Sexism or Hillaryism?

Last night was perhaps the last Democratic debate and of course we watched it. We've seen almost every one; I don't know what we will do when this is all over!

If you have been following the political news, you have probably heard criticism aimed at the media for their coverage of all things Obama. Some people, many of them in the Clinton camp, have chastised the media for the supposedly easy ride they have been giving Obama. In the debate last night, Hillary herself noted that in these debates she has been asked to field the first question more often than Obama. And she is correct; MSNBC reported she has been asked the first question in 6 out of the last 10 debates. Hardly a huge majority, but it is a majority.



This morning while folding laundry, I happened to watch the first 20 minutes or so of The View. The ladies were discussing the debate and the question of media bias. Joy Behar stated that she believes the media bias toward Obama is a reflection of sexism. She quoted some lines from Chris Matthew's that were indeed very negative and could be construed as sexist.

I do think that the media has shown some favoritism to Obama, and perhaps some of it can be attributed to sexism, but I do not believe that is only what is driving the media coverage of Hillary. There are likely many reasons why Obama has enjoyed more favorable coverage. Some of it is probably sexism. Some of it is because Obama is an exciting, charismatic person. Some of reflects the desire of people for change. Some of it simply makes for good TV. But I believe a great deal of it is because of Hillary herself.

if you do some reading on Hillary, you will find that she has never been a friend to the media. She has made it no secret over the years that she holds the press in contempt and views them as her enemy. This is not something that started after all the problems in the Clinton presidency. She was angry at the press from the beginning of Bill Clinton's career, largely over the attempts by some journalists very early on to uncover the persistent rumor of Bill's affairs. She viewed any negative coverage as part of a conspiracy to thwart their joint agenda and goals. She is known to demand loyalty and is intolerant of dissension, so once she began to see the press as working against her, she wrote them off.

One of the very first things she did when she got in the White House was to attempt to greatly limit the press' access to the Oval Office. She literally closed the hallway that had traditionally given them access to the West Wing and planned on moving them out of the White House entirely. This was viewed as antagonistic by the press and set the tone for her relations with the national media. She never attempted to harness the power of the media and work with them. It became a case of her against them, and that match-up persists today.

So, I don't think it is only sexism at play here. I think Obama may receive more favorable coverage because the press dislikes Hillary, not because she is a woman, but because she is Hillary and she has always worked against them and been critical of them. If another woman were running in her place, I doubt that the press would be as hard on her as they supposedly have been on Hillary. I am not saying there is no sexism involved. But I do think that Hillary's personal and historical record with the press has deeply influenced the way they are treating her now.

What do you think?

Who Can Explain the Mind of a Three Year Old?

Lately Sweet Pea's favorite activity is being a Daddy to his stuffed dog, Mr. Stinky. Sweet Pea likes to dress him up in old baby clothes and pretend he is a baby. He has arranged a whole little house around our play kitchen. He feeds Mr. Stinky, reads him stories and then puts him to bed. It is very endearing.

On Sunday, I noticed that Mr. Stinky had a companion in his bed with him, a cute little blond in pink pajamas.

"Who is this new baby, Sweet Pea? Is she a friend of Mr. Stinky's?"

"Yes, Mommy. This is Mr. Stinky's friend. "

I could make a joke here about how Mr. Stinky seems a little promiscuous, but that is not the point of the story.

"What is the new baby's name, Sweet Pea?" I asked.

"Name?" asked Sweet Pea.

"Yeah, what's her name? Are you going to give her a name?"

Sweet Pea thought for a minute and replied, "Goose."

"Goose? The baby's name is Goose?"

"Yes, Mommy. This is Goose."

Meet Goose:

Note

Important note for preceeding post--Man in question is 25. Woman is 34.

Cougar Territory

One of my best friends from college, Toodles, sent me an email yesterday with a special request from you, dear blog readers. No, Toodles is not her real name; it's the nickname our friend Bob Frawg gave her back in college. Did you all ever give people nicknames in college? We had a nickname for everyone from friends to professors to cafeteria workers. I digress.

Toddles is a 34 year old single woman. Of course I am biased, but I think Toodles is quite a catch. She is smart and accomplished. She has a PhD and is a university professor in a very tough scientific/medical discipline. She is outgoing, athletic and likes to have fun. She is also very petite and cute, something which guys always seemed to like back when I was in the meat market trenches with her. She really has everything going for her.

Like us all, though, she has had her share of dating mishaps. She has had several serious relationships, but they have not worked out for one reason or another.

She emailed me last night because she is in a dating quandary. She has entered unknown territory: Cougarville. I only know the sketchy details, as another one of her qualities is being sketchy about details, but apparently, she is dating a younger man. A MUCH younger man. I don't know the age difference but it must be big if she wouldn't fess up to it. She did say that the boy toy does not know who the Brat Pack was and has never seen or heard of The Breakfast Club. You do the math.

She did say that the guy is "awesome" and they get along "fabulously." And since she hasn't given him his walking papers yet, there must be something to really like.

So, her question is this: can a relationship between two people with a large difference in ages work? Should she continue on or should she stop it here?

I say go for it. My sister is married to a man who is nine years older than her (I think it's 9 years). They are very happy and I have never witnessed the age difference causing a problem.

I also say go for it because if you guys are happy, why end things? If you can put up it, why not?

What do you guys think? And do you think that the woman being older is a problem? We know men do it all the time. Does it make a difference if the older person is the woman?

She wants your input. Comment away!

Leap Year Cake Note

I am preparing to make the Leap Year cake and I just looked at the recipe I posted yesterday and realized I neglected to mention that part of the recipe is missing. I guess you figured that out. I assume you just combine all the ingredients in a cake-like manner. We'll see.

Hand Update

1 new keyboard pad: $17.00
1 box of Ben-jay: $3.99






1 new mousepad: $12.00



1 not-very attractive wrist guard: $15.00

The end of my excruciating hand pain: Priceless.

Let's see if it works!

Margarita Monday Leap Year

This isn't totally appropriate since the 29th isn't until Friday, but for your Margarita Monday treat, I found some Leap Year suggestions.

First of all, if you are feeling daring, you can try to make this Leap Year Cake. The recipe came from a 1906 cookbook. I think the frosting sounds kind of disgusting, but the cake is probably fine. I may even try to make the cake this afternoon. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Leap Year Cake

Take 1 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup of butter, whites of 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of sweet milk, 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and 1 teaspoonful of vanilla.

Frosting: Beat the yolks with 15 teaspoons of pulverized sugar. Ice while the cake is hot.



Leap Year must have been a big deal in the early part of the 20th century because I also found a drink recipe from that era.

To wash down your cake, you can mix this traditional Leap Year Cocktail, which was supposedly invented in 1928 by a bartender at the Savoy Bar in London.

2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Twist of lemon peel

Shake with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Finally, tradition has it that Leap Year is the one day on which women are allowed to propose to men. Supposedly, St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait too long for men to propose. St Patty fixed this by stating that women were allowed to propose on Feb. 29. This was even made into law in Scotland, along with the addition that any man who refused the marriage proposal had to pay a fine. What do you want to bet that Scottish men were nowhere to be found on Feb. 29?

So, ladies, if you aren't married and want to be, Friday's your chance!