Her vote-for-me-because-I'm-a-woman comments were just too much. I tried to ignore it all, but there it is, including in Boston Globe coverage:
Silbert, a Harwich businesswoman with three young children, said that having a woman on the ticket would allow the Democrats to attack Kerry Healey more effectively .Maybe that's the way they think and talk down on the Cape, or used to in the 1950s. Waving the cheapest gender card possible right before the primary is too low brow to be believed."I think it's harder for men to attack women because they come across as a bully," she said in an interview. "It would be very helpful to have a woman lieutenant governor who can go after her."
Unfortunately, too many in this year's primary fight have tried their variation on electability. The Republicans here always have their tax cudgel and they one party whip. They promised to lower taxes and then transfer those to property taxes (and keep the income-tax raise anyway).
Now we have Democrats each saying, "I'm the electable one." It's the same stupid mentality, a total disrespect of the voter. Electability is crap. Candidates need to win on their platforms, not their gonads.
So, Silbert wants your vote because she's a woman. Not only that, she says that male politicians can't criticize female ones and get away with. She seems to have missed the past 60 years of abuse women politicians take during campaigns and while in office -- from both genders.
Imagine Tim Murray saying he was more electable because he was a man or white or the like, like Silbert said.
Anyone for equal rights, gender equality or feminism needs to let Andrea know being the girl is not a reason to be class vice president much less lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.
She was my second choice. Not anymore.
No to Silbert.
Tags: massmarrier, Massachusetts, lieutenant governor, Andrea Silbert, sexism
11 comments:
I believe Andrea says to vote for her because she can create jobs to helpour economy and pay for the things we need to - education, healthcare, the environment. That's what our state needs. As for Kerry Healey - she is right. Tim Murray, as a man, and Deb Goldberg as a Kerry wannabe (and easy target for lying about her accomplishments) could not take on Kerry Healey as can a middle class woman who has devoted her life to helping - you guessed it - girls. If anyone can say it Andrea can.
So you're voting for Deb? Electability is Tim's whole argument... why don't you come across this strongly against Tim?
Wes Ritchie
As you can see from the post, this set of comments was beyond my choke point. To me, she's real nice, but LITE. She exaggerates her experience and projects from a very limited experience in a very sheltered and privileged environment to the whole commonwealth. If she weren't so slick, she wouldn't be believable at all.
I'm for Murray -- much stronger after Silbert's stumbles and this big fall. He has far better credentials from his Worcester work than she does from Brookline.
People who like Silbert have a very good feeling about her. I sure don't and the sexist comments sealed it. For me, she doesn't have enough positives to compensate for her negatives.
Sheltered? She lived in the barrios of Brazil for two years and in the jungles of Costa Rica helping people live... a far cry from Brookline. She has done more for economically challenged women in this state than Tim and Deb combined. She did this by working 70-80 hours a week for 10 years, not as a part time municipal official. That alone sets her apart. Deb - she hasn't worked a full week for pay since she was a buyer for Bradlee's in 1986. Tim is (I hope) a hard working lawyer but at present can't be much of a mayor as he is a full time candidate and I believe Worcester is probably just fine even though he's occupied elsewhere.
Go with experience and a proven record. Andrea Silbert. 14,000 jobs and counting....
Well, good for her that somebody believe her hyperbole. She has as much chance as the other two today.
Remember Rick Lazio?
That's all you need to know about men bullying women. And don't think for a moment that Healey won't play the gender card if Deval attacks her. It may not be the only reason to vote for Silbert, but it sure is one of them.
Wake up to the realities of politics, dude. It's about winning, and the LG candidates won't be looked to for anything other than their ability to bring the heat. And substantive heat won't generate the kind of heat that an attack from another woman will. I agree it may be sad, but it's true too...
Telling folk to "wake up" (a.k.a. agree with me or plead stupid) is not constructive.
It's not all about winning, unless maybe you're Karl Rove.
We can have our victory with a better candidate too. Silbert's adequate and I'll rally behind her if she wins today. Murray is better for the vast majority of us and long overdue as an advocate for urban and close suburban areas. Silbert likely could work with Deval on creating jobs, but that's not the primary point of an active looey.
Silbert's claim of offering herself as a woman v. woman attacker is a nice strategy for ice hockey. It's not convincing for a general election. That was Scarlet O'Hara's day when big ole men protected women from criticism.
Kerry's non-record and her affiliation with the Dark Side damn her. Having a woman say that doesn't mean squat.
She wants people to vote for her because she thinks she can create jobs, not because she's a woman. I for one think she's right that it's important to have a woman on the ballot. I wouldn't vote for someone because they're a woman, but she's exceptionally qualified and real fiery. I think she'd do a great job and that's why I voted for her. The fact that she is a woman is a bonus and a testiment to the progress we've made as a society in encouraging women to engage in the process and become leaders.
Well, we'll find out tonight what the voters think. Your interpretation is interesting, but does not address what she said. I suppose each of us has areas that we just can't get over. For me, her comments are plain sexist and insulting. I have to wonder what other dreadful cliches and unpleasant stereotypes she carries around.
Honestly, if Tim Murray had declared that he was better than a woman because he would be a more vicious attack dog, I'd be all over him. Andrea crossed a well defined line on this one.
Sexist? Give me a break. Yes, it is truly terrible when the majority of the population suggests that maybe it would be nice to see a few more women in positions of power. How dare she! Why that's just the same as a white man saying "I'm a white man, vote for me." Exactly the same. No contextual difference. By this brilliant standard, was Deval incorrect to dismiss the ridiculous formulation of "reverse racism"? Is the fact that a few African Americans don't care too much for white people a crisis that puts the effects of racism in our society to shame?
This is truly ridiculous, and your arguments underlie it. Andrea's a lightweight ipso facto regardless of who she is and what she's done, you trivialize her arguments and her accomplishments, and if she were mayor or Worcester, you'd probably be saying that it's a partime job, she's dominated by the city counsel, whatever. Tim doesn't have to prove himself, because hey, he's a mayor and he's a guy. He has accomplishments, and every one of them is significant and his and his alone. He doesn't have to prove himself because there's a built in assumption of competence on his side and incompetence on her side, it's a total double standard. You probably don't even realize it. Hey, if you've got two superqualified candidates, and one's a white guy and one's a woman or minority, why should you give preferance to the woman or minority? Because women and minorities are already grossly underrepresented in a sea of white guys, the other groups are under represented and the white guy is 900% more likely to be hired by people who look like him, feel comfortable with him, and throw around words like sexism and racism in a truly insipid way? NAAAH
But you know what? In a way you're right, because if Silbert attacked Healy, she'd be a ball busting, pushy bitch. Put the same words in Tim's mouth and he's a big man beating up on a ball busting, pushy bitch who deserves it and shouldn't be there in the first place. Ain't politics grand. Anyway, thanks. I was undecided, but now I am 100% sure I made teh right choice. Jesus, it's 2006 and people are still writing things like this?
He said sexism. He actually said it. No, he wasn't being ironic. Hey, nobody's experienced sexism like a man. Jeez, wonder if he's in the nation's most oppressed group, white male heterosexual billionaries. Goes away muttering.
Anon, LOL.
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