Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
It should be too early on a Monday to have ones hackles so aroused, but leave it to the
often arrogant Howard Fineman to get the job done.
In an essay in the Huffington Post entitled "Grimes Is As Tough as McConnell---And As Nasty," Mr. "pretty is as pretty does" proceeds to paint Ms. Grimes as cold hearted crocodile of a candidate.
A couple of choice quotes:
Grimes is the middle of five daughters in an intensely political family, a fact that's important for understanding where she's coming from and what drives her. To say she's competitive is an understatement. She gives off the aura of someone willing to do whatever it takes, but that's not necessarily a compliment -- except to Democrats desperate to unseat McConnell after his 30 years in the Senate.
In an essay full of idiotic statements, this one takes the cake. What politician isn't competitive?! You can't run for office without being competitive, you can't run for office without being "willing to do whatever it takes." Not a compliment? What tripe.
Grimes smiled widely but rather coldly as she stood at the podium at Fancy Farm, and as she pointed at McConnell, she seemed at times like she would have banished him from the stage if she could have.
What a witch, huh?
Her campaign strategy boils down to one essential point: destroying McConnell if she can. Her own position papers and proposals exist, and are standard and unremarkable for a Democrat: an increase in the minimum wage, pay equity for women, organizing rights for unions, and so on.
Why does a Democrat have to be MORE remarkable than "supporting an increase in the minimum wage, pay equate for women, organizing rights for unions and so on," not to mention, these positions are pretty damn remarkable to be gaining traction in red Kentucky, and the closeness of this race suggest they are.
Some journalists, including this one, have needled her for sticking religiously to her rather narrow script, but she and her handlers aren’t the least bit apologetic about the strategy.
Well, hats off to her handlers and damn straight. Ms. Grimes is up against the man who stated his mission was to make Obama a one term president, and he's still working on that, apparently having missed the memo that he failed. She is up against a party that doesn't blush with shame over any sort of attack or falsehood.
Grimes' cheerfully confident and acidic antagonism has to remind McConnell of someone: himself.
I have never seen that old goat look "cheerful."
Apparently Fineman cannot countenance a woman who knows how to hit back and hit hard, particularly at a function like Kentucky's Fancy Farm Picnic, known for this sort of approach. His protestations are like telling folks at a roast not to toss any insults.
And I doubt he would write this sort of thing about a male candidate. Apparently he thinks Ms. Grimes needs to put on her white gloves, pearls and lady like behavior to fight a guy who wouldn't think twice about going for her jugular.
Maybe too, it's that Fineman isn't used to a fiery, leave nothing on the road, Democrat.
Maybe he's assigned that sort of behavior to republicans. But in any case, this is politics and Mr. Fineman's distaste for the nasty here is disingenuous and about as sexist as it gets from this woman's POV.
Whewwwww. I feel better. Thanks for listening.
12:41 PM PT: I apologize for forgetting to add the link earlier. Had to run to an appointment and ran out of time to fix it. Here ya go:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/....
12:43 PM PT: Whoops. I see that one just takes you to the HuffPo. This one should go directly to the article.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...