"There is difference and there is power. And who holds the power decides the meaning of the difference." --June Jordan

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Surviving Democracy

So, zuzu has moved from Feministe to Shakesville, and her first post in her new home made me swoon:
 
And of course, we also have the problem that all of these calls for Clinton to drop out when she's still winning primaries and the issues of Florida and Michigan are still unresolved (I will have a post on that later, with so many references to actual rules that you'll be begging me to stop with the pedantry already) are simply unprecedented in presidential politics. As Eric Boehlert reminds us, no other second place primary candidate has ever been pressured to get out of the race before he was good and ready to go. Even Gary Hart, who like Clinton was running neck and neck with his opponent all the way to the Convention and forced a decision by the superdelegates, was never pressured to get out for the good of the party.
 
(...)
 
Oh, and this "She's tearing the party apart! We have to unify!" business from him? If the party could survive the "Acid, Amnesty and Abortion" smear that an "unnamed* Democratic senator" spread against McGovern (with the assistance of Bob Novak, who seems to be catnip for smear merchants) during the 1972 Dem primary, or the BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA Osama bin Laden ad run against Howard Dean by a 527 with lots of ties to his Democratic rivals in 2004, it can survive a little democracy. (emphasis mine)

Because that's what this whole Take Your Boobs and Go Home thing is: an attempt to shut down the democratic process. Why are the Democrats so afraid of democracy?
 
 
Two words for zuzu:  THANK.  YOU. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Take your boobs and go home" is really good for the imagination, though. I wish I could detach mine and leave or take them at will.

Tracey said...

I know, right? Doesn't it conjure up images of someone picking them up like suitcases and marching out of the room?