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You are here: Home / Politics / Media / Barack Obama Hates Women

Barack Obama Hates Women

by John Cole|  October 28, 20091:13 pm| 143 Comments

This post is in: Media, Assholes

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This is just asinine:

pumabs

Jesse Taylor deals with this nonsense, but I think it is important to single out Savannah Guthrie for starting all this crap:

NBC White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie asked him that earlier this week. She asked him if his preference for all-male hoops sends the wrong signal. Or as she put it, “Some people might look at it and say, ‘Gosh, there’s the old boys club again.’”

Well done, Savannah. Next to the #dickwhisper’s question about Obama’s bathing suit, this is the biggest waste of time by a reporter with access that I’ve seen. And, with an assist from the insiders like Tapper who want to stir things up even when there is no there there, all of a sudden we have PUMA’s and wingnuts running around screaming that Obama is a sexist. Because he plays basketball with Reggie Love instead of Anita Dunn.

The endgame of this is so obvious. This isn’t about sexism. This isn’t about Barack Obama. This is another beltway game where the press sees how much they can make the administration jump. Are they really proposing that Janet Napolitano come out and do some half court with Obama, the UNC guys, and secret service agents? Do they want Lisa Leslie on retainer?

No. This is about power and control, and this is about driving traffic to their respective website/network. They want to make the WH squirm and if they get really lucky over-react, and what better way to do it than pointless allegations of sexism? They’re just asking questions that matter, you see. “Some say it’s an all boys club,” or “Some say this looks bad” or “some say you have a problem with women.” And then what they want is for Obama to stage an all women’s game or a mixed game for the cameras, and they can say “See, there was a problem, and our focus on this issue corrected it!” Who says investigative journalism is dead! And they will pretend they have accomplished something, while ignoring the Republicans blocking everything on health care and the robber barons on Wall Street continue to rape main street and the taxpayers and so on.

There’s your liberal media. Assholes, all of them. Seriously- go read David Brock’s books. Go read Joe Conason’s The Hunting of the President. It is clear what is going on here.

*** Update ***

I should probably add that what makes Guthrie’s effort so awesome is that she took Candy Crowley’s “some people say” to a whole new level. She didn’t just use the hoary old “some people say,” she kicked it up a notch and used “Some people might look at it and say.” I mean, how f-ing awesome is that? Some people might say just about anything, so if you want to stir shit up as a reporter, you can just make up any old bullshit, because SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY IT! Somewhere, Savannah Guthrie’s j-school professors just hanged themselves.

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Reader Interactions

143Comments

  1. 1.

    Pangloss

    October 28, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    Questions have been asked, some say.

  2. 2.

    dmsilev

    October 28, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    If (when) any reporters ask Robert Gibbs about this nonsense, he *really* should reply that there are rumors about the reporter having sexual relations with goats, and that now that the question is “out there”, it would be irresponsible not to speculate.

    I probably wouldn’t be a good choice for White House Press Secretary.

    -dms

  3. 3.

    soonergrunt

    October 28, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    Some people say that Savannah Guthrie likes to strangle cats during sex. We wonder what her answer is to people who look at that and think “she’s fucking wackaloon?”

  4. 4.

    Face

    October 28, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    All guys have problems with women. If there was pure harmony of the sexes, 98% of stand-up comedians would be outta biznazz.

  5. 5.

    valdivia

    October 28, 2009 at 1:19 pm

    not to cast aspertions but the main source for the original NYT article was Dee Dee Meyers. Why she is out there accusing Obama of sexism? Hmm.

    I guess Lily Ledbetter means nothing.

  6. 6.

    slag

    October 28, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    Or as she put it, “Some people might look at it and say, ‘Gosh, there’s the old boys club again.’”

    As someone who looks at it that way, I still completely agree with your point, John. And there’s no way you can look at Barack and Michelle Obama and their two girls and their, coworkers, friends, and relations and conclude that Barack’s “not comfortable with women”. It’s absurd on its face. And the way these people use serious problems in our society as play things pisses me off to no end. I would say that all of these people need a good bitchslap, but that has unnecessarily sexist overtones.

  7. 7.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 1:22 pm

    It’s because these people are shallow and care for nothing other than surface impressions. Obama hates women because he doesn’t play horse with any and only golfed with one once. Pay no attention to Lily Ledbetter or ending the prohibition on funding for African assistance programs that provide abortion or pregnancy prevention information and services or how many women he has appointed. It’s all about who he chooses to play sports with.

    Fuck this. Between this kind of shit and the assholes who are telling me how I should react to gang banging fantasies in another thread, I’m about to put a gun to my head and be done with it.

  8. 8.

    Punchy

    October 28, 2009 at 1:23 pm

    He wont convince me of his bisexualship until he actually plays hoops, cards, and showers with all his female staffers.

    Until then, just another sexist pig.

  9. 9.

    Sasha

    October 28, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    This is the kind of shit we saw with Clinton . . . and didn’t see with Bush.

    Liberal media, indeed.

  10. 10.

    PhoenixRising

    October 28, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    I would sell tickets to the President, Robert Gibbs and Rahmbo going 3 on 3 against Janet Napolitano and her choice of any two Senate-approved appointees of her same persuasion. That would be a good game, because no way is Rahm risking a boo-boo going after a loose ball.

    Good thing all Americans have access to the kinds of preventative health care that saves money and lives…and we’ve brought peace to the Middle East with a brilliant mix of ending the occupation plus diplomatic work…and…oh wait, we still have problems? Damn.

  11. 11.

    James Hare

    October 28, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    You’re especially right about the controversy for the sake of web traffic angle. For awhile I used to get angry at the nonsensical things that would make it onto the Kaplan Daily News op-ed pages but I’ve lately realized that’s exactly what those pieces are written for. The Kaplan Daily News is basically the newspaper equivalent of an internet troll. They pay people to say off-the-wall shit and then put the most inflammatory headlines possible on it. Then they just wait for the predictable outrage.

    Those of us engaging in political watching need to stop feeding these trolls. Posts like this are the first step: recognizing the problem. I’m not sure what action can be taken — a “media troll” already has undue influence and a heck of a microphone; however, it does us no good to draw any extra attention to them. Well that and nobody’s figured out a foolproof way to deal with internet trolls.

  12. 12.

    MacsenMifune

    October 28, 2009 at 1:28 pm

    I forgot that all profession sports were coed, and there aren’t any other real examples of sexism to write about, Cough “Women pay more for health insurance.” Cough. How exactly are really reporters better than bloggers?

  13. 13.

    IndieTarheel

    October 28, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    The really relevant question here, of course is, “What does Candy Crowley have to say about it?”

  14. 14.

    slag

    October 28, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    I do have one tiny correction to make:

    And then what they want is for Obama to stage an all women’s game or a mixed game for the cameras, and they can say “See, there was a problem, and our focus on this issue corrected it!” Who says investigative journalism is dead!

    Not true. They want him to do this so they can say, “See, he is a big girly man after all. We knew it! No real man has a bowling score that low.” And then, Maureen Dowd has her next column in hand. Go team!

  15. 15.

    Rekster

    October 28, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    Savannah is pretty HOT and gives me a boner but I think I would have to figure some way to prevent her from talking.

    Why are we even listening to these idiots? Chuckie, Jake, et. al. don’t have 3 IQ points between them. Where is Jeff Gannon when we need him?

  16. 16.

    syl

    October 28, 2009 at 1:31 pm

    @MacsenMifune:

    How exactly are really reporters better than bloggers?

    Shut up. That’s how.

  17. 17.

    Mrs. Tarquin Biscuitbarrel

    October 28, 2009 at 1:32 pm

    Some people say, according to sources.

  18. 18.

    Punchy

    October 28, 2009 at 1:34 pm

    For tomorrow’s outrage de jour…

    Countdown to a Bill Donahue CNN interview, RedState explosion, and Home Despot boycott in 3…..2…….1…..

  19. 19.

    The Moar You Know

    October 28, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    I’m about to put a gun to my head and be done with it.

    @geg6: Dare I suggest that a far more useful response to the situation is to put a gun to the heads of one of the people playing the Eternal Game Of Gotcha and “be done with it”.

    If you’re gonna go down, go down swinging.

  20. 20.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    October 28, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    The Black Jesse Helms!

    So Obama is the black Jesse Helms, the black Jimmy Carter, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and a secret Manchurain Muslim … Goddammit if the nutters keep this shit up I’m going to have to get a scorecard. I despise scorecards.

  21. 21.

    Cat Lady

    October 28, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    Anyone who has seen Barack and Michelle together – and who hasn’t – just sees this as the high school kewl kidz lunch table crap that it is. I’ve seen those movies, and the kewl kidz all end up old, fat and lonely. This stupid press stuff worked when we had the luxury to pay attention to nonsense, when we had relative peace and a normally functioning economy. It’s not that time anymore, and they all look idiotic.

  22. 22.

    Maude

    October 28, 2009 at 1:37 pm

    @geg6: Wrong head. Put the gun where it belongs. The only thing is that those heads are hollow.

  23. 23.

    Maude

    October 28, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    @Maude: Forgot an is in there. Must have forgotten about Bill Clinton and the meaning of is.

  24. 24.

    drillfork

    October 28, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    The stupidest part of all this? Barry’s hooped it up with chicks:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/28/obama-plays-basketball-wi_n_192135.html

  25. 25.

    bago

    October 28, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Please note that this crap is not restricted to politics. Here is someone actually complaining that a video game about metal with a facemelter solo might melt videogame faces. Or something.

  26. 26.

    lurkergirl

    October 28, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    Oh honestly. The man has two daughters and a wife he clearly regards as his equal, he’s appointed plenty of women to his cabinet, including the woman who ran against him for president – he does not have a problem with women. I think the comparison you’re looking for here is the infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters – except they throw sh*t at the wall first, then type up the report before anyone can check if it actually stuck. Apparently the merde du jour is sexism…

  27. 27.

    Cerberus

    October 28, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    Nngh, I’m a feminist and this shit pisses me off. Not a damn one of them is actually interested in investigating sex-segregation in sports or the boy’s club atmosphere of the whole damn DC culture, especially the Village, or tackling issues of sexism like how a terrorist campaign against women’s health in the form of the anti-choice movement is given a free pass entirely because they claim “religious beliefs”.

    Hell, maybe tackle the inane biology of Oklahoma’s illegal “fetus personhood” law or how much more women pay for healthcare or how undervalued women’s health is in this country to the point republican senators were actually fighting earlier to remove benefits for pregnant women. Or maybe the whole rape culture that leads to things like 20 people gleefully contributing to the gang rape of a high school girl.

    But noooo, let’s pull this shit out of our asses like we know what the fuck we are talking about. It’s a democratic man and we have no idea what sexism is, so let’s throw some shit around and see what sticks with no idea or interest in what he has done for women cause “who cares?”

    Fuck them.

  28. 28.

    Makewi

    October 28, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    So is it your contention that the president of NOW is just looking to get viewers for the MSM? How do you explain her criticisms, and further how do you explain the POTUS taking a woman golfing immediately after O’Neill made them?

    That organization seems to think it IS a story.

  29. 29.

    Leelee for Obama

    October 28, 2009 at 1:43 pm

    @PhoenixRising:

    Good thing all Americans have access to the kinds of preventative health care that saves money and lives…and we’ve brought peace to the Middle East with a brilliant mix of ending the occupation plus diplomatic work…and…oh wait, we still have problems? Damn.

    This is the heart of the matter. If these schmucks spent as much time focusing on the REAL issues as they do on ridiculous BS controversies, we’d have had health care done six months, or maybe even 16 years ago. We wouldn’t be wondering if or when or how many more troops are/aren’t needed in Afghanistan, we wouldn’t be in Iraq trying to get the HELL out, and the Lily Ledbetter Act wouldn’t have been necessary, ’cause her problem wouldn’t have existed in a country with investigative journalists holding the powers-that-be to account.

    A Free Press is necessary to the function of a Democracy, a brain-free Press, not so much.

    Can we just fire them-at least in the sense that we pay no attention to their crap?

    I still have a button from the late sixties that asks, “What if they gave a war, and nobody came?” To paraphrase, “What if _________________ said something inane and stupid, and no one paid attention?” (Think of all the needless suffering we could avoid! Fill in the blank yourselves, there are too many to list!)

  30. 30.

    Anoniminous

    October 28, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    When is the Fourth Estate going into probate? The corpse has stopped twitching and it’s dead. We need to stop grieving and move to acceptance.

    Also.

    Too.

  31. 31.

    Ella in NM

    October 28, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    Yes, folks this is a really important issue you MUST weigh in on in the ongoing war to prove Barack Obama is REALLY the antichrist.

    Meanwhile, please don’t pay attention to the “issue” behind the curtain…

    “Got Perfect Credit? You Could Be Charged For It!
    Bank Of America, Citigroup First To Try Out Idea, Which Will Undoubtedly Alienate Many Who Follow The Rules”

    http://wcbstv.com/consumer/credit.card.fees.2.1272124.html

  32. 32.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    Obama should stage an all women’s game. And when the first one attempts to shoot the ball, he should block the shit out of it. Send it right at the cameras. AND THEN he should say something witty and sexist about balls.

  33. 33.

    Cerberus

    October 28, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    @bago:

    …

    Wow, talk about not getting anything. Violence in culture is actually MORE acceptable the more cartoonish it becomes because the less it resembles actual acts (that’s even accepting the contention that culture inherently influences behavior in a direct manner, which is hardly proven yet). So a face melting attack is better than if you just shot someone.

    Can we deport every Village expert and import people who know what the fuck they’re commenting on. Imagine how much better this all could have been if instead of “we have women here” bullshit, we had a handful of actual feminists with an understanding of sexism in the culture and thus some actual clue of what the Lily Ledbetter Act and the repeal of the global gag rule meant.

  34. 34.

    kay

    October 28, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    @drillfork:

    The stupidest part of all this? Barry’s hooped it up with chicks:

    “My girls look at the TV when I’m watching ‘SportsCenter’ and they see women staring back,” Obama said of the ESPN program, a personal favorite. “That shows them that they can be champions, too.”

    Well. There’s a shocker. Our media. Not only stupid but wrong.

  35. 35.

    asiangrrlMN

    October 28, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    @geg6: Holy shit. I am glad I did not read the gangbanging thread. I would have gone ballistic.

    Anyhoo, it’s all about glitz and manufacturing interest, no matter how momentary in order to drive up readership/viewership/whatever.

    Personally, I would like one of the women on Obama’s admin (like, say, Hillary Clinton) to step out to these assholes and say, “Look, asshole. I’m the motherfucking Secretary of State. That ought to tell you something about how Obama feels about women.”

    I also agree that watching the way he is with Michelle indicates a high level of respect for her (in that he actually looks at her and listens when she talks) and his love for her.

    I am so fucking tired of this shit. Really.

  36. 36.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 1:49 pm

    @Makewi:

    Yes.

    SATSQ.

    And before you say it, I am a member of NOW. But not much longer, unless she sees fit to apologize for being as stupid as you are.

  37. 37.

    asiangrrlMN

    October 28, 2009 at 1:51 pm

    @geg6: Damn you. I had to read Makalakaweewee after I read your response, but you were spot on.

  38. 38.

    4tehlulz

    October 28, 2009 at 1:52 pm

    I’m just surprised that Geraldine Ferraro hasn’t been asked her opinion yet.

  39. 39.

    RW_Gadfly

    October 28, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    There’s your liberal media. Assholes, all of them. Seriously- go read David Brock’s books. Go read Joe Conason’s the Hunting of the President. It is clear what is going on here.

    Er, but Bonnie Erbe is a liberal editorialist — and openly, at that. Sure, it’s a ridiculous column on her part. But most of them hit me that way (unsurprisingly).

    I’m not sure why we’d look at a liberal columnist writing a dumb column about a Democratic President to be evidence countering the right’s arguments of liberal media bias.

    That would be akin to conservatives reading a George Will column that’s critical of Sarah Palin and saying “Liberal media bias! Liberal media bias!”

    I’m sure some of the more shrill of my ilk would do that or something like it, but you shouldn’t want to follow their lead.

  40. 40.

    freelancer

    October 28, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    @Punchy:

    That dude is a grade A moron. The creator of the UNIVERSE’s plan apparently included having one of his followers get shitcanned from a hardware store.

    *Facepalm.

  41. 41.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    October 28, 2009 at 1:54 pm

    Savannah used to work for CourtTV and did nothing but Michael Jackson coverage. Is a lawyer by training.

    And now she’s a WH correspondent? Kinda makes you wonder how many people she slept with to get the job. Of course, one could say that about any of the Beltway media these days regardless of gender.

  42. 42.

    4tehlulz

    October 28, 2009 at 1:55 pm

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage: ESPN has a White House correspndent?

  43. 43.

    Makewi

    October 28, 2009 at 1:55 pm

    @geg6:

    Yes, she is just acting as pimp for the MSM? You believe she doesn’t really think this is an issue?

  44. 44.

    Jack

    October 28, 2009 at 1:55 pm

    Yes, it is “the media.” Which is shorthand for very large business operations competing with each other in a relatively closed system, for control of information and entertainment dollars.

    But, it’s not “the media” in a vacuum. National level politicians feed this cycle. Deliberately. With planning and coordination.

    Because it serves a very obfuscative purpose to pretend that the governing of a global empire is about minor details like this, or Hilary Clinton’s penchant for folksy quips and New Testament allegory (the real deal), or Olympia Snowe’s relevance to anything except her re-election in increasingly urban and liberal Maine.

    There’s complicity here. Giant entertainment, oil, banking, insurance and manufacturing combines benefit from dollar hegemony, which is in truth American military hegemony.

    This is their class they’re protecting, the class which governs a continent, can project force at near will in nearly every region of the earth, and directly rules three hundred million captive consumers persons.

    This is manufactured Spectacle, and it serves Barack Obama and Democrats as much as it serves the bottom line of the Disney leviathan, Newscorp and General Electric.

    As long as Barack Obama, President™ is a brand with brand loyalty, he is well served by minor media scuffles which re-inforce those loyalties.

    It serves any politician’s to be attacked when the attack is easily deflected or explained away as a triviality. Because those inclined to stickiness (damn HuffPo for putting that word into circulation, recently) self-reinforce.

    A politician, in short, without adversaries is a politician out of office.

  45. 45.

    slag

    October 28, 2009 at 1:55 pm

    @kay:

    “My girls look at the TV when I’m watching ‘SportsCenter’ and they see women staring back,” Obama said of the ESPN program, a personal favorite. “That shows them that they can be champions, too.”

    True. Though there is an argument to be made that we, as a society, take sports way too seriously. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it happens to be a male-dominated field. Even if women have made some inroads.

  46. 46.

    Scuffletuffle

    October 28, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    I want to shower with O, how do I get a White House job?

  47. 47.

    Jack

    October 28, 2009 at 1:56 pm

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage:

    With respect, that’s an overtly sexist sentiment. If she were a he, would you have gone directly to “slept [his] way” into a position of influence?

  48. 48.

    Llelldorin

    October 28, 2009 at 1:57 pm

    @Sasha:

    This is the kind of shit we saw with Clinton . . . and didn’t see with Bush.
    Liberal media, indeed.

    That’s really the key point here. It would be one thing if the media always played low-level BS games like this–it would mean that we have a tabloid media, and be depressing, but we could live with it. It’s something entirely else again when it’s only directed at Democratic administrations. With Bush we got endless “grownups back in charge” stories until 9/11, followed by full-throated groveling until Hurricane Katrina.

  49. 49.

    Sputnik_Sweetheart

    October 28, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    I’m really tired of this notion that Obama has to be all things to all people. As a woman, I could care not less if he plays hoops with women. What I care about is hearing his policies on issues. What is wrong with our media?

  50. 50.

    AJ

    October 28, 2009 at 1:58 pm

    The most stupid question?

    Worse than this one?

    “(Mr. President) What is your reaction to Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used steroids as a member of the Texas Rangers?” – Washington Post reporter Michael A. Fletcher

  51. 51.

    tomvox1

    October 28, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    Asinine but this meme has persisted since before the election, with a lot of supposed disaffected Hillary supporters–PUMA, The New Agenda and the most vitriolically anti-Obama feminist blog, the Reclusive Leftist–displaying an almost obsessive hatred of the Big O and often a seemingly counterintuitive enthusiasm for Palin. Like it or not, there is a small but hardcore group of women who are not all classic GOP/DAR-types or Tea-baggers who hate the Prez’s guts and believe he’s a secret misogynist . Hell hath no fury like a Primary loser, perhaps?

  52. 52.

    The Dangerman

    October 28, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Assholes, the lot of them.

    Perhaps one can enjoy golfing in “mixed company” or bowling in “mixed company”, or maybe even playing touch (yeah, baby) football in “mixed company”.

    But serious Balling (ahem) in “mixed company” sucks; maybe folks are confused because of the quality of the women’s game (there ARE some good players at their level) and the completely incorrect notion that basketball is a noncontact sport…

    …but I’ve run with some high level women players. A good boxout sends them flying. Then you have to stop the game, bring out the first aid kit, maybe even call an ambulance.

    Serious ballers know this story is shit.

  53. 53.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    October 28, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    ESPN has a White House correspndent?

    I hear Chris Bermann was originally offered the job but felt the press corpse wasn’t up the the professional standards of most sports beat reporters.

  54. 54.

    bago

    October 28, 2009 at 2:00 pm

    Speaking of Grade A WTF…

    A picture that says a thousand words.

  55. 55.

    kay

    October 28, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    @slag:

    Oh, I don’t care about sports, so to a certain extent I agree with you. People absolutely love sports, so I’m happy about that, for them, and they do serve a purpose, because they keep kids busy after school so they have less time to get each other pregnant.
    Other than that, I’m not interested.
    If I had to pick one to follow, it would be baseball. I like how it sounds. I’m waiting until I’m old. I plan on listening to it on the radio.

  56. 56.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    October 28, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    With respect, that’s an overtly sexist sentiment. If she were a he, would you have gone directly to “slept [his] way” into a position of influence?

    Note the second half of what I said. It implied everybody in the Washington Press Corpse has slept its way to where it is today, including [his].

    My over-the-top point here is that NBC Fucking News plucked somebody with, quite frankly, no journalistic chops to be its WH Correspondent? I wonder how many actual working journalists there are out there who, I’m sure, could do a better job? No, instead we get another vacuous talking head from cable teevee landing a notable gig.

  57. 57.

    Zifnab

    October 28, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    @Sputnik_Sweetheart:

    What is wrong with our media?

    Policies? Fuck that shit. That’s what we bring the lobbyists and Republicans on to discuss. News anchor reporters don’t touch policy with a ten foot poll when they can avoid it.

  58. 58.

    Shawn in ShowMe

    October 28, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    With respect, that’s an overtly sexist sentiment. If she were a he, would you have gone directly to “slept [his] way” into a position of influence?

    Depends on if the guy was cute.

  59. 59.

    shoutingattherain

    October 28, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    @Rekster:

    Savannah is pretty HOT and gives me a boner but I think I would have to figure some way to prevent her from talking.

    Sorry I’m feeling juvenile today but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA that’s funny as all get out.

    Boner.

  60. 60.

    bago

    October 28, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    @Zifnab: Are you trying to say that Chuck Todd is a Poll Smoker?

  61. 61.

    slag

    October 28, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    @kay: I actually enjoy playing many sports. But I don’t see any compelling reason why doing so should be considered any more of a serious venture than say…gardening or home decorating. Playing sports is a great hobby. But it’s one that has attained an imprimatur of national importance that I don’t really understand.

  62. 62.

    DB

    October 28, 2009 at 2:08 pm

    The first time I ever noticed Savannah Guthrie was after McCain picked Palin. She was dispatched to Alaska where she chimed in every 10 minutes or so with a huge grin and yet another report from some greasy spoon where everybody was just soooo happy(!!!!)

    There was zero newsworthiness in any of her reports, just 100% fluff for Palin. Over and over. I can’t even look at Guthrie anymore.

  63. 63.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    October 28, 2009 at 2:10 pm

    “(Mr. President) What is your reaction to Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used steroids as a member of the Texas Rangers?” – Washington Post reporter Michael A. Fletcher

    Fletcher, too, must have slept his way to where he is today. Oi vey. He’s indicative of *every* Post political beat reporter of the last decade: Romano, Murray, Bacon Bits, the asshole who went to Politico and now works for some right-wing group (I can’t remember his name), and the 30-something woman with the slight overbite who came down from first the Boston Globe, then the NYT, just to name a few. Every time I hear em bitch and moan about the state of newspapers these days, I’m astounding that they never look in the mirror and think “hmmmmmmm”.

    They all come out of the same axolotl tank. Let em all drown.

  64. 64.

    licensed to kill time

    October 28, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Some people say that wasting time on non-issues like this is why important things like trying to pin down Bin Laden/terrorism back in the 90’s got labeled as “wagging the dog” and feeble attempts by Clinton to divert attention from the Blow Job That Shook America and Poisoned the Minds of The Children.

    Gotta stay focused on the important stuff, media fluffnuggets! Heckuva job!

  65. 65.

    asdf

    October 28, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    I got to “dickwhisperer” and laughed so hard I couldn’t go on.

    OK, let compose myself. Back to the article.

    Damn, that was funny.

  66. 66.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    @Makewi:

    Yes.

  67. 67.

    LD50

    October 28, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    @Makewi: Funny how Makewi will believe pretty much anyone if it seems their statements reflect badly on Obama.

  68. 68.

    Max

    October 28, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Michelle Obama on Glamour Cover photo here.

    I’m sure in the article she goes on to talk about how oppressed she is and how B-Rock can’t stop telling her to get back in the kitchen and fix him a sandwich.

  69. 69.

    Calouste

    October 28, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    Of course president John “you cunt; drop your disable wife to marry a heiress; sexist jokes; serial womanizer;” McCain would have been so much better towards women.

  70. 70.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    October 28, 2009 at 2:15 pm

    The first time I ever noticed Savannah Guthrie was after McCain picked Palin. She was dispatched to Alaska where she chimed in every 10 minutes or so with a huge grin and yet another report from some greasy spoon where everybody was just soooo happy(!) There was zero newsworthiness in any of her reports, just 100% fluff for Palin. Over and over. I can’t even look at Guthrie anymore.

    She reminds me of another reporter from earlier in the decade who worked for MSNBC, had another cutesy, stoopid first name as well. I can’t remember it now for the life of me. She was simply godawful and didn’t even rise to the level of “news porn” that one sees paraded nonstop over at Faux “News”. Dunno where she ended up, hopefully in a 4th-rate market doing the nightly local news.

    Again, I actually know a WH reporter and I’m appalled that somebody like Guthrie got that gig. Oh, wait, perhaps it reflects how NBC feels about that position, ie., it’s worthless but they have to have somebody there.

  71. 71.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    October 28, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    I’m sure in the article she goes on to talk about how oppressed she is and how B-Rock can’t stop telling her to get back in the kitchen and fix him a sandwich.

    When does she say “Whitey”? We all just know she’s dying to.

  72. 72.

    Zifnab

    October 28, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage:

    I hear Chris Bermann was originally offered the job but felt the press corpse wasn’t up the the professional standards of most sports beat reporters.

    Sports journalists really are the last line of decent reports left in the business.

  73. 73.

    LD50

    October 28, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    @geg6:

    It’s because these people are shallow and care for nothing other than surface impressions. Obama hates women because he doesn’t play horse with any and only golfed with one once. Pay no attention to Lily Ledbetter or ending the prohibition on funding for African assistance programs that provide abortion or pregnancy prevention information and services or how many women he has appointed. It’s all about who he chooses to play sports with.

    Exactly. Conservatives are prone to obsess with style over substance anyway. Since they have no arguments that make sense, that’s why you get morons like Makewi here babbling about how Obama using the word ‘sweetie’ Makes Him A Rapist Just Like Clinton, evidently completely amazed that we think Leadbetter is more important than Sweetiegate.

    But as annoying as they are, they’re just jerking off. See how well screaming about symbols served them in ’06 & ’08.

  74. 74.

    Cat Lady

    October 28, 2009 at 2:21 pm

    Sports journalists really are the last line of decent reports left in the business.

    Only because they can’t make shit up about winners and losers.

  75. 75.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    October 28, 2009 at 2:22 pm

    Sports journalists really are the last line of decent reports left in the business.

    I totally agree. As a DC native and lifetime reader of the Post, I see it every day. Their sports reporters and columnists actually do real journalism every day. Their counterparts on the political side suck hind tit every day. The contrast is remarkable…and sad…and depressing.

  76. 76.

    handy

    October 28, 2009 at 2:23 pm

    Sports journalists really are the last line of decent reports left in the business.

    But the sports “pundits” are just as bad as the political ones, particularly the baseball ones.

  77. 77.

    kay

    October 28, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    @slag:

    I used to wonder about that, but people love sports so much that you just have to eventually go along with it.

    Completely and hopelessly outnumbered.

    I did bitch for a while that my school district was spending too much money on sports programs, but it’s absolutely true in my experience that those programs keep kids out of trouble, so I’m “for” now.

    They can do jousting or interpretative dance, for all I care, as long as they’re required to be somewhere, doing something.

  78. 78.

    gwangung

    October 28, 2009 at 2:25 pm

    Sports journalists really are the last line of decent reports left in the business.

    And even THEY are pretty piss poor at it. For example, nearly all baseball beat reporters have no feel for sabremetrics or the proper use of statistics. Yet the best teams are very savvy on their use. That’s a disconnect there…

  79. 79.

    Max

    October 28, 2009 at 2:26 pm

    So, Obama will soon be signing the M. Shepherd / J. Byrd hate crimes bill.

    This confuses me because Americablog told me that Obama hates the gays and won’t lift a finger to help their causes.

  80. 80.

    Cain

    October 28, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage:

    And now she’s a WH correspondent? Kinda makes you wonder how many people she slept with to get the job. Of course, one could say that about any of the Beltway media these days regardless of gender.

    What is the difference? I mean, covering Michael Jackson probably as much crap as covering politicians. Why do you assume she slept her way? Maybe her dad is sleeping with the head of NBC or something?

    cain

  81. 81.

    Demo Woman

    October 28, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    I have this mental image about how the MSM would react if Pres. Clinton played basketball or golf with a group of females.
    It seemed like just yesterday they were complaining about the number of females on his staff.

  82. 82.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    @Max:

    You haven’t seen him playing b-ball or golf with any have you? I’ve made my case, then.

  83. 83.

    mk3872

    October 28, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    Bravo, Juan. I had similar thoughts about the WH press on this one, but you nailed it.

    File this one away with the other asinine WH press obsessions like teleprompters and lapel pins.

  84. 84.

    LD50

    October 28, 2009 at 2:30 pm

    @Max: That’s an easy feat for a man who manages to be Hitler and Stalin simultaneously.

  85. 85.

    Max

    October 28, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    @geg6: touche’.

  86. 86.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 2:31 pm

    OT, but can I just say that isn’t it interesting that I really don’t see any of the rape fantasists or she-wanted-it-apologists on this thread?

  87. 87.

    4tehlulz

    October 28, 2009 at 2:32 pm

    @LD50: And Nixon. Even liberal NPR says he’s Nixonian.

  88. 88.

    Evinfuilt

    October 28, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    @drillfork:

    This is turning into a Monty Python act.

    But outside of Lilly Ledbetter, African aid and playing hoops with a female college team what has Obama done for us??

  89. 89.

    slag

    October 28, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    @kay:

    I used to wonder about that, but people love sports so much that you just have to eventually go along with it.

    Probably true. And I’m completely behind programs that use it to teach kids about hard work and cooperation. And keep them out of trouble. Not sure if you’ve seen this movie about the Hobart Shakespeareans, but it’s pretty awesome. It’s about a guy who uses Shakespeare to do the same things that someone else might use basketball for. All good stuff.

  90. 90.

    Cat Lady

    October 28, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    @Evinfuilt:

    Can we all just agree that in order to have any understanding of what is actually going on in the world, and to develop a sense of proportionality and perspective, one can’t consume any of the MSM’s product? If we don’t kill it, it’s going to kill us all.

  91. 91.

    Mayken

    October 28, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    @drillfork: Thanks for the link. Money quote:

    “My girls look at the TV when I’m watching ‘SportsCenter’ and they see women staring back,” Obama said of the ESPN program, a personal favorite. “That shows them that they can be champions, too.”

  92. 92.

    bemused

    October 28, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    @geg6:
    Obama’s mistake was not inviting the elite press to a cozy barbecue with him & providing tire swings.

  93. 93.

    Jack

    October 28, 2009 at 2:41 pm

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage:

    But it’s just not because of sex. That’s a one liner that conceals more than it conveys.

    People get promoted in that industry for conformity, first, last and most of all.

    Serve the narrative, or grind out HI pieces from Poughkeepsie…

  94. 94.

    Svensker

    October 28, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    @Makewi:

    Yes, she is just acting as pimp for the MSM? You believe she doesn’t really think this is an issue?

    Do YOU believe Obama is a sexist, Makewi? Please defend your answer. Thank you.

  95. 95.

    slag

    October 28, 2009 at 2:44 pm

    @Max: Possibly one of the funniest xkcd strips ever.

  96. 96.

    Jack

    October 28, 2009 at 2:49 pm

    @Demo Woman:

    Has the “MSM” meme re-entered the liberal lexicon, after a long time lost in the wilderness of conservatarian agitation?

    For what it’s worth, there is no “the Media.” It isn’t an It. It doesn’t act as a single entity, with the attributes of people.

    Treating the various competing outlets and firms as an It is an invitation to the trap of movement conservatism, that of personifying and reifying a multitude of disparate human choices and interactions into a Singular Entity.

    There is no “MSM.” There are people organizing themselves into businesses, often hierarchical, with a lot more money and power than most, defining any number of narratives, to serve that money and power, the retention of it, and the expansion of a preferred market.

    Their choices reflect their class, and there are general class markers, yes. They tend to follow one another, and mimicry is definitely one of the hallmarks of the trade.

    But they are not a “single MSM.”

    Treating them as such is an invitation to seeing wrongly, and therefore act against our own interests.

  97. 97.

    Jack

    October 28, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    should read “with the attributes of a singular personality.” Self-edit fail on my part.

  98. 98.

    IndieTarheel

    October 28, 2009 at 3:00 pm

    @Zifnab:

    Sports journalists really are the last line of decent reports left in the business.

    In your honor, I’m now channeling my inner Wilbon and telling Erbe to “Get that junk OUT OF HERE! JUST GET IT OUT!”

  99. 99.

    Mayken

    October 28, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    @slag: Geek humor FTW!

  100. 100.

    Will

    October 28, 2009 at 3:25 pm

    Who on earth is Bonnie Erbe? Am I supposed to have heard of her or give a damn what she thinks?

  101. 101.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    @Will:

    PUMA, dude. PUMA. That’s all you really need to know.

  102. 102.

    smiley

    October 28, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    Savannah Guthrie’s j-school professors just hanged themselves.

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage: Is right. She’s a graduate of Georgetown Law. Believe or not, Chip Reid is a graduate of Columbia Law. Chuck Todd never finished college.

  103. 103.

    Bob K

    October 28, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    This just in – “Barack Obama kicks his dog”.

    The right whingers will stop at NOTHING. The shriller they get the more I think of the McCarthy witch hunts where finally Joseph Welch said:

    “”Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness.” When McCarthy tried to continue his attack, Welch angrily interrupted, “Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?”

    It’s only been ten months – I don’t think the thermometer’s ready to pop up on this bird yet.

    Praise God and pass the popcorn : ^ )

  104. 104.

    Mark S.

    October 28, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    @geg6:

    Fuck this. Between this kind of shit and the assholes who are telling me how I should react to gang banging fantasies in another thread, I’m about to put a gun to my head and be done with it.

    Whether it’s a right-wing, left-wing, feminist, Christian, whatever blog, anytime there’s a discussion of rape, you can count on two or three apologists to come forward and start screaming about the Duke case. Feminists are right when they say there’s a rape culture.

  105. 105.

    tess

    October 28, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    The first time I saw Savannah Guthrie doing actual political reports for MSNBC, I was pretty surprised–she covered the Michael Jackson trial for MSNBC, or at least for Countdown. I thought she was a garden variety entertainment reporter, so when I saw her in Alaska after Palin was chosen, it didn’t seem like a stretch. But broadcasting from the WH lawn? Really?

    I do not understand journalism career paths at all.

  106. 106.

    Elie the Amateur

    October 28, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    Geg6

    “Fuck this. Between this kind of shit and the assholes who are telling me how I should react to gang banging fantasies in another thread, I’m about to put a gun to my head and be done with it.”

    I have made several comments about how we get drawn into the uber negativity and that its a hook to get people to post often and that the anger and hysterics stimulate frequent participation. In reality, this shit is made into artificial issues not just by people as lame as Bonnie Erbe, but a host of others including our own sites.

    Live with it, I’m afraid. This is modern “journalism”. When you need a break, step outside and get a breath of fresh air and take a walk. It isnt truly for real reality. You are just being played.

    Keep it away from your core. Walk away as necessary.

    Just my advice

  107. 107.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    @Mark S.:

    Its really unfortunate those damn lacrosse players fucked up your narrative. Assholes.

  108. 108.

    Tom Hilton

    October 28, 2009 at 3:57 pm

    Go read Joe Conason’s The Hunting of the President.

    Joe Conason and Gene Lyons. Minor point, I know, but Lyons was on the story long before Conason.

  109. 109.

    ed

    October 28, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    I enjoy watching Ms. Guthrie participate in conversations on “Morning Joe.” Kind of like Forrest Gump taking a third podium during the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

    Never hire straight A students. They are only good at school.

  110. 110.

    Davis X. Machina

    October 28, 2009 at 4:01 pm

    Is Bonnie Erbe the next Mara Liasson, or vice versa?

    It’s so hard to keep track of NPR people’s second jobs. If NPR’d just pay a living wage they wouldn’t have to walk the streets for Murdoch and Mort Zuckerman on the side.

  111. 111.

    Anne Laurie

    October 28, 2009 at 4:03 pm

    @geg6:

    It’s because these people are shallow and care for nothing other than surface impressions.

    Good point — a large part of why the Media Village Idiots are so obsessed with “appearances” is that being seen is the most important thing in their universe. Given a choice between a universal cure for cancer that they couldn’t take credit for, and a 10% uptick in their overnights… not only would every single one of them choose the uptick, they’d have great difficulty understanding why somebody might pick ‘actually helping people’ over ‘getting more exposure’.

  112. 112.

    Mark S.

    October 28, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    @gopher2b:

    You’re right, because of that Duke case, it is irresponsible not to speculate:

    So, everyone here can honestly say that its beyond the realm of possibility that the girl had a couple drinks, consented to sex with multiple partners while others were around, and then drank herself into oblivion afterward (thus landing herself in critical condition). Not at all a possibility?

    I’m sure she also consented to being beaten and robbed.

  113. 113.

    Shane

    October 28, 2009 at 4:11 pm

    And some people might say that Savannah Guthrie has no respect for married women…and they’d be right.

  114. 114.

    Ranger 3

    October 28, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    And this is so bizarre because, for those of us who do in fact hate women… Obama has been a real disappointment.

    Hillary as SoS? Dude, I voted for you to put that bitch in her place. Honestly, I feel betrayed.

  115. 115.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 4:22 pm

    @Mark S.:

    (1) Because of the Duke case (and basic common sense and the U.S. Constitution) you should wait until actual facts come out before lynching a guy accused of rape. But, hey, you agree with feminists so you must be right because they know everything there is to know about rape.

    (2) If you had basic reading skills, it would be fairly obvious to you that I was not speculating. I posted that scenario as an alternative explanation of how she could have initially ended up in critical condition (i.e. alcohol poisoning) and not been raped. I, unlike you, do not purport to know what happened in Richmond and would prefer to wait until there is something that resembles actual facts before I introduced these guys’ necks to a noose.

  116. 116.

    Makewi

    October 28, 2009 at 4:22 pm

    @Svensker:

    Not generally. There have been things that have come up since he came onto the radar which could be concerning if there are more examples in the future. It appears as if O’Neill has made the decision that the sweetie/Clinton-Palin comments/ and now this do represent something to be concerned with.

    My point was that it seems a less manufactured issue than one in which NOW has made a point to comment on. You will notice that the administration reacted to that comment, so obviously they took it to heart.

  117. 117.

    Ranger 3

    October 28, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    @Makewi: All snarking aside (And I REALLY hate being serious for two seconds) but NOW is totally out of control. There is no evidence Letterman did anything other than fool around with people at work. I don’t think any sex actually occured at the worlplace, so this is actually less of a big deal than the Clinton impeachment. And, oh yeah, Letterman is an entertainer… not the POTUS. They were all grown, they all consented, I’ve seen no evidence they were pressured or harrased.

    The National Organization of (Wealthy Middle Aged White) Women): Making sure no man gets laid. Ever.

  118. 118.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    @gopher2b:

    But, hey, you agree with feminists so you must be right because they know everything there is to know about rape.

    I hope you have no women in your life. You really are a total fucking asshole.

    There is a reason women know more about rape. We get raped much more often. 1 in 6 women are sexually assaulted compared to 1 in 33 men. And without feminists, none of these numbers would be gathered, let alone disseminated.

    Fuck you.

  119. 119.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    @Ranger 3:

    And thus why today I emailed my resignation after 30 years of dues paying membership. All thanks to Makewi’s support.

  120. 120.

    Makewi

    October 28, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    @geg6:

    Glad I could be of assistance. It’s important to help people.

  121. 121.

    Comrade Dread

    October 28, 2009 at 4:40 pm

    You know, if any president looked at that reporter who just asked that question and replied, “Well, that’s very interesting, Savannah, and some people might say, ‘Fuck you.’ Next question?” I would consider voting to make him President for life.

    If he followed it up by punching said reporter in the face, I would give him the Teddy Roosevelt award for Presidential Badassery.

  122. 122.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    @geg6:

    You really are a total fucking asshole

    Well, that’s persuasive. I guess you win.

  123. 123.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    @geg6:

    And have feminists gathered and disseminated the statistics on false accusations and how lives those have destroyed or is that not important enough?

  124. 124.

    BDeevDad

    October 28, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    Well, I actually did count the top paid staffers of the admin. Top staffers for Obama make 172k There are 24 and 9 are woman. An additional 13 women make up the next 26 spots and 25 make up the 50 after that.

    I am going by names though, so I could be wrong, but seriously, do these reporters not live their lives like the rest of us. My wife goes out with the girls and I with the guys to take a break, doesn’t the pres deserve the same type of atmosphere?

  125. 125.

    BethanyAnne

    October 28, 2009 at 5:28 pm

    @gopher2b: In general, are you saying that it’s incumbent on people concerned about a crime to be equally concerned about false accusations of said crime?

  126. 126.

    geg6

    October 28, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    @gopher2b:

    You really are stupid, aren’t you? First, I never said feminists were the ones who gathered and disseminated sexual assault statistics. But they are responsible for making sure that governments now do. Second, if you think there is such an epidemic of false accusations of sexual assaults, perhaps you should do what the feminists did and gather hundreds of thousands of compatriots to agitate for such statistics to be gathered. Third, good luck with that.

  127. 127.

    NorthernMNer

    October 28, 2009 at 5:39 pm

    I think it should also be noted that the standard definition of an “old boy’s club” is a group of privileged men (usually white) that works to exclude and prevent women from rising up in the professional/work sphere.

    I doubt that anybody’s definition of “old boy’s club” would include basketball. How Guthrie made a leap from the standard understanding of the club to the people that Obama plays sports with is pure fabrication.

    By the way, did anybody note for Guthrie that we have a female Secretary of State, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Surgeon General (nominated)?

  128. 128.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    @geg6:

    You really are stupid, aren’t you?

    You are so articulate and insightful. I’m in awe of your ability to start literally every reply with name calling.

    If you need to believe that I’m stupid, you go right ahead. You clearly need the boost. And keep ignoring those facts out there that mess with your world view. You’re beyond hope. You know, old dog, new tricks and what not.

  129. 129.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 5:52 pm

    @BethanyAnne:

    Yes, I do. Especially cops, judges, juries, and lawyers.

    As for special interest groups, I think if they want to be intellectually honest, then they should seek the truth and not just try to reinforce their preconceived notion of things (whatever that might be).

  130. 130.

    BethanyAnne

    October 28, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    @gopher2b: I don’t have good data on the false accusations. I do know that 90% of the women I know have either been raped or molested. I know that the plural of anecdotes isn’t data, but it’s really changed my perceptions to find that my own circle of friends has had that many bad experiences.

  131. 131.

    Darkrose

    October 28, 2009 at 7:11 pm

    I don’t ask this often, but…is there any change of banning gopher2b? I’m not a survivor and the constant rape apologia is disturbing; I can’t imagine what it’s like for people with strong triggers.

  132. 132.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 7:44 pm

    @BethanyAnne:

    I’ve read decent studies that put the number at 10-15%. The respective fringes put the number of false accusations at 2% and 50% respectively. I imagine you could safely throw out both those numbers.

    I’ve two guys that were false accused of rape. They could demonstrably show their innocence and did not have to rely on their own credibility in a he said/she said situation. It was the worse experience of their lives and there are people who still think they are sex offenders. They lost their jobs, many friends, and had to tell their parents they were accused of rape.

    My problem is with criminals. Period. I think rape is a horrible, terrible crime. But I think falsely accusing someone of rape is equally terrible.

  133. 133.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    @Darkrose:

    Oh Jesus. Grow the fuck up. Where have I once been a rape apologist.

    Can we been ban Darkrose for being infinitely stupid. I find this level of ignorance offensive and should not be subjected to it.

  134. 134.

    Tuxedo Slack

    October 28, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    Our host (whom I knew back before he was sane) skrev:

    [Guthrie] didn’t just use the hoary old “some people say,” she kicked it up a notch and used “Some people might look at it and say.”

    And she wasn’t the first. Remember, Weepy insisted he wasn’t actually telling Keith Ellison “Prove to me you are not working with our enemies”, he was just pointing out that the noise machine’s old friend Some People might say that.

  135. 135.

    Darkrose

    October 28, 2009 at 9:34 pm

    @gopher2b:

    So, everyone here can honestly say that its beyond the realm of possibility that the girl had a couple drinks, consented to sex with multiple partners while others were around, and then drank herself into oblivion afterward (thus landing herself in critical condition). Not at all a possibility?

    Maybe it’s just me, but I’d say that if your first reaction to a story about a woman getting raped is to ask what she might have done to deserve ending up in the hospital and to suggest that she’s a lying slut, you’re a rape apologist.

  136. 136.

    Darkrose

    October 28, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Silly me. I forgot to update my pie filter. Much better now.

  137. 137.

    gopher2b

    October 28, 2009 at 11:12 pm

    @Darkrose:

    How in god’s green Earth do you know what my first reaction was to this story.

    That post was in response to someone’s assertion that she MUST have been raped BECAUSE she was in critical condition. The article, however, does not say why she is in critical condition. I offered that alternative, not because I believed it, but because it was a possibility; a possibility that would undercut the likelihood that she was raped. This is a nuanced point that I’m sure you will not understand but that is your problem, not mine.

    Also, I never said she was liar or a slut. The fact is, and I’ll say this slowly for you, no…one…here…knows…what…happened. I did, however, think that the article (as it was written) was strangely vague. The cops statements were weird (e.g. “spontaneous statements from the defendants”…WTF does that mean), the reason she was in critical condition was not given (if it was been from the beating, I’m sure they would have reported it) and no mention of where her father (who, according to the article was waiting for her in the car) was for 2 1/2 hours. Based on this, I decided to not join the lynch mob until I heard more.

    I NEVER said that she was NOT raped. I clearly said: I do NOT KNOW what happened. My response was measured. Learn how to read and learn how to think.

    Two weeks ago, on this very site, everyone was (rightly) in a tither over the fact that Texas likely put an innocent man to death. You, Darkrose, are no different from the people I’m sure you purport to loathe. You’re just as stupid, bloodthirsty, and reactionary as that bunch. It’s just a different crime, and a different defendant.

  138. 138.

    cj

    October 28, 2009 at 11:23 pm

    When did men and women play basketball together anyways? Or even golf?

  139. 139.

    Incertus

    October 28, 2009 at 11:25 pm

    But I think falsely accusing someone of rape is equally terrible.

    Sorry, but no. Not even remotely close. I say this as a rape survivor–you need to rethink that statement. No crime you survive is as invasive as rape, and no false accusation can come anywhere near that feeling.

  140. 140.

    Ranger 3

    October 29, 2009 at 1:57 am

    @Incertus: There’s a guy in prison somewhere right now, who was falsely accused and then convicted, who is getting raped for the 37th time, who might not agree with you.

    I have no doubt you went through hell. None at all. But whatever happened to you was over that day. People who have serve time for crimes they didn’t commit endure much more than a day of unjust suffering. Even those who escape conviction can lose their careers and families over it.

    However awful your trauma is, I doubt your family questions your integrity because of it. People aren’t afraid of you. You can overcome it, as difficult as it may be to move forward. Victims of false accusations don’t always get a chance to make themselves whole again.

    I think you should stop and consider what people in these cases go through. They’re human beings, and they didn’t do anything wrong. It’s a horrible thing to endure.

  141. 141.

    Darkrose

    October 29, 2009 at 2:31 am

    @Ranger 3:

    I have no doubt you went through hell. None at all. But whatever happened to you was over that day.

    …seriously? Seriously?

  142. 142.

    Chuck Butcher

    October 29, 2009 at 3:51 am

    It is about pathetic to watch a thread about stupidity in regard to Presidential sports degenerate into a poo fling about rape.

  143. 143.

    RememberNovember

    October 29, 2009 at 8:59 am

    People seem to forget him shooting hoops with a college girls b-ball team.

    Guess that means they’re boys.

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