That’s “journalist”, Ed Bray’s headline for his very insightful story about Republican women, or as he says, “this gaggle of crazy women” who are rumored to be running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. His bio stats that he’s a “Fellow with the Center for Independent Media,” and yet, he doesn’t really seem smart enough to pull off the “fellow” designation and definitely not neutral enough to yield an “independent” designation. He goes on to pontificate about his speaking engagements “in front of many organizations,” male-only I assume, and he’s very excited to note that he has appeared on C-SPAN, which I believe fights for top audience share over the big four networks on at least three weekly occasions.
As is by now obvious, I am extremely offended by the collective he labels “Crazy Wingnut Women” as if his own gender is immune from “crazy” or “wingnut” for that matter. I have always believed that women’s rights transcends party divisions and, although I disagree with some women candidates, characterizing women as “wingnuts” or “crazy” should be offensive to all women, especially given that men are not immune from stupid comments, ignorant gaffes or ridiculous outbursts, yet they often get a pass.
One “wingnut” I can pinpoint off the top of my head is only a stone’s throw away from the Presidency. Yes, Vice President Joe Biden. Let’s round up some of his more notable quotes:
“When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn’t just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, ‘Look, here’s what happened.” –Joe Biden, apparently unaware that FDR wasn’t president when the stock market crashed in 1929 and that only experimental TV sets were in use at that time, interview with Katie Couric, Sept. 22, 2008
“His mom lived in Long Island for ten years or so. God rest her soul. And- although, she’s- wait- your mom’s still- your mom’s still alive. Your dad passed. God bless her soul.” –Joe Biden, on the mother of Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen, who is very much alive, Washington, D.C., March 17, 2010
“Stand up, Chuck, let ’em see ya.” –-Joe Biden, to Missouri state Sen. Chuck Graham, who is in a wheelchair, Columbia, Missouri, Sept. 12, 2008
“Jill and I had the great honor of standing on that stage, looking across at one of the great justices, Justice Stewart.” –Joe Biden, mistakenly referring to Justice John Paul Stevens, who swore him in as vice president, Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009
“Look, John’s last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs.” –Joe Biden, Athens, Ohio, Oct. 15, 2008
But, perhaps Biden is too easy. After all, he has an ‘ism’ named after him. Let’s see if there are any other examples of male “wingnuts”:
“During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.” Al Gore
“My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize,” Congressman Hank Johnson from Georgia on Guam
“We’re seeing the reality of a lot of the North Pole starting to evaporate, and we could get to a tipping point. Because if it evaporates to a certain point – they have lanes now where ships can go that couldn’t ever sail through before. And if it gets to a point where it evaporates too much, there’s a lot of tundra that’s being held down by that ice cap.” Henry Waxman on Environmentalism
“Eight more days and I can start telling the truth again.” – Sen. Chris Dodd, on the campaign trail.
“The conventional viewpoint says we need a jobs program and we need to cut welfare. Just the opposite! We need more welfare and fewer jobs.” – Jerry Brown, former governor of California, and current candidate for the same position.
“I’m going to be honest with you — I don’t know a lot about Cuba’s healthcare system. Is it a government-run system?” – John Kerry on health care
“If I could only go through the ducts and leap out onstage in a cape — that’s my dream.” —Ralph Nader, on the presidential debates
”The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries.” —Barack Obama, Tampa, Fla., Jan. 28, 2010
”The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system.” —Barack Obama, in remarks after a health care roundtable with physicians, nurses and health care providers, Washington, D.C., July 20, 2009
‘I’ve now been in 57 states — I think one left to go.” —Barack Obama, at a campaign event in Beaverton, Oregon
Hopefully, the next time Mr. Bray suggests, “That would add a whole lot of fun to the campaign,” by adding a “gaggle of crazy women,” remember that we are 51 percent of the population, we do vote, we make 85 percent of purchase decisions and your advertisers probably have women in high positions that may take your 1950s “good ole boy” characterization of women in a bad light, and suggesting that the “looney right” is “suddenly pushing women to the forefront,” which leads you to “wonder why,” makes you all the more less of a good Fellow.
Sources: Bidenisms by Daniel Kurtzman About.com Guide
Jenny Erikson, the Stir, 50 Dumb Liberal Quotes
