MoDo Sets Her Gaydar to 'Stun'

Right-wing sex columnist Maureen Dowd of The New York Times starts off her regular Wednesday exploration of political libido with the usual defilement of Hillary Clinton. I could almost picture the swaggering Obama supporters for whom the columnist's conspicuously concupiscent columns have undoubtedly become such a guilty pleasure sipping their coffee and reading approvingly down the page.

Yes. Yes. That Ickes fellow is a ruffian. "Distorted and personal attacks." Quite so. The "unplugged spouse." Terrible thing. The "garroting" style of the evil Clinton camp, the lies about Bosnia, the blackguards actually mentioning the rhetoric of a certain Reverend Wright to undecided superdelegates (how polarizing...will you pass the cream, darling?) - yes, good old Maureen understands "the monster" so well. Old MoDo's on our side. Let's just take a peek below the fold...

Pffttzzttskkkt! What's this?! What is Ms. Dowd suggesting about the Democratic frontrunner for President?

Obama has been less adept at absorbing the lesson of Hillary’s metamorphosis from entitled queen of the party to scrappy blue-collar mama. His strenuous and inadvertently hilarious efforts to woo working-class folk in Pennsylvania have only made him seem more effete. Keeping his tie firmly in place, he genteelly sipped his pint of Yuengling beer at Sharky’s sports cafe in Latrobe and bowled badly in Altoona. Challenging Obama to a bowl-off, Hillary kindly offered to “spot him two frames.”

At the Wilbur chocolate shop in Lititz Monday, he spent most of his time skittering away from chocolate goodies, as though he were a starlet obsessing on a svelte waistline.

“Oh, now,” the woman managing the shop told him with a frown, “you don’t worry about calories in a chocolate factory.”

See Obama fans (and I like him too), did you catch it after the spit-take this morning? The tall, thin, neatly-dressed guy with the Ivy League diction is "effete." Never loosens his tie, does he? Can't bowl. Sips his beer as if he'd never chugged a few on a Friday night. You know what she's saying don't you? Obama's attractive wife and cute giggling progeny don't really signify. But then again, neither did John Kerry's combat medals - hell, Kerry's offshore athletics in the pounding surf actually made him more effete. And so damned genteel.

We've seen this flick before, and although Senator McCain's aged and gnarled hands will never touch this tactic directly, his testosterone-addicted chorus in the media - led by the chief copulation critic of the Sulzbergers - is already laying the pipe, ahem, er, sorry, putting down the meme.

Liberals are just so gay. Wink freaking wink. Hillary's been a lesbian since she first came to public attention. Gore and Kerry - well, a couple of sissy boys. Now it's Obama's turn. Ugly? Yep. Effective? Less so, we'd all hope. But it's out there - the old macho Republican as tough guy leader routine. A sad tactic of a dying breed perhaps. Lance Mannion caught a couple of MSNBC's manly men at it again this week:

Is there a DC Insider Journalist bowling league where all these fat-faced, fat-assed old white gasbags get together on Tuesday nights to toss back the Buds and bowl in the 200s, with Scarborough and Matthews routinely battling it out to see which one of them's going to get the perfect game tonight and this is why these guys who look as though their last great athletic achievement was putting up the shelf for their grandkids' soccer trophies feel entitled to make fun of Barack Obama's bowling form?

Short memo to Barack: don't do it. No clomping through the woods with a 12-gauge. Keep your tie tied if you want. Skip all the chocolate you don't feel like eating. Sip that brewskie. And when they call you gay, do what Hillary Clinton alway has - don't correct 'em. Stay svelte, baby.

UPDATE: Digby, who has been tracking it relentlessly, calls this the media's "Barack ain't quite right" theme.

Comments

[bruce b.]

Nice one, Tom. You nailed it.

I have been watching "Morning Joe" (and have actually come to like Scarborough... who has been relatively unbiased, all in all). Anyhow, they play the Obama bowling clip over and over and Scarborough and Will Geist emit a high-pitched "weeeeeeeeee" whenever it is shown. This morning Mika Brzezinski, the co-host (and Zbigniews' daughter -- please excuse my spelling on all these names) said that she would leap across the desk and personally strangle Scarborough if he ever made that sound again.

One other observation, cribbed from a blog: Obama is a lefty. Is it possible he was bowling with a "righty" ball? That would explain a lot.

[Ren v Stimpy]

Over here on the volcanic specs in the middle of the Pacific we refer to those "private school" wankers as "Punhaho Brats" (the private school Obama attended). They would hunker down together on their tidy blankets on the north shore shading their faces from the sun so as not to get too "local" looking. We didn't get them out in the surf much where we could weddgie their boardshorts up to their forheads proped up by skinny necks.

If you think his (hysterical) bowling resembles Bambi pushing a boulder wait till he goes batter-up on the tee ball mound behind the White House.

jagoffs one and all ...

[Tom K]

One serious question lurks behind the nonsense: what kind of political campaign lets its guy bowl as a publicity stunt, when he is such a terrible bowler? (I mean, 37?)

I don't see much reason to think HRC is better suited to answering the 3 am phone call, but this is one sign -- one of relatively few to date, but maybe a foreshadowing of things to come -- that the Obama *campaign* may not be ready for prime time.

[scottreads]

I know I'm not ready for it. The amount of gender panic that infuses every presidential campaign could fuel a fucking nuclear reactor. So lame.

[Ralph DeMarco]

Tom, why the hell are you giving Moron Dowd any attention? What's next, you gonna quote Ann Coulter? Look Dowd has her own bizarre view of the political world. She's really supposed to be comic relief - not to be taken seriously. For years she's ridiculed Bush and his cronies, and she also happens to hate Hillary Clinton -- that does not make her right-wing. Sheesh!

[Doubting Thomas]

Really Ralph? If she's not to be taken seriously, why do the news shows and talking heads always approvingly quote from the latest Dowd column? Why is she on the opinion page?

The whole "ignore them, they'll go away" attitude hasn't worked for us. Tom is right to call it out and apply the necessary ridicule.

[Judith]

I dont support Obama as the nominee over Clinton, but there is nothing effete about him. He is healthy and wants to stay that way. Good for him. That kind of personal smear is so Maureen - she is so obsessed with her looks that she projects this crap everywhere like it isnt her going for injections every 3/6 months. She really doesnt have much more depth than that so when people think she is being all devious etc - no she ain't, she really is just that shallow. Happily or unhappily, people read her for a laugh and end up having it stick to their shoes.

Thank goodness for Gail Collins! A woman we can all enjoy reading without treading stinky pats on the rug.

[John Petty]

Excellent post, Tom. I read MoDo's "Are Men Necessary?" and still couldn't discern any particular point of view about anything, except that she seems to be obsessed with gender issues, about which she doesn't have much of any opinion. Weird.

[Judith]

if anyone thinks I was being one of those women who are sexist, there are several Maureen writings that consists of litanys of cosmetic procedures she undergoes or is considering - all of which is absolutely fine by me. Do what you want to look and feel good...just dont bash other people for not eating freaking chocolate for goodness sake!! Maybe the guy is like me - cant eat just one.

By the way, just went bowling last year for the second time ever and it was so much fun I couldnt stand it! The fact that I was effin great was not at all a part of my pleasure, I assure you. My guess is Obama was just nervous under the pressure - he has just the right build and grace to be excellent - just like my awesome teammate. Not that IT MATTERS. I donto want to bowl or drink with the president!@!@!!!

[Esoth]

TW, we may not agree on candidates, but we do on MoDo-Do. Hillary's butch, Obambi's half a fag! When my little tum-tum went sour overseas, I was lucky I was in the company of Real American Men on board Air Force One! Its sad to see what Dowd has made of her opportunity at the Times. There's way too much mileage on Dowd for her to still be trading on High School dating analogies and resorting to variations of "That's so gay", which is something you hear coming out of teenagers mouths all the time. How does Dowd age? Hellen Thomas batting her eyes?

[Ralph DeMarco]

I think we can all agree that the NY Times should just fire Dowd and hire someone who makes sense. I mean, she really makes a fool of herself all the time. It is nice to see that she really sucks on TV. No charisma whatsoever. I still would like to know who really takes her seriously as a columnist. She is certainly not considered to be serious like, well, every other columnist at the Times. She belongs on the Huff post or something.

[Judith]

nah - I dont agree they have to fire her - a certain type of guy likes her. So dont read her, you dont have to. I find several months can go by without my even thinking of her and I am pretty sure I have never thought - "Gosh! What does Maureen think if this?"

And every other columnist would include Kristol so I think you may want to edit that thought. *wink*

[donna darko]

National security, foreign policy experience, leftist, effete, elitist. What else do you need to know about November?

[Becki Jayne]

Nice job, Tom.

MoDo's internalized misogyny makes her as sickening as Tweety's overt sexism and it's not just for women anymore. Al Gore, John Edwards, and now Obama. The feminization of liberal men--'cause we all know Aqua Velva masculinity is superior--has been used as a political weapon for how long? M'yeah, that long.

[bruce b.]

TK, if the Obama campaign is "not ready for prime time", which campaign in either party is ready?

Events like Obama bowling get done in such a chaotic manner. And, actually, it is a good sign that at this point they weren't "spinning" and vetting every little thing he does, like picking up a bowling ball. Although sadly, they probably will start, adding another layer of insincerity to this campaign season.

I still think he was bowling with a standard "righty" ball, which would make it very difficult to control. As an inexperienced bowler, he probably had no idea that there were two different types of balls... and in that sort of media circus, who is gonna think of telling him?

[Joelarama]

Hillary the emasculator. Barack the effete half-breed. These are disgusting media narratives -- long entrenched for Hillary, and developing for Obama.

My reaction is to think of the opportunities the left blogosphere is losing to challenge the media. The big blogs have now given in to promoting these narratives about Hillary.

Can the big blogs expect to enlist a united readership to defend Obama? That ship has sailed.

[andrelee]

Joelarama, you are on point. Help from others in the lefty blogosphere was just a forwarded link and a click away. OB can't fight when someone else is also throwing blows. Never had to. Cakewalked into all his positions. Ran unopposed in his first Illi. political position after finding technicalities on his opponents forms. He was given all the legislation by the Senate Pres. that he needed to make himself legit and won with no resistance from Alan Keyes for the US Senate. Passed one significant self sponsored bill and now is on his way, maybe to the White House. He is certainly gonna need help if he gets the nomination. Where's he gonna get it from, Repubs.? Indep.? Against McCain? Where's Kos, MY, Tbogg, tpm, gonna get help from? NBC, Keith Olberman, ABC? There was a beautiful chance to play this election for the long term good of Dems. in building a movement akin to the Rights noise machine. They could have gotten the power and clout that comes with being consistently fair, honest, and accountable against the backdrop of the MSM's constant bullshit (see. Dowd, M.) They were in a position to developed more credibility as a go to source for info on the goings on in the government on the net than the MSM. Nope. No mas. It's gotta happen some other way. I don't know if some folks just got greedy feeling the power of influence and thought it was all about them and their particular preference, at the same time forgetting about the power that could have been generated for the Dems and that same influence benefiting generations to come. Now we are stuck with, Dowd, M., and her insufferable crew for the foreseeable future. Damn.

[Tom K]

Bruce:

I mention this only as a hint/possible precursor, not a basis for finally concluding that the Obama campaign is inept.

But my question is a serious one. There are a lot more complicated issues to deal with than bowling, and the campaign can't rely on confusion about l/r balls, or such things, without raising questions about their competence.

I guess Dukakis proved he "wasn't spinning" by riding that tank, or GHWB by not knowing what a scanner is -- but in fact, both were attempting to spin in each case, as Obama was here, and doing it badly.

End of day, Obama had to say "OK, I'll go out and bowl" while, presumably, knowing he had no idea what he was doing. Given that W has bowled about a 37 in Iraq, I'd like to know that a candidate has either a staff in place to inform him when something is inadvisable, or the judgment to notice it himself.

Generally, they've done a pretty good job, but there's a long way to go and if they don't learn from this, they'll be worse to follow. These public events are actually *important*, trival though they seem, if you are interested in winning the competition they are calculated to affect, so either don't do them at all, or do them right.

Crazy stuff will happen now and then, but don't make your own troubles by putting your candidate (or yourself) in a position where he can't help but look foolish!

[tina oiticica harris]

I'm exhausted re. all of the above. Wake me up after the first Tuesday of November, please. Regarding MoDo, in France they'd say she's a malbaisée, but that is a very derogatory term. Let's just say her real color is green with envy. Some people just can't age gracefully.

[Judith]

Tom K - somebody else said the same thing to me - I didnt know about the bumpers they put up so he couldnt gutter ball. So this was premeditiated and not on the spot. Silly to do.

[reality based]

Hey, he was trying his very best. He even inquired to make sure the beer was OK:

"You know I got a beer down there," Obama said to one patron. "What do they call it? A Yuengling?"

"Yuengling," the man confirmed.

"Trying a Pennsylvania beer, that's what I'm talking about," said Obama, his sleeves rolled up, smiling. "Is it expensive, though? . . . Want to make sure it's not some designer beer or something."

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20080403_Obama_wraps_up_Pa__bus_tour_with__some_inroads_.html

Barack, give us some meat, baby, and I don't mean some kind of $99 a pound Spanish ham.

It would be refreshing to hear someone say, "I'm trying to get you to vote for me so that together we can make our lives actually better, and this is how. . . ." Oh someone has tried that? Yeah, but she's a girl. Vote for Eddie Haskell.

There's something not quite right about all of us.

[LondonLee]

Obama should start smoking again, that would put the "effete" nonsense to rest.

[King Wenclas]

Amazing how so many people get caught up in the dog-and-poney show known as the U.S. Presidential campaign, and believe their comments are somehow "outsider." Uh, Newsflash, both political parties are financed and controlled by the same corporations. Both are proponents of the same structural financial and economic foundation of what could be called "globalism" but might more accurately be called "Imperialism."
Will either Obama or Hillary pull our troops immediately out of Iraq? Do you really think so? Will either close the hyper-expensive new embassy? Abandon the green zone?
Will either cut the defense budget drastically?
Pull our soldiers out of all our commitments overseas? (After sixty years we still have many soldiers in Germany!)
Will either repeal NAFTA, for that matter?
Wake up and smell the coffee. Obama is a much younger John McCain wearing a happy face.
Whether he can bowl or not bowl means nothing-- distractions for what Mencken called the American booboisie.
Have a good day!

[Judith]

I always enjoy drive-by pomposity.

[Kmodi]

On one hand Tom is "petrified" at the thought Obama would lose the general, on the other hand he's dismissing the media narrative that Obama ain't quite right and advising him not to worry about it. Meanwhile, the candidate shows no signs of needing Tom's advice. He still isn't wearing his fake-patriot pin. He still doesn't go on Wallace's sunday laughathon, and he hasn't thrown his pastor under the bus like a spineless politician would.

You might conclude Barack is comfortable being himself, despite his bowling score.