Speaking of stupidity, these guys are either a ratfucking operation intent on making HRC look bad, or just dumb as a sack of hammers:
A group called HRC Super Volunteers just warned me "We will be watching, reading, listening and protesting coded sexism…" (1/2)
— Amy Chozick (@amychozick) March 25, 2015
2/2 Sexist words, they say, include "polarizing, calculating, disingenuous, insincere, ambitious, inevitable, entitled, over confident…"
— Amy Chozick (@amychozick) March 25, 2015
Also sexist, according to HRC Super Volunteers: "Secretive" and "will do anything to win, represents the past, out of touch…"
— Amy Chozick (@amychozick) March 25, 2015
"You are on notice that we will be watching, reading, listening and protesting coded sexism…" the email reads.
— Amy Chozick (@amychozick) March 25, 2015
Thin-skinned, asinine, self-defeating, and eminently mockable aren’t on the list, so I’ll point out that this approach is all of them. We have a notoriously cowardly media when it comes to most things, but you pitch them a softball like this, they are going to go to town. Please tell me that no one on the official but not announced campaign team is associated with these idiots. Please.
Like I said, the media is a bunch of cowrds, but they will react when you try to tell them what they can and can not say and start issuing threats. Not to mention, I’m not sure how most of those words are sexist in and of themselves, and some of them aren’t sexist in any context. “Inevitable?” “will do anything to win?”
myiq2xu
This just keeps getting better and better.
Yatsuno
Dear Chozick: PUT UP A DAMN SOURCE!!! A website link. A redacted e-mail. SOMETHING. Am I supposed to believe this exists just on your day-so alone?
Corner Stone
Cole, you are a fucking pre-programmed fucking idiot.
Corner Stone
Blargh!! Vince Foster emailed me privately and said he wouldn’t vote for HRC if his life depended on it.
Let’s just keep that between me, you, and Choser.
myiq2xu
https://twitter.com/realmyiq2xu2/status/575627292765917184
askew
So basically any criticism of Hillary is sexist then. That’s what her supporters have been saying since 2007.
Her supporters/surrogates do her no favors. Jennifer Graholm threatened O’Malley yesterday for saying that the presidency isn’t something to be passed between two families but has to be earned.
GregB
I’ll take ratfucking for 1,000 Alex.
Corner Stone
Amy Chozick is a national political reporter at The New York Times with a focus on covering Hillary Clinton.
Hmmm, that seems Chosher…I mean, kosher. Obvs.
Steve
Yes I’m sure “HRC Super Volunteers” is just chock full of official campaign staff. Sounds legit.
askew
Byron York (the reporter from the thread below) is now on the hunt to try to find out if Hillary violated the law by deleting emails/wiping server while she was under subpoena. Since York appears to be a moron, Hillary clearly has nothing to worry about.
jl
This is that newfangled internet social media stuff that is way over my head.
Assuming that HRC is not behind this nonsense, how she handles it will be far more important that anything else.
As far as our worthless corporate media is concerned, the reverse double dog back flip sexist card carding is ‘out there’.
Chris Matthews will never forget, and may start doing manual on air checks to make sure his balls have not fallen off.
I hope this is rat effing. It was just a matter of time anyway.
lamh36
OT early, but I’m LMAO at the front page of the Indy Star tomorrow…basically 3/4 of the front page is a black box with white lettering that says “FIX THIS NOW”…its the tagline for the front-page editiorial…lol.
https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/582742377967816704
Weaselone
@askew:
This must be true. I saw it in a comment thread on the internet without so much as an actual direct quote let alone a link to a legitimate source.
cmorenc
I would almost suspect James O’Keefe of being behind a ratfucking operation like this, with a name “HRC Super Volunteers” suspiciously like one he and his band would cook up, except that ham-fisted as this alleged group seems to be by any ordinary standards, it nevertheless seems a bit too subtle to fit his usual M.O. – but I may yet be convinced if involvement by teenage prostitutes or Black Panthers becomes thrown into the mix before this is over.
Karl Rove would be my other prime suspect for the ringleader behind the scenes; it actually fits his M.O. better than O’Keefe’s.
RandomMonster
Triple negative infraction. But if I’m guessing at your meaning, you’d actually like no one on the official campaign associated with these idiots. And I would agree.
Mike J
@lamh36: Wilco cancelling was the last straw.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@GregB: Id say it’s fifty/fifty. ratfucking vs sincere PUMA whackadoos. I’m Clinton skeptic, but always thought Hillary’s supporters had a knack for making her look bad, from internet para-trolls on up to Geraldine Ferrraro and Lanny Davis to the Big Bubba, Himself.
@jl: I caught Tweety covering this at the tail end of his show on the sat radio. He thinks this is all a lot of nonsense, and had answers for all the sexism charges the woman on his show brought up– people. By whatever weird Beltway rules of politesse they observe, no one brought up the time Tweety reached out. And. Pinched. Her fucking. Cheek. That moment took my breath away, even as an Obotic Clinton skeptic.
scav
@lamh36: I’ll keep you company. Watching the sudden fireball directly to the east of here has provided no end of giggles.
Belafon
@Yatsuno: A quick google search yielded this: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clintons-super-volunteers-aim-to-rebut-media-sexism/.
John Cole +0
@cmorenc: I know, it’s so blatant. They have a grand total of about 15 tweets. Clowns.
El Caganer
Dunno if those words describe HRC or not, but a lot of them sound like accurate descriptors for Dick Nixon.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Mike J: AFCSME pulling the October Women’s Conference didn’t help either.
askew
@Weaselone:
The person tweeting this works for NYT covering Hillary Clinton. It isn’t just some anonymous poster on the internet. These people may not be all that closely associated with Hillary but considering the shit job Hillary’s surrogates have done so far this cycle, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had close ties to Hillaryland.
The Ancient Randonneur
As long as HRC makes an effort to be charming she should be OK, right Cole?
Corner Stone
@askew:
So is Byron York a moron, or not?
Corner Stone
@The Ancient Randonneur: She’s likeable enough, I guess.
SiubhanDuinne
@lamh36:
That is hilarious.
Corner Stone
@askew:
This may be the most singularly unaware comment you have ever made on this issue.
Thanks.
jl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I was not aware Matthews pinched HRC’s cheek after a debate. And she did not grab his earlobe and drag him over to the sink wash his mouth out with soap? Who says she has no discipline.
This Super Volunteers stuff is so dumb, I am assuming it is some unaffiliated group or rat effing.
I think the HRC people would have picked a more boring name, for one thing.
Anyway, this nonsense is one reason why HRC needs a good primary opponent to provide some substance that the corporate press is forced to report. Looks like O’Malley will run, and I guess Biden will too, from what I see so far. That would be a good trio to hold some good debates.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@Corner Stone: That’s priceless. I remember when he said that. With such a nice smile.
askew
@El Caganer:
That’s the RNC’s latest attack on Hillary, comparing her to Nixon. But, at least Nixon didn’t destroy the tapes. I don’t see it working. But, the drip drip drip on the emails isn’t going to help her campaign launch.
Now, Gawker is on to some leaked emails between Sydney Blumenthal and Hillary’s team talking about intel after the WH told Hillary that she wasn’t allowed to hire him at State. We’ll see if that goes somewhere.
askew
@jl:
Do you really think Biden runs? I am not sure his ego could handle getting his ass kicked again by Hillary. And how does he raise any money when the big donors know that Obama’s team isn’t going to be backing him?
ShadeTail
It must be the second. Right-wingers are atrocious at actual satire, so they wouldn’t understand how to do such a good impression of over-the-top liberal PC-ism.
Weaselone
@askew:
Well, if she works for the New York Times, I am certain that the contents of her tweets were thoroughly researched before being sent. Nobody who works for the New York Times has ever tweeted, let alone published an article spoon fed to them by a political operative with a dubious agenda before thoroughly vetting it.
KG
@ShadeTail: not only that, but most of the phrases included would apply to JEB Bush
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): That was right after her whine about “Would you like a pillow, Barack?”, wasn’t it? edited
In her book, Tina Fey talks about getting phone calls from Clinton people, maybe even Bill and Hillary themselves, after her “bitches get stuff done” rant. As a big Tina Fey fan, it always left me a little confused that she thought what she said was in anyway related to Hillary Clinton’s career. It didn’t surprise me as much that Clintons et al saw things that way, though.
angelfoot
This is ratfucking without a doubt. Edit: Google it. Look who is giving it the most attention and google the people they quote.
Kropadope
@ShadeTail:
Isn’t most surviving over-the-top liberal PC-ism right wing satire?
burnspbesq
@GregB:
Fine, but who’s doing it?
The Final Jeopardy Answer is “Jane Hamsher and/or Glenn Greenwald.”
ThresherK
@cmorenc: Suuuuuuuuuper Volunteeeeer is the pronunciation I get. Any resemblance to Wile E. Coyote, Suuuuuuuuuuuper Geeeeeeeenius is inevitable.
NotMax
*cough * – Mitt Romney.
Kropadope
@NotMax: Yeah, Hillary is a lot like Mitt Romney. That’s why I’m not voting for her either.
fuckwit
@cmorenc: +1 for the O’Keefe slime machine. This seems right up his alley.
Cervantes
@askew:
Right. Chozick is no great shakes as a political reporter, but a reporter is what she’s paid to be.
The group exists. It’s led by someone who worked on HRC’s 2008 campaign. Obviously it is not connected to her official 2016 campaign — given that the latter does not (yet) exist.
different-church-lady
@Belafon:
Aaaaaaaand, I think we’re done here.
Mnemosyne (tablet)
I keep seeing “Super Troopers” every time I read that tweet. So, yeah, I’m calling spoof at best, with ratfucking more likely.
David Koch
You’re wrong about that.
There are countless stories on how the Bush WH successfully intimidated various media outlets during the run up of the Iraq invasion, and through out Bush’s terms (remember the complete radio silence on the London Times report on the Downing Street Memo).
Also too remember how the NYT discovered McCain was fucking a lobbyist, but buried it when walnuts bullied them.
NotMax
@KropadopeDidn’t conceive it was at all possible to 100% misinterpret a comment pointing out that each of those inherently non-sexist terms applied to Romney.
Sheesh.
Kropadope
@NotMax: Right, and Hillary Clinton.
wasabi gasp
The names of some of the people behind this are easily available. One of them appears to work in some capacity for a Michigan Super Lawyer.
jl
@askew: I have no clue whether Biden will run. If no else but O’Malley runs, I hope Biden does. Biden is polling better than O’Malley recently, but that may change as more people get to know O’Malley.
I think Biden’s ego is big enough that he might do it just to experience the sheer joy of spreading his wisdom for a few debates before he has to get out.
I want HRC to get a good primary opponent. She will probably win, but she needs to up her campaign game, and a good and constructive primary contest will do that, as I think it did in 2008 for Obama.
balconesfault
@jl:
A lot to be said for that, when you consider how badly Obama stumbled in his first debate against Mitt. Whoever the Dems send up there needs to be on top of their game.
Considering challengers, don’t forget Webb.
wasabi gasp
@wasabi gasp: Scratch that. Those are the “original” HRC Super Volunteers, not the newfangled HRC Super Volunteers. The originals are apparently seeking legal remedy on the newfangles twitter account. Super duper.
wasabi gasp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlNhogwZsy0
opiejeanne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m going to have to go back and read Bossypants again, because I don’t remember Tina Fey getting that phone call you mentioned.
JGabriel
John Cole @ Top:
It’s ratfucking – or, at least, I would give 12 to 1 odds in favor of it being ratfucking, probably devised by Roger Stone, the same longtime lifer ratfucker asshole who came up with Citizens United Not Timid, and sundry other ratfucks over the past four or five decades.
It has the decided feel of the Roger Stone Ratfuck imprint. So, if it ain’t Stone, it’s someone who either learned the trade at his feet or studied him long and well.
JGabriel
@askew:
Wouldn’t be the first time a GOP ratfuck got covered as if it was the real deal by a major news outlet. That’s the whole point of ratfucking – making it look like it’s something the other side is doing.
David Koch
This discussion is all academic because according to Daily Kos Clinton won’t win the nomination. They insist the nominee will eventually be Bernie Sanders or O’Malley and they say anyone who disagrees doesn’t understand politics.
Why just last night there was a recommended diary with over 600 comments speaking to this.
Democracy in action. Who can argue with that.
Another Holocene Human
@Corner Stone: A chozer is a returnee.
Not to be confused with a hoser.
Another Holocene Human
And then there’s chazzir, sometimes spelled chozzer, which is a pretty nasty thing to call somebody.
Another Holocene Human
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q): Wow, AFSCME, thanks. You may not pick up my fucking garbage (here it’s LIUNA) but you did make my day.
Another Holocene Human
@David Koch: Who is active on Daily Kos on odd numbered years? Ugh.
Zinsky
All this before HRC even declares her candidacy! Sheesh! It is going to be a long, long next 20 months….
qwerty42
…A lot to be said for that, when you consider how badly Obama stumbled in his first debate against Mitt. Whoever the Dems send up there needs to be on top of their game.
Considering challengers, don’t forget Webb.
On foreign policy Webb or Biden would be formidable. Webb gave probably the only response to the State of the Union address that is still remembered and not as a joke. Biden was … chair or ranking member (or whatever the Senate calls them) of Foreign Relations Committee? After the last 10-15 years, not sure there are any real “liberal hawks” left; even among those who like that view. I assume (as of now) HRC will be the candidate (but I thought that in 2007 and had switched over to BHO by late summer). She will certainly benefit by having vigorous opponent(s). ‘Cause in the real election, it will be against a somewhat deranged “base”.
jomike
I don’t know or want to. I can only picture this thing standing at attention, head shaved, belly poking out of its T shirt, Gunny Hartman at full metal volume:
“Well what have we got here, a fucking comedian? You’re so dumb you could be a modern art masterpiece! Hell, I like you. I admire your honesty. You can come over to my house and fuck my sister! That’s a joke, Private Dumbass. Now you best unfuck yourself or I will unscrew your head and SHIT DOWN YOUR NECK!”
Matt McIrvin
There are going to be double standards applied to Clinton because she’s a woman (as in 2008), and some of them will be things that don’t sound sexist on their face until you consider the pattern of differing thresholds of tolerability.
It’s the classic double bind of stereotype threat: if you do something that reinforces a stereotype, you’re feeding into it, and if you play against the stereotype, you get accused of being inauthentic or freakish. She’s going to have to walk a tightrope between “weak, hysterical woman” and “ballbusting virago”, just as Barack Obama had to risk being characterized as a passionless Vulcan to avoid Scary Black Man.
askew
@David Koch:
Oh bullshit. 99.9% of Daily Kos are Hillary supporters mocking any other primary opponent and all of the frontpagers are all in for Hillary. You can see at least 1 frontpager trolling any diary that talks about another candidate positively.
That 600+ comment diary was mostly people bitching that O’Malley was being mean/sexist to Hillary.
askew
@Matt McIrvin:
The difference between Hillary and Obama is that anytime Team Hillary didn’t like any media criticism they launched an attack saying the media was being sexist. In many cases, it simply wasn’t true. Obama on the other hand has gone out of his way since 2007 to avoid calling media attacks racist against him. Hillary came across as weak and whiny for constantly falling back on the sexist BS when attacked. Her team needs a better response than that to criticism/attacks.
J R in WV
This cycle I’m going to be anyone but Hillary in the primary season, but will probably vote and work for her in the general election.
I can’t imagine any R candidate that would be acceptable, thinking about the Supreme Court, international affairs they would screw up, a lack of faith in the scientific method, etc.
Brachiator
@askew:
This could be interesting. Yeah, Biden might be squashed by Hillary, but Hillary could be blindsided by another outsider who wants the presidency more than she does.
Yep. Yep. Yep. I will be looking for signs that Team Hillary has become more politically astute. It may be a vain search.
Brachiator
@Matt McIrvin:
I pretty much expect sexist attacks against Hillary, just as I expected (and saw) racist attacks against Obama.
Politics is nasty, brutal business, and to pretend that anything is really beyond the pale is naive, or special pleading. And double and triple standards will be applied to Clinton, along with the claim that she is whining because she can’t take the heat. Because she’s a woman.
mclaren
Unfortunately these kinds of threats and prohibitions are exactly what you encounter from extremist lunatic-fringe radical feminism of the Andrea Dworkin variety. According to these kinds of extremists, all history is rape, all men are rapists, ordinary behavior that would cause no comment if done by a woman constitutes “rape culture” if done by a man, and so on.
This kind of craziness is standard operating procedure for a certain beyond-crazy fringe of feminists. Most feminists don’t buy into this kind of nutty stuff, but sadly a tiny minority does, and they’ve done an incredible job of discrediting feminism as a whole with their goofy behavior and bizarre rhetoric.
Hillary needs to get some serious mainstream feminists on her side, because there is real sexism embedded in media coverage of politics. For example: op-eds wondering if Hillary is “tough enough,” code phrase for “does she have a penis?”
But this kind of “coded sexist” claim is just wacky.
Jury’s still out as to whether this is ratfucking operation. It sounds so over-the-top that it seems suspiciously like a Rove scheme. Then again, HRC is spectacularly politically clueless — as, for example, when she gave her famous little speech to Goldman Sachs for a cool $400,000:
Source: “Hillary Clinton Tells Wall Street She Believes Anti-Wall Street Rhetoric ‘Foolish’,” Firedoglake, 12 December 2013.
That’s why it’s not clear that this is a Rove ratfucking operating — it might be a clueless HIllary operation instead. You tell me, folks: how politically smart is it, when you’re a prospective presidential candidate in the midst of the biggest economic collapse since the Great Depression, to give two speeches to a bunch of Wall Street crime lords explaining that we need to “stop bashing the bankers”?