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Will the White House's lady showcase make a difference?

Posted at 12:00 PM Mar 31, 2010

By Andrea Grimes

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WhiteHouse.gov
​President Obama's Council on Women and Girls, signed into existence earlier this month, has posted its first profile of a female senior-level staff member on WhiteHouse.gov, and the lucky inaugural lady? Dr. Rebecca Blank, Under Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Department of Commerce. Pretty sweet. Of course, it wouldn't be an interview with a successful woman if we didn't wonder how she balances work and family!

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Pelosi, pinatas and punching bags

Posted at 8:30 AM Feb 18, 2010

By Andrea Grimes

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​Democrats, arguably a socially laid-back group of politicians, aren't known for their particularly nuanced senses of humor--heck, pols generally are thought to be a pretty stoic, self-involved bunch. And so the fact that Republicans are now trying to make funnies out of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is all the more disturbing. They've come up with two downright knee-slappers: making a Pelosi pinata for the Conservative Political Action Conference and sending out a fake, supposedly satirical e-mail in Pelosi's name.

This singling out of Pelosi for punching (figuratively, kinda, not really) is one I expect most high-profile female politicians are familiar with, whether we're talking Pelosi, Palin or Clinton. Critics seem to prefer the personal attack, the demeaning mockery or dismissive eye-roll attitude when it comes to women in office--and I'm not saying this doesn't happen to men, because it does, but there's something a little more insidious, often sexual, often infantilizing when its done to women. It's as if there's just no chance of taking anything women say seriously if you disagree with them politically. (I mean, a whole lot of people don't take anything women say seriously, period.)

But this punching bag thing. It's a whole new level. A new level, I'd argue, that's a lot lower than that whole Pelosi-in-effigy business. Per The Hill:

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Not Under The Bus Day of Action Is Today

Posted at 12:00 PM Jan 13, 2010

By Andrea Grimes

I just hopped off a plane in Washington, D.C., and before I go do some politico-historical learning and Smithsonian-ogling, I am going to take the special opportunity of being in our nation's capital to endorse the Women's Media Center's Not Under The Bus' Day of Action, which asks citizens to demand protection for women's reproductive rights in health care reform.



There are a whole mess of petitions to be signed, and heck, while the House is in session today, I may see if I can peek in on the goings-on. It'll be like C-Span, but with my own two eyes and, probably, a more subdued version of my usual U.S. politics drinking game.

Sarah Palin joining Fox "News"

Posted at 3:42 PM Jan 11, 2010

By Andrea Grimes
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​The t00bz are abuzz today with the news that Sarah Palin is going to be joining Fox News as a regular contributor and commentator.

I know what you're thinking. Doesn't the woman practically run the place already, since Fox can't make a move without consulting the right-wing crazies, of which Sarah Palin is queen? I guess they're just making it official. Maybe Ann Coulter can catch the bouquet.

This bit, from the HuffPo, reads like something off the Daily Show:

She also will host occasional episodes of Fox News' "Real American Stories," a series debuting this year that the network said will feature true inspirational stories about Americans who have overcome adversity.
Real 'Murkans! Fair and balanced! I, for one, am excited. After all, I suspect this could spell disaster for her political career.

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