What I Really Wanted to Say to Chris Matthews

[NYCGirl]

Kate Michelman, feminist and former President of NARAL, lets loose at Salon

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/02/08/chris_matthews/index.html

Knowing that I had just announced my support for Barack Obama for president after having earlier supported my old friend John Edwards, Matthews had me on his show Monday. His first Hardball to me was one of his typical zingers: "Kate Michelman, how does it feel to have abandoned the cause of your life?"

The simple answer, Chris, is that I haven't -- in fact, my endorsement of Barack, just like my earlier embrace of John Edwards, is all about exalting the causes of my life. Not about repudiating them.

-snipped-

Chris' gotcha-type question to me and the semi-criticism implicit in it -- that as a woman I have some biological obligation to unreservedly support whatever woman is running -- are exactly the sentiments I faced when I first started working for a woman's right to choose. If women who vote for men are traitors, then are men who vote for women also traitors? What about African-Americans who vote for whites? Or whites who vote for African-Americans?

-snipped-

For me, the choice between supporting Barack or Hillary was the choice between supporting someone who I know would be very good, Hillary Clinton, or supporting someone who I know could be truly great. And right now, on those causes that define me and millions of other women, we shouldn't settle -- and I won't settle -- for anything less than "great."

My cause has been to create a society in which women are not judged on the basis of gender or subjected to sexist attitudes or expectations. My cause has been to ensure that every woman, and not any government, has the sole right to make the decision about when and under what circumstances it's best to become a mother. And as a woman who was once a single mother of three little girls and who was forced onto welfare and lived without healthcare and childcare, my cause has been the economic security and dignity of all women and their families.

MUCH MORE AT LINK

[zanne]

1. Obama is a stronger feminist than Hillary...

She tries to have it both ways by announcing that she's a "strong woman", then crying on national television when the going gets rough...or having her husband fight her battles for her.
I din't buy the tears. It only showed me how manipulative she can be. If she gets the nomination, alot of people will be staying home on election day.

[joshcryer]

3. So your response about Hillary's feminist background is that she cried on TV?

Is that all you got?

[NC_Nurse]

2. I am in total agreement. Having supported Edwards and

then Obama, I have come to the same conclusions.

[joshcryer]

4. The "perception of greatness" doesn't merit much, it doesn't actually talk about the issues.

You compare Hillary and Obama's health care plans and it's easy to see which one is on the side of corporations (see: not Hillary).

[NC_Nurse]

6. I have compared their plans.

Neither of them is perfect and neither of them will get through Congress without changes.
I believe Obama will be able to gather public support to press Congress to act. I have my doubts about
Hillary's ability to garner support for any of her programs. The reality is that the President cannot get their agenda
done without Congress - look at Bush's attempts to privatize SS, it didn't happen - not even CLOSE.

[yellowcanine]

5. Chris Matthews is a misogynist asshole. I am for Obama but I would love for Hillary to win just to

chafe his butt - and then tell him to kiss off whenever he wanted anyone in her administration to appear on his show.