Misogyny vs Kate Brown?
Please read, share, and VOTE. There is no perfect human, no perfect candidate or perfect officeholder. But some folks are doing pretty good work, even despite their human shortcomings. Do not let the fantasy of perfection be the enemy of pretty good. (copied and pasted for your consideration):
Please read, share, and VOTE. There is no perfect human, no perfect candidate or perfect officeholder. But some folks are doing pretty good work, even despite their human shortcomings. Do not let the fantasy of perfection be the enemy of pretty good. (copied and pasted for your consideration):
"My sister works for the governor. She wrote:
"Last week one of the papers endorsed the other guy. I haven’t been able to be very articulate about my feelings, but a friend was. Here are his thoughts:
Anyone interested in understanding the challenges of women executives in business and government should read the Oregonian’s endorsement editorial about the governor’s race.
Kate Brown has an extraordinary record as Governor: saving 400,000 low-income Oregonians from losing healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, securing paid medical leave for all workers, appointing four women (two women of color) to Oregon's Supreme Court, enacting automatic voter registration, adopting a phase-out plan for coal power, making community college affordable for everyone, passing gun safety laws, imposing first-in-the-nation protections for transgender kids in school, banning gay conversion therapy, innovating the most progressive transportation package in the country, I could go on.
The Oregonian editorial board mentions none of these things. Not a single actual achievement as Governor. Instead, the only things they could apparently come up with to give Kate Brown credit for is being bisexual and having “poise” and “temperament” that allowed the State to heal from the scandal leading to Governor Kitzhaber’s resignation.
What about her ambitious education agenda? This “consists mostly of initiatives left by Kitzhaber,” the Oregonian says.
As for her opponent — the guy with one of the thinnest records in the Legislature — the editorial board characterizes his big talk as achievement. They credit him for being “among Republican legislators developing a more broad-based funding solution for the Medicaid expansion than the temporary package that was signed into law.” What?! He was “developing” a funding solution that never materialized? Governor Brown innovated and championed the bipartisan funding solution that actually passed — and then passed again at the ballot with more than 60% support — but, wow!, it sure is impressive that Knute Buehler was part of a group that was working on developing a different idea that went nowhere.
That’s not all. The Oregonian also praises Buehler’s boldness for supporting gun and housing bills that were Kate Brown’s initiatives. That’s right, without an ounce of irony, the same editorial that criticizes Kate Brown for lacking leadership praises her opponent for boldly supporting her initiatives.
“But,” as the Oregonian says, it’s not his achievements “so much as his priorities and concrete ideas for Oregon that should win over voters.” Right. Because when you don’t have achievements to run on, big talk will do the trick.
It’s almost like they wrote this based on some kind of misogyny manual: Credit women for being nice. When confronted with actual achievements, dismiss them as being the product of men’s work. Compare strong women to mediocre men by amplifying the men’s achievements.
Astonishing.
Perhaps the most objectionable part of the editorial comes at the very end, where it says that “in nearly four years as governor, Brown never owned the role.” This kind of comment must seem familiar to many women, who are told when passed over for promotion that they “just don’t seem like management material.”
Governor Kate Brown is as thoughtful and conscientious as they come. But, if what Oregonians want is a swagger-walking table-pounder, they should vote for the other guy. That’s apparently what the Oregonian editorial board wants."
"Last week one of the papers endorsed the other guy. I haven’t been able to be very articulate about my feelings, but a friend was. Here are his thoughts:
Anyone interested in understanding the challenges of women executives in business and government should read the Oregonian’s endorsement editorial about the governor’s race.
Kate Brown has an extraordinary record as Governor: saving 400,000 low-income Oregonians from losing healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, securing paid medical leave for all workers, appointing four women (two women of color) to Oregon's Supreme Court, enacting automatic voter registration, adopting a phase-out plan for coal power, making community college affordable for everyone, passing gun safety laws, imposing first-in-the-nation protections for transgender kids in school, banning gay conversion therapy, innovating the most progressive transportation package in the country, I could go on.
The Oregonian editorial board mentions none of these things. Not a single actual achievement as Governor. Instead, the only things they could apparently come up with to give Kate Brown credit for is being bisexual and having “poise” and “temperament” that allowed the State to heal from the scandal leading to Governor Kitzhaber’s resignation.
What about her ambitious education agenda? This “consists mostly of initiatives left by Kitzhaber,” the Oregonian says.
As for her opponent — the guy with one of the thinnest records in the Legislature — the editorial board characterizes his big talk as achievement. They credit him for being “among Republican legislators developing a more broad-based funding solution for the Medicaid expansion than the temporary package that was signed into law.” What?! He was “developing” a funding solution that never materialized? Governor Brown innovated and championed the bipartisan funding solution that actually passed — and then passed again at the ballot with more than 60% support — but, wow!, it sure is impressive that Knute Buehler was part of a group that was working on developing a different idea that went nowhere.
That’s not all. The Oregonian also praises Buehler’s boldness for supporting gun and housing bills that were Kate Brown’s initiatives. That’s right, without an ounce of irony, the same editorial that criticizes Kate Brown for lacking leadership praises her opponent for boldly supporting her initiatives.
“But,” as the Oregonian says, it’s not his achievements “so much as his priorities and concrete ideas for Oregon that should win over voters.” Right. Because when you don’t have achievements to run on, big talk will do the trick.
It’s almost like they wrote this based on some kind of misogyny manual: Credit women for being nice. When confronted with actual achievements, dismiss them as being the product of men’s work. Compare strong women to mediocre men by amplifying the men’s achievements.
Astonishing.
Perhaps the most objectionable part of the editorial comes at the very end, where it says that “in nearly four years as governor, Brown never owned the role.” This kind of comment must seem familiar to many women, who are told when passed over for promotion that they “just don’t seem like management material.”
Governor Kate Brown is as thoughtful and conscientious as they come. But, if what Oregonians want is a swagger-walking table-pounder, they should vote for the other guy. That’s apparently what the Oregonian editorial board wants."
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