Be careful, some of us feminists aren’t supporting Obama and are concerned about things like this.

You really are desperate tonight, Michele. He called someone “sweetie”? OH NO! That’s almost as bad as sending 4,000 Americans to their deaths for a lie! Or ordering torture! Or suspending habeas corpus! NOT SWEETIE! SAY IT AIN’T SO!

It does seem to be rather trivial.

This will be the end of him! SWEETIEGATE!

Calling any female over the age of 12 sweetie (unless it’s your daughter) is offensive. It is a term used to belittle a fully grown woman with a childish epithet much like saying that when something is bad you respond, “That’s so gay.” Even as a male I have worked in groups that react to and publicize comments of men who make comments like these. What men do not understand (just like white people don’t truly understand how it feels to be called a n*gg*r or heterosexuals to be called a fag, or even I don’t truly know how it feels to be called sweetie in such a belittling manner.) is that by accepting this belittling word so flippantly you are, in fact, supporting a society which views women as inferior. The proper way to say anything to anybody that you do not know by name is “sir” or “ma’am”.
PunditMom, you have every right and responsibility to be concerned over this kind of comment. Every time I hear something like this, my neck bristles just as much as when some guy calls one of his friends a fag to tear him down. One always has to be aware of the words that are used. I hope I am wrong on this, but I fear that my words will be drowned out by other male voices telling me that I am overreacting. But I’m not, and neither are you and neither is Ms. McGinty; the way we use our language has so much power to influence people on a subconscious level that take a long time to break the habit of. I hope that we can one day admit to ourselves our prejudices and biases in order to finally begin dealing with all of humanity and to recognize each one’s inherrent equality and worth.

Really, though? Neither Clinton or McCain are feminists. It seems like a cheap shot, to me.

You’re getting desperate when you have to look this far for something to get snarky about.
The real reason this election cycle is ‘unbearable’ is that the GOP has nothing left to run on. So they get snarky and hope nobody notices what a failure the last administration has been.
The president is at 29% approval.
Look at the economy, the war, the budget, the military, the infrastructure, the dollar, our status in the world. 82% of thie people in this country think we’re headed in the wrong direction.
So I think most people who can see lightning and hear thunder have noticed.

You’ve had maybe a couple in the entire cycle of endless speeches, and photo ops.
Bush already had two books of his gaffes published by now.
Sorry, they aren’t even in the same ballpark.

And, sorry.. Calling a reporter ‘sweetie’ isn’t of the same magnitude of surreal inanity as ‘I believe the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.’

Michelle, the left didn’t give a crap about Clinton’s serial philandering, they certainly won’t about an Obama “Sweetie” comment now and then.

two books, karen? i have calendarS where each day is a new bushie gaffe! it’s just completely amazing.
eclecticeel, you nailed it. we don’t care about piddly crap like this. how about we fix our real problems, eh? remember iraq? afghanistan? nuclear proliferation? terrorists? recession? health care?
thanks for focusing on the big stuff, sweetie.

Michele is such a genius. Her stunning insight never fails to astound. She never fails to demonstrate the love of Christ. Michele sweetie I pray for you every day that God will help you write your blog, right after I ask God to kill all the gays and the scientists.
Your fan
Hubert

Sounds to me like Obama was showing his arrogance….or maybe thinks that all women are falling all over his feet . It shows disrespect for women . Obama is not Elvis, and I don’t think Elvis had ever called a lady sweetie. Bad taste all the way around. The reporter is correct, and when they put the crown on Obamas head it won’t be long and you will see he will be no better then bush. Just what the people never wanted , but are blinded as usual from the get go ,picking their king right away . Reason being, they want bush out so bad that is all they have on their minds. They are not stopping to think that people had done the very same thing with voting for bush. They couldn’t wait .They never took the time to dig and find out about bush. That he was passed along through school not even being able to read ….let alone college for crying out loud. Then saying he was a pilot on top of that is just unbelievable stuff. It was all found out after bush was elected..not before. So best start digging now, or you all are without excuse after you voter obama in and you find out later the truth about him. Be sure…be very sure this time.

They’ve had months to dig. And all they’ve found out is a radical pastor and a couple of verbal goofs. (Which, as noted, isn’t even close to what Bush has said.)
Oh, the two books were put out before his first election. They were election cycle goofs and during his tenure as Governor. They had two books (had to put out a second one) of verbal screwups BEFORE he was even president.
He’s managed to accomplish so much more since then. *chuckle* Enough to have a word named after him.
Latest on the list, from less than a month ago.
“”How can you possibly have an international agreement that’s effective unless countries like China and India are [b]not[/b] full participants?” –George W. Bush, Camp David, April 19, 2008

‘Lishen, shweetheart, thish ish getting shilly.’ – H. Bogart

Bogie was born in 1900. Calling a woman reporter “Sweetie” in 2008 is the height of arrogant condescension, and is totally inappropriate.
Hillary isn’t going to get the nomination, and in part, that is her own fault. But, I’m far from satisfied with the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party.

I suggest you guys read what the women are saying on this thread. Women don’t like to be called sweetie. It’s condescending and as a woman who grew up in the 70′s I can tell you that’s the way we were talked to back then.
I know you guys can’t understand the problem but you are so missing the clues of Obama’s arrogance and this is just one more. The feminists are ticked off and this is just one more thing to make them even more ticked off about. I can’t see them voting McCain but I can see them being as enthusiastic for Obama as we are for McCain (which is not so much).

Well, if he was tired, we’ll see if he’s got a learning curve. One time does not a pattern make. If he does it again, or shows a pattern of it, then that would be different.
Again, at least he didn’t walk over to the reporter and, without so much as asking, start massaging her shoulders. (And you think ‘sweetie’ is condescending?)

It just shows me that he thinks of women as sweeties , dolls, babes, as men I have known who also used to say that to us women growing up. I thought we had come a longer way from back then to now. Where is the due respect Obama has shown , and given to the male reporters? Why hasn’t Obama developed this same respect for women over the years?
It shows me that he is a player. Sorry, but he does. I have no respect for a man whom is not a relative nor my boyfriend calling me sweetie!
I am not his sweetie! Nor his babe, noe his doll. Will I vote for him? No way hosea. I will vote 3rd party.

“Again, at least he didn’t walk over to the reporter and, without so much as asking, start massaging her shoulders. (And you think ‘sweetie’ is condescending?)”
So, let me get this straight, as far as your concerned if Bush did it first then it’s OK?

Diana, are you a Democrat? And does it bother you that the Obama supporters don’t think it’s a problem that women are disrespected in this manner?

Michelle , I am a Democrat and yes it bothers me greatly that Obama supporters do not think this is a problem for women…it shows disrespect for women in general. Is it not bad enough that we fought hard all these many years to get where us women are in life? Still, we women do not get paid the same hourly wages as men ,doing the same job.
Then to be called little pet names because we are women is a tell all sign , that person has never shown the respect to women that they have earned and deserve . Obama talks of change, yet he uses poor judgement concerning women calling them cute little names showing he is superior to them? They are just sweeties who do not deserve to be treated the same as men he meets? Has he ever called one of the men sweetie? Or lover boy?

Quite frankly, I’m a little surprised by the comments since I thought everyone would see that this was incredibly condescending and if I were a feminist in the Democrat party I would be ticked that those I thought were enlightened were actually Neanderthals! (Though, maybe you already realized that? The Democrats I know are women so I know they aren’t misogynists
So, I wonder if the Obama supporters are really Neanderthals (haven’t a concern that the remark is demeaning to women) or too young to realize it or are they just in the tank so much for Obama that they wouldn’t condemn him no matter what he said.

I do not know what it is that makes them swarm all over Obama like bees on honeycomb. I seem to recall that same thing taking place when George Bush Jr. was running for President the first time . I was caught up in that deal and I voted for him. But not the second time around. Fool me once shame on you….fool me twice, yah see…yah can’t fool me again
Anyone running for President Of the United States Of America already knows how to interact with both males and females…never crossing the line. Obama crossed the line . It is apparent to me that he is used to crossing the line. His wife is proud of her country for the first time in her entire adult life. This too tells a whole lot.
I am not falling for sweet words …so easily anymore .I am checking and rechecking. Getting all the facts and digging as fast as I can for the truth , before it becomes too late and we end up with another bad President.
Like I said before Michele, I would vote 3rd party first before I would vote for Obama , because I am at that point. I don’t think I am alone on this way of thinking either. Peace. Diana

I’m a little surprised by the comments since I thought everyone would see that this was incredibly condescending and if I were a feminist in the Democrat party I would be ticked
A long time ago I heard an explanation of “meek” along the lines of choosing not to make use of one’s rights and power. Think David and Saul in the latter part of First Samuel. (cf. MacArthur “power under control”)
It could be some comments here are from Christians, even feminist Christians, who understand that they have the right to be treated with respect but aren’t going to press it.
Myself, I was less hung up on the term he used than with his dismissive tone … and the fact that he didn’t answer the question. But he apologized for that.

What I’m saying is that Bush did far WORSE. I don’t recall if you objected to that.
One ‘sweetie’ (again, we have no idea if this is a regular thing, we’ll find out if he does it again) is not quite the same caliber as the current president, at the G8 conference full of world leaders walking over and, without asking, and (if you see the footage, obviously) against her will, just massaging a woman’s shoulders.
So, if we’re going to get entire personalities from single words, what does this whole series of actions say about Bush?

Oh yes, I recall President Bush doing the shoulder thingy with that woman.
Very embarressing for our country.
I have to think if Obama was President would he call the Queen of England sweetie, or would he proceed to rub her shoulder if at a world conference and the Queen attended ?
There just doesn’t seem to be the manners and self-discipline like there used to be with our leaders.

Some time before, I did need to buy a good house for my organization but I didn’t have enough money and could not order something. Thank heaven my comrade proposed to get the business loans from banks. So, I did so and used to be happy with my student loan.