Hi,
As a feminist, and leftist, I am astonished and disturbed at this coverage of coverage show–where’s the “beef”?. The whole construction of the discourse stays fixated on the right–and how the Right is re-presenting Obama, right up to the outright twisting of events in terms of what is rightly called the “yanking” of birth control/medicaid from the stimulus package. Laura F. presents the issue as if it was the right that accomplished this. But in fact it was Obama, and the Obama administration that threw women under the bus, and construed women’s bodies as “pork.” This is typical of the direction of the “progressive” media infra-structure that is consistently praised on this show, and consistently re-presented as under attack or as power-less in contrast to the mainstream media and it’s forever right-ward discourse. While the inequality of resources can not be overstated, isn’t it possible that if this “alternative” media actually got some spine and presented a true alternative to mainstream liberal views– e.g. substantive coverage and criticism of what Democrats (as well as the Right) are up to–that it might do a better job in mobilizing progressives into some actual movement (as opposed to hip hop or not voting blocs)? It is a real disservice to women in particular, and feminism, to have a media round table that does not confront the facts regarding what this administration has ACTUALLY (not potentially- as in the “wait and see” attitude/delusion surrounding Obama) done this week to women.

By kmiriam on January 30th, 2009 at 9:40 am