“That’s simply the two-way street that flows from our precious political right to TRUE freedom of speech in this country.
Stop trying to police it.”

I do want to clarify that we do not give to any organization.

It is possible that the designers of some of the shirts we feature could be donating, but there’s no way for us to know that. If you want to be sure that your shirt purchase is directly supporting PUMA, make sure you purchase here on this site (link here).

The other option and what I usually tell people in a situation like this is “buy what you like, and donate cash directly to the organization you want to support.” In most cases, the profit on a shirt is a few bucks at best. Most of your money is going to the printing, material, shipping and overhead.

So, I just wanted to clear up that we do not officially support any candidate or stance.

Thank you for those that posted about us, and we certainly encourage everyone to take the PUMA poll we have up on the left side asking what you plan to do come election day.

I admire your passion, which is what our site is trying to capture and promote.

Jim
VoteWithYourShirt.com

Why Are We Angry?
by pdelaine

OPEN LETTER TO PAT THURSTON, KGO RADIO TALK SHOW HOST IN SAN FRANCISCO, June 10th, 2008 (This was read on the radio by KGO talk show host Christine Craft on June 11, 2008)

After Barack Obama’s primary win on June 3rd, you said “I don’t get it: Why are Hillary Clinton’s supporters so angry? Why are they threatening to vote for a Republican like McCain instead of Democrat Obama in the general election? It just baffles me.”

I’ll attempt to answer this question although I am – like so many of Hillary’s supporters – still suffering from shell shock. It may be a while before we can clearly voice the depth and shape of our feelings. I do know we feel a profound sadness and, yes, it’s mixed with a hot rage because of the injustices we saw Hillary endure for months from biased media, from the Democratic National Committee, from turncoat party elites, and from the “Hillary Haters” – most of whom are Obama’s supporters, our fellow democrats. It was bad enough that Hillary lost her party’s endorsement, but we’ve awakened to a deeper problem: the silent acceptance of misogyny in society, and the deceptive practices of media manipulators and political machines. Hillary didn’t get a level playing field, and our rage about this is strong enough to potentially tear the Democratic party apart.

While I can’t speak for every Hillary supporter, I can speak for many women when I say that we feel a personal, almost unnameable pain – as if we’ve been watching a metaphorical witch-burning over the past months. Some women and most men have refused to see what has been happening to Hillary; others of us can’t turn our eyes away. The matches were lit by both the Republicans and, amazingly, by Progressives in our party: some of Obama’s supporters. They used radio talk shows, Internet postings, biased media reports, pundits and politicians on TV to fan the flames of destruction. These Hillary Haters have really done her an injustice as a human being, as a woman, and as a highly qualified presidential candidate.

For any of you who mistakenly assume we’re racist or just grousing because he won and she didn’t, you’re missing the point. For many of us, our rage is less about Obama and more about the marriage of back room politics with a partisan corporate media. They coddled him into position while simultaneously shredding Hillary’s character in the public imagination. If you can’t rid yourself of a powerful woman seeking to be President of the United States by successfully attacking her policies, qualifications, and record, perhaps you can eliminate her by planting negative ideas about her into voters’ minds. Then you can blame her for causing her own downfall. Another avenue is to ignore the fact that Hillary won the popular vote, to mis-apportion the Michigan and Florida delegates, and to let party elites select the nominee.

Some of Hillary’s supporters want her to leave the Democratic party and run as an Independent. Yet, despite all the injustices she has experienced, she’s still calling for party unity. She has had little choice but to concede and declare her support for Obama. But Hillary’s supporters are less conciliatory after seeing the despicable way she was treated. While some of us may vote for Obama, what I hear most from her supporters is the vow to either not vote at all, or to cast their votes for McCain in order to teach the powers-that-be a lesson.

I once worked in the advertising field and was trained as a media designer for corporations. I know how the use of psychology and the repetition of certain words and images can influence buying behavior. Corporations use these tools all the time to sell products and services. And corporate media use the same tools to sell ideas and mold public opinion. Few voters are aware – or will want to believe – that they can be so easily manipulated. Here are some of the ways they did it in Hillary’s case:

The media relentlessly filled the airwaves with sexist, hate-filled messages against the former First Lady and two-term senator with impunity .

• Both Conservative and Progressive radio talk show hosts and their callers repeatedly tore into Hillary with misogynist language and personal attacks, calling her “bitch”, “fucking whore”, “evil Hillary”, “monster”, “she-devil” “cunt”…What male presidential candidate has ever had to put up with personalized attacks like this? It goes beyond mere “dirty politics”.

• Sexist remarks were made directly to her in person: “Iron my shirt!” yelled a man at a rally.

• She has a loud laugh, makes occasional verbal gaffs and political mis-steps, shows a dogged ambition, and perhaps even displays a few minor character flaws, yet she is vilified for the same things tolerated or even admired in male politicians.

• Instead of judging her on her own merits and flaws as a candidate, she’s criticized for her husband’s behavior and for her private decision to keep her family intact: “She stayed with him just so she could run for president,” they say. That’s conjecture. Besides, one could just as easily say that many male politicians stay with their wives in order to get into office. When was the last time we voted in a bachelor for president?

Mainstream media is no longer neutral in its news coverage. Instead of helping to educate the public, it attempts to manipulate public opinion.

• In the 1980s, there were more than 80 separately-owned media companies across America. Through mergers, there are now only six media corporations, and they’re owned mostly by white, male conservatives. It’s difficult to find media anymore that are giving voice to minorities, women, or local communities. (see FreePress.net)

• Ninety-one percent of American radio talk show programming is conservative and 9% is progressive. This is one reason why mainstream media lacks balanced reporting of facts to the public. (see FreePress.net)

• Like other corporations, media corporations manufacture messages using spin, information design, and psychological profiling to mold voter attitudes. Some examples of this:
- Mainstream media refused to subject Obama to the same degree of scrutiny as Hillary over the past several months. They babied him and saddled her with summaries like “too many negatives”. (What is this murky term supposed to mean exactly?).
- They often ignored or inadequately covered a story when it conflicted with the desired message
- Language was chosen to solicit emotions in favor of Obama and against Hillary (while Obama “criticizes”, Hillary “attacks” )
- Photographs of the candidates were periodically juxtaposed to show Obama in a warm, gentle light next to often harsh, unflattering images of Hillary (example: “The Great Divide”, Time Magazine, Feb. 13, 2008, p 20)

The “Hillary Haters” in Obama’s camp have been particularly vile in their behavior.

• Progressives in the Democratic party have been incredibly defensive and aggressive toward Senator Clinton. The Hillary Haters among them indulge in destructive personal attacks on her character then project upon her that she’s the one doing the attacking. Their hatred for her is as blind as their love for him. Meanwhile, high-minded Obama gets to stay above the fray while his supporters do the political dirty work for him.

• Senator Obama’s supporters have been using Internet “trolls” to find and sabotage websites that criticize Obama (they don’t seem to realize how they’re hurting both their candidate and the democratic process with such tactics).

• Obama’s supporters quickly cry “racism” at the least hint of criticism about their man, yet they say nothing when Hillary repeatedly gets bashed with sexist remarks and misogynist treatment from all sides. The implicit message is that it’s okay to be sexist but not racist. In a just democracy, sexism and racism should be equally abhorrent.

• Obama’s followers prematurely put tremendous pressure on Hillary to get out of the race, to make way for their man, despite the fact that she was actually leading in the popular vote and had no reason to give up the fight.

• When Hillary finally lost her party’s endorsement, Obama’s supporters summarily dismissed us as “sore losers” when we complained about the abuse aimed at her.

• Hillary deserves to be on the ticket as VP, although she may not want it now. But even after all the hard work, attacks, and betrayals she’s endured; even after receiving the support of 18 million voters; despite being able to bring high-level skills and experience to the table, Obama’s supporters treat Hillary like poison, someone unworthy of being on the same ticket with their man. The unfairness of their attitude really irks us.

Her own party turned their backs on her.

• All the presidential candidates, the Obama campaign, the DNC, and the party elite were silent about the sexism, misogyny, and underhanded abuse heaped upon the former first lady and two-term senator.

• Even party members that she’d supported in the past turned away from her when the political wind shifted to her opponent.

• Although Hillary won Michigan and Florida, the DNC Rules Committee denied her all the delegates she deserved and even took away four delegates she’d won and gave them to Obama.
____________________________________

I guess it will take some people longer to see what we saw happen to Senator Hillary Clinton. But you’ll be hearing more about this in the months ahead.

Although I still believe that Obama is less ready to be president than Hillary, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if he can prove himself over the next several months. I believe the real “evil” here is not Obama. But he will feel the fallout of our anger at the abuse Hillary was subjected to in this dysfunctional election process. Our pain and anger will not go away easily…not until this amazing woman is shown a lot more respect.

Does this answer your question? Thanks for asking.

thanks – i actually knew that but i wanted to post on this topic and didn’t want to take the topic upstairs (hopefully it won’t make it’s way up)!

but thank you for looking out for me!

i am hoping that all involved will re-read each others posts and realize this was just a misunderstanding.

please stay!

and please remember, we came together at this site to primarily oppose the selection of a nominee by the dnc.

we are never going to agree on every topic. that would be unrealistic. and everyone coming here has a different history, so they make be more sensitive to some issues than others. that is okay (in fact, great, since we will have more points of view).

what we can agree on is that we need to keep fighting for our pac beliefs.

please don’t disintegrate from the inside. that is the only thing that will hurt us; not the media, not the bots, not the dnc.

what is the quote? we have met the enemy and it is us.
let’s not be our own enemy, let us be wonderful! (right Murphy?!)