Entitlement

I’m listening to NPR’s On Point this morning; on Friday’s they do a week in review with a media panel. A caller Patricia raised the issue of gender in the primary, and how sexism has been rampant, citing in particular John Edwards’s claim that there’s “only one man” to lead our country in his endorsement of Obama.

Trudy Rubin, foreign affairs correspondent for The Philadelphia Inquirer, said yes, there has been sexism, and people frankly are personifying Clinton as a “bitch,” whether euphemistically or overtly. Then Bill McKenzie, editorial columnist for The Dallas Morning News, said, look, don’t count Clinton out so fast. She’s winning swing states, and she’s winning areas that her husband won twice and Kerry and Gore lost. Why can’t Obama win those areas? I don’t feel like anyone’s addressing that. And, I think that there’s an air of “entitlement” in the Obama campaign and among supporters, that Clinton should quit because it’s Obama’s victory to claim.

Oh Trudy and Bill, truer words are rarely spoken.

Jack Beatty is the annoying third columnist from On Point/The Atlantic Monthly. He’s quoting WKJM right now. Lame.

Meanwhile, host Tom Ashbrook keeps trying to expand the conversation beyond the Dem primary - polar bears are endangered! There are disasters worldwide! What about Bush and Iran? Callers are like, BORING! Let’s talk Hillary and Obama!! (We are shamefully self-absorbed as a nation.)

Again, Bill: “there are Democrats supporting her for a reason, and I think the Obama people are making a mistake [in thinking there's something different going on].” She keeps coming back - “Boom!” - he says, and people are supporting her. After another caller says that if HRC is VP then Obama will get all her voters, Bill says this is Obama’s race to lose.

Maybe we should be checking in with The Dallas Morning News more often.