Roger Clemens, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama
I know–they don’t obviously fit together, but check out today’s post on the Huffington Post about Clemens’ news conference, long time baseball writer Murray Chass losing it, and Maureen Dowd’s truly vicious column about Hillary in today’s Times.
It’s become increasingly clear that no matter what Hillary Clinton does as a candidate– smile or not smile, emote or not emote, hug or not hug–the categories most folks use to dissect her campaign owe more to sexist categories than any other form of political analysis.
No historian can fail to be pained, however, as some voters replay debates over the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which ended up with the spectacle of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton opposing the 15th Amendment because it didn’t provide for women’s suffrage as well as black male suffrage.
Liberals ought to be excited that both a woman and an African American are leading candidates for the Democratic nomination–and appear to have strong constituencies–and refuse to choose one or the other based on the persistence of racism or sexism. That Democratic women turned out for Hillary in huge numbers in New Hampshire bodes well for the campaign–as does the fact that young people and independents turned out for Obama in Iowa. We need all these folks to win in November.
January 13th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Professor Goldstein!!! Hello!!! I have to say, I read your blog and I cannot agree with you more. I think the social cancer that is apathy is finally starting to become contained. My heart was soaring when I heard the results of the primaries. Even though I support Hillary, I was so happy to see that Obama won because of the votes of the younger generation. It gives me strong hope for the future of this country: that the fate of America will not be decided by uninformed idiots!!!
Speaking of idiots, Roger Clemens. I must confess that I am no where near an expert on baseball. I do not know how to read statistics or anything like that. But I was truly disappointed when I read what he had said. I do love to watch baseball and I do like the Yankees (I like the Red Sox too, but only out of fear). I really just love the game, and to hear one of the greatest pitchers of our age be so laxidasical on such a serious issue was a profound disappointment. What I do not think Clemens realizes is that not only do his comments make people lose respect for him, but for his team and for baseball as a whole. The great American pass time has become a breeding ground for cheating and gross dishonesty.