A world gone mad: our sexist allies edition

This is my day to be pissed at everyone.

After a week of conservatives behaving badly, we are presented with the first signs that the Democratic majority will once again roll over and play dead. After pushing the Congress to pass a health bill before the August break--a deadline that was sabotaged by Democrat Max Baucus delaying the vote and the Democratic leadership letting him; after pushing the congress to pass a health bill before the Christmas break--a deadline that was missed because Democrat Ben Nelson and erstwhile Democrat Joe Lieberman delayed the vote and the Democratic leadership let them; after all that, President Obama says "we should take our time" on the final health care bill. What a disappointment. Now we have one of the most influential liberal bloggers using sexism to take cheap shots at someone who deserves cheap shots party because of his sexual harassment.

Clarence Thomas, who has never had a problem with conservatives denouncing the courts for "judicial activism," now feels that liberals and weak kneed Democrats "border on being irresponsible" for criticising his campaign finance decision. I'm never against taking cheap shots at Thomas, and, on this issue, he and the conservative majority on the court deserve every kind of shot we can take--cheap, reasoned, or satirical. But what kind of shot does John Amato, the usually dependable founder og Chooks and Liars choose to take? He goes for gynophobic name calling.

Clarice can't handle it critiques when they come from the left. [Amato's italics]

Get it? The worst thing you can say about a man is to call him a woman.

What is going one here? Liberals are supposed to be on the side of feminism. Liberal men are supposed to be sensitive to issues of demonization and discrimination. Liberals are not supposed to engage in sexist this crap. Would Amato use racist stereotypes (say, bug-eyed and rubber-lipped cartoons from the start of the last century) to poke at Thomas? Of course not. So why does he think this is acceptable? Amato should be ashamed.

Anyone who calls themselves a liberal and chuckles at that should be ashamed. This is not acceptable. Calling Ann Coulter a man is not acceptable. Acting like the worst, bigoted conservative thugs is not acceptable. If liberals are pro-feminism and anti-discrimination, they should act that way, dammit.

I need a drink.