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Friday, October 27, 2006
Ho-Ho disses mother-in-law of VT blogger
Yes, it's a small state. Vermonter believes he heard Howard Dean dis his mother-in-law on Air America. But it sounds like she deserved it...
October 27, 2006 at 09:40 AM in VT Blogs | Permalink
Comments
It was definitely my mother-in-law...
And, yes, she deserved it...
Though I feel a little protective, since making fun of mother-in-laws is really the role of the son-in-law and not the Chairman of the DNC...
In her defense, though, she really just moved to Maryland, but I think she could've made the October 18th deadline.
Pretty funny that she's apparently now HoHo's current favorite example of people who say they care about politics, yet don't make the effort to vote.
Even if, in her case, that doesn't really apply.
Posted by: Vermonter | Oct 27, 2006 10:13:40 AM
It TOTALLY applies to her case. If she really cared about voting, she'd have either registered on time in her new location or voted via absentee ballot in her old location.
Sorry. I'm sure that your MIL is a great person, but she really has no good excuse here.
Posted by: MIL | Oct 27, 2006 11:00:22 AM
OK, now you're just being mean to a 71 year old who's probably voted in every single election of her life.
She got her PHD in Middle Eastern politics at the age of 55, worked for a number of years at the Peace Corps and was, prior to her retirement, the Executive Director of the Fullbright Program in Tel Aviv during the late 90s.
Her living situation was in flux for an unplanned extended period of time -- and you know what, sometimes there are things (gasp!) more important than voting.
This was meant to be amusing story, not an opportunity for people to act superior about a person and situation they know nothing about.
/lecture.
Posted by: Vermonter | Oct 27, 2006 11:32:53 AM
She sounds like a wonderful person.
And I'm not being mean. She has no good excuse for not voting.
Voting is very important.
Posted by: MIL | Oct 27, 2006 12:57:30 PM
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone acted with absolute perfection at all times.
The point still stands that you have no way of knowing whether she has a good excuse or not.
Voting is important, of course, but not living out of a suitcase when you're 71 is probably a bit more important, wouldn't you think?
Posted by: Vermonter | Oct 27, 2006 1:20:12 PM
Look man, I don't care if the lady votes or not.
The point is that it is her choice. If she doesn't vote it's because she decided not to make voting a priority.
If she thinks that control of the US House and Senate is important than she should vote. If not, she has every right not to.
No big deal. Have a great weekend Vermonter and give your MIL a big old kiss for us voters.
Posted by: MIL | Oct 27, 2006 1:32:21 PM
Oy Vez Mir...
Posted by: Vermonter | Oct 27, 2006 1:37:38 PM
You know those folks who make it a point NOT to vote and rationalize it with logic like "It doesn't matter anyway" and "the parties are basically indistiguishable" and "my one little vote isn't going to make a difference?" Well, those people are wrong, but in some cases, it really isn't THAT big a deal. Neil's mother in law can still participate in democracy by writing letters to lawmakers and donating money and helping to organize and she'll have a much bigger net effect on the system than her solitary vote would have. Sure everyone should vote, but that's just one small part of our democratic duty. If all you do is show up at the polls in November, you're not really helping all that much. If all you do is show up at the polls in November and berate 71 year old women who don't vote because of real-life issues, then you're actually hurting the system by giving those of us who care about democracy a bad name. Stay off my side, MIL.
Posted by: Bill Simmon | Oct 27, 2006 1:47:15 PM
Bill,
I didn't berate anyone.
I simply stated that she made a choice.
It's her choice. I respect her choice. But it is her choice.
Good day.
Posted by: mil | Oct 27, 2006 1:53:08 PM
Honestly, I'm having a gard time seeing why mil is getting such grief here. He/she didn't sound malicious...I mean, Vermonter - your MIL did screw up, right? Y'gotta take yer lumps when you screw up - especially when we're all out browbeating people to get to the polls.
I didn't detect any meanness in mil's lump-giving there, just as I doubt Dean is using her as an object lesson with any maliciousness.
Posted by: odum | Oct 27, 2006 2:34:19 PM
Sorry Odum... I'm with Bill here...
Cuz, well, I actually know the details of the situation.
My mother-in-law did not make "a choice" not to vote. Her sin was being caught seeming to be a foolish person in a conversation with Howard Dean.
What part of "flux for an unplanned extended period of time" is so difficult to be sympathetic about?
My mother-in-law did not plan to not have legal residency for most of the last 4 months. She was quite certain she'd have residency in time to register to vote. Yes, theoretically, there was a window between September 24, 2006 and October 18, 2006 when she may have had a week to register after moving into her new place. But, horrible un-civic person that she is, she didn't.
You try to buy an affordable residence in the D.C. area.
Perhaps "mean" was the wrong word to use. "Self-righteous" is maybe more accurate.
And again, it's my role to make fun of my mother-in-law.
So, Dean used this story effectively to describe a certain type of person. However, he didn't know the whole story.
He didn't know that my mother-in-law has dedicated her life to public service, dontated a lot of money to his Presidential campaign, and is a regular donor to the DNC.
Not his fault, cuz he didn't know the facts. But, now you do.
Posted by: Vermonter | Oct 27, 2006 2:56:34 PM
The only way I would say that MIL deserved any grief would be if she had gone up to Gov. Dean and complained, which she did not. If she made a mistake, then it sounds like she's more than earned her stripes and therefore a little forgiveness.
a.k.a. - Me think thou dost complain too much.
Posted by: FatBaldMarriedGuy | Oct 27, 2006 3:35:19 PM
Good grief, Vermonter, why don't you just go to your room and stop making an ass of yourself. There are so many pathetic VT bloggers who pine for any and all opportunities to make the issue about themselves. I know, why don't you just put a live webcam on yourself and call that the new blogger journalism revolution. Yawn.
Posted by: Vermonter's Id | Oct 28, 2006 4:35:11 PM
Hey Id,
I hear ya...
Reminds me of that sad Bottom Feeder fella who was always accusing people of the same thing...
And all the while being 10 times as self-aggrandizing as those he accused.
Posted by: Vermonter's Super Duper Ego | Oct 28, 2006 8:39:17 PM
Huh. Yeah! We sure showed him! Stupid blogger. Chicks are stupid. Turkey bacon. Mothers in law who don't vote is soooo Vermont. Douche.
Posted by: Vermonter's Super Ego's Ego | Oct 28, 2006 10:40:27 PM
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