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Welcome to Red Mom Blue Mom, ParentDish's special coverage of the 2008 Presidential election. Each Tuesday through November 4, columnists Rachel Campos-Duffy (Red Mom) and Ada Calhoun (Blue Mom) will take on issues relevant to parents on both sides of the aisle. You can find past Red Mom/Blue Mom posts here.
Blue Mom: Who's sexier, Republicans or Democrats?
By Ada Calhoun
After weeks of financial chaos, a wearying debate, and a bit too much screen time for a certain bald plumber, we've earned a break from tax policy and bailouts. So let's indulge. I find Republicans hotter than Democrats. That's what I learned from my time on the website TheOnlyVote.com, a political Hot-or-Not. Apparently, on a hormonal level, I abandon my Democratic brethren for the cornfed midwestern boys of the Right.
And it's no surprise. Republicans are sexy. They are the deciders! The hawks! The invaders! They have all the really good sex scandals. Even John McCain is reportedly randy; lest we forget, the New York Times reported in February on an indecorous relationship with Vicki Iseman, a lobbyist more than thirty years his junior. Democrats are nerdy and thoughtful and have trouble deciding on a course of action because they stupidly weigh things like "costs" and "benefits." Talk about killing the mood.
And yet, at the dawn of this election, suddenly, the Democratic party was sexy again. Barack Obama is steady, smart, and yet, miraculously, undeniably, hot. As the McCain campaign teased in a July 2008 video called "Obama Love," people covering him tend to fall hard (MSNBC's Chris Matthews famously said of an Obama speech, "I felt this thrill going up my leg"). In their arguably racist "Hot Chicks Dig Obama" video, they mocked the female voters flocking to him. In her first "I Got a Crush on Obama" tribute, Obama Girl said what a lot of us were thinking: intelligent, decent and foxy too? And we hummed along, "B to the A to the R-A-C-K."
Obama had the Sexiest Politician vote all locked up . . . until a certain moose-hunting, pro-drilling sexy librarian entered the picture. When it comes to a sex-appeal-off, Sarah Palin is a contender. Cue the porn film call for a Sarah Palin look alike (rumor has it a Putin look alike was also cast). And, of course, there's now a Sarah Palin sex doll.
I can appreciate the "she's so wrong she's right" argument, but those Katie Couric interviews were like one long cold shower. If she still does it for you, you're made of stronger stuff than I am. And so, my latest crush: Joe Biden. He has a dark past, catnip to those of us who grew up on novels like Jane Eyre, and yet he's funny, flirtatious and supremely confident. Also, he speaks in complete sentences. That, my friends, is a heartthrob we can believe in.
Red Mom: Does sexuality work?
By Rachel Campos-Duffy
Does sexuality as a political strategy work? The short answer is yes, in the short term. Despite having a strong night during last week's debate, viewers overwhelmingly gave the upper hand to cool hand Obama. Like Nixon before him, McCain lost in the comparison to his more attractive and telegenic counterpart. But youth and good looks can only take a candidate so far. The proof is in the pudding. Ugly, doughy white guys overwhelmingly occupy the halls of Congress and the Senate. If attractiveness really worked as a political strategy, we'd all be watching C-Span a heck of a lot more often. In this election, there are only two people with mojo -- Barack and Sarah. In both cases, the American people quickly and sensibly got beyond the superficial. When it came to Sarah Palin, the media helped by launching attacks intended to diminish her appeal. Newsweek even put an unflattering, extreme close-up of Palin on the cover revealing facial hair and cakey make-up that garnered criticism from readers who wondered why her photo was not given the airbrush treatment that Hillary and Obama's covers enjoyed. Republican strategists called foul and surprisingly, many of my blue-mom friends agreed. At last, an issue we could all agree on -- pore and blemish revealing close-ups of women are out of bounds!
More telling about the limits of sexual appeal in politics is that this race is still very close and the short and old melanoma-scarred war veteran, McCain, is still very much in the game against the stylish, much younger and hipper Obama. In a political and economic environment that couldn't be more favorable for Democrats, Obama's cool elegance has not been able to obfuscate McCain's impressive experience, history and character. Obama is outspending McCain nearly three to one and few can deny the media's unprecedented and blatant bias for him. Still, with all that, Obama has not been able to close what should be a mammoth poll gap between them.
Look, I'm a sucker for the GQ look Barack has perfected. My personal favorite are the images of him walking off his airplane with a crisp white shirt and shades, holding his suit jacket as the wind blows. The song just goes off in my head, "Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man." The truth is I AM crazy about sharp dressed men and Obama has definitely become a fashion and pop culture icon. But these are serious times. And in two weeks I'll be voting for John McCain for president.
| Not at all - I'm an issues voter. | |
|---|---|
| Some - I think appearance and character are related. | |
| Totally - I'll be voting for the hottie! |
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
10-21-2008 @ 9:36AM
Cortney said...What a propaganda piece.
Reply
10-21-2008 @ 8:54AM
ninainindia said...I don't find Obama or Palin hot at all. That said, it wouldn't matter anyway as it's not about that! I wish more people would understand that.
Reply
10-21-2008 @ 9:16AM
Fizzygrrl said...Every time I read something from Rachel, I get annoyed. Her tone is condescending, and oddly arrogant.
Like above, Ada's article seemed clearly Left friendly, but still was respectful to the Right. Rachel's articles always seem to say that she is voting Red, and any one who doesn't is an idiot. If they could only open their eyes they would see how really there is only one choice and if you don't vote it, you have teh dumbs.
And for the love of all things holy, stop complaining about the Newsweek cover. She is not a model. She is not a Hollywood actress. She is a politician (so I am told anyhow...) and if she wants to be seen as the average American, as Joanne Six Pack if you will, then she SHOULD have pores and the like that the rest of us are afflicted with. The fuss about that was completely ridiculous. ZOMG!!! Never mind the failing economy and health care crisis!! Sarah Palin is being railroaded by her own PORES!!!! GAH!!!!
10-21-2008 @ 9:15AM
rebecca Biernesser said...did I miss something? What the hell does looks and if a person is "hot" have to do with the election???? And people wonder why some people don't know what the issues are....
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10-21-2008 @ 9:32AM
Tina said..."a certain moose-hunting, pro-drilling sexy librarian" ???
Please - a french twist and glasses does not make one a librarian. As a librarian who buys books that I don't always agree with (republican/democrat, liberal/conservative - I try to be fair to all points of view regardless of my personal convictions), and who believes wholeheartedly in the First Amendment, I find that insulting.
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10-21-2008 @ 9:38AM
Adrien said...I'm sorry, saying that Obama is, "miraculously, undeniably hot" is pushing things a wee bit too far, don't you think?? Give me a break, he is an average looking man that has a lot of charisma and knows how to play to his audience...there are those of us that that don't find vehemently pro-choice, late term abortion supporters (even voting four times against a bill to protect babies that survive failed/botched abortions) "miraculously, undeniably hot"...Ada, speak for yourself, and go take a cold shower while you are at it...please.
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10-21-2008 @ 10:07AM
Fizzygrrl said...So what else was in those bills he voted against?
I get amused by the Obama kills babies buzz words....
10-21-2008 @ 9:48AM
Kirstie said...Obama's certainly charistmatic, but hot? Um .. has anyone else noticed his ears? Not my cup of tea as a man .. but certainly my cup of tea as a president.
On the topic of "They are the deciders! The hawks! The invaders! They have all the really good sex scandals. Even John McCain is reportedly randy .. " in regards to his randiness and scandal, can we discuss the time he called his wife a "c---", please? That's sexy, dontcha' know.
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10-21-2008 @ 9:52AM
Mihir said...he called his wife a cork?
10-21-2008 @ 10:27AM
Kirstie said...Why yes, he did! ;]
10-21-2008 @ 11:24AM
Mihir said...that's great then! i once called my wife a chicken nugget and she laughed about it for a week.
10-21-2008 @ 1:59PM
Juniper said...Fizzygrrl, I'm right there with you. How many "babies" survive these failed/botched abortions? I am sure the number is so great that stopping them is the most important thing facing our country now (sarcasm off). I don't mean to treat abortion lightly, but I would be much more concerned with this vote if these situations were occurring at an alarming rate, which they aren't. I am much more concerned with limiting abortions through making sure birth control is more readily available and covered by health insurance.
People should learn at least a little bit about each candidate and vote for the who best fits their views and who they think will steer this country in the right direction. No one should base their vote on whether or not someone is "hot" or "cool to have a beer with". Unfortunately, too many people today have the attention span and patience of a fly, so they base their decisions on the superficial.
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10-21-2008 @ 4:39PM
Fizzygrrl said...The reality is that it is a small percentage of a percentage, and the way she explained it is not accurate, but the rarest of the rare of circumstances.
It is a scare tactic brought out to make people think that Obama is some god hating, baby killing monster,
It makes me sad that people can't say the name Obama without throwing something ridiculous in like that. Talk about the realities and his policies and give me actual facts, and by golly I will sit down, have a cup of tea with ya and maybe we can both learn something.
10-24-2008 @ 2:33PM
Sandyone said...I can get you the numbers of botched abortions that result in a living child, but first I must ask you....if Obama believed that it was ok to actively kill or passively let die with no comfort measures even one of these cases, doesn't that give you pause?
Do we really have to envision vats of dead babies in order to be horrified? Is it really ok if this happens to only one or two babies?
(the 'vats of dead babies' comment came from a CDC doctor who was poo-pooing my objection to the fact that some vaccines are made from babies who were aborted specifically to make the vaccine.)
10-21-2008 @ 2:09PM
Secret Mommy said...I don't vote for candidates based on their appearance or any other meaasure other than how they handle the issues that are important to me and my family. But it seems like a funny blog topic and I think both writers wrote entertaining entries. I don't believe it was meant to be taken so seriously as some of you seem to think.
Why when I come to this site does it seem so many comments are rudely anti-Rachel? Believe it or not, there are a great many of us in this country who vote Republican - or believe in smaller government, lower taxes, less waste, stronger defense, etc. Why keep bashing her for writing about an opinion many of us share? I believe this site has the two writers offering differing opinions so that each of us is happy.
Why be so mean?
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10-21-2008 @ 4:33PM
Fizzygrrl said...As I mentioned before, i think Rachel talks down to her readers that aren't conservative. I read her articles often, and usually find myself offended, or at least annoyed by the tone.
If you come out with that kind of tone, people are going to bring it back to you. It makes people feel defensive when reading her stuff, and that is not the best way to get people to leave shining comments.
10-21-2008 @ 3:46PM
Betty said...I believe we should put more thought into the candidates and their policies and less on sex and gossip. The presidency is far too important to elect on sex and "hoties" We need to get our minds off so much sex and get back to the important issues of saving our country.
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10-21-2008 @ 5:37PM
Jo said...Fizzygrrl, Adrien is absolutely right...it is a fact and on record, that Obama voted FOUR times against a law that would protect babies from being discarded or killed after surviving failed abortions...have you ever heard of saline abortions?? If not, research it...up until 2002 when President Bush passed this bill, it was legal to kill any babies that survived such an abortion...again, Obama voted against this numerous times with the premise that it would make a woman "second guess" her decision to abort her child, and that it opened up too much room for controversy in the Roe vs. Wade decision. That is not rederick from Republicans, that is FACT...he has vetoed "Born Alive" Bills FOUR times...further, in 2001 and 2002, he was the ONLY Senator to speak against this bill on the Senate floor...again, that is fact. There is a woman named Gianna Jessen that survived just such an abortion...go to Bornalivetruth.org and read up on it...if you go to You Tube, there are numerous videos of her speaking out about what happened to her and the actual statistics about how many of these "rarest of the rare" (as you call them) occurrences...it is not as unheard of as you seem to think. Obama also supports late term abortions but has been quoted as saying that they are "unfortunate"...hmm, what a humanitarian.
Before you go bashing Pro-Life advocates and call these facts, "scare tactics", maybe you should do some research on this candidate that you are so "sad" about being criticized. His views on this issue are nothing short of infanticide...you ask for "actual facts"...here you go.
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10-21-2008 @ 6:57PM
Fizzygrrl said...I have read up just as much as you have. Not my first discussion. The occurrence is something around 0.8% of all abortions being done late term.
And I asked what else was attached to the bills that he spoke out against....
The article had nothing at all to do with abortion, it was completely off topic, therefore I am within relevancy to say that it is being used as a scare tactic.
And I can say just as passionate things against Ms. Palin who would be perfectly fine seeing my daughter have to carry a baby of rapist, which I would fight to the death to give her the choice not to.
Abortion is a big deal. It is. But it is not by any means the most important obstacle we are facing right now, and as a person who is being directly affected, and seeing those around me directly affected, by the country the way it is today, I would really like to hear other aspects of an election besides abortion.
10-21-2008 @ 7:43PM
Fizzygrrl said...It occurs to me that saying I have read up on it as much as you have is not a fair statement, since I would clearly have no idea how much time you have put into research...
Thought I would clear that bit up.