March 2, 2014

Famous binders — binders full of women and that woman full of binders.

You remember Mitt Romney's "binders full of women."

Now, from today's Maureen Dowd column:
The new cache of Clinton papers is benign... There are reams of advice on how to steer health care, which must have filled the briefing binders Hillary famously carried.
Famously, eh?

So, anyway... binders full of women and woman full of binders.

Did you see the link for Romney's binders went to a Wikipedia article titled "Binders full of women"? Now, that's what I call famous. It was made famous, snatched out of context to exploit to the hilt because it was exploitable. Anything vaguely woman-related is a potential weapon for the war-on-women warriors.

Meanwhile, Hillary famously carrying briefing binders? Didn't Hillary have minions to carry her things? Is this a fake memory of Hillary to be implanted in our brains for some political purpose I can't quite yet see? I suspect an effort to further enhance the image of Hillary as the overearnest schoolgirl, the Tracy Flick stereotype:



And that is Hillary's image. Check out the Wikipedia article "Tracy Flick":
Tracy Flick has been a frequent point of comparison in commentary on real-world political figures. Hillary Clinton has more than once been compared to the character. In a January 2008 video mashup produced by Slate, campaign footage of Clinton was combined with clips from Election to draw a comparison between Clinton's and Tracy's feelings about the inferiority of their opponents....

A Christian Science Monitor review of Clinton's 2003 biography, Living History, quoted an excerpt in which Clinton discussed her participation during high school in a Cultural Values Committee and noted, "There is obviously some truth here, but the tone of the passage reeks of Tracy Flick, the overachieving, overly serious high school student from the film Election. Not to belittle the efforts of the Cultural Values Committee, but a brief aside to show that Clinton understands that high school sociopolitics is not exactly on par with race relations would be nice."
Here's that Slate video (from January 2008):

16 comments:

rhhardin said...

The ring binder was invented by Friedrich Soennecken.

Also the two-hole punch.

Talk about a war on women.

Anonymous said...

from Dowd: “Be careful to ‘be real,’ ” media adviser Mandy Grunwald wrote to her before the launch of her listening tour at Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s farm in upstate New York. “

Don't be yourself: be real. Peasants like 'real'. Listen to them on this Listening Tour with the 'real' face we have practiced: solemn, nodding. If the twitch starts to happen dab a tissue to your eye: this will approximate the appearance of you being emotionally moved. Your reality is different than theirs: do not let this show.

Jay Vogt said...

I'm not sure how it plays in academia or in government, but in the pre-laptop/tablet era in the corporate world "big binder carrying" was kind of a clumsy affectation. It too loudly screamed "look at how much I do and need to know!"

It was, I think an attempt to give other "binder envy".

Better generally to show up to a meeting light and lean and quick.

Anonymous said...

While Tracy Flick is a good comparison, I see Hillary as Dr. Zaius. Haircut and clothing style a close match; also, zealousness for the cause.

rhhardin said...

If you're a prisoner escaping and you're wearing attention-drawing inmate's red coveralls, a carried ring binder and pen or clipboard neutralizes the adverse semiotics.

I'm hear from another division on some mission.

Anonymous said...

A zealous Zaius is Clintonesque.

Humperdink said...

I am sorry, reliving the Clinton years on a Sunday morning is not my cup of tea.

Modo: "a reign roiled by Hillarycare, Vince Foster, Whitewater, Webb Hubbell, Travelgate, Monica, impeachment, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and Marc Rich ..."

The ick factor re-surfaces and will continue to re-surface.

SGT Ted said...

Anything vaguely woman-related is a potential weapon for the war-on-women liars.

FTFY

David said...

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the game "telephone" where a simple phrase gets distorted in repetition.

Actually, "carrying binders" started out as "wearing blinders."

Anonymous said...

Tracy Flick had better legs.

EdwdLny said...

Binders full of the names of those women that your husband assaulted ,perhaps ? So that you would know whose character to assassinate, whose reputations to smear and denigrate ? So as to protect the political career you feel entitled to because ? You aided and abetted a sexual predator for years ? Bugger off you sanctimonious twit. And , as well, all of the ignorant twits who support you and your behaviors.

Paco Wové said...

"carrying binders" started out as "wearing blinders."

And "overcharge" started out as "reset".

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...

Remember, Ted Kennedy still has the only confirmed kill in the War On Women.

Bill Clinton is in the lead for 'just wounded'.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tom said...

I think Rand Paul (or whomever is the nominee) should use three zingers with Clinton:

- (regarding her husband)... And to believe they have Mitt Romney hell about having binders full of women.

- (regarding her pantsuits)... I'm not worried about your pantsuits. I'm far more worried about your husbands "can't keep it in his pants" lawsuits.

- (regarding her foreign policy record)... You supported your husband sending troops to Bosnia, Mogadishu. You voted for war in Afganastan and Iraq, and then you lead the charge to invade Lybia, leading to eventual death of a US ambassador that we inadequately protected. Tell me, Madam Secretary, On what planet can you be running as the "peace" candidate? Peace seems to be your last resort.

Unknown said...

I think Hillary would have done a better job of holding back the rise of the oceans. They had to pump an awful lot of sand onto Longboat Key this year.