September 16, 2014

Why won't Kirsten Gillibrand name the men she says harassed her?

She writes in her book that a male labor leader said "You're too fat to be elected statewide" and a male colleague said she was getting "porky," another said she's "even pretty when [she's] fat," and yet another made physical contact and said he liked "chubby" girls. But she won't name names. Let's analyze the possible reasons.

1. She wants to focus attention on the general problem of "how women are treated in the workplace... undervaluing women... and chronically paying them less and treating them poorly and not valuing them." This is the answer she gives, and as a politician, it makes sense to think that she has her issues and she wants issues seen as issues, so individual incidents are supposed to work as examples of the sort of thing that's happening. Specific details would distract us from the big problem and would enable those who oppose her solutions to that problem to find ways to distinguish what happened to her from what she's presenting as the big problem to be solved with the legislation that she, as a politician, would like to promote.

2. She wants to present herself in a good light, so she's filtered the story so that people see her as an ordinary woman who struggled with her weight and got harassed about it, rather than as an extraordinary woman who received an appointment to her seat in the Senate in part because she was a woman — because she was replacing a woman, Hillary Clinton — and because she had excellent feminine attractiveness. Did any male even have a chance? Which fatter, homelier women did she perhaps beat out? But, no, men commented on her post-pregnancy weight gain and that was good material to use to help us relate to her and to think that she understands us and our problems.

3. If she named the men, she'd have to tell the whole story, and we'd have to see things from their perspective too. The nameless men were mean to her, but if she named them, she might seem mean. Was she unfair? What was the actual context? Maybe it was a friendly, chummy environment where everyone teases everyone else and it was part of being considered one of the guys. Maybe she had drawn attention to her weight gain and expressed worry about it and they were mirroring her remarks supportively or just saying they like her however she looks. Fat is good too! As for the "too fat to be elected statewide," she got the Senate seat by appointment, and she had to be planning for the election, thinking of things she could do, and the subject of doing what she could to improve her appearance would have come up, as it does for all candidates, male and female. We openly talk about whether Chris Christie is too fat to get elected President. Maybe she was getting equal treatment. If we knew the details, we could probe into this, and any dishonesty in her presentation of the incidents could hurt her now.

4. She wants to protect the men she hasn't named. They're her political allies, perhaps quite well-known characters. I think we can assume that they are all Democrats, since we haven't heard otherwise and she probably would have taken the opportunity to ding Republicans, and since Republicans would be more likely to maintain formal politeness with her and not to assume that they could take liberties.

5. Maybe it didn't happen. There are no names named because there are no names to name.

Pick all that you think are probably true.





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112 comments:

Michael K said...

Given the propensity of Democrats to lie about everything, I doubt they exist.

MadisonMan said...

Because a man has never been told they're too fat to be elected. Or getting "porky".

It's only a problem for women.

(I'd guess either 4 or 5 is the right answer).

The Godfather said...

Back in the day, we knew that Teddy Kennedy was thinking about running for president when he slimmed down, and didn't look hung-over all the time. When he porked back up, the other potential candidates could breathe a sigh of relief.

I guess everyone was prejudiced against fat men in those days.

Brando said...

Assuming it did happen, it would make her look nasty to name names--"Chuck Schumer called me 'waddles' and he is such a pig"--and of course the named Senator would defend himself, deny what she said, and her story would be questioned and other Senators would be wary around her lest they get accused of the same. There's nothing to gain from naming names, so I can see why she wouldn't do so.

Of course, she must know that even suggesting that other Senators said these things will make people wonder who she was referring to, and be skeptical if she's making a claim that cannot be verified. She should have avoided these anectdotes entirely.

Hagar said...

Lacks a category for "if she named them, they would retaliate."

Brando said...

People in general are prejudiced against fat people, short people, and unattractive people--especially so in politics. Gillibrand doesn't have much grounds for complaint considering she's among the more attractive (male and female) Senators and likely benefitted to some degree from that.

Now, if Henry Waxman complained, I'd sympathize...

tim maguire said...

As I understand it, these examples were given in the context of her urging women to step forward and report incidents of abuse or harassment. Her refusing to name names directly contradicts the message she is trying to send.

Boltforge said...

Michael K said...
"Given the propensity of Democrats to lie about everything, I doubt they exist."

If we weight the propensity of prominent Democrats to assault, rape, and murder women (Clinton, Kennedy, etc) vs their propensity to lie (all of them), then I have no idea.

Todd said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Todd said...

How about the option that those things were said to her but all of the comments came from Dems and if she named names, everyone would know that. This way Repubs get tarred too.

Not saying that is what happened (but now that I wrote it, you can say you read it on the internet).

Humperdink said...

Reminds me of citing anonymous sources - worthless.

She will not name names and nor will she name the political party either. Of course, we all know the answer to that.

The labor leader calling her fat, would that be "profiling"?

Seeing Red said...

Was there a fainting couch nearby?

Why didn't she stand up for herself and tell the guy to eff off?

Instead of ripping his balls off, she acted all traditional female.

Now she's crying for the big male government to protect her?

Writ Small said...

Imagine if Daniele Watts had waited a year, didn't name the specific police officer involved, and described what happened for the purpose of promoting issues important to her.

traditionalguy said...

I love that your official tag line starts, "fat, fem, gender, politics..."



rehajm said...

Right now Scottish Better Together Woman is empathizing over a cuppa.

DrMaturin said...

I live in New York. I bet if you took a poll fewer than half of New Yorkers could name her as their Senator and maybe 1 in 20 could pick her face out of a crowd. Prior to this business I hardly ever saw her name in the news. She isn't merely undistinguished, she's invisible. But since a few people have begun talking her up as a possible Presidential candidate, mostly because she's female and non-Hillary, we're starting to hear about her and from her. But she's a non-entity. Whatever the scale might say she's lighter than air.

MayBee said...

I bet it was Chris Christie.

Jaq said...

Because they are all Democrats?

Brando said...

Remember when everyone, including his political opponents, refrained from taking cheap shots at Chris Christie due to his obesity, and instead focused on his record and qualifications?

I don't either.

traditionalguy said...

I suspect the New York politicians aim at having "ultimate moral authority."

Sad to see that her being a women slighted by a man once upon a time is all she can think of.

The new Ken Burns series on PBS every night this week gives a good history of 70 years of New York politics. The patrician Roosevelts always wanted to be seen as striving to make life fair for the small guy. I guess small fat women need heroes too.

The portrait of Eleanor's struggle with the Roosevelt family demons is very interesting and should be more developed tonight. She came out of Teddy's branch and ended up marrying into another branch that had a Huguenot ancestry in the Delano branch.

How she survived is a miracle.

CWJ said...

It's a political memoir. Literal truth has nothing to do with it. Truthiness is all that's required.

The deeper question as with any memoir of a sitting politician is not what was written, but why it was written* now.

* - passive voice because I have no idea who in fact wrote it.

Fernandinande said...

5. Maybe it didn't happen.

Politicians' personal stories, especially Democrats, are generally false.

Plus, she looks a bit skinny, if anything.

jacksonjay said...

I really must reserve judgment until I hear from the Smarter Lena. I know what Amanda Marcotte thinks, but Lena's opinion is really invaluable. Plus, like Kirsten is like Lena's Senator, totes.

amie lalune said...

Apparently, she is under the impression that she was elected to begin with because of her stunning intellect. It had nothing to do with her looks.

And now she's losing her looks and crying about how shallow people are.

Julie C said...

While I suppose it's possible this actually occurred, I find the whole thing a bit fishy.

Are there really men out there who don't have any issues with saying crap like that to women? Because I've never met a single one. Most men who insult a woman do so because they clumsily stumble into it. "Are you pregnant again?" (No, just still fat, thanks.)

Men have no problem insulting one another, because they know men don't give a crap or will just return the insult and go have a beer later.

She's a freaking senator? And she couldn't, if this actually happen, find the wherewithal to respond with, "Yes, well at least I still have all my hair, baldy." That's what I'd do.

Shanna said...

Assuming it did happen, it would make her look nasty to name names

Indeed. It also could potentially open her up for lawsuits? Better to leave it vague.

Not that I know who this is or care about her political career or anything.

Fernandinande said...

The correct word for the behavior in the phony stories is "insult", not harass.

Shanna said...

Are there really men out there who don't have any issues with saying crap like that to women? Because I've never met a single one.

Most men in the business world have better sense. Although she's talking about labor leaders and politicians right? So who knows.

When I was in school, we had a labor relations class and the president of some sort of union came to give a talk and everything other word out of his mouth was a profanity. Hilarious and so out of place, I've never forgotten it.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Clearly those Senators all need to be suspended for a year, and Landrieu needs to be publicly castigated for enabling them.

wendybar said...

Blogger Todd said...
How about the option that those things were said to her but all of the comments came from Dems and if she named names, everyone would know that. This way Repubs get tarred too.


I agree 100%. Again...it's always political!!!

Thorley Winston said...

As I understand it, these examples were given in the context of her urging women to step forward and report incidents of abuse or harassment. Her refusing to name names directly contradicts the message she is trying to send.

Agreed so I think we can safely assume that either (a) it didn't happen and she’s a liar, (b) she acted just as badly as the men and is now trying to play the “victim” card or (c) the people who mistreated her are her allies and she’s too cowardly to stand up to them and is trying to use her own side’s bad behavior to smear their opponents.

Big Mike said...

If some or all of the senators turned out to be Democrats it would (a) not surprise me (Democrats are worthless on the best day of their lives) and (b) perfectly account for her unwillingness to name names.

Plus she could just be lying. She is, after all, a Democrat.

SteveM said...

Isn't she casting a cloud over the heads of the male senators who didn't make any negative comments about her weight, by refusing to identify those who did?

geokstr said...

Brando said...
People in general are prejudiced against fat people, short people, and unattractive people


You are no longer allowed to call people "short, fat and ugly." Now you must say "vertically disadvantaged, gravitationally challenged and aesthetically impaired."

lgv said...

Of course it happened! She was talking to her fellow senators about her Native American heritage while taking sniper fire during a landing in Bosnia.

It's all true.

George M. Spencer said...

Maybe cuz she is a sissy.

garage mahal said...

Plus she could just be lying. She is, after all, a Democrat.

I bet it's comforting, warm, and reassuring in your little bubble. The world is a scary place!

Peter said...

When reading a work of fiction, one is supposed to suspend disbelief. Nonetheless, it's obvious there's an author, and once the reader admits there's an author it follows that nothing in it "just happens": it all happens for a reason, because the author wanted it to happen. To further the characterization or the plot, perhaps.

Or to position oneself politically, if the fiction is a non-verifiable, nominally non-fiction sort of fiction written by or for an aspiring politician.

Brennan said...

They're all true when the looking glass is provided by your literary agent.

Swifty Quick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
geokstr said...

But, you see, the men in question are composites and poetic license has been taken regarding the actual words and situations, but it proves that all men are pigs, all the time.

She learned these useful rhetorical flourishes from Obama himself, in his autohagiography authored by a former domestic terrorist that just happened to live in his neighborhood.

Brennan said...

She was brilliant...until she married down to become a US Senator.

FleetUSA said...

Dems love to set up fake/imaginary boogies. As Choom says "there are those who...." fill in the blank.

Todd said...

garage mahal said...
Plus she could just be lying. She is, after all, a Democrat.

I bet it's comforting, warm, and reassuring in your little bubble. The world is a scary place!
9/16/14, 1:47 PM


And those congressmen were spat on and called the N-word by those tea party people. It happened I tell you! No one could produce any proof, nor could they claim the thousands of dollars in the offered reward for proof but it happened, cause congressmen would NOT lie!

FullMoon said...

The "insults" were advice.
Looking at her before and after pictures, they did her a favor

Unknown said...

http://www.rocitout.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/kg.jpg
reminds of an Althouse pose a while back....

How about a new poll, "Should Althouse run for national office?"

Birches said...

Great post.

Unknown said...

"That'll do pig, that'll do."

Alex said...

The truth of the narrative is what matters, not the actual facts.

The Crack Emcee said...

"Why won't Kirsten Gillibrand name the men she says harassed her?"

Some women have class?

Michael K said...

"I bet it's comforting, warm, and reassuring in your little bubble. The world is a scary place!"

"If you like your doctor, insurance you can keep it."

I took our troops out of Iraq !

Oh, it was Bush who did it.

"The ISIS is just a JV team with Lakers shirts."

I wasn't referring to ISIS when I said that "

Benghazi was caused by a movie by a nasty Muslim hater.

According to former Deputy Assistant Secretary Raymond Maxwell, the after-hours session took place over a weekend in a basement operations-type center at State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. This is the first time Maxwell has publicly come forward with the story.

At the time, Maxwell was a leader in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which was charged with collecting emails and documents relevant to the Benghazi probe.


Who's in a bubble ?

Alex said...

I want names, or it didn't happen.

Alex said...

Michael K - don't forget the immortal gem-

"you have to pass the bill and then read it".

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Wait, did the unnamed men say these things while spitting on her and shouting racist slurs at her in public, or did this happen afterwards? My timeline for unsubstantiated charges may be a little off.

Also, Prof. A's inclusion of a "it didn't happen" as an option is a sign of just how pervasive the rape culture really is. Shame.

Michael K said...

"Michael K - don't forget the immortal gem-

"you have to pass the bill and then read it"

That was actually true. I give them credit when they say something true. It's just that later, when it gets inconvenient, they forget.

President-Mom-Jeans said...

Awww, it's okay Garage.

You can name the people who call you porky, you fat fuck.

Nonapod said...

If she doesn't name names, what's to prevent these misogynists apes from continuing this behavior with other women (assuming she's telling the truth of course)? Doesn't she care about other potential victims? Or is this only about scoring political points?

Brando said...

One of the reasons Joe McCarthy deflated was that he had all these harrowing stories of communists at the highest level of government, but never provided specific names of these spies and traitors. It became one of those "I know they're out there" sort of accusations. Once McCarthy was asked "ok, who are these communists?" and he had nothing, his star faded and his name became associated with scare-mongering and false accusation.

I don't find her story so hard to believe--I mean, consider the life and times of Ted Kennedy--but she does herself no good by bringing this up and stopping short of giving any information that will enable anyone to verify if it's true. If she has good reason to not name names--and I can think of several--it would have been better to make a more general statement than to claim specific allegations that she can't back up.


jr565 said...

Don't people call Christie too fat all the time? Why the double standard when it comas to a woman?

Darrell said...

Joe McCarthy did know the names. He couldn't reveal them without blowing the cover off the VENONA Project. That takes a lot of guts.

Freeman Hunt said...

Of course you don't name names. That's feeding into the Villain of the Day culture. Talk about the issue.

I'm Full of Soup said...

The bigger question is what great things has she achieved in her life to warrant a book?! Give me a break!

At least Obama was a pothead who coasted thru his early years, survived eating dog meat, slept through many many church sermons, never had a real job, was from a Hawaii and was admittedly lazy yet avoided becoming a shiftless surf bum however he did aimlessly drift into Chicago and a meaningless job as a community organizer. All of which prepared him to be a shitty president. How can Gillibrand compete with that except of course we must give her extra credit for her role as a righteous warrior against the war on women.

Michael K said...

"He couldn't reveal them without blowing the cover off the VENONA Project. "

Did McCarthy know about it ? He was such a drunk that I doubt anyone would tell him a secret; or he would keep one.

dbp said...

Senator Gillibrand knows full-well that she will be believed by those who want to believe.

Critical thinkers who ask questions like: Is it possible/probable that some/all of the men are Democrats? Is it possible it never happened? are not her target audience. All the strident feminists in my Facebook friend group have posted on the subject and they all reflexively believe the claims. They are the target audience and her story works just fine on them.

They believe because it is a story they want to believe.

Freeman Hunt said...

I don't think those comments sound odd coming from high ranking politicians at all. The higher some people get, the more at liberty they feel to make comments verboten to the little ones.

The Godfather said...

OK, first I have to admit that I wasn't quite sure who Kristen [I'm now told it's Kirsten] Gillibrand is. I knew she was a Senator, but I thought she was from one of those fly-over states, like New Hampshire. I was really surprised to learn that she replaced Hillary! in the Senate; I'd thought they'd retired that seat -- but I'm glad to hear that they changed the practice of awarding that seat to someone from Massachusetts or Arkansas. Google says she was born in New York. So was I, but nobody offered me Hillary!'s seat.

Anyway, I googled her picture. I googled "Kristen [sic] Gillibrand fat", and I have to say, she's a reasonably good looking middle-aged woman. I only found a few pictures in which she looked . . . plump. If the Dems are looking for a woman to run instead of Hillary! (and by the way, have you ever seen Hillary's legs? There are good reasons for the pants suits), and can't quite stomach Granny Warren, well they could do worse than Kristen.

Kirsten, sorry.

Wince said...

Sen. Al Franken?

Author of "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot".

Yancey Ward said...

She is lying is, by far, the most likely explanation here.

Freeman Hunt said...

High ranking politicians are like rich people. Not all rich people say surprising, stupid things, but a whole lot of them do. The higher you go, the more yes men surround you, and the more out of touch you can get without realizing it.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Freeman Hunt said...
High ranking politicians are like rich people. Not all rich people say surprising, stupid things, but a whole lot of them do. The higher you go, the more yes men surround you, and the more out of touch you can get without realizing it.


Yes the comments themselves are unsurprising if you have spent any time with people accustomed to some power.


Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

I have been appalled by some of the things men the generation ahead of me say about women. These are well educated successful guys who have what can only be described as antediluvian attitudes towards women.

I rarely hear the same things from younger men or even men of my age. You can pretty much guarantee that the men in question were relatively old.



William said...

She's definitely gotten better looking in recent years. I don't know if it has to do with weight loss, better grooming, or the surgeon's art, but she has. Well, good for her, but her former chunkier, more rumpled self was well within tolerable limits. I look to movie stars and not politicians for my ideals of unattainable beauty. I might hold it against a politician if they were grotesquely ugly, but looks aren't a decisive factor, at least not consciously......In any event she seems to have led a relatively privileged life. Bellyaching about such minor infractions just highlights how pleasant and privileged her life is compared to than an under aged, working class girl n Rotherham.

Michael K said...

" You can pretty much guarantee that the men in question were relatively old. "

Actually, it is more likely that they are Senators. Other politicians come next.

Clinton quote "You better put some ice on that."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/janedoe022099.htm

MayBee said...

Of course you don't name names. That's feeding into the Villain of the Day culture. Talk about the issue.

Plus, if you don't get people chasing the Villian of the Day, they have more time to talk about Kirsten Gillibrand!

MayBee said...

The minute she says, "It was Chris Dodd" (for example), the spotlight goes to Chris Dodd.

This way, she's the one in the spotlight.

garage mahal said...

You can name the people who call you porky, you fat fuck.

You and Drago. Let's each take a selfie and post it here, and others can grade weight and appearance. You up to the challenge, shitty jeans?

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

garage mahal said...
You (PMJ) and Drago. Let's each take a selfie and post it here, and others can grade weight and appearance. You up to the challenge, shitty jeans?


A challenge has been announced. Will it be accepted?


Drago said...

garage mahal: "You can name the people who call you porky, you fat fuck.
You and Drago."

I have never called you porky.

Feel free to post evidence to the contrary.

Another day, another lie from garage.

Maybe my "secret porky" epithets are stored on some secret router(s) somewhere.

Or maybe I work for the IRS, in which case, voila! Lost.

Drago said...

I'm also happy to see ARM has temporarily "cured" himself from posting 1 word accusations over and over and ...you get the idea.

Drago said...

Back to the junior Senator from NY, of course she is either lying or covering up for some dems.

In the same way that Neil deGrasse Tyson is fond of making up quotes from nowhere, all except for one, which can be traced to none other than rocket scientist Maxine Waters of CA (the "360 degrees" comment)

All in a days work.

garage mahal said...

You know what? I think you might be right Drago. I must have confused you with Jay, or donald. [easily done].

My challenge still stands with PMJ.

Diogenes of Sinope said...

Liberals, Democrats, Progressives, the Left, know lying works. Especially when the media does not challenge the Lefts' lies.

Spiros Pappas said...

A very excellent (and objective) analysis of the trauma Ms. Gillibrand experienced.

I believe Ms. Gillibrand's story, but I don't care and don't believe she is entitled to any sympathy. Heck, she might end up ostracized by her female colleagues. It's a lot like the nonsense G. Paltrow spewed a week or two ago about how hard her life is...

Drago said...

garage: "garage mahal said...
You know what? I think you might be right Drago. I must have confused you with Jay, or donald. [easily done]."

Don't sweat it.

I give you alot of grief (whether effective or not) so I don't really blame you for initially thinking I was a member of the "pork" brigade.

richard mcenroe said...

Brando, Waxman had his own problems...

David said...

Gillenbrand is the daughter of prominent Albany area lawyers. She was raised in affluence and went to Emma Willard then Dartmouth. Her family had great political connections in both the Democratic and Republican parties. She went to UCLA Law, became an associate at Davis Polk and then a law clerk for a prominent district judge. Her wealthy husband is a hedge fund manager.

So this wealthy, well connected, quite good looking, well educated and ambitious woman had a few men who told her that she was getting too fat and that it would hurt her run for public office. Boo hoo. The men were wrong, but they probably thought they were doing her a favor by being frank.

Now she wants to show how how oppressed she was and at the same time not piss off any other Democrats who might be able to do something for her at some time. That's ok. In fact it's smart of her not to name names.

But to present herself as some sort of victim is ludicrous. She has had an amazing number of advantages. Good looks among them.

David said...

And by the way, Gillibrand has been able to lose 40 pounds and keep it off while in the nosh line of American politics.

That is an accomplishment.

Anonymous said...

Never mind the names, I want to know if she saw any posters of the Blue Fist hanging above a Senator's desk.

William said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
William said...

I just hope that they're not grooming her and she doesn't wake up drugged in some back room, surrounded by naked lobbyists who demand that she sign some unnatural fracking act

Jaq said...

"I have never called you porky."

Obviously you used "dog whistles."

jr565 said...

Very few people will tell you to your face that you're a fattie unless they are on your side. And are telling you the polling data on what is turning voters off about you (i.e. the weight). Commentators might point out your fatness, but usually that's only directed at men who are fat like Christie.
But why would your enemies who are trying to beat you electorally tell you you are fat and can't get elected. Because then you could do something about it, like lose weight.
Maybe there are some blowhard repubs around who call women fat, but my guess is she's hearing it from her own side.

chillblaine said...

"...proves that all men are pigs, all the time."

This. Since was a tadpole, I have heard a similar refrain. "If only women were in charge of everything, then we wouldn't have all these wars and stuff. Women never abuse their authority."

Sen. Gillibrand seems only to be interested in women's issues. Specifically, she wants the evidentiary standards for sexual assault changed from 'beyond a reasonable doubt,' to 'preponderance of evidence.' The evidence in this case is that all men are pigs, and she is teh hotness.

chillblaine said...

An alternate explanation is that she is a political operator of Machiavellian proportions. The allegations are political chits that she can call in, when it suits her.

David said...

chillblaine said...
An alternate explanation is that she is a political operator of Machiavellian proportions. The allegations are political chits that she can call in, when it suits her.


That would work better if she had never gone public at all, but it's possible.

CWJ said...

Chillbaine cited -

"...proves that all men are pigs, all the time."

That's the genius of the political memoir. She gets the cred with the sisterhood for saying this without ever having to introduce SB "all men are pigs" on the floor.

If anyone calls her on this, she says the senate is an old boys chamber so what's the point of actually proposing anything. Win Win for KG!

The memoir without identifiable "others" is politics without accountability. 'nuff said!

holdfast said...

To her credit, Gillibrand doesn't sweat much for a fat chick. So there is that.

n.n said...

The social model is to extrapolate from the specific to exploit general conclusions. Her perspective is sympathetic to the doctrine of collective sin.

Anonymous said...

Because one of the men was Bill whose wife might be the next president, the other one was Al who could call up global warming to deluge Ms. Gillibrand's home island.

Ann Althouse said...

"Lacks a category for 'if she named them, they would retaliate.'"

This is implied in 3 and 4. 3 if you mean she misportrayed them, 4 if you mean she wants them as allies.

Ann Althouse said...

"I love that your official tag line starts, "fat, fem, gender, politics..."

Fem should be feminism. That was a failure to autocomplete.

Titus said...

I think she is kinda hot. Not Palin hot, natch. But hot nonetheless. If she goes to a hick party and fights I might consider her hotter though. She's likable though, not Bachmann likeable, who is so incredibly likable I can't stand it, but still kinda likable.

There are very few hot women politicians and it nice to see a few.

Virginia Foxx and most repub women are just hideous. Bad big hair, stylings, clothes, and accoutrements are downright deplorable. No wonder a gay will never vote for you...and your hatred for the gay doesn't help.

Hillary is horrible too!!!!!!

You still have the south in national elections though!!! Totally winning. Johnson and the Nixon/Reagan (saint and best president ever 35 years ago)southern strategy worked......regionally.

Tards are likely going to win in Kansas, I mean how sad is that? What is wrong with Kansas...all their children are leaving!!!!! They are coming to the evil coasts. Kansan younguns everywhere!!!! Kansas's unemployment and bond rating is really fucking bad.

But pubes will win in Louisiana, Arkansas and possibly NC. And that won't be a national election win. Pubes either need to evolve (horrible and never) or die.

The republican party: old, white, uneducated, regional=future national success!!!!

tits.

Drago said...

Titus tries the "Southern Strategy" gambit again.

Forcing observers to note, again, that both Nixon and Reagan were able to win 49 states with their "southern strategy".

Titus conclusion: the entire nation was "southern" in 1972 and 1984.

Yes, Titus really should just stick to commentary on fashion, the hideousness of his WI parents and the islamists he'd like to hit his knees for......right before they cut his head off.

Which is apparently the fault of Christians or something.

Meade said...

madisonfella said...
"Never mind the names, I want to know if she saw any posters of the Blue Fist hanging above a Senator's desk."

Heh. Now that was a good one, mad fella.

Smilin' Jack said...

"Why won't Kirsten Gillibrand name the men she says harassed her?"

I have to go with: 6. She knows no one will give a fuck. In fact, anyone who even knows who she is needs to get a life.

cubanbob said...

The Crack Emcee said...
"Why won't Kirsten Gillibrand name the men she says harassed her?"

Some women have class?"

If she did, she wouldn't have mentioned it to begin with.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Garage, not that I care, but:
.....
garage mahal said...
You know what? I think you might be right Drago. I must have confused you with Jay, or donald. [easily done].

My challenge still stands with PMJ.
9/16/14, 5:58 PM
.....
Is missing an apology. "oops" would do, I'm sure, "sorry" or "my bad" even better.

I tell you this because, though a liberal, you are a dog lover, therefore perhaps not beyond redemption.

furious_a said...

The labor leader calling her fat, would that be "profiling"?

More like "pot...kettle", judging from the lard-os in their purple AFSCME Barney shirts down at the DMV.

Misinforminimalism said...

None of this is harassment without additional detail and context (it could be entirely benign, for example, to offer her fair warning that even though the speaker finds her pretty, the voters will have a hard time accepting a plus-sized woman for statewide office). Her failure to provide the context is damning of her accusations. Thus number 4 looms large.

paulejb said...

I'll wager that it was Chuckie Schumer, her New York Senate colleague.

Anonymous said...

Duh,because they are democrats.If they were Republicans names would have flown from her mouth.

Nate Whilk said...

Maybe some are Republicans up for re-election, and she's waiting until just before the elections for the maximum effect. In the meantime, lots of people will continue to wonder who these guys are and that keeps the subject alive.