Nancy broke out Thor’s hammer and once again gets it done:
The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to overturn the ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers serving in the U.S. military, passing legislation repealing the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
The bill — a so-called “standalone” measure not tied to any other legislative items — passed 250 to 175 in a virtual party-line vote. It now advances to the Senate.
The House previously passed a repeal of the ban as part of a larger defense spending authorization bill, but the measure stalled last week in the Senate.
“Now is the time for us to act,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California. “We should honor the service of all who want to contribute” to America’s security. “Repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ makes for good public policy.”
Now we get to sit around and wonder what kind of bullshit excuses Scott Brown, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Joe Manchin, and the other “moderates” come up with to block the bill.
freelancer
Needs moar considrashun.
Also, LOVE the pic.
geg6
I love her. I love her. I love her.
She’s the only effective politician on my side of the aisle. Bar none.
I love her.
Of course, the Senate will fuck this up, too.
fourlegsgood
Jesus H christ on a cracker. Party line vote AGAIN??
do the rethug crackers not read the polls?
shortstop
ALL RIGHT, not ALRIGHT. Sorry–that one drives me crazy. Have a rum ball and forget I said anything.
Elizabelle
It’s time.
Does anyone think the “moderates” could be moved by lots of phone calls on the matter? From people outside their states?
Jody
I’d say this is good news. Make them own it.
Trouble is, nobody’s held accountable in DC anymore but Democrats.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
The House vote 250-175, which was LARGER than the vote held in May (234-194).
This must be obama’s fault.
fourlegsgood
Oh, kind of like FUCKING EVERYTHING THE GOP TRIES TO DO. Fuckers. Sorry to shout, but the complete lack of awareness of the entire GOP caucus makes me want to take a hostage.
LesGS
Joe.My.God reports that Lieberman has tweeted that Snowe has pledged her support for repeal.
AxelFoley
@Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century):
Definitely Obama’s fault.
FormerSwingVoter
It looks like Collins and Snowe are both on board this time around.
http://www.pressherald.com/Snowe-pledges-support-for-dont-ask-repeal.html
Kryptik
@LesGS:
Pardon my skepticism, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
taylormattd
John, the premise of your post is incorrect. It should be as follows:
freelancer
Also, NAME that Pundit!
12/14/10
5:08 PM EST
12/14/10
8:25 PM EST
I need to borrow Nancy’s mallet.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
during the debate every winger said they weren’t voting against gays, rather they were voting against the process.
I also got a kick of them saying gays were jamming the bill down congress’ throat.
oh, they’re so un-hip, so oblivious, so lacking in self awareness.
AxelFoley
@LesGS:
Oh, no, Lucy, we’re not gonna fall for that “Move the football out of the way at the last second” trick again.
And we ain’t gonna fall for no banana in the tailpipe!
asiangrrlMN
@Kryptik: Sadly, I’m with you. I’m not holding my breath until I actually see the Senate count.
But, I gotta say, I do love me some Nancy SMASH, especially when she’s wielding that gavel (walk softly and carry a big gavel?). She’s my role model.
FormerSwingVoter
@Kryptik: I’m less skeptical, but only because Collins actually voted for it last time around. And Snowe’s statement was surprisingly devoid of the process-related pearl-clutching I’ve come to expect from her.
taylormattd
@freelancer: OMG, really? Jesus christ, please tell me that’s a joke.
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@fourlegsgood: They do, and they know that even though the majority of Americans support overturning DADT, that there’s a significant part of their base which is adamantly opposed. This is one case where the base might not forgive them, but the more casual voters probably would, if there are other things they care about more at stake.
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@fourlegsgood: They do, and they know that even though the majority of Americans support overturning DADT, that there’s a significant part of their base which is adamantly opposed. This is one case where the base might not forgive them, but the more casual voters probably would, if there are other things they care about more at stake.
Zifnab
DEMOCRATS DON’T DO ENOUGH FOR THE GAY COMMUNITY! I’M VOTING REPUBLICAN!
I’m really curious what percentage of the next two years is going to involve House-sponsored gay bashing bills. You’ve got a bunch of real nutters in office, and they’ll be chomping at the bit to fire off a few rounds in the Culture Wars.
How many “God Hates Fags” resolutions are we going to see next year? I’m looking forward to another round of Justice Sunday.
Citizen_X
That picture needs some Linton Kwesi Johnson to go with it.
RosiesDad
Jim DeMint is going to make them read it aloud in the Senate chamber but not until after they read all the other shit he wants read.
DonkeyKong
Figures the only Democrat in Washington with balls is a woman.
taylormattd
@freelancer: LOL, Sully. Haha. Well, now the people at the hate sites can launder their insanity through him.
AxelFoley
@Zifnab:
I actually hope the Repubs show their ass, so dumbass, lazy voters can see how dangerous it is to not vote.
Mnemosyne
@Kryptik:
Yep. They’ve danced that dance one too many times for me to think they actually mean it this time.
I could totally see another asshole conservadem like Manchin agreeing to oppose it so Snowe and Collins can say they voted for it, but it just couldn’t pass the Senate! You know, like they did on the last go-around.
Buck
Not to rain on anyone’s parade but, I can’t help but be a little apprehensive.
Lurker
@freelancer:
*begin snark*
…and I’m sure this unknown pundit will credit President Obama if 60+ Senators pass DADT repeal.
*end of snark*
AxelFoley
@DonkeyKong:
The fuck is up with the fascination with testicles on this and other Dem-leaning blogs?
Dennis SGMM
Lucy, football.
taylormattd
@Lurker: Lol. Let me write what the the trolls will say:
Zandar
“It is with great trepidation that at this time my Republican colleagues in the Senate and I feel that we must take a detailed consultation of their respective constituencies in order to make sure that all sides are heard, all viewpoints considered and all opinions are weighed in this historic debate that will deeply affect our national security and all Americans, and having said that even though we believe that the time has come for the august body to consider action upon this contentious issue we cannot in good conscience agree to allow consideration at such a junction where so much other pressing legislation must come first and foremost in a limited period of time where Democrats have refused to move the legislative calendar forward on what we feel are the bills that are important to the prosperity of the American people.”
There. That should save some Senate staffer some time.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
@DonkeyKong:
figures the only misogynist left are lefty bloggers who can’t spell “figures”.
Zifnab
@AxelFoley:
Lieberman’s going into campaign mode. He’s been pissing off his constituency for the last 10 years. Last election cost him the Democratic nomination and nearly the general. Joe needs to start working himself back into the good graces of the Connecticut left. Becoming the hero of DADT repeal is a perfect gesture. He also forms an alliance with the “moderate” Republicans and positions himself as a gatekeeper of legislation in the Senate.
fourlegsgood
@FormerSwingVoter: Oh, finally? I still want to slap the two of them.
AxelFoley
@taylormattd:
Oh, no doubt. No doubt, that’s gonna be their reaction.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
@Dennis SGMM: you’re right. scrap the vote. why bother.
gene108
@Brian S (formerly Incertus):
America’s population isn’t evenly distributed across all 50 states. We have great big gobs of people on the East and West coasts and significant gobs of people in some of the middle bits, like southern Michigan, northern Illinois, and parts of Ohio.
But our system of government was never designed to allow simple majority rule. We are skewed to excessive representation of the less populated regions of the country.
Even if a majority of Americans want it repealed it doesn’t mean voting against a measure is voting against the interests of a majority of an elected officials constituents.
How many people in places like Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, Idaho, or Utah want DADT repealed? Maybe less than 50% want to repeal DADT. What about people representing rural districts in VA, NC, SC, and GA? Maybe less than 50% of their constituents want to repeal DADT.
Going against what a majority of Americans want, doesn’t always mean going against what a majority of your constituents want and that’s who any elected official is ultimately answerable to.
fourlegsgood
@Brian S (formerly Incertus): I disagree with that. Even conservatives repubs poll at 70% for repeal. Not that their base will punish them, but this is something they can vote for without repercussions.
But they’ll still oppose just to try to make liberals mad.
Martin
@taylormattd: I have it on good authority that Obama once shot a gay soldier in Reno just to watch him die.
Chyron HR
@AxelFoley:
I’m gonna go against the grain here and say that the No-bot reaction to a DADT repeal would be “Of course Obama repealed DADT–SO HE CAN HAVE THE ARMY KILL AND TORTURE MORE GAYS!”
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
@AxelFoley:
There was a time when lefty blogs would routinely call out such rhetoric as sexist and misogynist.
Hell, I’m sure everyone is aware of the outrage that occurred when Kos posted a titillating video of two scantly clad women wrestling.
http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Pie_fight
But now they’re open merchants of backwards stereotypes.
As this rate it won’t be long before lefty blogs start saying obama needs to nigger up and eat more chicken and watermelon.
Citizen_X
@Elizabelle:
How ’bout that guy Manchin? Anybody on this blog from his state? (/kidding)
I mention him because he had the most bizarre and clueless
reasoningexcuse for voting “nay” before. I mean, jeez, tell him he can vote with his rifle or some damn thing.Catsy
@AxelFoley:
Yeah, goddamn lefties and their unthinking embrace of centuries-old English language metaphors. The fuck is up with that?
MAJeff
@gene108:
How many people in places like Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, Idaho, or Utah want DADT repealed? Maybe less than 50% want to repeal DADT. What about people representing rural districts in VA, NC, SC, and GA? Maybe less than 50% of their constituents want to repeal DADT.
All three of North Dakota’s representatives have voted for DADT repeal. Although the state is among the absolute worst in terms of LGBT policy and public opinion. (Yes, living here as a gay man can be hellish.)
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@fourlegsgood: I think a lot of the gay-haters in the Republican party are one or two-issue voters who won’t hesitate to primary a pol who doesn’t vote their hate. The pols know that they can vote for every economic measure to screw their constituents that exists as long as they’re on the proper side of gay-hating, Mexican-hating, and abortion. Cross those lines, though, and you’re toast, especially in a safe district where primarying a guy doesn’t usually end in a lost seat. Those are the voters more likely to stay home in the general than the mushy middle who says “well, I don’t care about gays in the military but I want that tax cut, so I’m holding my nose and going with the hater.” It benefits the pol to be extreme in these cases.
Zuzu's Petals
I am so proud of Nancy.
She will be a FIERCE minority leader.
scav
@Catsy: blame it on the rum balls in the last thread. ‘sides, we juicers tend to lurv good rumballs in the jumballs or anywhere in fact.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
These may not be the six most terrifying words in the English language, but they are the saddest. Our system of govt is a game of chutes-and-ladders. Next up: chutes-ville.
AxelFoley
@Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century):
Oh, they’re leaning that way. And they have the damn nerve to call Repubs racists. Some the shit they say about Obama, I haven’t even heard fools on the right call him.
Balconesfault
If the last act of the Pelosi-led House is this, and not a Tax Cut for the Rich bill .. that will be sweet.
Catsy
@Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century):
Right. Because the metaphorical concept of “balls” as an idiomatic description of courage is exactly like saying “nigger”.
Gods, I hate language purity trolls. Especially when they demonstrate weapons-grade ignorance of the language.
Admiral_Komack
“Now we get to sit around and wonder what kind of bullshit excuses Scott Brown, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Joe Manchin, and the other “moderates” come up with to block the bill.”
“Twas the Night before Christmas…”
AxelFoley
@Catsy:
Right. Because there hasn’t been a history of trying to emasculate black men in this country.
Shut the fuck up.
jurassicpork
Excellent. Once again, Nancy’s put pressure on the limp dicks in the Senate and threw the ball back in their side of the court.
Meanwhile, why hasn’t Michael Moore kicked in for this guy?
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
@Catsy:
saying women are inferior because they don’t have “balls” is as offensive as epitaphs saying non-whites are inferior. but, your miles may vary.
Martin
@gene108:
With 77% of the public in favor of repeal, it’s almost impossible for those states to be much below 50%. 77% is a huge, huge number in public polling. Keep in mind that only about 65% of Americans believe that evolution is even potentially correct. 35% say that it’s flat-out impossible.
Zifnab
@Catsy:
Wait till he listens to a rap album and discovers that black people are the real racists.
Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony
I love, love, love, love, love her!
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@Catsy: Seems to me the only one demonstrating weapons-grade ignorance of language and its power is you.
Catsy
@AxelFoley:
Speaking of weapons-grade ignorance, what the fuck does any history of emasculating black men have to do with the exchange between Mike and I about the idiomatic use of the term “balls” to refer gender-independently to courage?
I swear, trying to have a conversation of any substance with fucktards like you is like trying to file a tax return with smoke signals.
Catsy
@Brian S (formerly Incertus):
You forgot to add “nanny-nanny-boo-boo” and “bounces off me and sticks to you” to your pithy demonstration of tu quoque.
DS
Is anyone here from Oklahoma? What the fuck is wrong with Dan Boren?
Catsy
@Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century):
Well gosh then, I’m sure glad nobody here said anything like that.
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@Martin: But how many of those 77% are willing to punish their representative for voting against them on something like DADT? For people who identify as conservative and want it overturned, it’s not usually a deal-breaker, whereas for the hardcore gay-hating conservative, voting to overturn it is. Voting against the former won’t get you primaried–voting against the latter will.
R-Jud
@Zuzu’s Petals: Le sigh. I wish she didn’t have to be minority leader.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
@Zifnab: yeah, I don’t condone slurs, period. It angers me to no end when a lefty like Aaron McGruder says nigga/nigger
Zifnab
@Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century):
And yet, from the context of the original statement “the only Democrat in Washington with balls is a woman” it appears that he’s saying the WOMAN is superior to her MALE peers.
But spinning a hackneyed cliche phrase to suggest female empowerment is exactly the same thing as vulgarly dismissing a woman’s worth based on the presence or absence of genitals.
How could we be so bliiiiind?!
Oh no, I’ve insulted the blind.
cat48
Rep Gohmert says if this passes, it means our Army will fall or something?? I guess that means that “the Terror Babies” have won!
And Another Thing...
@AxelFoley: It’s not just Dem blogs. It was stunning how frequently during the election there was some version of manning/sacking up used. Palin in particular fond of that characterization. After all the snickering about Hillary being a ball buster etc, no one made a peep about Palin or Angle for that matter being very overt. Is this IOKIYAR or are we finally moving away from smearing some women with the BB meme?
The Moar You Know
No matter how you may feel about today’s Democratic party, there is one person that has, no matter what, done her damndest to get things done, and that is Nancy Pelosi.
I don’t know how she does it. Obama bargains away almost everything that she gets passed, and then Reid manages to fuck up the rest of it. And yet she hasn’t gone postal or even said bad shit about anyone yet.
Can’t wait to read her memoirs, especially about this administration.
At any rate, Speaker Pelosi, I thank you. You’ve done a great job in the face of insurmountable obstacles. That is the hallmark of a consummate professional and a great human being.
Lolis
The fight right now will be getting the time for the Senate to vote on it. We already know they are trying to run out the clock on every damn bill.
Sigh. I am not surprised teh professional gays are going to give the president zero credit for this. For some on the left, ODS has set in full blast.
Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century)
@Zifnab: stop being a cunt.
I, for one, welcome our new bigoted lefty overlords!
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@Zifnab:
Sigh. And what is he saying makes her superior to her male peers? Her possession of male genitalia, metaphorical though they may be. And that’s the problem with saying it in the first place, which is something Catsy is either unwilling or unable to acknowledge.
Omnes Omnibus
@DonkeyKong: Rum balls?
The Moar You Know
@jurassicpork: Assange could post bail. Manning cannot.
PFC Bradley Manning has by his own admission committed a very, very serious crime. To be honest, it’s one so serious that I’ve got no problem with them hauling him out in front of a firing squad and executing him if the court-martial finds him guilty.
trollhattan
[Sniff} Nancy SMASH makes me proud to live
near…a two-to-four-hour drive…eighty minutes by hovercraft from SF.She and the Giants.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Catsy:
Nuts, I tell ya!
Zuzu's Petals
@R-Jud:
Yep.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Catsy:
Prolly best to ignore him. As best I can tell, he’s just here to keep shit stirred up on the left.
Moses2317
Way to go Speaker Pelosi! I’m nervous about the Senate vote, but am not simply sitting around waiting to see what excuses they come up with. Instead, call your Senators, especially the following key ones, and tell them to vote for S. 4023, the standalone bill in the Senate. Fairness, equality, and military readiness all compel repealing DADT.
Olympia Snowe (Maine) – (202) 224-5344
Susan Collins (Maine) – (202) 224-2523
Scott Brown (Massachusetts) – (202) 224-4543
George LeMieux (Florida) – (202) 224-3041
George Voinovich (Ohio) – (202) 224-3353
Jim Webb (Virginia) – (202)-224-4024
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) – (202) 224-6665
John Ensign (Nevada) – (202) 224-6244
Richard Lugar (Indiana) – (202) 224-4814
Mark Kirk (Illinois) – (202) 224-2854
Joe Manchin (West Virginia) – 202-224-3954
Winning Progressive
Zifnab
@Mike Kay (Democrat of the Century):
I’m going to pray that was sarcastic.
@Brian S (formerly Incertus):
It’s a colloquial expression.
If I called you a total cock or a humongous asshole, I would not actually be concerned with the size and shape of your junk.
It’s fucking obnoxious when Word Nazis rip common phrases completely out of context, in some vain attempt to claim moral superiority. But when no one on this board actually thinks you need testicles to achieve a level of authority or competency, you’re just coming off as a pretentious holier-than-thou cockwad throughly convinced his shit doth not stank.
So please contain yourself, or go harass some other blog.
Mary G
@Martin: This made me laugh out loud.
It is amazing how, right after every pundit says “it’s dead in the water”, Nancy P comes along and gets it done. Luv her.
Martin
I think it’s awesome that even when some actual progress takes place on DADT, something that everyone here would agree as good news, that people still manage to find a way to shit on each other for lack of something else to shit on.
Not until Obama uses the word ‘period’ in a sentence can the natural order be restored.
guster
@Martin: Apparently as a youth he spent a great deal of time abroad.
Just sayin’.
Catsy
@Martin:
If he did, I have no doubt someone would declare it a sexist remark about menstruation.
jacy
@freelancer:
Wasn’t it good ol’ Sully who just last week was saying that Nancy was just as responsible for gridlock as McCain or some such blather?
Catsy
@Zifnab: This is full of win, and pretty much all I had left to say on the subject.
Have fun with your bad selves.
Nellcote
@The Moar You Know:
She has decades of experience in how to politic. She knows you win some, you loose some but you don’t just give up and start whining. You keep working to make progress.
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@Zifnab:
I’ve been commenting here at least as long as you, Zifnab. Quit trying to bully people who point out when you’re full of shit, if you don’t mind. I’m not going anywhere.
And there’s no pulling anything out of context here. The fact that a term is colloquial does not preclude the possibility that it’s offensive. In fact, I’d guess the more colloquial a term, the more likely it is to be offensive, given that language and sensibilities have changed so much over time.
You used the example of asshole–asshole isn’t a problem because there’s nothing masculine or feminine about it. It’s human. But balls? They’re male. And to use them as an example of something good simply by virtue of their maleness is a problem, whether you want to admit it or not. That’s what Catsy did, and his/her response when called on it, as well as yours, shows that at the very least, you don’t have a problem with the construction.
Cris
@Catsy: Been there, primary season mercifully ended
stuckinred
Jesus Christ it’s a fucking English class.
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@stuckinred: You say that like language is unimportant or something.
freelancer
@jacy:
Why yes. Yes he did.
singfoom
@Brian S (formerly Incertus): Pedantic.
stuckinred
@Brian S (formerly Incertus): I’m sorry, I’ll crawl back under my rock.
kay
@Nellcote:
I love her, and I’m bitter that she didn’t get more positive attention from the media. I’m holding a grudge. If Pelosi were a white male from the midwest or the south she’d be on magazine covers, and they’d all be kissing her ass, and lauding her leadership skills. Instead they tried to force her out of leadership, with those ridiculous editorials. I don’t know why a vote among House Democrats is any of their business anyway. Why didn’t they want her to run? What’s the problem?
Dennis SGMM
@guster:
I heard that he was sent abroad to study.
dr. bloor
@gene108:
Shitty rationale for maintaining racial segregation, shitty rationale now.
WereBear
This is why I use the word ‘nads. It’s gender neutral!
I think Nancy Pelosi has ‘nads the size of pumpkins.
There you go.
cyntax
All I know is I sure enjoy filling in that bubble next to Nancy’s name every couple of years.
But seeing the Giants beat the Rangers with W and Daddy W in the stands didn’t suck either.
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@singfoom: Whatever–being pedantic is arguing over the difference between who and whom, or less and fewer. Sexism in language is worth fighting about, in my opinion, because it reinforces stereotypes and damages real people in real ways. I refuse to apologize for that.
Bnut
It seems this post has become a DICK measuring contest over who can be more pedantic.
cyntax
@stuckinred:
I always kept my eye out for those when I was an undregrad, but they only had the regular English classes. More’s the pity.
Omnes Omnibus
@Brian S (formerly Incertus):Is the phrase “beating a dead horse” sexist?
freelancer
@singfoom:
I believe when casting an accusation, you are to use the noun form of the word, rather than the adjective. In this case, it would be “You are a pedant,” and not the vague all encompassing modifier “pedantic” in which we do not specifically know what is “pedantic”. It could be that Brian is “pedantic” or it could be Brian’s statement about language that is “pedantic”. It could be the value of the importance of language that Brian holds that is, in fact, “pedantic”, or it could just be your critique of Brian’s position that is “pedantic.” “Pedant”, weilded as a noun is much more direct and the meaning is clear, but y’all didn’t mean to split hairs or anything, did you?
change
This bill is dead-on-arrival.
Our new strategy, as of today, is to shut the whole lame duck session down. Nothing gets passed.
Jim DeMint reading the entire spending bill to the Senate floor today is just the beginning of gumming up the works.
DADT will remain the law of the land.
singfoom
@Brian S (formerly Incertus): I’m not a sexist. It takes balls not to be a sexist. In using the colloquial expression, “It takes balls”, I am not hating women nor denying their agency.
In fact, in that given expression, while the origin may refer to genitalia, I think it is appropriate to use that when referring to either sexes. To me, “That takes balls” is more a reference of internal mental fortitude.
So it doesn’t offend me, but I’m not easily offended. Now you on the other hand, seem easily offended and didn’t like that phrase.
It’s not inherently sexist and at a certain point it comes down to internal morals. So please, try not to be offended and stop shitting up the thread about sexism you decide to perceive rather than actual sexism.
singfoom
@freelancer: I see what you did there. Touche.
Bnut
@Omnes Omnibus: Stallion or mare? Gelding? These are important, pedantic questions.
Omnes Omnibus
@freelancer: Please accept this laurel … and hearty handshake. You are the proud owner of a shiny new internet.
Nellcote
@kay:
They’re afraid of her. She’s an effective no-apology-big-L-Liberal LEADER. To the msm, she upsets their meme of all dems being spineless.
When DADT passes she deserves to be flooded with roses again.
Omnes Omnibus
@Bnut:
I choose to respect its privacy.
MattR
@kay:
I actually think it is an interesting question whether her gender hurts her more than the location of her district. My quick answer is that the media cares more about her gender while the Republicans care more about her SF liberalsness. But there are counterarguments to be made on both sides. And I do think that they both care more about the fact that she is “an effective no-apology-big-L-Liberal LEADER”, to steal from Nellcote
Joseph Nobles
I would like to point out that what the House did was concur with a Senate amendment. This puts the House in the incredible position of having approved a bill from the Senate that the Senate has not itself approved. This is proof positive why the system is screwed up, and yet it will somehow be Obama’s fault.
kay
@Nellcote:
I just thought it was weird. So blatant. These are the same people who were running around extolling Delay as The Velvet Hammer (or whatever) until he was actually indicted and they give that ridiculous self-important phony Newt Gingrich a huge microphone. They treated Pelosi like she was somehow distastefully political and lowbrow.
No shit. She’s a partisan? And she colors her hair. Horrors!
Brian S (formerly Incertus)
@singfoom: For starters, I wasn’t the only one who called out the phrase as sexist. I’m just the one who hasn’t quite let it go yet, so to suggest that I’m the one perceiving sexism when it’s not really there is, well, silly at best.
But here’s the thing. I’m not necessarily calling you a sexist (yet). I am saying that the phrase “it takes balls” is sexist, whether your intent in using it is sexist or not, because it reinforces the gender stereotype that there are some sorts of toughness–“internal mental fortitude,” you called it–that should be connected metaphorically to male genitalia. Again, I’m not talking about your intent–I’m talking about the words and how they work together. You can’t separate that phrase from what it suggests about the superiority of the male gender. Like it or not, it’s a sexist phrase, and no amount of intent can change that.
Cacti
I predict this one dies in the Senate also, too.
However, having it as a stand alone bill is a good thing. Moderate goopers and conservadems don’t have anything left to hide behind now, other than old fashioned bigotry.
suzanne
I adore Nancy.
A good friend of mine directed this film called “Disciples” about three gay ex-Mormons. Go check it out—he’d love the comments.
Citizen_X
@kay:
Don’t forget: botox! Har-har-har! Oh, and San Francisco! ZOMG, hippies! (/change)
kay
@Citizen_X:
This issue should be revisited once she’s out of their line of fire.
I want some soul-searching editorials.
“We treated Pelosi like shit. Gender issues, or We Hate Scary Liberals? Both?”
chopper
@change:
douché, republican.
Citizen_X
@kay: You expect the media to look critically at themselves? I’d laugh, if I wasn’t too busy crying.
Splitting Image
@Catsy:
I’d get more worked up about that too, but I think it’s much ado about nothing.
Omnes Omnibus
@kay: There is always the good old “We hate grandmothers.”
Uncle Clarence Thomas
@AxelFoley:
.
.
Cuz you’re holding out for two, right?
(BTW, nice O-face! So, so easy…)
.
.
kay
@chopper:
John McCain will save the bill. He’s a principled conservative and this is an important issue for him :)
It’s right up there with his (former) positions on climate change, or immigration, or campaign finance.
(2006)
Country First.
change
Dead on arrival, liberals. Dead. On. Arrival in the Senate.
kay
@Omnes Omnibus:
Right! She’s a granny. It’s appalling, how media treat grandmothers. Remember when they tried to convince us that Barbara Bush was Our National Mother? Dear Lord. That was a hard sale to make, but they gave it their best shot.
And Another Thing...
@Brian S (formerly Incertus): Word.
There are non-sexist idioms such as “has spine, guts, sand” to name a few. “Balls” IS overtly sexist even if the speaker doesn’t intend that.
kay
@change:
Where are the two principled conservatives in Maine on this?
Today…or… this minute? Can we get those weasels to sign something? Just so we’re clear on their actual intentions?
Trust but verify, right?
jrg
I think it’s wrong to use the term “balls” because it might offend people with only one testicle.
change
@kay:
I think the people who finally kill this bill will be patriotic liberals like Joe Manchin, Ben Nelson, and Jim Webb.
quaint irene
Hey, Stuckinred, how are your puppeh’s doing?
The Sheriff's A Ni-
@change: And when it passes, you’ll just comfort yourself again with your inflatable Pinochet doll. Or is it Hitler this week?
stuckinred
@quaint irene: Hey! They seem to be just fine. Took the Bohdi in for another blood panel just to be on the safe side. The insurance company seems cooperative so far but, with the $200 deductible and only one dog insured, it is still going to be quite a bite. Another learning experience.
thx
ps
there are many an Irene in my family!
Nellcote
@kay:
I bet she has a killer receipe for rum balls!
Suck It Up!
@The Moar You Know:
epic fail and hyperbole on your comment. just so you know. I admire Pelosi as much as everyone else, but don’t dismiss the problems that Harry Reid has to face. This ‘bargain away everything she passes’? you really pulled that out of your ass because it makes no sense and is a complete lie.
The fact remains, no matter what anyone thinks of Obama, Dems, and Harry Reid, THIS congress has been very productive and THIS president has accomplished a lot considering the historic obstruction, right wing propaganda and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that has tried to block them on everything. All THREE work together to get shit done.
you better recognize.
John - A Motley Moose
@change: Do you promise to go away and never come back after you are proven wrong? Oh wait, you’ve been proven wrong almost every time you leave a comment on this blog, yet here you are still spouting nonsense. Typical conservative. Can’t figure out how to move on.
noncarborundum
@Catsy:
Speaking of weapons-grade ignorance of the language: “between Mike and I”? Really?
kay
@change:
Well, you hope that’s true, because if it isn’t, several conservative Senators have been flat-out lying to their constituents, for years now, in order to persuade moderate voters that they weren’t moronic bigots.
I guess I’m confused on where principled conservatives are on this.
John McCain wasn’t patriotic in 2006, when he supported repeal, but he is now? The principled conservatives in Maine aren’t patriotic? Senator Brown (truck, MA) isn’t patriotic?
It must be bewildering to be a conservative. “Change” is a good nick for you. You-all seem to change constantly.
stuckinred
Why do you people keep talking to this creep?
kay
@Nellcote:
Oh, shit. Now you’ve done it. Now I have to go make cookies.
I feel anxious and behind on my CHRISTMAS WORK :)
kay
@stuckinred:
Sorry for rabble-rousing. I’m going. I’m procrastinating, really. This way I don’t have to bake.
stuckinred
@kay: It’s just so pointless to engage with it and it only gets encouraged.
danimal
Change was practically jumping up and down saying “pay attention to me, pay attention to me.” And now you have. As if this thread wasn’t annoying enough with the language debate. I recommend not engaging with trolls that aren’t original and don’t have anything to add to the conversation. Like Change. IOW, I like pecan pie during the holidays.
Obama did a LOT to get this issue up before Congress in a manner in which it could actually pass. Ironically, so did Lieberman, even if that doesn’t make up for being an ass for the past several years. Don’t be overly pessimistic; DADT will pass, as long as the Senate GOP ‘moderates’ are convinced their precious tax cuts are going to clear the House.
Barb (formerly Gex)
@Brian S (formerly Incertus): All the worst slurs are woman/gay oriented. Being called a dick isn’t as bad as being called a cunt. And being called a cock sucker or a pussy are fighting words. Anything lowering a man to a woman’s level is terrible. Hence the increased antigay sentiment towards men than women. The language developed reflecting how we thought and felt about these things. It is embedded to the point where it is altogether too easy to pass along the sentiment without actually holding it. But some people just want to keep on saying those things, and there really isn’t much anyone can do about it, so why bother?
Mnemosyne
@change:
Segregation today! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!!
Yep, we’ve been here before with you assholes.
Barb (formerly Gex)
I’ll add to my previous comment that I’d rather that the attitudes even if the language doesn’t rather than the other way around.
(My previous comment is in moderation however.)
CT
I like Speaker Pelosi (gotta use that title while I still can) as much as anyone, but she does have the advantage of operating under majority rules-no cloture votes, no anonymous holds. If Reid was operating under the same rules, he’d be viewed much more favorably by the blogosphere.
Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther
I love this:
“Now is the time for us to act,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California. “We should honor the service of all who want to contribute” to America’s security. “Repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ makes for good public policy.”
I might not feel this way if I were a lesbian, but oh how far we’ve traveled in my lifetime.
From Anita Bryant’s fevered campaign, to the Speaker of the House calmly asserting the patriotism of those who Bryant didn’t want to allow in our schools.
This makes me happy.
celticdragonchick
@change:
I found the receipts you lost for the lumber, burlap sacks and gasoline you bought earlier today, along with the dry cleaning bill for your hood and robes. Where do you need them sent to?
Have fun with your cross burning!
Odie Hugh Manatee
Regarding a woman having huge balls and not being a hermaphrodite, how about this:
Nancy Pelosi’s ovaries are bigger than any D.C. male politicians balls.
As much as I would like to see this pass I’m sure that there’s someone hard at work in the Senate right now burning the midnight oil to get a tombstone specially engraved just for this bill.
I’m sure that it will be a pretty one though.
TuiMel
@kay:
The day after the elections, NPR was giving lots of air time to the expectation that Nancy Pelosi would be out of leadership (and really inexplicably) probably follow the example of Dennis Hastert and get out of politics altogether. I decided to call the Speaker’s office to thank her for all she had gotten done and encourage her to ignore the Punditocracy and stay and fight. The receptionist sent me to the voice mail, and as I started to leave my message, I was shocked to find how emotional I became. I probably was not very coherent, but I am sure it came across that the Speaker still had believers out in the countryside. Here she is standing and delivering – again. I hope the Senate finds the way to do the right thing and repeal DADT.
Buck
@Emily L. Hauser/ellaesther:
EXACTLY!
fucen tarmal
stand-alone is good, but i would favor one add, calling it the
“we are finally sick and tired of doing the santorum, act”
could they really stop screwing the pooch on this?
Zuzu's Petals
@singfoom:
Mighty white of you.
Zuzu's Petals
@Brian S (formerly Incertus):
I agree. I’d also like to see the pejorative “p—y” retired for the same reason.
At least the old “he has to squat to pee” has finally fallen by the wayside.
pattonbt
As much I like this news, and appreciate Speaker Pelosi’s actions and accomplishments of the last 2 years, I am still convinced it has zero chance of getting through the Senate. All it takes is one fucknut (DeMint, etc.) and that’s all she wrote. This bill will never, ever see the light of day in the Senate.
I really, really, really want it to and I think if allowed to come up for a vote it would pass, but that is exactly why it can not be allowed to come up for a vote. The hard right can not allow it and they have enough power in the Senate to make sure it doesn’t happen.
daveNYC
@And Another Thing…:
IMO though, ‘balls’ has a connotation of suicidal bravery, of throwing it all out there for a hopelessly lost cause, that is missing from from words like ‘spine’,’guts’, and ‘sand’ (really? ‘sand’?).
Zuzu's Petals
@daveNYC:
Do you think Nancy Pelosi would describe herself as having balls?
ruemara
I do hope, in the middle of the semantics wars plus a small side of Obama phails compared to NancySmash, you’ve all made some calls to our presidents from Maine and WV? Let’s harass them into doing right pls.
scarpy
Harry Reid put out a statement last night saying, “We will repeal D-A-D-T- if Republicans do not run out the clock.”
Of course, Reid controls the floor schedule. And of course, Republicans by and large don’t want to pass it. So another way to read that is, “Hey Republicans, here’s a win-win for both of us so long as you run out the clock.”
Combine that with Obama’s pointed lack of any request that the Senate pass the thing in his own statement, and it looks pretty clear to me that the plan is to put it off until it’s “too late” (like, Wednesday, when senators really want to go home for Christmas) and alas and alack, Reid will say the Republicans left us no time to get it done.
Happy to eat my words. But for everyone here saying the blame for this rests exclusively on the GOP, it takes two to tango. The Dems talk one way when something is a serious priority and another way when they couldn’t care less, and for Obama and the Senate Dems, they’re talking in the latter fashion about DADT right now.
daveinboca
Just checking into the back ward of St. Elizabeth’s to check out how the ravers are doing in their [mental] strait jackets. The Demoncrats have a 2% core [or is it Obama’s “corps” pronounced ‘corpse?’] of hard-core d-bags and their doucherina dildo wielders that really haven’t assimilated Nov. 2nd.
I doubt if assimilating anything except toxic waste is in their genetic make-up. Go gnash your teeth in hell, shitheads…!
daveinboca
@celticdragonchick
I found the receipts you lost for the lumber, burlap sacks and gasoline you bought earlier today, along with the dry cleaning bill for your hood and robes. Where do you need them sent to?
Have fun with your cross burning!
Of course, 99.9 % of the hooded types you imply are trying to hold up DADT were members of the Demonrat Party & Manchin will presumably take out his heavy ammo to blow the law to smithereens. Demonrats like you can go suck cocks in hell, along with botox-brain San Fran Nan.
Bulworth
Nancy SMASH!
Marc McKenzie
@pattonbt:
Hopefully things will work out for the best.
You are right though–all it takes is one dips***t Republican and there goes the whole thing.
And while I’m glad to see Pelosi receive much deserved praise, let’s not forget that it wasn’t long ago that many wanted to throw her under the bus for a whole host of reasons, including not putting the impeachment of Bush under the table.