In Hollywood, it’s “let’s do lunch!” In girl talk, it’s, “let’s get together for coffee!” Either way, it means, “yeah, sure, when hell freezes over.”
If such meetings are ever forced to come to pass, they are usually filled with air kisses, strained smiles, polite, inconsequential small talk, and furtive glances at timepieces. They are generally ended by pre-arranged cell phone calls received by one, or both of the attending parties, declaring some state of emergency foretelling impending global doom that only the callee can potentially rectify. At least, that’s what their lunch partner is supposed to deduce from the overheard end of the conversation. What is probably being said by the the caller is likely more along the lines of, “is the bitch still there?”
In two separate Sunday morning news show interviews, ABC’s “This Week,” with George Snuffleupagus, and NBC’s “Meet The Press,” with David Gregory, which, in the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t watch, since Sunday morning news shows tend to give me wicked gas and make my eyes bleed, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton obviously handled herself admirably enough, without providing sufficient controversial fodder to feed the ravenous appetites of subsequent Sunday news network rehashes of their morning shows, that the hosts felt compelled by their producers to goad and provoke her by dangling “Sarah said” red meat in front of her face. In the political equivalent of “when she said you looked well rested now that your face has filled out, wasn’t she calling you fat?” Clinton was asked about statements made by Sarah Palin on the campaign trail, and in her book, “Going Rogue,” (subtitled “By Quitting My Job and Writing This Book.”) In a fashion typical of one skilled in the social graces, Clinton replied with what amounts to, “Well, now that I’m not constantly on the go, I have put on a few welcome pounds. I was too skinny before. I’m glad people are noticing.” At least, that’s the way The Christian Science Monitor sees it:
On two separate Sunday morning talk shows, Secretary Clinton said that she would “look forward” to chatting at a café with Ms. Palin – the former Republican vice presidential candidate, soon-to-be millionaire author, and closest thing that politics has to a lightning rod in a red pant suit.
It was, almost certainly, a moment of Sunday morning small talk. Yet if cable news’ coverage of Obama’s Beer Summit is anything to go by – with their countdown timers to zero hour and careful deconstruction of each man’s beer selection – CNN, Fox News, and MSBNC are surely mustering all of their resources into seeing if there is any possible way to bring about Clinton Kaffeklatsch (a.k.a. “Beer Summit, the Sequel”).
The New York Daily News, Politico, The Wall Street Journal,the Associated Press, and Lynn Sweet all report on the potential catfight-to-be-that-wasn’t with varying degrees of hand-rubbing glee, while Newsbusters seems to be waiting for the other Jimmy Choo to drop.
Of course, in some circles, this has all lead to speculation that the two women are on their way to sharing a 2012 presidential ticket, and that this would be a good thing.
Check, please.
For my money, nobody who opposes guaranteed, comprehensive healthcare for all Americans without reproductive restriction, not just the sham of the pretense of mandatory access to something like it, gets my vote for anything. No matter who they are.
Pass it on.
Having just slogged through more excerpts of her interview with Barbara Walters I came away with the question: what the hell is she talking about? Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and her position about Israel and the increase of settlements is so insane that it is frightening to consider her anywhere near the seat of power.
Good grief, the woman is brain dead when it comes to reasoning yet there are those in the blogosphere in particular who are actually supporting her bid for the presidency. Obama may be a slug, Bush a disaster, but this candidate’s possible run is beyond description. Mind boggling to say the least.
And what the F@ck was she saying about the settlements, Pat, “More and more Jewish people will be moving their in the next few years.” (paraphrased). Code speak for fundamentalist “end time” scenario?
[...] Meanwhile, beyond Newsweek, pundits are still longing for that chick fight they’ve been denied in the primaries as Cinie n… [...]
Bottom line, Sarah Palin brought up the cup of coffee in her book. The press ran with it, as I would think, she knew they would. Who’s having the love affair, with the press, yttik, at the expense of other women?
Even more bottom line, if Palin really wanted to reach out to Clinton, I’m sure her staff is capable of extending an invitation privately, coordinating the followup with Clinton’s, then leaking the details of Clinton’s response to the press.
That would work too, but what if Clinton said when “yah betcha” then winked or “when hell freezes over” or “just before the rapture occurs” or even “upon the rapture we can all sit down for one big happy cup of coffee that constantly runeth over in the mansions in the sky”. Oh, but Clinton might not get to have a cappuccino machine in heaven as her pro-choice ideology might not get her there. I doubt Clinton would say any that though, knowing, from experience, that “leaking the details” is highly probable.
I have no doubt that Hillary would accept a genuinely extended invitation for a private meeting from Sarah, and make every effort to work her schedule around it, knowing full well that the press would get wind of it one way or another, sooner or later. I’m equally sure Sarah knows that, too.
Damn, Cinie, then with the press getting leaked wind of it, we are back around to a coffee summit again.
I meant “leaked wind” not blowing into a trumpet, but agreed. It “ain’t what cha do, it’s the time that you do it.”
Ding, ding ding! Give the lady a Prize!
Exactly, Cinie, Palin has a staff of advisers, any one of whom could have contacted the office of the SOS and booked an appointment. Did they do that? Did they even try?
Palin wants attention. She knows how to get attention. This is just the beginning.
Sorry, but I hope Hillary never has to sit down for a coffee with this person, who I quite frankly consider a REality show politician.
Hillary is intelligent (far beyond me) has courage and a deep well of dignity. She doesn’t deserve this bizarre situation. Palin has….chutzpah?
Of course she did La-t-da!
But didn’t she claim Hillary was “Whining” about how the press treated her?
Shoe’s on the other foot!
And….
HELLO CINIE!
Hey, RD!!!!
Missed you.
You cool?
Yeah….Been a bit under the weather hun, but all’s well.
Missed ya!
Hillary said she would sit down for the cup of coffee, but then again like Cinie’s piece kinda brought up, Hillary has been in public office and has not quit no matter how much sexism was thrown her way or no matter how many times they went after her daughter and family. She is experienced in knowing how to answer journalist questions and being in the public eye due to her career choice.
La-t-da, I would assume that most women know that “let’s have coffee sometime!” is as perfunctory an invitation as is the “sure, call me!” response. Why anybody would get excited about the prospect of a meeting both parties agree will never take place, again, by mutual agreement, is beyond me.
Well, if you equate it to on-line dating, a cup of coffee is about as noncommittal as you can get without just driving by the meeting place and peering in the windows before you peel out and ditch the meet-up altogether.
I don’t care about the politics of Oprah, Palin, or Hillary so much as I care about the fear inducing, anxiety producing panic that has rippled thru the media at the thought of these 3 women simply sitting down to an inane cup of coffee. No cat fights, no rivalries, no drama, simply the acknowledgment of each others presence in a respectful manner. That is power. That is where women’s strength lies. That is what sends shivers of terror thru the patriarchy. That is what women must do more of.
Why?
Because when a man’s wife and his mistress sit down to lunch together, even though they have nothing in common but the same cheating man, they have changed the whole dynamic. They have refused to play the game which demands they must hate each other. This sets off a chain reaction, the cheating man can no longer control either of them and is forced to take responsibility for his behavior. Sisterhood is powerful. Anyone who doubts that can picture a man’s face if he were to walk into a room and see all the women he’s screwed over sitting together. Separate, divide and control is what has kept the power structure the way it is for so many years.
I’m not asking anybody to give up their belief systems, just have a bloody cup of coffee together. Just stop viewing every woman who doesn’t share your politics as the enemy.
Why would a man’s wife and mistress sit down for coffee together? What motive would they have to be civil? Why wouldn’t they scratch each other’s eyes out? Would it really be better if they joined forces and plotted to kill him? Flip a coin over who gets him? Both decide to leave him? Do they have to drink coffee together to respect themselves?
Are you really serious?
Yes, I’m very serious. What motive would they have not to scratch each other’s eyes out?? Well, he’s able to continue his behavior by blaming and convincing his wife to blame the other woman. This way he never really has to take responsibility for anything, boys will be boys.
To expand this concept out into the nat’l scene, at the moment everybody is piling up on Palin, the designated other woman even though she is not in elected office, isn’t in congress and isn’t the president. It’s very effective though, because far more people are interested in scratching Palin’s eyes out rather then holding the men who supposedly love us accountable for their anti-abortion amendment.
The wife could just leave him. She doesn’t need the other woman’s support, approval, or cooperation. To do what?
As for Palin, she is inserting herself on the national scene. Far as I know, nobody asked her to do anything. And, what is she doing? She quit her job, is not running for anything, holds no office, has little sway in her party, and is just trying to sell her book. I, for one, have no interest in scratching her eyes out, or having coffee with her.
I actually think it is a good “anology” yttik, but then again, Cinie’s point of the wife doesn’t need the other “woman’s support, approval, or cooperation” to leave her husband. And does the mistress need the cup of coffee to take responsibility for engaging in the affair and screwing over another women in the first place? If I were to sit down with anyone it would be the mistress and the husband together in the lawyers office with divorce papers in hand. The attorney’s office might, however, serve coffee.
The day I sit down with a mistress of my husband, it would be a very short visit, only to tell her I have got to run, because I killed my husband in his sleep last night and must get home to clean up the mess before the dog has a snack.
God, I miss her (Hillary). Every time I see her, even for a quick soundbite, I get an aching sad feeling that we (America) really missed out on a great opportunity.
Sarah was the first to criticize Obama publicly and completely. The job definition comparison she gave rocked: mayor – community organizer with responsibility. With one sentence she blew away his entire experience. Made dust of all the worship. Who among Hillary supporters could not appreciate that? And I find her to be extremely credible, transparent.
Just because she’s not Obama does not make her attractive. What a shallow reason to support someone.
Credible? Transparent?
…and?
Actually, in my book, Hillary was the first one to challenge Obama – Not ready on day one, 3AM call etc. And Hillary was the one to pave the way for Palin to be even considered viable. I would love to have a coffee with Hillary. Not so much Palin because her views are the antithesis of mine. I believe in women’s rights to authority over their own body – she doesn’t. I believe in women’s intelligence and drive – she doesn’t.
I don’t believe in Palin. She is a Trojan horse, to my mind. She is not a friend to women – to my mind.
As my mama put it, HT, the day McCain picked Palin, “Well that’s just a slap in the face to Hillary”. Since my mama is of the same fundamentalist background as Palin and a Republican, I took my mama’s words fairly seriously.
If Sarah is as stupid and radical and foolish as the Obamabots want to portray her, why are they spending so much time and energy and capital trying to destroy her? Me thinks thy protesteth too much. I think Palin is way smarter and way more interesting than alot of the media and 0bots want to believe. The media has decided that 0bama is brilliant and Palin is a hick. Not one fact will ever disabuse them of the storyline. I have never seen or heard one remark or thought by 0bama that indicates he is brilliant. (The king of the cliche) I have heard a thousand male politicians who sound 1000 times worse than Sarah and they are given reverential status. I like Palin. She has been demonized so much that I wonder why. I noticed the AP had 11 journalists read Palin’s new book to try and find a flaw. Just like the hundreds of Journalists that were sent to Wasilla to try and find dirt on her. But there wasn’t one reporter that I could find that really examined 0bama. And no reporter seems to be paid to report what is really in the health care bill. 11 reporters reading that bill would be a lot more important that reading “Going Rogue”. But it is the storyline of the media and the 0bots to trash Palin. No misygony here. Move along people. All policians are treated like the media has treated Sarah. Notice how the media speaks so glowingly of Newt Gingrich, a bigger fool and blowhard than has ever walked the DC stage.
Why did you bother writing this? Nobody here supports Obama, and nobody here cares if Sarah Palin is Phi Beta Kappa or the Three Stooges’ little sister.
She staunchly supports values and policies I even more staunchly oppose.
Case closed.
It’s not just obamabots that object to Palin, as Cinie has explained. You really need to go back to FreeRepublic. You’re welcome there.
Her answer just reinforced her diplomatic skills. With a giggle at the end which signified the ” ’til hell freezes over” concept.
Your blog is starting to friggin piss me off. I just spent 10 minutes writing a post and I click on the notify me of follow up comments, and suddenly I am on the front page, no post anywhere to be found.
this really sucks.
It’s not the first time it’s happened. I have a rule where I try and copy a post before I hit submit just in case something goes wrong, but why the heck does clicking on the notification button delete my post? It’s friggin irritating.
Getting pissed doesn’t help me find an answer I don’t have, Alessandro. I had no idea it was happening, and I don’t have a clue why it is.
And, just so you know, I’ve been getting other reports of problems with WordPress, and having a devil of a time with Vodpod, too.
This is the only problem I have had when on your blog. I finish a post, I see the “notify me of follow-up comments via email”, I click on it, and suddenly I am the top of the page, my post is gone, and if I hit the back button, it doesn’t take me back to my post, the post is just gone.
The problem is it has happened at least twice. If only I could remember to hit copy of my post first, then I could prevent the problem, but I don’t associate the notify me button with actually posting the comment, so I think I can still copy my post before actually posting it.
Somehow, I don’t think Hillary Clinton really wants to share a coffee break with Palin. I wouldn’t want to have coffee with her. She is an anathema to liberal minded women. I think she’s be more successful in getting Pat Robertson, or Whatsisname Durking, although because she’s a woman, she may not be number one on their list of people to know.
Why is this getting any press? Isn’t there more important issues – such as the 10.2% unemployment, people losing their homes…..
Do you think Palin really wants to have coffee with Clinton? What’s next, shopping? Exchanging recipes? Parenting tips?
Then, Bill could go hunting with Todd. Play golf. Grill some meat.
The possibilities are endless.
And mind boggling.
You are so bloody funny. Thanks for the laugh!
Yes, indeed. Night to wake up to a laugh.
Some good finds on the articles, Cinie.
“All of us who value the sanctity of life are grateful for the success of the pro-life majority in the House this evening in its battle against federal funding of abortion in this bill, but it’s ironic because we were promised that abortion wasn’t covered in the bill to begin with.” (Palin)
What a pile of shit. The Hyde Amendment was a given in the bill, as it is existing law. The “irony” is that she doesn’t even know the laws that already exists to preserve her own ideology.