Dkos is such an eloquent voice for liberalism and the Democratic Party that I hesitate, as a newcomer, to raise an issue which may seem trivial. It is very disturbing to me to read passionate, logical, well reasoned criticisms of Karl Rove et al that are degraded by including misogynistic terms like pussy, twat and bitch. The Neocons are a palpable threat to American Democracy. They are cynical, manipulative demagogues. If the WORST thing you can think to call them is "pussies", then your opinion of women scares me.
I expect this from the Right. The subordinate role of women, the defining of Manliness as "not like a weak, illogical, cowardly woman", and disgust with gays for "betraying" their masculinity are hallmarks of the reactionary Republicans.
Men and woman who don't accept these degrading, stereotypes are the bedrock of the American Left. When one of our own spoils a wonderful rant against BushCo by using rightwing framing to denigrate them, it alienates the readers who are applauding and cheering you on.
I don't think that anyone who posts on Dkos really thinks that "bitch", "twat", or "pussy" is the worse insult he can hurl at our enemies. That would be symptomatic of core values inimical to the Democratic Party. Perhaps we just need to recognize how exclusionary those terms are to our strongest supporters.