Democracy Has Prevailed.

May 16, 2008

"I do it sometimes with all kinds of people" (who do not have penises)

"It's not Tootsie or Toots or Sweetie or Honey or Doll."

Yes, Sen. Obama called a female reporter who was just trying to do her job '"sweetie":


Yes, he apologized:
"Second apology is for using the word 'sweetie.' That's a bad habit of mine. I do it sometimes with all kinds of people. I mean no disrespect and so I am duly chastened on that front. Feel free to call me back. I expect that my press team will be happy to try to make it up to you whenever we are in Detroit next."
Yes, he's done this before to another women who was just trying to do her job:
While flirting with female factory workers in Allentown, he called one "sweetie," a paternalistic way to address a woman if there ever was one. It might have worked had he been trying to do his best imitation of Lily Tomlin's Ernestine, the telephone operator, but this was no spoof. This was Obama trying to relate to working-class women in a way that went directly south.
And, yes, it is a problem.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

John K. says: Does he call typical white women "sweetie"?

Anonymous said...

Maria, I am sure you will not move many people with your whining about the Democratic nominee, but you may change a vote or two. Certainly, you will succeed in enabling racist quasi-mentalities such as John K., as you see above. Congratulations on that, and good luck in carrying PA for your candidate, the good senator from Arizona, this November.

cathcatz said...

wait, i'm a woman and i call people "sweetie" or "hun" all the time. men, women and children. it's just nicer to say than "hey you!" and to me, it's nice to hear. i'm not bothered by it.

does that somehow make me a subservient woman?

Bram Reichbaum said...

Watching that, I'm no fan of how Obama responded to that reporter's question. It's good that he apologized and it'll be better if he cuts that out in the future.

Now, if we can get Hillary to apologize for implying that white people are the only people in this country that are "working ... HARD working", we'll be square.

Anonymous said...

John K. says: Well heck if you call strange men 'sweetie' and 'hun' all the time you probably would not mind being called bimbo? LOL LOL Obama just keeps sticking his foot in his mouth.

Schultz said...

I cannot count the number of times a woman, whom I did not know, called me "hun", "sweetie", or even the occaisional "doll" while waiting upon me in a store or restaurant. It's not a big deal, and Obama was just trying to cover his ass.

Yes, his apology was awkward, but I mean, come on Maria, is this all you have on the guy? Is this what it's come down to? Go ahead and say it already - you're one of the Hillary supporters who will vote for McCain in the fall.

P.S. - Please note that on my blogs, I do not attack Hillary's character or slip-ups, just her silly policies, like the gas tax holiday.

Anonymous said...

for all of you who use "sweetie" Do you do it in a professional situation? And, do you refer to men in that way? Come on, get real B.O. is a sexist! As for the gas tax holiday, Clinton, unlike McCain, calls for a windfall profits tax to make up for the loss of revenue to the transportation and highway fund. B.O. does not understand what everyday working people are going through because he is an elitist and,of course, he would not be in favor of such relief. And, please stop blaming Maria for the incompetency of the Democratic party.

Anonymous said...

Bram said, "Now, if we can get Hillary to apologize for implying that white people are the only people in this country that are "working ... HARD working", we'll be square."

You know, I idn't think she was implying that whites are the only ones that work hard. I think she was qualifying her white supporters. She knows that many whites are Boofers and they don't vote. Let her off on this one sweety.

Bram Reichbaum said...

We know the data tells us she excels among poorer and less educated whites. I've never seen any data to support the fact that she does better among "working" or, no wait, "hard working" white voters. I didn't dig that one bit.

Anonymous said...

Retired Millhunk-
Anon 3:41 If the oil companies were to pay a windfall profit tax say equal to 18 cents a gallon. Do you think there might be a slim chance they may up the price of gas 18 cents? No they wouldn't do that.Maria is not a democrat or a republicrat she's a gender voter.

Maria said...

"Maria is not a democrat or a republicrat she's a gender voter."

Oh jeebus! You got me on that one. I've voted in eight presidential elections so far and you're right -- I've always voted for the female. I'm so fucking sexist that way!

Maria said...

My bad! I must have missed the YouTube where Obama calls people with penises "sweetie." Please supply me the link and I'll post it immediately!
____________________________

Yeah, I've witnessed waitresses over the age of 55 or so refer to people of both sexes as "sweetie" or "hon" like they were a Mom serving dinner.

NOT. THE. SAME. THING.

But by all means, guys, try this in an office setting with a female co-worker -- just don't try it without a time machine to take you back to the 1950s.

Maria said...

Schmuck, I am sure you will not move many people with your whining about how all and any sexism evident in this presidential election does not exist/must be ignored, but you may change a vote or two from some pissed off women who are sick to death of being told that it's "inconsequential"/"obviously manufactured." Certainly, you will succeed in enabling sexist quasi-mentalities as seen all over the place in this primary. Congratulations on that, and good luck in carrying PA for your candidate, the good senator from Arizona, this November.

Anonymous said...

Pathetic, Maria. Sad, really.

At least pretend to make accusations based on lies that can be spun in the direction of fact.

Anonymous said...

Bram, you make yourself look a little less intelligent when you are still hanging on to the hard working white people quote. Hillary was quoting the press, as if you didn't know. And, she could not honestly say that she was getting the hard working Black vote because she is not! She was identifying a group of people not slandering another.

Bram Reichbaum said...

"Hillary was quoting the press, as if you didn't know."

This is breaking news.

"She was identifying a group of people not slandering another."

I look forward to someone describing themselves as appealing to the hard-working black vote, the hard-working Hispanic vote, the hard-working female vote or the hard-working Jewish vote.

Hillary was identifying her white voters as hard-working in order to distinguish them as more important and more worthy of consideration than other demographics. There is no other explanation.

Given criticism Obama's similarly disquieting gaffe, I thought it would be instructive to remind Hillary's supporters that their candidate is by no means beyond reproach when it comes to these kinds of things, either.

(There. I do hope that does something to stop the bleeding in terms of your appraisal of my intelligence, anonymous.)

Anonymous said...

"stop the bleeding in terms of my appraisal of your intelligence"

Thanks for the compliment. Hillary was just citing what was being reported. Just like the media reports on the breakdown of Obama's voters. To say that one group is hard working does not directly then define all others groups as not hard working. Much less one of the many groups of voters.

Anonymous said...

anon, that is exactly right. Too much read into that one. God! I'm tired of this. Can't we say they are both worthy in many respects and also human and very tired of it too?

Anonymous said...

Retired Millhunk-
wah wah wah wah wah poor hilliary wah wah wah wah wah obama called someone a sweetie wah wah wah wah wah the media picks on hilliary wah wah wah wah wah. Take your ball and go home Maria. The parties over. wah wah wah wah wah.By the way, who were the black Presidential candidates you voted for in your eight Presidential elections.Using your logic, You must be a fucking racist then.