Nixon In A Pantsuit

[Stephanie]

James Wolcott in Vanity Fair:

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/06/wol...

---snip---

MSNBC’s Chris Matthews is fond of repeating the political maxim “Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line,” and a halfhearted queue formed behind McCain’s candidacy despite the cranky impetuosities of a highly crafted nonconformity that grated on the Rush Limbaugh dittoheads, the Club for Growth tax-cut fanatics, and the nativists who wanted to Berlin Wall the border with Mexico to keep out the intruders causing Lou Dobbs such gastritis. Democrats had fallen in love with Obama, in heavy like with Hillary and Edwards. A born-again populist, Edwards functioned as a lubricant, a slick lining separating—and dampening the friction between—two competing iconographic surge forces (the first black presidential nominee versus the first female nominee) and drawing enough support on Daily Kos and other liberal-Dem Web sites to diffuse the animosity, competitive zeal, and gender-generational differences between the two camps. Once Edwards dropped out of the race, however, the buffer zone was removed, direct contact replaced triangulation, and the Obama and Hillary supporters faced off like the Jets and the Sharks. The rancor was disproportionate in intensity and extravagant in invective, a fervor worthy of ancestral foes. Months-old grievances seethed and erupted as if they had been bubbling for centuries in a lake of bad blood. On the most egoistic plane, it seemed like a clash of entitlements, the messianics versus the menopausals. The Obama-ites exuded the confidence of those who feel that they embody the future and are the seed bearers of energies and new modalities too long smothered under the thick haunches of the tired, old, entrenched way of doing things. The Hillarions felt a different imperative knocking at the gate of history, the long-overdue prospect of the first woman taking the presidential oath of office. For them, Hillary’s time had come, she had paid her dues, she had been thoroughly vetted, she had survived hairdos that would have sunk lesser mortals, and she didn’t let a little thing like being loathed by nearly half of the country bum her out and clog her transmission. Not since Nixon had there been such a show of grinding perseverance in the teeth of adversity, and Nixon in a pantsuit was never going to be an easy sell contrasted with the powerful embroidery of Obama’s eloquence—his very emergence on the political scene seemed like a feat of levitation. Hillary’s candidacy promised to make things better; Obama’s to make us better: outward improvement versus inward transformation. With Hillary, you would earn your merit badges; with Obama, your wings. Hillary’s candidacy was warmed-over meat loaf—comfort food for those too old or fearful to Dream.

[cliffordu]

1. Nixon in a pantsuit....

ROFL

[tridim]

2. That's just begging for a photoshop job.

ROFL here too.

[crimsonblue]

15. here ya go

[greguganus]

25. Siamese twins...joined at the ass. n/t

[ronnykmarshall]

39. I'd love to see how long ..

a photoshop of Obama w/ a crack pipe would last around here.

[crimsonblue]

48. Probably as long as Hillary's lead in the race..

[ronnykmarshall]

49. Oh stop!!!!!

So glad your proud of post that shit.

[crimsonblue]

54. you're the one that brings up drug use

and I'm the villain? projection, aisle 3. projection, aisle 3.

[anigbrowl]

71. If you can't stand the heat...

[musicblind]

86. Many of the people here seem to have no morals. at all.

[XemaSab]

58. Ronny, that's hardly comparable

You may not like the comparison of Hillary to Nixon, or agree with it, but I'll say one thing for it: it's not sexist.

Your analogy, on the other hand...

[ronnykmarshall]

61. Oh please.

Lets see. Didn't Hillary work to IMPEACH NIXON?

Oh how we all forget when bashing Hillary is "just fun".

Bullshit.

[jonestonesusa]

82. Why do you have such a strong interest in seeing Obama with a crack pipe?

For the record, such an image would be flamed quickly. Is there a parallel image of Clinton you're objecting to?

[TheDonkey]

80. LOVE IT! LMAO

great job

[greguganus]

3. Looks like she's showing everyone how long her nose has grown with her lies. n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Bad, bad Stephanie!

Bad, bad pantsuit!

[barb162]

5. Oh, is this about Michelle Obama?

whining like Nixon about her school loans, kids' dance lessons and whatever else she's whining about these days?

[chill_wind]

79. No.

eom

[Toucano]

6. 88 Obama, 79.4 Clinton

8.6 points make the difference between a liberal and "Nixon in a pantsuit"?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

99. 11%.

Not insignificant.

[JohnnyLib2]

7. M'dear, that writer also said this in the same piece:

(The majority of Huffpo’s high-profile contributors were so over the rainbow about Obama that it was as if they had found rapture in the poppy fields and were rolling around on their backs like ladybugs.)

??

[EFerrari]

10. Wolcott is an equal opportunity offender. :-)

[JohnnyLib2]

13. Yup.

[Stephanie]

14. Yes he's a very funny writer - it's a great read.

[Cha]

35. Obviously James Wolcott knows about the feeling

level of happiness one can have with the prospect of getting one's country back.

That's right, Wolcott ..you describe it so well.

[Hepburn]

8. Nixon was built better. n/t

[Exilednight]

17. To be fair, I wouldn't kiss either of them, but as Hunter S Thompson would say.........

"where's Nixon when you need him?"

[Hepburn]

42. LOL...

...

[EFerrari]

9. Nixon was more liberal.

But your subj line made me laugh out loug.

[pnorman]

11. "...warmed-over meat loaf—comfort food for those too old or fearful to Dream."

n/t

pnorman

[VotesForWomen]

70. there's one born every minute, and they're all voting for obama. those of us 'old, fearful' realist

realists tend not to buy as much snake oil as the O voter type.

[pnorman]

77. Esteemed fellow DUer:

You convey to this DU community, somewhat more about yourself than about me and/or the candidate whom I so warmly support.

(Let this bloody internecine bitterness be over by next week! We have a nation to recover, and a Constitution to bring back to life. EVERY shoulder needs to be pushing at the wheel, and as united as possible! LET'S DO IT!)

pnorman
On edit: Lighten up! That phrase I had excerpted was genuinely FUNNY!

[jefferson_dem]

12. Has she put on weight?

Just an observation...

I can only imagine the physical toll of a half-year straight campaigning, meals on the run, etc.

[canadian_is_cold]

27. She has always been 'Rubenesque'

[TheDoorbellRang]

16. Very nice wordsmithing -- loved the imagery on "freepers"

Easily herded, conservatives prefer to take their cues from on high, heeding the droppings of a Limbaugh or Sean Hannity rather than showing group initiative. In the absence of communiqués from headquarters, they revert to a larval stage of dormancy and let their grudges accrue.

[lwcon]

18. Is it misogyny time already?

Of course. It's always misogyny time at DU!

___

The Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy, now at my new home: Correntewire.com

[grassfed]

20. misandry unites hillbots

look it up

[smoogatz]

28. Because any mention of pantsuits

is misogynist.

Don't argue with me, it just is.


Because I said so, that's why.

[VotesForWomen]

73. you're right. pantsuits are for manly women that don't wear dresses, like a woman should. honey, som

some of us remember when women weren't *allowed* to wear pants, and how furious folks like you were when that changed.

[smoogatz]

90. Yves St Laurent "mainstreamed" the pantsuit in 1966. I was seven years old.

So, not furious. The whole not-shaving-anything trend of the early-mid 70s was kind of a bummer, though mercifully short-lived. Also, I'm still sad about the return of the bra and the demise of the tube top, but I understand the practical reasons why these things are so. I think what you're missing here is what's funny about Hillary's pantsuits: first, the color selection isn't great. Lilac? Peach? She looks like somebody's grandma down in Boca Raton. If she's going to wear pantsuits, as opposed to, you know, suits, or a pants/jacket combo, she should stick with black, gray and navy. And pantsuits themselves are just so retro: to me, they're iconic of the seventies and of much that was goofy about the seventies. Of course, you'd have to have a sense of humor to get that.

[Catherina]

52. Hammer time my dear

I hope you're not doing anything stupid like thinking Vanilla Ice is gonna catch on or anything.

[VotesForWomen]

72. no, it's not possible. if they didn't say "I hate women," then it's not misogyny. didn't you know th

that?

[polmaven]

74. When I saw your headline

I thought...Don't you mean "again"? But you're right...always is more like it.

[dchill]

95. misogyny=can't stand the Clintons.

Right.

[grassfed]

19. look how white i am!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Wait 'til you hear her "Checkers" speech and refuse to bow out...oh, wait, she did that.

[greguganus]

22. Is that a stain on her blue pantsuit? n/t

[jazzjunkysue]

64. Knee-slapper! Much appreciatted!

[mitchum]

23. Even though I once challenged Wolcott to a fistfight...

I love how the man thinks and writes.
What a great piece.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

38. A "fistfight"

The guy's like one hundred years old and four hundred pounds... A cadaver would put up more resistance...

[mitchum]

57. Okay...maybe that's why I was able to make Eudora Welty cry uncle

[Melinda]

100. I laughed so hard I cried... what a visual... poor Eudora!! Thanks for the tears, LOL!!

[JohnnyLib2]

40. Tell the story, please!

I'm thinking he's more of a verbal fighter???

[mitchum]

45. 20 years ago, my college mentor brought Wolcott to the university for a talk...

during which Wolcott blamed Truman Capote for Tama Janowitz and Jay McInhery(sp?)
Afterwards, there was lots of alcohol flowing. I took exception to his blaming Capote for those twits and challenged him to go outside. Eventually, everything settled down and Walcott and I had a very pleasant conversation. I like to imagine that he has more than once told the story of the time the shirtless drunk guy in a leather jacket volunteered to kick his ass in defense of Truman Capote

[JohnnyLib2]

59. LOL, that's great!

And you know he tells the story in grand form.

[canadian_is_cold]

24. I swear, it was THIS big! n/t

[greguganus]

26. clenis? n/t

[Cha]

29. Wow...I thought I read a few weeks ago that

Wolcott was for hilary? And now he's givin' us bon mots about "nixon in a pantsuit"?

My son said a couple of months ago that "hilary was bush in a pantsuit".

[lwcon]

32. You must be very proud n/t

___

The Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy, now at my new home: Correntewire.com

[WillyT]

34. I'm Proud Of Him !!!

Very perceptive kid.

Wish I could say the same for some here.

[Cha]

37. I don't know what ignore said..

thanks, Willy! It's his first time into politics..Obama did it for him and he thanked me for being so active for the last 8 years.

[WillyT]

44. Right On !!! - Give Both Yourselves A Hug For Me !!!

[Cha]

47. Thanks...he's over on Kauai and

I'm gonna call him if Obama wins Guam

[Stephanie]

46. He states in the article that he voted for her.

[psychopomp]

88. Great comic

...bottom line is, she ain't acting like a Democrat!

[WillyT]

30. Ruh Roh !!! ..."The Messianics Versus The Menopausals"...

That's gonna cause some trouble.

[Faygo Kid]

31. The Nixon analogy is an apt one.

She reminds me in many ways of Nixon, and no, not the pantsuit thing. But her problem is Obama is RFK - alive this time.

Nixon had no chance against RFK. But he caught a "break."

[maddiejoan]

33. How come Obama

is the one always giving a "Checker's Speech"?

[JohnnyLib2]

36. Those humble beginnings--

deja vu for this elder.

[ronnykmarshall]

41. Well Michelle doesn't have a cloth coat from what I hear.

Miss Thang's got her self a mink. Probably from Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills!

[kid a]

43. I prefer the "warmed-over meatloaf" line in this snip. nt

[Beacool]

50. Oh please...........

All the left wing outlets are having a conniption fit because she hasn't dropped out and made way for the Anointed One. They want to see this inexperienced guy in office so desperately that, short of taking out a hit on her, they have no other option than to vilify her every chance they get in the hopes that people stop voting for her.

[Stephanie]

51. Wolcott did vote for her.

[Catherina]

53. "left wing" vs "right wing". That's a good start n/t

[Beacool]

55. Not every Democrat is far to the left.

There are some of us who are moderates.

[gristy]

92. You think Obama has been anointed? Or you perceive that others view him as anointed?

You should perhaps look inward to see where that perception comes from. Are you a religious person yourself? I suspect you may be.

Or are you an analytical type or are you employed in the field of accounting, science, engineering, or mathematics? I suspect you are not, especially not math.

[eridani]

56. Not just any NIxon. The 1960 Nixon

The one that didn't "get" TV, just as our current Nixon doesn't "get" the Internet.

[Stephanie]

60. that's not the half of what she doesn't "get"

[blogslut]

62. Mr. Walcott wields a sharp blade

This one's a keeper.

[NJSecularist]

63. Hillary is very much like Nixon in some ways.

Nixon had an innate drive for winning. He simply refused to be denied. Much like Hillary.

She is on her way to an epic comeback to win the nomination and then the presidency. Nixon had a penchant for comebacks too. He lost the presidential election in 1960 by the slightest of margins, got smacked around in the California gubernatorial race in 1962, was left for the dead by the press, and then made his epic comeback in 1968.

I do see the similarities. Unfortunately, the Obamites might not like the comparision, but the comparision is looking more and more likely by the day.

[jazzjunkysue]

65. Go back and re-read what you just said.

It's deeper than a refusal to admit you're losing. It's an inability to make any sense at all.

Nixon is a survivor?

Honey, look up "watergate" and "impeach." You really, really, really don't want to use Nixon as a model for anyone you like.

Really, you don't.

[NJSecularist]

67. I am well aware of Watergate.

As I said, the comparision to Nixon is not perfect. But Hillary has the same innate drive to win and ability to make a comeback that Nixon did. That is where the comparisons end. We all know about Nixon's trangressions regarding the cover-up of the Watergate break-in during his presidency, but he was left for the dead in 1962 and everybody said his political career was dead. He later went on to win the election in 1968. Hillary was left for the dead twice, after Iowa and then after Wisconsin, and she bounced back both times and has a chance to win the nomination and the presidency much like Nixon.

Honey, go look up "Nixon in 1962".

[gristy]

93. How will Clinton achieve this "epic comeback"? What will the numbers look like?

You make the claim. Back it up.

[NJSecularist]

96. She is well on her way to achieving such. n/t

[gristy]

97. Funny!

Back it up, slick.

[NJSecularist]

98. She can win Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Puerto Rico and win the nomination. n/t

[gristy]

101. Now you're just being silly.

[jazzjunkysue]

66. Hysterical piece: Some juicy bits:

"The Hillarions felt a different imperative knocking at the gate of history, the long-overdue prospect of the first woman taking the presidential oath of office. For them, Hillary’s time had come, she had paid her dues, she had been thoroughly vetted, she had survived hairdos that would have sunk lesser mortals, and she didn’t let a little thing like being loathed by nearly half of the country bum her out and clog her transmission. Not since Nixon had there been such a show of grinding perseverance in the teeth of adversity, and Nixon in a pantsuit was never going to be an easy sell contrasted with the powerful embroidery of Obama’s eloquence—his very emergence on the political scene seemed like a feat of levitation. Hillary’s candidacy promised to make things better; Obama’s to make us better: outward improvement versus inward transformation. With Hillary, you would earn your merit badges; with Obama, your wings. Hillary’s candidacy was warmed-over meat loaf—comfort food for those too old or fearful to Dream.

In a column for The Times of London entitled “The Clintons, a Horror Film That Never Ends,” Sullivan compared Hillary to Glenn Close’s bunny boiler in Fatal Attraction—“Whoosh! She’s back at your throat!”—and the Clintons as a couple to the fast-running zombies in 28 Days Later. “The Clintons live off psychodrama,” he contended in a classic pot-kettle-black moment.



Easily herded, conservatives prefer to take their cues from on high, heeding the droppings of a Limbaugh or Sean Hannity rather than showing group initiative. In the absence of communiqués from headquarters, they revert to a larval stage of dormancy and let their grudges accrue.

I may subscribe.

[Stephanie]

68. Oh I do subscribe!

It's excellent - lots more political reporting than you might think.

[VotesForWomen]

69. quick! somebody get Obama a flight suit so we can see what a real man, uh real president looks like.

you people are pathetic, and you're constantly crying about how what a dirty campaign hillary is allegedly running. try looking in the mirror.

[meow mix]

75. K&R Lmao

[Raine]

76. Interesting article

THANKS for posting it.

[Oilwellian]

78. I just used this pic in a video

[chill_wind]

81. Mercy! "...warmed-over meat loaf—comfort food for those too old or fearful to Dream."

"With Hillary, you would earn your merit badges; with Obama, your wings. Hillary’s candidacy was warmed-over meat loaf—comfort food for those too old or fearful to Dream."

A couple years ago, someone Kos-diarey'd a great little piece of writing comparing the Clinton nostalgia to hanging on to "faded old love letters, years later still in the back of the dresser drawer.."

The world has changed. It's time clean out the drawers and lighten up the baggage a little.

K&R

[smalll]

84. Fucking Alexander Wolcott -- some hyper-luxe-latte-liberal, uptown-NYC-$10K-a-month-rent

what a stellar exemplar of the new elite. If the Repukes would just start wearing Birkenstocks and driving Priuses, there'd be no reason why people like Wolcott wouldn't be ever so happy to switch over to them.

[gristy]

94. Two questions

1. Who is Alexander Wolcott?
2. Why are you here?

[chill_wind]

83. Kick. n/t

[liberaldem4ever]

85. K&R!!

[judasdisney]

87. Hillary Kissinger

[VotesForWomen]

89. Right on Dude! No fat chicks for president! Obama's da Man!...well, he's a man, and he's not fat; th

that's what really counts in a president. GOBAMA!!!!

[symbolman]

91. Shes a pig, just like Nixxon was..

I'm beginning to think that she doesn't just have oodles of Issues, but that Clinton is actually fucking certifiable..

She's nuts.

[mdmc]

102. too old and fearful to dream

pretty much sums me up...