November 12, 2007

"Hillary Clinton unveiled a new slogan, 'Turn up the heat,' that slyly combines her toughness message with her gender appeal."

That sounds so wrong. But don't think sex, think cooking:
"I know as the campaign goes on that it's going to get a little hotter up here. But that's fine with me," she said, invoking Harry Truman. "I feel really comfortable in the kitchen."
Does anyone picture Hillary cooking? And we shouldn't be thinking about her sexiness! Can anyone explain why Hillary would want a slogan that reminds us of sex and cooking, especially given Bill Clinton's sex problem and her own ill-fated baking cookies remark?

69 comments:

Bill_45 said...

Maybe she's positioning herself to be the next spokesmodel for Enjoli (youtube).

MadisonMan said...

I read articles like that and just thank God I don't live in Iowa. How do they stand having all those politicians around for so long?

Imagine all that and being a Vikings fan, too.

Amexpat said...

It reminds me of Kerry's "Bring it on" slogan, which didn't help him much.

ricpic said...

She's a tough cookie who can bake...a tough cookie.

Freeman Hunt said...

How about the imagery in this headline:

"Hillary Clinton suddenly vulnerable as bruises start to show"

Hillary Clinton as a woman abused.

Ron said...

With her, I think neither of sex or cooking. What does that say?

AllenS said...

A conversation at the dinner table:

Bill: "So, Chelsea, what do you think mom is cooking?"

Chelsea: "I don't know dad, but it sure smells good."

Bill: "Mmmmm, smells good Hillary, what is it?"

Hillary: "SpaghettiOs."

Ann Althouse said...

Why should you even picture her serving those two dinner? There's no shame in not being the family cook. Just don't put down other people who do cook and don't pretend you cook if you don't. I think the best feminist position is just not to talk about traditional female things that don't have to do with the job of President. You don't want the Prez to take time to do the housework.

And let Bill get his own damned dinner. He knows how to order pizza.

AllenS said...

Ann Althouse said...
"Why should you even picture her serving those two dinner?"

Since you asked: "Does anyone picture Hillary cooking?" I thought I'd give it a try.

Where did I "...put down other people who do cook..."

Ann Althouse said...

"Just don't put down other people who do cook and don't pretend you cook if you don't" was meant as advice to her. Didn't mean to seem to chastise you for answering my quesiton! Sorry.

Bissage said...

I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life.

I didn’t know she went on to say “fulfill my profession . . .” That’s one I’ve never heard before and it's awkward as if the legal profession is some kind of vessel into which a lawyer pours herself.

She must have reined in her urge to say “fulfill my potential.

Nice attempt at a save, but still, that's a gaffe and a half!

Dust Bunny Queen said...

You didn't put down people who cook (allens). Hillary did with her disparaging remarks. Hillary Clinton let it be known that she wasn't going to stay home and bake cookies like some little woman who'd "stand by her man like Tammy Wynette. You could almost hear the music in the background."I am woman I am strong" yada yada yada.

Dissing women who have decided to make a career as stay at home mothers and homemakers was not a very smart move in the Clinton #1 campaign. Now trying to make like she is a "little woman" who can stay home and is comfortable in the kitchen is also not a very smart campaign tactic.

I understand that she is trying to look tough and using a veiled reference to Harry Truman about heat/kitchen/taking the responsibility.

However, once again it just reveals that she wants to have it both ways. Pandering to the right of her, pandering to the left of her...... here we are stuck in the middle again with the clowns.

Bilby said...

I find it odd that she's so obviously thinking about the baking cookies remark and heading it off now, 15 years later. She should have just waited for it to come up again, if it ever would have. Going on and on about being in the kitchen makes it even more apparent that what she's saying is a political calculation.

Too Cool for School said...

It's an evolution:

Stage 1 (1992): Reject gender stereotype

Stage 2 (war votes): Prove you can be like a man

Stage 3 ("turn on the heat"): Embrace feminity

With respect to stage 3, is she some sort of cookie-baking poseur??? I mean, there are a lot of valid critcisms of her, but this is isn't one of them. She's obviously giving moms who bake a wink and a nod.

Brian Doyle said...

Can anyone explain why Hillary would want a slogan that reminds us of sex and cooking?

First of all, let's just stop pretending there's an ad Hillary could make which wouldn't remind you of sex.

But granting for the moment that in this case the allusion is both obvious to non-Clinton obsessives and intentional, I would venture to guess that it's because sex and cooking are good things.

Paddy O said...

Funny, I thought immediately of global warming.

Hillary wasn't watching Green Week on NBC.

We want the heat down, Mrs. Clinton. Less artificial gases, please.

Brian Doyle said...

You don't want the Prez to take time to do the housework.

That's funny, I can't remember you once complaining about Bush clearin' all that brush during his historically long vacations.

Ron said...

Hillary has farmed out both the cooking and the sex! Very clever...

Trooper York said...

Hillary was probably too busy grilling up some dogs and burgers at a tail gate at Giant's stadium to be on Meet the Press. Can’t you see the Clinton's doing something normal like that. Bill hell yes, Hill not so much. I can definitely see Barack knocking down a brew and munching on a dog when the Bears come to town. I know the intelligentsia scoff at this, but it does have a significant part to play in electoral politics. Hey Lawgiver I owe you mondo brewski's so let me know where and when I can pay up dude. How about them Cowboys. See ya in the playoffs (I hope).

Laura Reynolds said...

I'm with Ron, sex and cooking don't go with Hillary. To the extent I have respect for her, I'd have more if she didn't act so phony with his kind of stuff. Just be honest.

jeff said...

So how come whenever it gets 1/2 a degree above room temp, she starts complaining about all those men picking on her?

rhhardin said...

If she wants to get srong woman right, so she knows what she's tampering with for a change, Marge Piercy has it right.

What Hillary inclines toward is bitch, which is a different thing completely.

Unknown said...

Bissage,
I immediately thought of that insulting quote too. Now she's doubled down and insulted herself!

So, which is it? Her time as First Lady taught her how to be president, or her time as First Lady taught her how to bake?

KCFleming said...

She needs a picture of her bowling, like Nixon.

DaLawGiver said...

I would love to see all the candidates on the food network preparing their favorite dishes possibly in an "Iron Chef" format.

Trooper,

The Giants will take the bears and make the playoffs. Once the playoffs begin it's a whole nuther thang.

Trooper York said...

Lawgiver that's a great idea. Let’s speculate. I bet Barack would grill up a mean Chicago style porterhouse with some spinach on the side. Maybe some pork dishes Hawaiian style since he spent so much time there. He probably would have a lot of interesting dishes because of his background. Richardson: some Tex Mex burritos and chimichanga’s. Rudy would whip up some of Mama’s meatballs. Romney a carrot salad like the crap Nicky made on Big Love. McCain would whip up a couple of Vietnamese dishes heavy on the fish sauce and sticky rice. Dennis Kucinich, human flesh braised in white wine with capers. Of course John Edwards would make the best hobo stew and thin gruel from his background growing up as the son of a mill worker. But Hillary, I just don’t know. I wonder: what is her best dish?

KCFleming said...

But Hillary, I just don’t know. I wonder: what is her best dish?

Revenge.
Served cold.

Trooper York said...

Pogo, that was my next post, I was just waiting for an interim comment. But that just shows we are on the same wavelength. Well played Mr. Powers, well played.

KCFleming said...

Hell, that was a big old fat lazy softball, just waiting to be swung at.

Trooper York said...

Yeah, but not everyone can hit in the clutch. Just ask A-Rod.

Brent said...

.

"Turn up the Heat"?

Is menopause season over?

.

Trooper York said...

No, it's what the freaking Knicks did last night when they lost to the Heat in the last 10 seconds. The heat didn't have Wade for crikey's sake. Isaiah wants to kill me in the first month of the season. I think I want to sue him for mental harassment, pain and suffering.

Bissage said...

But Hillary, I just don’t know. I wonder: what is her best dish?

I got it wrong. I was thinking carrots.

Guess I'm not on the right wavelength.

Please let me make it up to everyone by linking to this right here.

(For the unfamiliar, it's worth hanging in there until 00:55.)

Laura Reynolds said...

If Richardson did "Tex Mex" he wouldn't be elected dog catcher in Santa Fe. Come on'

Its about 600 miles and a whole different culture.

Trooper York said...

Van the man is always on point. Did you know that the song "Take Your Hands Out Of My Pocket" was inspired by filing his first US tax return?

Trooper York said...

Sorry SteveR, my mistake. What do they cook in New Mexico. New Mex/Mex? I thought that term related to all southwestern mexican influenced cuisine. My mistake and I beg your pardon.

Bissage said...

Van the Man’s BMI isn’t what it used to be:

Part One: In the Beginning

Part Two: Afterwards.

Trooper York said...

But who are we to criticize, I bet Johnny Nucleo has a pretty impressive muffin top in his space suit these days, don't ya think?

Bissage said...

Agreed!

And who can blame Johnny Nucleo?

That Trixie Electra sure can cook!

Bruce Hayden said...

Actually, I think that if you looked at Hillary! in action, it would be Revenge, served Hot, not Cold. The recipients invariably know that it is coming, but can't get out of the way fast enough.

She probably would do better right now by playing up the domestic side, instead of playing it down. If she gets the nomination, this is headed into the most sexist election in history. A large majority of men claim that they wouldn't ever vote for her. As a result, she is trying to compensate with the women's vote. The problem is that to do this, she needs to be able to connect with other women than just professional women, and hence, likely, her allusion to cooking.

The Counterfactualist said...

And let Bill get his own damned dinner. He knows how to order pizza.

And this is why our children are obese. Feminism. Killing the children of the future.

DaLawGiver said...

I was thinking more of a reality cooking show loosely based on the “Iron Chef.”

1. Choose your helpers. Each candidate would choose 3 numbers between 1 and 100. Sort of like in Deal or No Deal. The numbers would correspond to audience members. This would show the candidates’ ability to bond and communicate with random common folk.

2. Choose your weapons. Each candidate would only be allowed 5 kitchen utensils. This would demonstrate their basic knowledge of cooking and their ability to prepare for the unexpected.

3. Choose your primary food. For the premier I envision a 200 gallon tank filled with live halibut, cod, and crabs. The candidates would use a net and a knife to catch and kill their main dish. This would show their lack of squeamishness. We don't want a squeamish president.

4. A five minute planning period between candidates and their helpers. I would call this the pet goat challenge in honor of President Bush. The producers could always throw in a monkey wrench like a Monica Lewinsky drive by or an impromptu Randi Rhodes rant.

5. Finally they get an hour and a half to prepare their dish which would be judged by past winners from American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

I think the whole world would watch.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

"The problem is that to do this, she needs to be able to connect with other women than just professional women, and hence, likely, her allusion to cooking."

This is the same faulty logic that the Hillary handlers seem to be using. Cramming women into either or stereotypes.

You are a professional woman therefore you don't cook: it is beneath you. OR You don't have a "legitimate" profession, therefore you stay at home and do what menial tasks are assigned to you like cooking and cleaning.

I know many professional women, myself included, who actually (gasp) like to cook and many stay at home women who hate cooking with a passion. Not all professional women are smart and not all stay at home women are mindless blobs watching Ophra and eating bon bons.

The idea that all women somehow think alike and that Hillary has the women's vote because she is a woman is just as insulting as the idea that all blacks should be voting for Obama because he happens to be black as well. This laziness of intellectual reasoning is prevalent in the media and with political consultants.. NASCAR dads, Soccer Moms. Yep...we all must think alike and vote alike. Uh huh... sure.

So much easier to assume than to research or actually get to know real people.

Trooper York said...

I personally think that the current sexist interpations and critiques of Hillary appearance and demeanor are really misplaced. I think she is a hidden volcano of passion that has not been awakened. She married her college crush and stayed married to him despite his dissolute behaviors. What she needs is a second husband who would really love her and treat her the way she both needs and deserves. Imagine a man who would welcome her home after a long day of facing off third world tyrants and terrorizing congressman. He would have drawn her a bath scented with the finest bath oils so she could soak and relax with a glass of wine while he prepared dinner. He would hold out a freshly laundered bath robe than she could snuggle in before changing into some comfortable clothes. Then he would serve an appetizer such as a dozen oysters on the half shell, with a side salad and some olive oil and fresh bread for dunking. Than a small pasta pasta dish, perhaps filetto de pomodoro in a light garlic and oil. Then he could serve her a simple filet of sole oreganata with a lemon base over a simple risotto. Then they would go over to the couch where the would enjoy a bowl of fruit with the after dinner wine, perhaps a very well chilled CASCINA CASTLE'T MOSCATO D'ASTI from the Piedmont. They sip quietly as he rubs oils into her aching back and massages her tense shoulders, lower back, legs and aching feet. Slowing and gently his touch brings relief as brings her to the purring edge of contentment. Then he leans down to kiss her as he begins to rub her more private areas …and then….and then….well lets just say that she would be a very, very happy president and we would proably all live in a safer world. Now back to you regularly scheduled political invective.

KCFleming said...

I need a cigarette.

Trooper York said...

A cigar Pogo, a cigar.

Trooper York said...

Only to be used for the purpose god intended it for, to be sure.

Laura Reynolds said...

Trooper, Tex Mex is very Texan and not the same as New Mexican which uses green or red chile and not so much jalepeno. Similar in some respects but it would be like someone from Chicago claiming to be a Yankee fan. You'd have to be an idiot to believe that could be true.

Trooper York said...

That's great to know. In New York we get mostly the jalapeño based cooking in most of the restaurants I have frequented. I think it is like the difference in Chinese food. Back in the sixties, Chinese food was basically Cantonese, but in the early seventies we started getting the Szechwan influence and now the Fukanese is hot as well. We were just ignorant. So knowledge like this is really helpful. Do you know any joints that specialize in your style in NYC. Let me know and I will give it a go. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Oh, Trooper York! I'm a little...verklempt!

Hillary is actually a total throwback to prefeminist days; hence the mixed messages of her campaign. She made a deal with the devil to advance her career-- and now she's got it, a career that people question because she never had the guts to earn it on her own.

Joe said...

My wife will challenge Hillary to a chocolate chip baking contest any day, and Hillary will be humiliated.

I'll challenge her to a pizza making contest and do the same.

Trooper York said...

But my friend you do not realize that the fault is not in Hillary, but in her situation. We know that she must be bereft of the experiences that we could use to turn her around.
Now that we hear that Hillary’s new slogan is “Turn Up the Heat” we know what we have to do. She will be sitting at her campaign stop, fidgeting in her seat, pulling the collar of her turtleneck away and arching her back as she tries to focus on the speaker. You would calmly walk up behind her and slowly rub her shoulders, digging away at the knots that have developed from the tension of the long drawn out campaign. You sit next to her at the rubber chicken dinner and slowly rub the palm of you hand in the small of her back to steady her as she goes over her notes. You will slowly stroke her thigh from her kneecap up to her waist as you calm her with the warmth of your love. She would confidently give her speech and articulate her view and engage in the give and take of the arena, serene in the knowledge of what awaited her as she left the rally. You would hold her hand as you helped her into the back of the limo. Open the split of champagne that is on ice together with the light snack. You would unbutton the top button of her sensible business suit and lightly kiss her neck. Then another button and another kiss. Still more until the entire caucus is open to your caress. You run your tongue from the gentle slope of her heaving breasts down to her own private Mesopotamia….and then….and then….you will have truly “ Turned Up the Heat.” Now back to your regularly scheduled partisan bickering.

John Stodder said...

"Turn up the heat..." on who?

This sounds like a tagline for an action movie. It kind of reminds me of Bill's sadness that there wasn't a big crisis during his presidency (that he could see), so he could prove his superiority to all other presidents. If Hillary's planning on turning up the heat on jihad warriors, I'm there! But it doesn't quite work for domestic issues. I prefer LBJ's
"Come...let us reason together."

And has she considered the impact on global warming? Turning up the heat leaves a hell of a carbon footprint.

Trooper York said...

I realize that she was wearing a both a turtleneck and a sensible business shirt in the aforementioned passage and I apologize for the lack of continuity. My writers are on strike, but love will find a way. Let's Turn Up the Heat.

blake said...

I always get Van Morrison mixed up with Morrissey.

Laura Reynolds said...

Trooper, I'm not sure about New Mexican in NYC so you'd have to come to Las Cruces or Albuquerque.

Bissage said...

LOL, Blake. I don’t know which one got laid more but Morrison was definitely the happier one afterwards.

mtrobertsattorney said...

Trooper York has nailed it. But who would this man be? What man could possibly awaken that feminine passion that has been buried for so many years?

He would have to be tall and surrounded by mystery.
The former because she is attracted to tall men (Bill and Vince). The latter because Hillary fashions herself to be a shrewd judge of males. This man would have to be something of an enigma-someone almost incomprehensible to her. At the same time, he would have to have a deep understanding of world politics so that after the hot bath, candle-light dinner, and bedroom gymnastics Hillary could listen in worshipful awe to his in-depth analysis of the political forces at work in Europe and the Middle East.

There's only one man on earth that meets these qualifications: Osama Bin Laden. That's right. Think of the possibilites: Hillary in a burka and the war on terrorism ending in a white-hot, passionate romance!! This will be the stuff of mythology-a story for the ages that will be told and retold till the end of time.

Trooper York said...

You know that Bill is a compulsive lover, but most likely not a generous one. Not a man mature enough to have an equal partner of the same age and experience, one to cherish and adore. There would be no need to seek out quick dalliances with disposable and deniable persons for whom you do not have the depth of passion you should have for your wife. You would know how to treat your wife the President. You would come to Oval Office after she had spent a long day torturing Trent Lott and reading Rush’s FBI file. You pour her a cocktail and go over to couch as you sit in front of the fire. She puts her feet in her lap as you rub them slowing, concentrating on the spot under the toes as you rub each foot oh so slowly. You massage her claves and thighs as she slowly opens her legs and relaxes to let the tension of government fade from her consciousness. You bend down and slow kiss her legs lightly, from leg to leg. Slowly you move further and further up her leg until her sensible full length dress is up above her waist. You gently pull the presidential panties down until they are hanging on the one leg that is thrust akimbo on the side of the divan. You raise up your head and smile at her, and put your head down and take your tongue …and then….and then……well let’s just say that she might have mercy on Scooter Libby and a pardon might be on the way. Because we know the strange and inscrutable ways of love and we have truly “Turned Up the Heat.” Now back to discussion of who is fat and who is not.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Trooper York said...

You know when passion is real and when the displays of affection are merely perfunctory. Imagine that you are on vacation and walking on the beach. Suddenly you hear the strains of reggae music wafting over the water. You stop and take Hillary in your arms and you gently sway to the island beat. But as you hold each other close you begin to feel that you have turned up the heat. You rub and press against one other as the proof of your passion has risen to the challenger. You look around and see the press photographing you from the press barge held offshore. But your passion can not be contained. You must get something straight between you. So you dash off into the scub, telling the secret service to stand twenty feet away and to turn their backs. You gently lay her on the ground as you kiss her face, her hair, her shoulders. You slowly peel down her suit as you stop to kiss each of the executive nipples. Soon you are both completely naked as you turn to her with one deep and passionate kiss and then ….and then… and then….you will have “Turned Up the Heat.” There were no photos from the White House press corps. but there might be audio. Now back to slightly less coherent ranting from other lunatics beside me.

J. Cricket said...

Oh professor, I hope you, uh, get some soon, so you can cut back on your obsessive sex blogging. It's actually the most boring and predictable thing that you do. And so painfully transparent. Take care it if, girl! And then maybe you can get back to thinking about other things.

Ann Althouse said...

Ah, ha ha ha. Chris Rocks... most transparent post ever! You read Trooper York and wanted that guy. Ha ha ha ha.... oh, my....

Trooper York said...

Hey, Hillary just emailed me and invited me to her next appearance in Manhattan. She said she would send a limo. What does that mean? And how did she get my email? I'm a scared Norton.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Trooper... you just may have to give up your day job... accountant was it?

Satirical romance novels do have a promising future. Akimbo, is one of my fave's.

You might want to skip out on the limo ride if you know what I mean (cough cough Vince Foster cough cough)

Unknown said...

Whine about Hillary all day long, but explain this:

George Bush ducks out of the ceremonies at Arlington Cemetary.

And then there's the gut wrenching story of Lance Corporal James Blake Miller– better known as the Marlboro Marine–who is now jobless, divorced and near suicidal since being discharged from the military after being diagnosed with PTSD.

With little aid from his government, Miller received help from an unlikely source — Luis Sinco, the LA Times photographer who snapped the famous picture of him during the battle of Fallujah in 2004. You can read Sinco’s story in the LAT

Unknown said...

Trooper York said..."You know that Bill is a compulsive lover, but most likely not a generous one."

And now we have Trooper...speculating on whether Bill Clinton is a "generous" lover.

Now THAT'S funny.

In a kind creepy way...

Unknown said...

Joe said..."My wife will challenge Hillary to a chocolate chip baking contest any day, and Hillary will be humiliated. I'll challenge her to a pizza making contest and do the same."

WOW.

Unknown said...

Freeman Hunt said...How about the imagery in this headline:

'Hillary Clinton suddenly vulnerable as bruises start to show'

Hillary Clinton as a woman abused."

That booze goin' down smooth tonight...?