A Joke About Menopause at a Barack Fundraiser? That'll Go Over Big With The Hillraisers

I've just sent an email to Susie Tompkins Buell of San Francisco, the proud and angry "Hillraiser." It's probably a bit early for her to comment as I requested, but I'll post her reply later if I receive one.

She and other Hillary uber-loyalists can't be happy to read this morning's AP story about a riff by comedian Bernie Mac, a Chicago native and FOB (as in Friend of Barack -- NOT as in Friend of Bill.)

At an Obama $2300-a-head fundraiser last night in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago the host of the The Bernie Mac Show let profanity and misogyny creep into his standup routine, including, according to the AP, a joke about menopause (that'll be big among Hillraisers and other FOHs) and the following: "My little nephew came to me and he said, 'Uncle, what's the difference between a hypothetical question and a realistic question? I said, I don't know, but I said, 'Go upstairs and ask your mother if she'd make love to the mailman for $50,000. Hypothetically speaking, we should have $100,000. But realistically speaking we live with two hos."

The famous comedian also called Obama "a man's man." When women hear that phrase they usually don't jump up and down with joy and approval.

Once onstage 15 minutes later, Obama seemed to rebuke the comedian, but not really. "We can't afford to be divided by race. We can't afford to be divided by region or by class and we can't afford to be divided by gender, which by the way, that means, Bernie, you've got to clean up your act next time. This is a family affair. By the way, I'm just messing with you, man."

So did the last line let Bernie off the hook?

I read this AP report just minutes after reading an Los Angeles Times report that Obama had called Hillary backer Jill Iscol last Thursday and during the conversation had assured Iscol, who took the opportunity to lobby for Hillary as VP, that Hillary was on the shortlist, but that the selection was complicated by the fact that she is married to Bill, a former president of the United States. Reporter Peter Nicholas interpreted that to mean not that Bill's post presidential life is a gift-wrapped Pandora's Box for the Republicans -- a point I make Clinton in Exile, my book on Bill's post presidency -- but rather that the Oval Office is too small to contain a sitting president and a former president.

Iscol of Westchester, New York told Nocholas, "... nobody has been vetted the way she has been vetted. We need to pick the most qualified, wisest, smartest, experienced person to serve our country alongside of Barack Obama. And I think it's Hillary Clinton. We need her, and the party needs her, and it will be a ticket that will steamroll its way to the White House."

Like Susie Buell in her conversation with me that same day -- see my post in which Buell, co-founder of the Esprit clothing company and a backer of the Clintons since 1991, goes into detail about the lack of respect show both Hillary and Bill by Obama and his people.

Iscol said she'd wait to see if the Obama campaign helps Hillary pay down her debt--not looking so good now -- and whether Obama selects her as VP before deciding whether to back Obama financially. On the latter condition, Obama cannot possibly be planning to give the nod to Hillary, so he might as well strike her name -- and Susie Buell's -- from his donor list.

Comments

[zann]

Well, you did your best, but what with the heat wave, the war, other stuff that matters, I'm not sure whether anybody has the energy to overreact.

[nomobull]

stop acting as though one hundred percent of women voters were in support of Hillary. and stop insulting female intelligence with generalizations that they are not aware of the difference between a comedian and a surrogate speaking for Obama.or even the difference between Obama and a surrogate.

[ohmercy]

ummm, You got that from Carol Felsenthal's article?

Okaaaaay then.

[qwr]

I got that from this and other articles. A Bernie Mac joke is supposed to inspire outrage? This from the same comedian who made jokes about beating his kids? All his jokes are "offensive" (and funny). This has something to do with Obama? This is not news, and anyone offended is just looking for an excuse. No different from the Repubs who said, "if it weren't for Rev. Wright..." So stop being so damned snide. With your tone and lack of substance, you should be posting at Shakesville.

[libbygirl]

What's wrong with a "man's man"? Do women really have such thin skin that they have lost their sense of humor? I'm a 61 year old woman who is really sick and tired of women who complain and whine all the time about being treated unfairly or disrespected. Those are things you earn. Hillary isn't entitled to be the nominee just because she's a woman.....or a Clinton.

[vernonbc]

Very well said libbygirl. I'm an older woman too and I think Hillary and her supporters are embarrassing. Do they not realize how much they're setting back the whole feminist movement? Who is going to vote for a woman after this when instead of Hillary being a strong woman, she and her supporters are just playing the victim card to the hilt? And using blackmail to boot.

[ErinBerin84]

Some of these people never wanted Democratic unity or to see their democratic principals come to fruition, they just wanted Hillary on the ticket- there's nothing wrong with that, she would bring a lot, but you seem really children. "Oooh, I've emailed one of these Hillraiser to let them know that Obama allowed misogynistic comedian appear at a fundraiser!" If these people do not want to give money, fine. But it seems a little immature to broadcast it to the entire public. Grow up, people. The donors on both sides are being really annoying with them playing out this feud in the press.


this is the risk that you take when you have comedians appear at fundraisers, especially unfunny ones. That being said, I hope that if Hillary supporters are offended at this, they were just as offended at McCain's litany of jokes that range from beating his wife to joking about Chelsea Clinton's appearance when she was like 16.

[mcole]

oh please.most women are just not that sensitive.

all these attepts to be totallyy politicaly correct are just ridiculous.

[pmag88]

As far as walking on eggshells in a political campaign, a little caution is smart, but coming across as stolid and stiff for fear of making a mistake ain’t gonna’ work for a democrat.

[lpeggy]

I will take Bernie Mac any day over would-be President McSame joking about killing innocent Iranian civilians with cigarettes.

[NorVaGal]

Excellent point, peggy. Many thanks.

[Gma11]

Still bitter? I realize you are doing everything you can to denigrate Obama, but this is stretching it.

[allonfla]

One commentator on Dan Abrahms made a great observation. When the media holds a certain belief about an individual, they will only dwell on statements and actions that appear to confirm that belief and will never show evidence to the contrary. I've seen this done to Obama many times and I'm sure this has been to done to everybody at some point. And now you, the author are doing the same thing. You, the person you e-mailed and all these Hillraisers already believe Obama is sexist and no matter what he does in support of women, you will always find a little something to try to make that label stick. Did it ever cross your mind that Obama was being passive aggressive with the last comment - kind of like "I still love ya man, but what the F*ck were you thinking!" If you already believe Obama is sexist,no! What would you have wanted him to do? Have him escorted off the stage by secret service and then throw him under the bus? Yes, Obama throwing a well loved Black comedian under the bus in order to please a group of white female voters would go over really well with his Black voters - NOT!!!!!!!! If the people you mentioned will not vote for him or donate money to him after this - THEY WERE NEVER GOING TO IN THE FIRST PLACE! THEY WERE ONLY WAITING FOR A REASON AND THEY FOUND ONE - LAME - BUT THEY FOUND ONE!

[patmancando]

I love those throwing someone under the bus speeches. He tries to raise to a level of nobility, but in the end it is a pragmatic Chicago style politics. There are a bunch of people around Chicago that rate one of those inspirational "I was loyal but" speeches.............but the GOPher slime machine is just getting warmed up for it debut. You 0's are going to have a field day being outraged by the audacity of the swift boaters ET AL.

[patmancando]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke64670GkZ8

[wizened]

I must admit I don't get the punch line, but I understand it enough to know that the joke was in absolutely awful taste. I'm afraid though it will take a great deal more than tasteful jokes to humor Hillary's phalanx of staunch loyalists.

It will take the impossible. Barack's people will have to contribute big bucks in big numbers to pay down Hillary's campaign debts while Hillary threatens to disrupt the Democratic Convention and behaves like a sore loser and while Bill sulks. And in the midst of this, Barack is supposed to choose her as his running mate? She is vastly overplaying her hand and someone who is close to her needs to tell her so.

If Hillary has the leadership qualities to be President, then she certaily has the leadership qualities to lead her most loyal supporters and her husband to do the right thing for her party. Lets not let a bad joke distract our focus from the big picture and from other, far more serious and absolutely tasteless behavior.

[CindyV]

I thought Hillary was appearing at fundraisers and women's groups with Obama. Was i smoking something? I believe Hillary is campaigning for Obama. She has told her supporters to get behind his campaign. We have chosen not to do so at this time. I will be writing Hillary's name on the ballot in Nov. I won't vote for McCain, but I won't vote for Obama, either. The democratic party was not fair and impartial in this election and they need to be just that. Many Hillary voters who are voting for McCain don't think he's the better candidate. They don't like the way they've been treated by the democrats and want to teach the DNC a lesson.

[qwr]

All that is just an excuse. In an NPR poll, Clinton supporters were social conservatives: far more likely to disapprove of interracial relationships, and far more likely to say that the civil rights movement has gone too far. Who really cares what you do? Will you stop broadcasting it to everyone? Ms. Rosenthal has just written a column about writing an email about a Bernie Mac joke! This is Bernie Mac, whose comedy is based on being offensive.

[wizened]

Political parties are never fair and impartial. If you think your vote counts and if you think Obama will make a better President than McCain, then you're not "teaching the DNC a lesson," by writing in Hillary's name. You're throwing away your vote and doing a disservice to your country.

[NorVaGal]

Well, Cindy. I guess you and I both must be smoking something. I thought that Obama was also appearing at fundraisers with Clinton. He has told his supporters to donate to help retire her campaign debt (which she needlessly continued to rack up, months after it became clear that she could not amass enough delegates to win the nomination.) Many Obama supporters have chosen not to do so at this time, and we couldn't give a rat's patootie if you write in Clinton's name on the ballot in November.

I just got seven new members of my family to register Democratic since June, and will personally provide transportation to get them to the polls on that day. I'm retired now, and finally I'm able to work more for Obama's campaign. I will be loving it that one of our eight will directly neutralize your Clinton write-in vote, and leave 6 more on balance for Obama. I do hope you will enjoy the death-throes spasms as you spitefully cut off your own nose to spite your face. You go, girl!!!

[clearthinker2008]

Did Obama make the joke? McCain's wife beating joke didn't bother Hillary fans much.

[gapanther]

"We need to pick the most qualified, wisest, smartest, experienced person to serve our country alongside of Barack Obama. "

This statement has nothing to do with Hilary C Linton.

[lawchic]

And another thing, I think that Bernie Mac's stand up is not for the faint of heart, but he should have tailored his jokes to his audience (a la Chris Rock at the Oscars). But as inappropriate as he is, I find it amazing you point out that Hillary's supporters won't be comfortable with the misogny of a comedian that doesn't work for the Obama campaign, but don't point out the disrespect that many of Hillary's male surrogates illustrated throughout the primary. I mean, you have one guy talking about her testicular fortitude, another saying she makes Rocky look like a pansy, and Carville, saying she has three balls. To top it off, you have Tina Fey saying "Bitch is the new Black" in reference to Hillary. So let's be adults shall we. If Hillary supporters want to speak out about the legitimate instances of sexism she endured during the primary, that's fine. But I wish that they would speak out with equal vigor about the fact that she allowed her male supporters to demean her femininity by implying she illustrated strength by having male traits. Oh, and maybe Hillary should have slipped Tina a note as well, by indicating she is not a Bitch, she is just a woman with a goal and a plan that knows how to get the job done.

But alas, that won't happen.

[biographer]

Great comment. You're absolutely right on all points, but Hillary lost and Barack would like to have Hillary's supporters. It doesn't matter what came before, just the fact that for the women--and I talk to many of them in my reporting--who believe that sexism is the reason Hillary failed to capture the nomination, any sign of disrespect, even humor from an edgy comedian, is a reason not to give dollars and votes to Obama.

[Danigirl65]

As a woman, I find it terribly offensive that women who were Clinton supporters actually cling to misogyny as the reason she was defeated. Perhaps it was her inability to act like a woman that turned a lot of us off.

Hillary had everything going for her until she listened to the men that surrounded her and starting acting like a man. When a woman can decide she can run on her own merit and not on her ability to be "one of the boys" we will have a woman president. I loved Hillary until I noticed her sense of entitlement and the "kitchen sink" was the last straw for me. Coverage of her throwing back a shot with the boys literally sickened me.

If women of her generation think that is showing power, we women have a long way to go.

As a woman 42 years old, I fell in love with Hillary in 1992. I fell out of love with her in 2008.

[KMan1]

GREAT POST!
Thanks for saving me the trouble replying. Very nicely done.