Category Archives: Politicians
Vagina, Vagina, Vagina!!! And Vagina Some More!
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Abortion, Activism, Birth Control, Body Beautiful, Body Image, Feminism, Feminist, Politicians, Politics, Vagina and tagged with Feminism, Politics, Vagina, Women's Rights June 16, 2012
Last bit tonight, I promise. But as I imagine many of you know women's rights are under attack and tonight the issue at hand is that the Republicans in the Michigan state legislature feel that saying the word vagina is inappropriate – and in light of this they have banned two female state representatives. If I lived in Michigan I would be marching in front of the capitol building with some seriously fun vaginal picket signs. Alas – Michigan you are so far. Instead I will mention this craziness to all I see and sport a Vagina pin – Thank you Zazzle.
For your reading pleasure Jezebel has published response to this lunacy entitled, "25 Republican-Approved Ways to Say 'Vagina' Without Offending Political Pussies," which I imagine will make you both cringe and giggle – but either way I think you should read it because while I am still I'm gonna say vagina and all the other terms that describe my body – such as vulva, clitoris, fallopian tubes, period and whatever else you can think of whenever I see fit – in the classroom, legislature, hallway, bedroom and/or supermarket – I will henceforth endearingly refer to my vagina as the lovely and illustrious Ms. Kant from now on.
Tell me Ladies – how will you respond to this throwback into the dark ages?
Anne E. Dunwoody
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Activism, Feminist, Politicians, Politics and tagged with Anne Dunwood, Glass Ceiling November 14, 2008
Today this woman, Anne E Dunwoody, who I have to admit I know little about broke the "glass ceiling" and became the first female 4 star general. It's feminist news. And it's important and valuable.
This year the we've thrown around the term "glass ceiling" like never before. And I've been thinking, that the more we talk about these things, the louder we clamour, the more conscious we seem to become. Do you think women everywhere want to see other women break through and succeed? Do you think that all the noise that this historical election will grow louder still – until women no longer need to clamour? Maybe all this rising above the "glass ceiling," will help us be heard. (That is if these women and others are sympathetic to the needs of women) I am hopeful today.
The glass ceiling is something we've been chasing after for a long time and I am hopeful that suddenly like a herd of horses were careening at the glass, hammers in hand.
Ah Sarah…
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Activism, Election 2008, Feminism, Feminist, Politicians, Politics, Sarah Palin October 20, 2008
I try to avoid spending my days shivering in fear of Sarah Palin…She's some kinda scary. Today I received this photo from a friend and I thought I'd do my part to share it with the world.
Funny because its TRUE!
What do you do if the first woman vice president of the United States doesn't stand up for anything that women believe in? Its really creepy.
Why is his wife standing there??
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Anti-Feminist Propoganda, Double Standard, Election 2008, Eliot Spitzer, Feminism, Feminist, Hillary Clinton, Politicians, Politics, Prostitution, Women's roles March 12, 2008
An awesome article from Women's e-news about Eliot Spitzer's wife:
Scandal Doesn't flatter Spitzer's wife
By Sandra Kobrin
WeNews commentator
(WOMENSENEWS)– As news of the "Eliot Mess" started to break on Monday, I looked at my husband and smiled.
"You know our deal," I reminded him. "If anything like this happens to you don't expect me to stand beside you and suffer public humiliation. You do something stupid like this, you're on your own."
Then we continued to watch Spitzer's press conference.
"It looks like she's reading his statement," my husband said, as he studied Silda Wall Spitzer's controlled response. He said her eyes were focused on her husband's script.
"Probably so," I answered. "I'm sure she was the last to know and is doing her best to know what's going on this time."
I, like everyone else, was stunned by the idea of New YorkState's Wall Street-busting crusading governor Elliot Spitzer apparently destroying his career by breaking the law and patronizing prostitutes.
Many of us in the news business, or the political business or the business business spent the day waiting for news of his resignation, pouring over the details of Spitzer's D.C. assignation and replaying what may have been the world's briefest press conference.
But as we talked among ourselves my friends and fellow journalists were saying it's not just a question of what's wrong with him. We' were also asking "What's up with her? What is she doing standing there by his side at the press conference?"
Aol Pops the Question
"Governor's Wife Stands by Her Man" was one of AOL's rotating home page headlines Tuesday. "Would You Do the Same Thing?"
Our answer: an unequivocal no. We all agree we're suddenly tired of seeing the silent woman standing by.
In every case, of course, it's the particular wife's personal business how she sorts the matter out. But why should she appear at the face-to-face with the cameras' glare? That seems to send the message that good wives are expected to put up with far too much.
As my colleagues, my family and I pored over the coverage Tuesday, one thing that popped out here was that "client 9"–the new moniker for the man once known as the Sheriff of Wall Street–was sometimes considered "difficult," for the prostitutes at the Emperor's Club, a high-end brothel where Spitzer had an account.
In the smoking tape made of the phone call between the prostitute and her "booker" after the encounter the booker said "client number 9" sometimes asked for things that weren't always that "safe."
The mind reels. In Victorian novels when asterisks are put in the place of curse words the reader spends much more time wondering what the real words might have been–and probably coming up with worse–than if they'd been spelled out. Thoughts of all kinds of kinky sex went through my mind.
But another colleague offered a possibility at once more obvious and more serious: condoms. Perhaps, she said, it meant that Spitzer refused to use a condom.
If so, then he's put his wife in danger as well as the high-priced sex workers he apparently regularly patronizes. All of them should be seeking medical attention and testing, if they haven't already.
Mixed Feelings Get Sorted Out
A friend told me that her feelings about women who stand by their men are somewhat mixed. While she admires loyalty and being a friend in need, she doesn't like the idea that dishonest men are worth putting up with.
But when the question of condoms and safe sex came up she says she suddenly got the point. In this case the wife should have been given a doctor's excuse to miss the photo session.
Why is it that our society is repulsed with lying and dishonesty in a public capacity but accepts lying and dishonesty in a marriage?
There are editorials flying and talking heads screaming for Spitzer's resignation, but there's no one screaming, "Hey Silda, walk away from that lying dirt bag who put your health at risk and your reputation in the toilet! Take the money and run. You'll do fine on your own."
Silda Wall Spitzer is a Harvard-educated lawyer and the founder and chair of the board of New York-based Children for Children, a nonprofit organization that fosters community involvement and social responsibility in young people. She has three daughters ranging in age from 14 to 18.
Well listen up Silda. You are entitled to your own decisions but you and your daughters don't have to stay.
Don't Follow Hillary
In any event, please don't let Hillary Clinton be your role model, even if your husband has endorsed her candidacy.
Yesterday, the presidential contender told reporters she was sending her best wishes and thoughts to the governor and to his family. Oh boy. I understand she didn't want to lose a possible super delegate but, puh-lease.
Clinton is used to public humiliation; she was a doormat when it came to her philandering husband and his infidelities since he was Arkansas governor.
In Carl Bernstein's recent book on Clinton, "A Woman in Charge," he writes that she really was the last to know the truth during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and livid when she found out.
In a 1992 interview, Clinton said she stayed with her husband because she loved and respected him. OK, but let's see if Silda Spitzer is also contemplating a run for office.
Even Dina Matos McGreevey, the still-in-a custody-battle wife of former New JerseyGov. James McGreevey, has piped up. The author of "Silent Partner" bore up through the press conferences when McGreevey's admitted a gay affair with a state employee and stood by him until he resigned three months later.
She says Silda is right to stand by her husband as she is protecting her daughters and shouldn't be criticized.
Bull. The best way to protect a daughter is to be a role model and despise lying and dishonesty and divest from it in public as well as private life.
Federal prosecutors rarely charge clients in prostitution cases, generally seen as state crimes.
But the 1910 Mann Act makes it a crime to transport someone between states for the purpose of prostitution, and the woman Spitzer met up with traveled from New York to Washington.
Someone on the Web site of the Feminist Law Professors says this might be raised in the context of legal quid pro quo for the so-called DC Madam, whose sex workers consorted with Republican Senator David Vitter last year. He is not on trial but her trial begins April 7.
"As the DC Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, is prosecuted in federal court for running a prostitution ring, it will be interesting to see how things develop with Governor Spitzer," writes a contributor on the Feminist Law Professors site. "One of the DC Madam's big gripes is that, though the government has the names and identities of plenty of her customers and *ahem* female contractors, only she–Deborah Jeane Palfrey–is being prosecuted."
In a press statement Tuesday, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International said the recent revelations about Spitzer demonstrate that men who sexually exploit women come from all walks of life.
"Sexual exploitation has no place in a society that values equality for girls and women," the statement read.
That's the kind of thing a good wife, mother and presidential candidate should be saying around now too. –Sandra Kobrin is a Los Angeles writer and columnist.
I am particularly interested in the comments about Hillary and Dina Matos McGreevey. Why does a politician's wife stand with him when he has committed an egregious affront, which particularly effects her life? What does that imply about our society? Why do the PR people think that her presence is a good idea?
Just say no to McCain
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Abortion, Activism, Election 2008, Feminism, McCain, Politicians, Politics, Rant February 26, 2008
I can't imagine that there are a whole lot of feminists out there who are considering a vote for McCain, but if so take a look at his position on choice….
Naral Pro-choice advises:
Sen. John McCain served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 1986 and in the U.S. Senate from 1987 to present. During his four years in the House, then-Rep. McCain cast 11 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues. Ten of these votes were anti-choice. In the Senate, through 2006, Sen. McCain cast 117 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues, 113 of which were anti-choice.
In addition to his solidly anti-choice record, Sen. McCain has never cosponsored or supported legislation that would prevent unintended pregnancy or reduce the need for abortion.
Voting Record:
Sen. McCain has an anti-choice record. He received the following scores on NARAL Pro-Choice America's Congressional Record on Choice.
2007:	0 percent
2001:	Because only one choice-related vote was taken in 2001 – to confirm John Ashcroft as United States Attorney General – no numerical score was given for the year. Sen. McCain voted anti-choice.
Click here for all of Sen. McCain's scores from 1987-2006.
Public Statements about Choice:
A selection of Sen. McCain's public statements on this issue is below.
"If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement."
[Statement by Sen. McCain read by Sen. Sam Brownback at the March for Life in Washington, DC, January 22, 2008. http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=26539 (accessed January 30, 2008.]
Sen. McCain's 2008 presidential campaign website states that he "believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned."
[John McCain for President 2008 campaign website, On the Issues: Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life (accessed February 4, 2008). http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm]
"I'm proud that we have Justice Alito and Roberts on the United States Supreme Court. I'm very proud to have played a very small role in making that happen."
[Transcript, Republican Presidential Candidates Participate in a Debate, May 3, 2007.]
On the Federal Abortion Ban, Sen. McCain said, "Today's Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary. The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children. It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures. As we move forward, it is critically important that our party continues to stand on the side of life."
[Press release, April 18, 2007 (accessed February 4, 2008). http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/f96d220f-b10d-48fe-aee9-d69c0d2802c3.htm]
Sen. McCain said that he has supported "the rights of the unborn" for 24 years "without changing, without wavering."
[Michael Finnegan, Republicans Enter the Ring in Iowa; At a Key Party Dinner, Frontrunners for the Presidential Nomination Take a Beating From Lesser-Known Rivals, L.A. Times, April 15, 2007.]
"I do not support Roe v. Wade. I think it should be overturned."
[Ann Althouse, Rudy & Mitt Hem & Haw on Abortion, N.Y. Times, February 24, 2007.]
Discussing his pro-life voting record, McCain said, "I have many, many votes and it's been consistent. And I've got a consistent zero from NARAL throughout all those years… [M]y record is clear. And I think the important thing is you look at people's voting record because sometimes rhetoric can be a little… misleading… As you know I don't support Roe v. Wade. I thought it was a bad decision, and I think that the decision should be made in the states."
[Transcript, The Full McCain: An Interview, National Review, March 5, 2007. http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MTMxOWRkYjgyNDhjOTU5ZTY2OWU2ZTg2ZmUxMzQ1NjQ=]
Youth for Hillary….sing along!
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Double Standard, Election 2008, Feminism, Feminist, Feminist Consumerism, Hillary Clinton, obama, Politicians, Politics February 23, 2008
So there is a lot of chatter about no youth following for Hillary but these videos argue otherwise:
This one doesn't please the feminist in me, which arguable you could say about the previous one but it's still worth checking out:
He's Passionate:
THIS ONE IS THE WINNER. I Love it!
Don't be coerced by the press to jump on the Obama bandwagon. PEOPLE ARE JUST AS PASSIONATE ABOUT HILLARY!!!!! An election is not a popularity contest. We are not looking for the coolest or the "sexiest" candidate. (Although if you ask me Hillary is that too.) We are looking to elect the best leader. It takes a life time in politics to make a leader. Don't be fooled. VOTE HILLARY!
Hillary and the debate…
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Beauty, Celebrities, Double Standard, Election 2008, Hillary Clinton, Politicians, Politics February 23, 2008
Sorry, I've been so incommunicato lately. Busy with life… Feeling a little down about Hill's campaign. Like I said earlier, I will support a democrat all the way but I really believe that Hillary is the best choice and I don't perceive her as cold or frigid. I think she's delightful…
Watch the moment:
I'm a die-hard. I love Hillary!!
Hillary's Super Tuesday
Posted by Feminist Cupcake in Feminism, Hillary Clinton, Politicians, Politics, Women's roles February 6, 2008
Why is it that I hear about Obama and McCain all day long. I practically know when these guys take a pee, but no matter what I just don't feel this way about Hillary….
It's easy to blame it on her femininity but it may be that the press just doesn't like her. who knows, but I say MORE HILLARY!!!
As far as I'm concerened Hillary continued to dominate the field this week. To be truthful, I don't know about all of you but I am excited to enter a DNC with no definate canidate… Perhaps then we will all watch…
So here she is folks: