our California chapter’s Political Action Committee voted to endorse Brown on the basis of his support for women’s rights, the National Organization for Women clearly and unequivocally condemns calling Meg Whitman, or any woman, a whore,” the statement reads. “This term is hate speech that carries with it negative connotations associated with women, and it has no place in contemporary society. NOW calls on Brown to fire any member of his staff who uses this word or any hate speech against women.”
Strange how politics work. N.O.W. revised it’s statement for what reason? To give Jerry a little help in the election and let the liberals get by this incident. A teachable moment, yeah right. Lip service from a bunch of leftists, I doubt anyone is surprised.
The statement SF/Nikki quotes is consistent with what Shiozaki tells Celeste, “NOW calls on Brown to fire any member of his staff who uses — NOT USED — this word or any hate speech against women.” Future tense.
However, acknowledging that although it’s clear that in this context the W-word was not sexual and not even gender-specific, and it being undisputed that Brown has a trailblazing record in defending the equal rights of women and would not condone genuine sexism or hate speech, it’s just too distracting, exhausting, and a bad example in this day and age to use such words when others could suffice.
Brown’s generally got to grasp that times are radically different from the “gentlemen’s game” of his early days: now, any mumble under the breath, any grimace, any “casual” remark to reporters, can be used against you. There’s no more respect for privacy — not even from the likes of the PPL, who, as representing law enforcement officers from the LAPD, he might have assumed to have held themselves to a higher standard than releasing private conversations to bolster their political positions, even weeks later…(And then, they now have Don Novey, ’nuff said.)
The LAPPL blog and e-blast today is reporting that in this same recorded message (not clear if on the record or in background), Brown called the head of the Calif. Law Enforcement OFficers Assn., Alan Barcelona (I MAY have the names slightly off – but the group you cite below, giving Meg $800,000) “not one of our stalwart officers.” OOPS. Well, Brown was proven right by how the message was handled – as he notes, releasing it may not even be legal.
As for the miners story: Hooray, how wonderful that we finally have a potential tragedy with a happy ending, which brought together people from all over the world including Iran – an archetypcal story of resurrection, hope over despair, how the human spirit and the unique social support network they formed down there conquered despair: no end to the memes.
BUT it turns out that the mining company hadn’t paid their families during their time down there, the conditions under which they worked were an accident waiting to happen…the recriminations. Hopefully this will call attention to the conditions miners work under around the world. And how many such incidents have there been in China alone, which did NOT end happily?
Also worrisome to me (as a privacy advocate concerned by how this country is way behind Europe and even much of the “Second World” in not recognizing privacy and personal dignity as a right people “own” just like property, virtually always giving the benefit of the doubt to “reporters” which now include the paps): the privacy of these people is being completely subjugated to the world-wide obsession to feed hunger for “more story” i.e. ratings: Yahoo News screams “the personal lives of the miners!” and so on. Yahoo is among services that are international and operate by American virtual absence of privacy laws: Do the miners really WANT their private lives so exposed? They’re not even out of medical observation, how could they know WHAT they want and are prepared to handle psychologically?
More PC crap!
Yes, it was a teachable moment – Jerry should have apologized to working women because we all know they make on honest living, but then go on to say that what Meg did was prostituting herself to get votes, while being dishonest to the voters.
LOL. People are still discussing the governor’s election? It was over when Nicky Diaz came forward. But have fun with the hair splitting details over someone calling someone a name. Entertaining at best.
Oh, so it’s not okay to use it….it IS hate speech….and anybody who uses the word in the future in the workplace should be fired.
Who was it that took that position from the beginning?
Turns out Rob, according to NOW, has been repeatedly engaging in hate speech. Now, instead of arguing with me and telling me how it’s okay to use that word, he can argue with NOW.
Definitley not one of Rob’s finest hours.
Maybe he can explain to NOW how it’s ok…depending on how it’s used and who it’s used to describe. Then he can fire off a letter to the NAACP telling them how it’s ok to use the “N” word, depending upon the same parameters.
“making clear that calling women whores—even in a political context—was not one teensy bit okay.”
Is there an echo in here?
“NOW calls on Brown to take a pledge to, from now on, fire any member of his staff who uses this word or any hate speech against women. We also expect Whitman to take the same pledge. What happened last week was a teachable moment, and what we have all come to agree is that the “W” word is offensive, destructive and should be retired for good.”
Are you sure there isn’t an echo in here?
“Retired for good.” Okay, yes. Perfect, I wrote her back. The word should be mothballed. There are other ways to talk about hypocrisy that do not carry the same harmful freight”
No doubt about it. There’s an echo in here.
I don’t really get the idea of “teachable moment” and “fire anyone who uses the “W” word in the future,” coming together.
Joe,
lol. Exactly.
That’s the dance around the inconvenient truth that since we like Brown’s politics, or him as a person:
We’re going to give his staff member a pass…and we’re going to give him a pass for not taking action….
BUT IT BETTER NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN….and if somebody we don’t like says it we’re going to raise holy hell.
It’s kinda like somebody preaching to somebody they don’t like that the word “bitching” shouldn’t be used because in their opinion it’s degrading to women. And then that very same preacher calls a woman a “whore” over and over again.
Well, maybe not kinda like that.
EXACTLY LIKE THAT.
If that were so SBL they wouldn’t have needed to revise it. If you’re naive enough to believe that the phones weren’t smoking hot between California N.O.W. and the national office of N.O.W. to clean things up you’re high.
Here’s N.O.W.’s revisewd statement from their own website. My question is how come this portion about Whitman, that Celeste posted and I put below the revised statement, isn’t in it? Did they change it again after talking to Celeste knowing how stupid the Whitman part played?
NOW Responds to Jerry Brown’s Apology
Statement of NOW President Terry O’Neill
October 13, 2010
Last night at the California gubernatorial debate, Jerry Brown apologized for a member of his campaign staff suggesting Meg Whitman, his opponent in the race, be called a “whore.” This overdue apology was a necessary step; however, it was accompanied by an assertion that these sorts of comments are part and parcel of what happens inside political campaigns. If so, that needs to change.
While our California chapter’s Political Action Committee voted to endorse Brown on the basis of his support for women’s rights, the National Organization for Women clearly and unequivocally condemns calling Meg Whitman, or any woman, a whore. This term is hate speech that carries with it negative connotations associated with women, and it has no place in contemporary society.
NOW calls on Brown, from this point forward, to fire any member of his staff who uses this word or any hate speech against women.
###
Update: NOW clarified this statement with the addition of “from this point forward” to the final paragraph.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mai Shiozaki
—————
NOW calls on Brown to take a pledge to, from now on, fire any member of his staff who uses this word or any hate speech against women. We also expect Whitman to take the same pledge. What happened last week was a teachable moment, and what we have all come to agree is that the “W” word is offensive, destructive and should be retired for good.
I would never believe a word from someone whose hobby is bashing cops and “pasty white guys”. I can watch bigots like that on MSNBC if the need hits me.
Script Says:
October 12th, 2010 at 12:58 am
“She’s a whore” – Jerry Brown? LOL. I’m sorry, it’s funnier the more I think about it. Just the thought of him saying that. That personality of his, with the hoarse voice. “the whore!”. LOL.
You see Joe?
Some think it’s funny. Completely dependent upon WHO says it.
Some people believe it’s ok to hate SOME women. Some people believe that if a woman is privileged or has political agendas that they don’t like, it’s ok to use hate speech against them.
The Preacher at the 1st Church of Hypocrisy told us the follwing:
“Bitch as a verb is a derivative of the word Bitch as a noun. To accuse someone of bitching is to say that they are in the act of being a “bitch”, which is a term MEANT to demean females.”
But he thinks it’s okay for him to call a woman a “whore” several times over. Jerry Falwell would be proud of him.
Sure fire/Nikki= I have NEVER “bashed cops.” Only rightwing bigots like you, the ones who don’t respect civil liberties, have the reactionary views that got LAPD into trouble in the first place, and who want to revive it by bashing more enlightened cops and Chiefs like Beck and Bratton for doing so. As for the rest, I feel grimy just reading your comments and they have nothing to do with me, just more of the same. You’re right though when it comes to how I feel about “pasty white guys” like Lou Dobbs – did you catch his latest appearance on the View and the flap it caused, when he said broadly that as a religion “the Muslims attacked us on 9/11?” and that’s why they shouldn’t have their mosque in NYC?, and the others – who I criticize for a reason, for being in lock-step with the likes of you and the reactionary cops who gave LAPD a black eye, low morale, distrust by the public and necessitated an expensive, cumbersome outside oversight to remedy. We must remain vigilant in the face of people like you so as NOT to return to the dark ages. On the other hand the things you have said about Kamala for daring to be attractive and not in lockstep with your thinking, is troglodyte sexist; and about Obama “the thug,” etc. etc. are not worth discussing.
Vote Democrat. Don’t let racists win.
http://www.ketknbc.com/files/ketk/image_cache/local/files/ketk/media/news/1014billboardweb.1287089290.436×327.jpg?1287089390
When Sure Fire calls Obama a thug he’s doing it to be racist. Thug is a word commonly used today to describe black people. Rarely used to describe whites. Don’t let people like Sure Fire win. Vote Democrat! Let’s advance into the future, because if we keep going backward, soon the klan will be in power again!
Hey, this is what you call a teachable moment.
The lessons to be learned?
1. If you accuse people of doing the same thing you’re doing and then tell them they shouldn’t do it, chances are you’ll end up looking like a complete fool.
2. When your ethics and morals become situational, based on your political beliefs, chances are you’ll end up looking like a complete fool.
3. When you say things because you hate, or because you are trying to provoke and antagonize people, there’s NO doubt about it. You WILL end up looking like a complete fool.
Exhibit A:
Script Says:
October 12th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
“Just filled out my absentee ballot. I was going to write in Whitman, but I forgot how to spell whore”
Only a complete fool who is full of hate would say such things and expose themselves as such.
You don’t know what I believe in sbl and have never seen an ounce of bigotry from me here. On the other hand all I see from you are snide remarks and constant attacks on those you can’t stand that you constantly drag into subjects regardless of the topic. Again you post your attack on white guys in your new reply. Shows what you’re all about.
Dobbs wasn’t even on the view it was O’Reily, all those pasty white guys look alike huh? I don’t care what idiots like Behar or Whoppi think. I love how people jump all over “O’Reily” for saying Muslims and not extremist Muslims attacked us.
If moderate Muslims spoke out more and kept the idiots in their religion in check do you think the world might be a safer place? Want to go terrorist attack after terrorist attack over the past 25 years or so and see whose been behind the vast majority of them? Like it or not their Muslims. Yet weak ass simpletons like the view idiots are going to get outraged over what “O’Reily” said? When have you ever heard either of the two view clowns get pissed over the countless terrorist attacks that have taken place over the years that have cost so many innocent lives?
If you had an ounce of honesty you would have also posted that “O’Reily” corrected himself after the melt down by your two girls. You obviously don’t have that honesty or just read your moveon or Huffington piece on what took place and ran with it. Get a clue.
You’re more ridiculous than any leftist clown I’ve ever read as most of them at least can tell Dobbs and O’Reily apart.
Pathetic.
Script, sounds like you use the word “thug” to commonly describe black people. That’s the first time I ever heard anyone claim that, must be your thought. Show your stats to prove your point it’s common, that was some type of idiotic point you were trying to make, right?
you’re right about one thing, “nikki”/Misfire: Dobbs, O’Reilly, Limbaugh, and really they DO all look and sound the same – throw in the local Republican cadre led by Cooley and his puppet dubbed “Clown Carmen” Zine and the two County BOS Weber and the Don Novey of PPL and honest, with their fake moral crusades: they ARE a mostly interchangeable bunch who inspire cringes and grimaces more than anything else. Maybe if they DID get out more – among people and communities of a different social and ethnic groups, and really listen and care not dissect them from arms’ length on their couches or armchairs at the club with a scotch and cigar after another high-carb meal – they just might just be able to relate to someone other than each other.
I don’t like Behar, by the way, think she’s an abrasive, predictable old-school leftie – just as Elizabeth is predictable on the neo-conservative, Palin lite right – and don’t think the two of them with Sherry (whoever she was before she joined the show) could fuel the mental equivalent of one 25-watt bulb. And I think Whoopi, who openly talks about her menopause and its debilitating effects on her, has let it overheat her brain too much and needs to consult someone about balancing her hormones.
(Maybe she’s the product of fearmongering among this gen’s OB’s, reacting to the last skewed and already refuted Women’s Collective study, telling women to stay off them altogether.) Seriously, as she’s ballooned up and complains about sweating her brain seems to have gotten overheated. She and Behar did over-react in my mind: who did they THINK O’Reilly – Dobbs, Limbaugh, etc. – WERE when they invited him?
The only one giving them gravitas and saving themselves from irrelevance is Barbara Walters, and when I watch, it’s just for the guests themselves: one thing that setting DOES do is, it seems to get those old-school sexists like O’Reilly et all, let down their guard b/c they’re “just” talking to a bunch of Chatty Cathies, in their minds. And then the fun starts.
Typical liberal mish mash without once saying, “Yeah, I was wrong”. Easier to throw out terms like “old-school sexists like O’Reilly” without facts to even back that. Brown fit into that description with his dancing around the whore remark?
I believe the woman who accused ORielly of sexual harassment years’ back, SF. O Reilly tried to wax all sexual in one of his fictional novels. I’ve read excerpts of it and it is weird. This dude has some strange thoughts. Believe his accuser 100%. She doesn’t have a lot of money and she couldn’t refuse whatever under the table settlement he gave her.
Misfire, you accuse me of not being able to tell the older cadre of “pasty old white guys apart” and when I pretty much concede the point, you accuse me of not apologizing for it.
In all seriousness: HOW would you honestly characterize any differences between say, O’Reilly and Dobbs? (Other than the obvious shallow ones, like, O’Reilly as a “devout Catholic” doesn’t believe in birth control and has some 8-12 kids – BUT in the big picture, of a woman’s right to choose, they’re on the same page w/ their colleagues.)
ANY significant differences — among the bunch of them???
You’d have to actually read their words and listen to them to see their differences SBL and you obviously don’t do that. In fact, your lumping them together because their all “pasty white boys” who happen to be on the right and for no other reason.
All these guys are different, you’re engaging in a Rob type debate that will get you nowhere with me. The bias and hate on the left overwhelms anything the right could come up with.
Misfire, the one who is always “lumping them together” is you, but of course you can’t see the hypocrisy of your words and attitude here. Your “them” being not only true liberals but anyone not on the Teabagger right: I’m not even “liberal” to the likes of the Marc Cooper gen or certain commenters here. You accuse me of saying things I never say including wild distortions, and look at what you say about Obama “the thug” and Kamala and Brown and Boxer and literally every single Democrat – pejoratives with no substance, and even Celeste has called you out for arguing against “liberals” as some collective, amorphous pinata.
And you didn’t answer the question of how these guys are different in substance, starting with Dobbs vs. O’Reilly. Because they’re not and you can’t.
Of course I can, I refuse to play your little game and am tired of shooting back at you and seeing it get deleted. Nothing scarier here than a strong conservative.