Kos puts the Great Gay Awakening in context

Kos has weighed in the true meaning of the Great Gay Awakening -- the mass of protests that were touched off by the passage of Prop 8. He writes:

The protest can't be the goal in and of itself, rather, it's a tool in a broader toolbox.

In this case, these protests have served as a wakeup call to equality-minded people all over the country. It is an empowering act. But rather than people feeling they've done their part by marching for a few hours, I'm willing to bet that, just like here in California, the seeds were planted for further organizing all over the country. There is nothing more dangerous for the status quo (the "system") than people suddenly feeling empowered.

Kos does a good job of putting the protests in context. I generally agree with his assessment, but I'm not quite as optimistic as he is about the future. What Prop 8 and the protests have done is given us a moment of opportunity.

Too often in the past, though, I've seen these moments slip through our fingers. As Kos also argues, protest fails if it becomes an end in itself. Activist energy is sucked into the task of getting people onto the street and diverted away from doing the day-to-day political work needed to create real change.

We have to follow up our marches with organizing, and we need to look at models that work like MoveOn.org (although I don't think it is as effective as it could be), other campaigns and what may be the best model of all, Barack Obama's campaign. What Obama did was translate enthusiasm into action. That's what we need to do now.

McCain scares me & other tales of a not-quite swing state

By Diane Silver

While andgarden over at Daily Kos is all a twitter about the possibility that Kansas could be turning into a swing state, I find myself having nightmares about John McCain.

Of course, there are many reasons to shudder at the thought of a McCain presidency. Right now, my concerns are political.

As I sit under that big Kansas sky (see above), I find that I share andgarden's amazement over some of the Kansas poll numbers in head-to-head match-ups. Whether it's Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama facing off against Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney, first the Democrat is ahead (or nearly tied), then the Republican, then the Dem.

The advantage swings wildly back and forth from month to month. (Click on "T" in the top left of each table to see the tracking graphs.)

While this is good news for a newly resurgent Kansas Democratic Party, I still don't see the commanding Democratic leads (even in the upswings) that would make me dub us a swing state. Let's say that we're trending D, but not quite there -- at least not yet.

What's scary, though, are the monthly tracking graphs showing how McCain fares against Clinton and Obama. No matter who he's pitted against, McCain wins, and he does it easily.

Although most think of Kansas as a Republican state, nearly a third of the state's voters have registered as independent. If McCain is that strong out here when Obama and Clinton are faring well against the other Republicans, what might happen in other states?

Meanwhile E.J. Dionne assures me that McCain's biggest obstacle is his own party. Hope so.

Stay tuned.

Pat Oliphant proves that sexism really is alive & well in the presidential campaign

By Diane Silver

I've always been a huge fan of cartoonist Pat Oliphant, but his offering today showing a crying Hillary Clinton is as sexist as you can get. It plays into every sexist stereotype about women, including claiming that women get hysterical once a month because of PMS. (I kid you not.)

This is garbage, pure and simple. Call me naive for even entertaining the thought that this ridiculous view of women was losing its grip.

I have problems with Clinton's positions at times and with other aspects of her campaign, but Oliphant's cartoon shows that Gloria Steinem was right: The double standard is alive and well.

To say that I'm angry is an understatement. If I could vote today, I'd vote for Clinton, for no other reason than the fact that this kind of BS has to end.

IMAGE: Just a bit of Oliphant's absurd cartoon. See the rest for yourself.

UPDATE

Huntsu's post on the topic at Daily Kos and the resulting comments.

New Hampshire: The Jerk Factor, Hillary, Big Media & more

By Diane Silver

All of the above and more are among the thoughts clogging the cyberways on this day after New Hampshire tossed the presidential race up in the air. And yes, I'm focusing on the Democratic race.

Here are some of the most interesting bits of the post-primary analysis.

What went wrong with the polls?

Big media pundits miss the point.

The coverage had been so out of control there was speculation about when Hillary might have to drop out. Polls giving Barack Obama an 8- or 10-point lead were accepted as fact.

Another Comeback Kid

Presidential campaigns rarely end this quickly, and it was as if the voters of New Hampshire on Tuesday were divided enough in their choice of candidates to assure that voters elsewhere will have the opportunity to settle the issue.

"I think it's awfully interesting that they made her the underdog and she came back," said Democratic strategist Bill Carrick. "Obviously, a lot of these voters don't want to close down the process. It's like, 'Wait a minute.' "

Rimjob at Daily Kos looks at the whole enchilada. Kos, himself, cites the Jerk Factor in helping to give Hillary the win.

Josh Marshall looks for meaning.

My personal favorite comes from Kevin Drum.

There's now a pretty good chance that, for the first time in my life, my vote in a Democratic primary will actually be meaningful. And it only took 30 years!

Hey, I'm in the same situation. The Feb. 5 Democratic caucuses in Kansas might actually mean something. What a hoot!

And a little pre-NH vote analysis of what is now known as "The Moment."

Guys may cry, after all, but tears, culturally, are a Female Thing. And the word ‘emotional’ is rarely used as flattery. (See John Edwards, who responded to a reporter’s question about The Moment with this: “I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is strength and resolve.”)...

The press’s simultaneous amplification and shorthanding of Clinton’s display of emotion support (Gloria) Steinem’s point (in the New York Times): Clinton’s gender, in a still-sometimes-sexist society like ours, may be more problematic than we allow ourselves to acknowledge or believe.

Welcome to In This Moment

By Diane Silver

Welcome visitors from Daily Kos! Thanks so much to mcjoan for linking to us today. Joan, your perspective was fascinating Tuesday night at the Dole Institute's panel on political blogging. I also thoroughly enjoyed our conversation afterwards. Many thanks for your time.

For a good review of the Dole Institute panel see Joan's post and Jerome Armstrong's comments.

Now I have to sheepishly admit that until today I had not registered at Kos. I've just done so. However, I won't be able to join the conversation and say thinks "in person" until tomorrow because of the lag built into the Kos system.

Meanwhile, I am extremely impressed by the depth of knowledge about Lawrence restaurants exhibited by the Great Kos Folk. You certainly know the best places to go!

Some of you are obviously in this area, so all I can say is where the heck are you located, and when can we get together at Free State for a beer?!!!!

For those of you new to In This Moment, here's a guide to just a little of what we've been doing for the last year or so. (We were born in November 2005.)

Lawrence's attempt to pass domestic partner registry prompted a conservative lawmaker to push to ban registries in Kansas. We've been covering the story.

We've also written about a variety of other Kansas topics.

...On anti-gay, hate-monger Fred Phelps and his clan, complete with blow-by-blow battle between us and two different members of the Phelps family

...On fairness for lgbt citizens & what it's like to be a lesbian in Kansas

...On the birth of the movement to take back Kansas

Meanwhile, In This Moment writer Nancy Jane Moore looks at the United States and the world from her vantage point in Washington, D.C.

Writer Pamela K. Taylor gives us the progressive Muslim perspective