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A Dash of Pepper

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Things can turn mean in the waning days of a tough election season and there is a lot of that out there. But this year, something else has entered the picture: It's also the season of just plain crazy - crazy as in totally mystifying.
The First Lady went out on the campaign trail and told a crowd of minority community voters that she appreciated that their prayers were keeping "the clean spirits around us." I suppose there may be ‘clean' and ‘unclean' spirits, but what was she talking about? Did the people in the audience get it? I didn't.
Then the president in an interview said something to the effect that we were returning "to tribalism." I suppose it was an oblique reference to the Tea Party people. If you disagree with his policies, are you being "tribal."
He also used the word "obtuse" with regard to the state of mind abroad in the nation right now. Is that code for stupid? He added that this is not intentional but the result of feeling fearful right now. I think that's an understatement, to say the least. I know many people who are not simply fearful - they are scared out of their wits. It's the logical result of looking at the national debt and the prospects for our future.
Vice President Joe Biden, a continuing source of amusement, said his party isn't running on its record, because it's too hard to explain. No matter. Even if you could explain it, Mr. Biden, we Neanderthals are probably too dense to understand it.
Turning to the mean season, N.O.W refused to disavow a degrading insult directed at California gubernatorial candidate, Meg Whitman, from a member of Gerry Brown's team. The acronym stands for the National Organization for Woman. The name takes a lot for granted. N.O.W. in no way represents a huge swath of American women. It is run by left wingers who consistently support left-of-center Democrats
Then recently, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, joined the in the mean theme, not an unusual move for her. She wrote that we are in the "era of Republican Mean Girls..." knocking Sarah Palin , Michelle Bachman, Christine O'Donnell and even lumped in Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, who are hardly hard core doctrinaire conservatives. She took a shot at Sharron Angle. "With a casino red suit and lipstick, Angle played the Red Queen of the Mad Hatter tea party." Dowd said Angle campaigns in a 1989 GMC pickup, complete with a 44 magnum firearm. I didn't know that. I think Dowd inadvertently got Angle a few extra votes.
I expect Dowd to be mean, but I am struck by the lack of quality in her writing and the clichés she resorts to, in place of any attempt at critical thinking. One wonders if Mr. Sulzberger keeps her on as a token angry female.
All these women have consistently campaigned on the issues and avoided personal attacks. Yes, they attack opponents - on the issues.
Dowd further disparages these accomplished women by using the term "girls." It's an underhanded dirty little tactic. As for meanness, no one on the Right has used anything like the disgusting, nasty and often obscene comments that are very common on left wing web sites and even on the airwaves at places such as MSNBC. By the way, have you ever noticed that the very people who prattle on about the loss of "civil discourse" are the very ones who engage in uncivil discourse?
So the elites are upset and that means the Mama Grizzlies, the conservative female candidates, including the grandmother running for the Senate in Nevada, have them very worried.
Copyright©2010SheilahPepper