Howard Dean found out about the horrors of sexism in the media during the campaign at the RBC committee meeting.  Appaently he doesn't watch cable news and was wholly unaware Hillary had been the subject of sexist attacks in the media. Or perhaps now that Hillary's campaign had effectively ended, we could go back to actually speaking out against misogyny and sexism - you be the judge. The actual problem of sexism within the media in the context of the political campaign and is just starting to get the attention it deserved now that Hillary is no longer a candidate. I hope people and especially democrats in time will be able to look at what happened dispassioantely and say is this what a female politician, presidential candidate, public figure should expect?

Below is a link to the NOW website Media Hall of shame, a compliation of the greatest media hits on Hillary in this campiagn season.  Don't be scared to click on it!  I promise it won't make you stop shaving your legs, hate men, or enroll you in Hillaryis44! 

http://www.now.org/issues/media/hall_of_shame/index.html

They are still taking contributions and the list is far from complete, so if your personal favorite sexist moment is missing send you nominees to:

http://www.now.org/issues/media/hall_of_shame/suggestion.html

My personal favorite was Alex Castellanos on CNN saying it is NOT sexist to call Hillary a bitch because.... some women are actually bitches!  I don't know how MSNBC let that stellar commentator get away - you know how MSNBC loves disrespecting women!  I think they are being intentionally sexit to overcompensate for that very feminist MS. before NBC.

For those who denied sexism played any role in the primary campaign, I especially encouage you to view with an open mind and say if the same things are said about Michelle Obama (and believe me they will be) is this acceptable?

There once was a race between three candidates. Hillary was the power walker, Obama was the skate boarder and McCain was McCane on a cane limping because half of his base regarded him with scorn and distrust.  Hillary and Obama left McCain in the dust as they battled for the nomination.  Hillary was speed-walking her way to the lead with her Tony Robbins I Am Inevitable on her walkman.  Obama was the sk8erboi who surprise the powerwalker and came up on her quickly with his Yes I Can will.i.am crap blaring on his iPod.  It was a hard fought race but the sk8erboi won. 

So we forget about the old dude at the beginning of the race, but he has something we were not expecting.... A JAZZY!  The Jazzy is powered by smears and slurs from the GOP smear machine. The Jazzy has no regard for fairness or truth. The Jazzy has no compunctions about mowing us down like it's 3:58 and they simply must make the early bird special before it closes at 4pm. Beware the JAZZY!

If HRC's campaign taught us anything it is that inevitability is NOT our friend.  Even if you believe Obama will win, perhaps it's time to act like we are behind the eight-ball.  Obama excelled in the first half of this campaign because he went everywhere, did not back down from a debate, campaigned as if every vote mattered.  In the second half when Hillary came back, it was precisely because Obama was playing it too cautious.  Playing the inevitability of his delegate lead rather than going to WV, KY, meeting Hillary for debates to woo her voters before the primary ended.  If you look at the polls in WV, Obama is only down 8 against McCain.  How much lower would that lead have been had he actually campaigned in the state and spoken to those voters much as Jesse Jackson did when he campaigned in the hills of Appalachia on a platform of economic prosperity for all Americans?  I repeat inevitability is not our friend.  It makes us complacent and lazy and careful.

For us to have any chance to beat McCain, we need to come together as a party and unite on both sides.  John Kerry battled GWB with Bush's approval ratings sub 50% and a united democratic party behind him.  He lost because the GOP smear machine smeared John Kerry as an un-American, unpatriotic, antimilitary elitist who stole Purple Hearts despite the fact their own candidate hid behind daddy's skirts to avoid the draft.  The American people fell for that crap which does not reflect positively about the intelligence of our country in terms of voting in our own best interests.

There are Hillary supporters for whom this election is much more important than Hillary or Obama - it's about NOT MCCAIN.  Count me in that group.  There are others (20%) who are perhaps more moderate on foreign policy but liberal on economics who are not sold on the authenticity of Obama.  There are others who are still wounded by a party that did not speak up in the face of sexism and misogyny that Hillary faced in this campaign.  Now is not a time for gloating on one side or petulant pouting on the other.  It's time to confront that 20% of HRC supporters and argue why Obama based on policy and facts rather than get over it he's the nominee.   So rather than degenerating into Hillary is so divisive and the devil and even worse the gender based insults that tend to get me so aggravated, try appealing to Clinton supporters with reason.  Think back and figure out why it was they started to support Obama in the first place - whether that be policy or inspiration.  There is nothing less inspiring than being told you have no other choice.  There is nothing less inspiring than being told if you don't agree then you are not one of *us* - us being Democrats.  We cannot win this election divided and it is up to each of us who truly wants to see a Democrat in the White House to clean up this mess.