O’s Boys’ Club Still Has a Problem with Women

March 14, 2012

Democrats Refuse to Give Up Donations from Offensive Misogynist Bill Maher Because Obama Super PAC Struggles with Fundraising, Highlighting Obama’s Ongoing Problem with Women

Obama advisor David Axelrod abruptly cancelled his planned appearance amidst growing criticism that it would be hypocritical for the administration to condone the rhetoric of a well-documented misogynist like Maher.
Sadly, the reluctance of Obama officials to dissociate themselves from Maher is just the latest evidence of Team Obama’s problem with women. A book out last year documented concerns by women in the White House that the Obama administration had created a hostile work environment for women.
True to form, President Obama’s Super PAC refuses to return well-known misogynist Bill Maher’s $1 million donation, which comprised half of all Obama’s Super PAC fundraising in February. Apparently the Democrats find sexism less offensive when they need sexists’ money.

Obama advisor David Axelrod abruptly cancelled his planned appearance amidst growing criticism that it would be hypocritical for the administration to condone the rhetoric of a well-documented misogynist like Maher:

“AXELROD CANCELS ON BILL MAHER—FOR NOW”: (Jake Tapper, “Axelrod Cancels on Bill Maher—For Now,” ABC News, 3/14/2012)

MAHER “THE GRAND POOH-BAH OF MEDIA MISOGYNY”: “But the grand pooh-bah of media misogyny is without a doubt Bill Maher” (Kirsten Powers, “Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist,” The Daily Beast, 3/4/2012)

MAHER SAID FORMER ALASKA GOV. SARAH PALIN WAS A “DUMB [EXPLETIVE],” USED THE “C-WORD” IN DESCRIBING HER: (Kirsten Powers, “Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist,” The Daily Beast, 3/4/2012)

CALLED PALIN AND REP. MICHELE BACHMANN “BOOBS” AND “TWO BIMBOS”: (Kirsten Powers, “Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist,” The Daily Beast, 3/4/2012)

JOKED ABOUT FORMER SEN. RICK SANTORUM’S WIFE USING A “VIBRATOR”: (Kirsten Powers, “Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist,” The Daily Beast, 3/4/2012)

JOKED THAT A BREASTFEEDING MOTHER WAS TRYING TO FLASH HIM:(Kirsten Powers, “Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist,” The Daily Beast, 3/4/2012)

MAHER-ISMS: “And by the way, there is a place where breasts and food do go together. It’s called Hooters!” (Kirsten Powers, “Rush Limbaugh Isn’t the Only Media Misogynist,” The Daily Beast, 3/4/2012)

Sadly, the reluctance of Obama officials to dissociate themselves from Maher is just the latest evidence of Team Obama’s problem with women. A book out last year documented concerns by women in the White House that the Obama administration had created a hostile work environment for women:

FORMER WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR ANITA DUNN: OBAMA WH “WOULD BE IN COURT FOR A HOSTILE WORKPLACE”: ” ‘This place would be in court for a hostile workplace,’ former White House communications director Anita Dunn is quoted as saying. ‘Because it actually fit all of the classic legal requirements for a genuinely hostile workplace to women.'” (Nia Malika-Henderson and Peter Wallsten, “Book: Women in Obama White House Felt Excluded, Ignored,” The Washington Post, 9/16/2011)

OBAMA OFFICIAL: PRESIDENT “HAS A REAL WOMAN PROBLEM,” “JUST AS RESPONSIBLE” FOR CREATING ANTI-WOMAN ENVIRONMENT AS HIS STAFF: ” ‘The president has a real woman problem,’ an unnamed high-ranking female official told Suskind. ‘The idea of the boys’ club being just Larry and Rahm isn’t really fair. He [Obama] was just as responsible himself.'” (Nia Malika-Henderson and Peter Wallsten, “Book: Women in Obama White House Felt Excluded, Ignored,” The Washington Post, 9/16/2011)

FORMER TOP WH ECONOMIST CHRISTINA ROMER: “I FELT LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT”: “Christina Romer, former head of the Council of Economic Advisers, said of one meeting where she’d been shut down by Summers, ‘I felt like a piece of meat.'” (David A. Graham, “9 Juicy Bits from Ron Suskind’s Book,” The Daily Beast, 9/19/2011)

TOP FEMALE STAFFERS “FELT FROZEN OUT”: (Peter Wallsten and Anne E. Kornblut, “In Early Obama White House, Female Staffers Felt Frozen Out,” The Washington Post, 9/20/2011)

FORMER WH CHIEF OF STAFF BILL DALEY: “I DID HEAR THERE WERE SOME ISSUES EARLY ON”… AND THEY WERE RAHM’S FAULT!: ” ‘So I don’t see it as, um, I didn’t even read the book, but I did hear that there were some issues early on under a predecessor of mine, so I can dump on him about it.'”(Daniel Halper, “Daley: The White House’s Women Problem Was Rahm’s Fault,” The Weekly Standard, 10/6/2011)

MAUREEN DOWD REPORTED THAT OBAMA’S WHITE HOUSE WAS AN “OVAL MAN CAVE”: (Maureen Dowd, “Oval Man Cave,” The New York Times, 10/27/2009)

TIME: “NO WOMAN SEEMS TO QUALIFY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA’S INNERMOST CIRCLE”: (Amy Sullivan, “The White House Boy’s Club: President Obama Has a Woman Problem,” Time, 9/21/2011)

BUSH HAD WOMEN IN HIS “BRAIN TRUST” WHERE OBAMA DOESN’T: (Amy Sullivan, “The White House Boy’s Club: President Obama Has a Woman Problem,” Time, 9/21/2011)

True to form, President Obama’s Super PAC refuses to return well-known misogynist Bill Maher’s $1 million donation, which comprised half of all Obama’s Super PAC fundraising in February. Apparently the Democrats find sexism less offensive when they need sexists’ money:

BILL MAHER CONTRIBUTED HALF OF ALL OBAMA’S SUPER PAC FUNDRAISING IN FEBRUARY: “Priorities USA Action, a super PAC raising unlimited money to aid President Obama’s campaign, collected $2 million in February, following Obama’s reversal last month of his opposition to outside groups. Half of the money came from television host Bill Maher.” (Fredreka Schouten, “Pro-Obama Super PAC Collects $2 Million,” USA Today, 3/13/2012)

PRIORITIES USA SUPER PAC HEADED BY OBAMA BOYS’ CLUB MEMBER BILL BURTON: (Jeff Poor, “Obama Super PAC Chief: Equating Rush Limbaugh with Bill Maher ‘Is Crazy’,” The Daily Caller, 3/8/2012)

MORE BURTON: WHEN SEXISM TARGETS REPUBLICAN WOMEN, IT’S NOT OFFENSIVE, IT’S…FUNNY?: ” ‘There’s no just similarity about what Rush Limbaugh said, lying about the argument that Miss Fluke was making — a law student at Georgetown — and what a comedian has said in the past.'” (Jeff Poor, “Obama Super PAC Chief: Equating Rush Limbaugh with Bill Maher ‘Is Crazy’,” The Daily Caller, 3/8/2012)

BUT DEMS WON’T RETURN THE MAHER DONATION BECAUSE THEY NEED THE MONEY: “The top Democratic super PAC is still having trouble raising money, despite getting President Obama’s blessing.” (Aaron Blake, “Even With Obama’s Blessing, Top Dem Super PAC Finds Tough Sledding,” The Washington Post,