Before his political career crashed and burned, John Edwards used to talk about “two Americas”: one rich and one poor. This week, though, we’ve been seeing a different two Americas: One America is reality-based. But in the other, illegal immigration is a national security emergency, a sea-to-sea wall will fix it, and this wall is so important that it’s worth burning down the country to get it built.
So we have a government shutdown in its third week, with no end in sight. Also, we have a new Democratic House of Representatives, and lots of interesting new members. And the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination is getting started. I’ll talk about all that in the weekly summary.
The featured post, though, focuses on something related but slightly different: The Speaker of that new House, one of its most interesting new members, and the first major presidential candidate out of the gate all have two things in common: They’re women, and they all face an unusual level of vilification.
Coincidence? That explanation is starting to wear thin. I can sort of imagine that Hillary Clinton had some unique nebulous personal quality that made her unlikable to a large number of people (though I liked her myself). But it seems odd that the next three women to gain the spotlight all have some similar quality. I think we need to talk about that. So the featured post is “Are powerful women likable?”
I’m running late today, so it may not be out before 11 EST. Expect the weekly summary between noon and 1.
The Weekly Sift 
Comments
You’re really stepping in it here, but it is absolutely and urgently necessary to examine what it is about Hillary that made her so unlikable by so many, Republicans and Democrats.
Hello.
Happy New Year!
Looks to be an interesting one. 😊
Sorry for the lack of brevity, but the topic simply didn’t lend itself to a simple comment for me.
As to your question, no, it is not a coincidence that these new powerful women have been targeted for ‘hillary hatred’.
Sexism is in some ways more insidious than racism because it effects more people and has been systematically woven into the very fabric of our existence.
Even your question, ‘are powerful women likable’, is in itself sexist!
Why would POWER have to be likable?!
WHEN has power been likable?
We do what it says because there are consequences if we don’t and we hope that power has an altruistic, non-sociopathic streak.
And if it doesn’t, we band together, and attempt to diminish its power over us.
No one spends time discussing what power wears or if power smiles! Or in this case, if power is likable, of all things.
Physician, heal thyself!
There IS a problem, and the problem is MAN!
MAN DOES NOT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE 1ST TENET OF EXISTENCE: YOU CAN NOT BE SUPERIOR TO WHAT YOU CAME OUT OF!
Perhaps it can best be understood in a Turner & Hooch, ‘This is not your room’, kind of a way:
YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE A WOMAN BROUGHT YOU HERE.
YOU ARE NOT SUPERIOR TO HER.
YOU THRIVED BECAUSE A WOMAN CAN PROVIDE NUTRITIOUS MILK FOR YOUR GROWING BODY AND KEEP THE ELEMENTS FROM SICKENING YOU.
YOU ARE NOT SUPERIOR TO HER.
UNTIL YOU COULD DEFEND YOURSELF, WOMEN, SEEN & UNSEEN, HOVERED AROUND YOU, KEEPING YOU SAFE.
YOU ARE NOT SUPERIOR TO THEM.
The superior physical strength you may have, was designed to protect the tribe, the females and young, the naturally more important ones, who without, there would BE NO TRIBE, NO HUMANS, NOTHING.
It was NOT designed for the personal aggrandizement of the power holder.
POWER is a RESPONSIBILITY, not a character trait.
To turn power into a character trait and then assign that trait to males, instead of understanding that is is a responsibility, is the creation of the character flaw known as SEXISM.
Power works for the truly powerful, the source, the origin.
It is intoxicating and has corrupted man.
It is being used to DOMINATE instead of PROTECT.
SUPPRESS instead of UPLIFT.
ITS TRUE PURPOSES.
Until men themselves stop running amuck and start rationally discussing what they SHOULD ACTUALLY be doing for the betterment of EVERYONE, we’ll be forced to wonk around in ridiculous circles, ENDURING the SEXISM, RACISM, and all the other ‘isms’ they have generated in order to hold onto something that was never meant to be theirs in the first place.
IT WAS A TOOL TO PICK UP, PROTECT AND SECURE, THEN GOVERN FOR THE BETTERMENT OF EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING: MAN, WOMAN, GIRLS, BOYS, ANIMALS, THE EARTH WE LIVE ON…
But, MAN CAN NOT PUT IT DOWN NOW.
HE IS ADDICTED.
And WE ALL SUFFER FOR THE ADDICTION AND PRAY FOR THE ADDICT.
Let’s all Catch a Clue in 2019.
Love one another.