Rosie O'Donnell's head pasted onto Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's body

The Minnesota GOP has sunk to new lows and given the entire state of Minnesota a black eye with a horrible, embarrassing, and over the top sexist video.  Mother Jones carried a story about the video yesterday and and since the the news has gone viral with headlines in national publications that read, “Misogyny is alive and well in Minnesota”.  Yes, it’s true, I can’t argue with that.

The crafty video, first goes through pictures of super sexy Republican babes — like Sarah Palin, all the Fox News hotties, and so on — set to Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady.” Ooh, they’re so hot. Then come the Democrats! This one took a lot of brain power, and Photoshop skills, to get the point across. With the Baha Men’s classic “Who Let the Dogs Out?” playing in the background, you’ll see Rosie O’Donnell’s head pasted onto Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s recently waterboarded body, Janeane Garofalo several times, as well as former US Attorney General Janet Reno and very old, former White House reporter Helen Thomas. They even remembered Cindy Sheehan.

The problem here is that this video is equally sexist to the Republican women as it is to the Democratic women.  Using the Tom Jones song “She’s a Lady” is like when men use the word “ladies” in conversation. It’s standard d-bag vocabulary, and it sounds kind of creepy.  As in, “Thanks for coming out tonight … ladies.”  And, “Would any of you ladies like a drink?”  All the Republican women are Barbie Doll cute and feature a certain body part (READ: tits).  We certainly don’t like these women for their ideas, we like them because they are like pretty things we can put on a shelf and look at.  Given a choice I would much rather be on of the crazy dog democrat women and at least get to be smart instead of oggled at.

Now let’s talk about how the Democratic women are portrayed.  I don’t think I need to explain why the use of the song “Who Let The Dogs Out” or the poor use of PhotoShop is out of line.  Instead I want to bring to light one of my pet peeves that people on both sides of the political isle. use.  The “crazy eyed” woman picture.  This type of picture is used to perpetuate the myth that women are unstable, out of control, and just plain crazy and therefore unable to hold office.  I have seen picture after picture of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Michele Bachmann with crazy eyes.  Everyone, republicans and democrats, stop using crazy eye pictures of women in politics you misogynist a-holes.

Commonly used Hillary Clinton "crazy eyes" picture vs. normal Hillary

The specific GOP culprits responsible for the video are the people in Minnesota’s Republican Senate District 56.  The funnyman webmaster for the GOP State Senate District 56, Randy Brown spoke with the Minnesota Independent about his creation:

“[I]ts only intention was to bring a smile to a few peoples faces, and possibly irritate a few others. Is it fair? Does that matter? It wasn’t intended to be fair. It was intended to be funny.”

Minnesota Democrats had something to say about the video too.  Via a press release, State Chair of the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL) Brian Melendez had this to say about the video:

“This video is sexist and offensive. Just what kind of ridiculous point were the Republicans trying to make with this video? I call on SD56 Chair Joe Salmon and State GOP Chair Tony Sutton to apologize for this sexist video. The day when a woman was judged by her looks rather than her competence and intelligence should have passed three generations ago. But apparently Republican leaders in the year 2010 still think of that bygone era as the good old days, and want to bring it back.

“It probably wasn’t lost on the Republicans who posted this video that Senate District 56 is represented in the Legislature and in Congress entirely by women.”

Do you want the Minnesota GOP to know what you think of their video? Email GOP State Senate District 56 chair Joe Salmon at jhsalmon1@gmail.com and let him know.

The Minnesota Independent reports that Bachmann gave the statement during her key note speech to the Western Conservative Summit in Denver Friday night.  The Republican congresswoman told 600 conservative voters that electing “constitutional conservatives” was the only way to escape the “tyranny” by Democrats over the past 18 months.

“‘We are determined to live free or not at all. And we are resolved that posterity shall never reproach us with having brought slaves into the world,’” Bachmann read from founding father John Jay, ending her reading with the statement, “We will talk a little bit about what has transpired in the last 18 months and would we count what has transpired into turning our country into a nation of slaves.”

For more stupid things that Michele Bachmann has said in the past and for updates on stupid things Michele Bachmann is going to say in the future visit “Michele Bachmann Said WHAT?!“

Hereobuilders.com, the company responsible for the sexypants Michele Bachman action figure, is back with an anatomically correct action figure of Senator elect Scott Brown (R-MA).  This is not your old school Ken doll, I repeat, this is anatomically correct and comes naked except for a well placed fig leaf.  One just has to wonder what kind of plastic madness is going on under that fig leaf.  Why herobuilders.com, why?  There is a reason that action figures aren’t anatomically correct. The action figure is called “Scott Brown Cosmo Man” and sells for $37.50.  I know what I am getting my lady friends for Valentines day.

The Boston Herald ran a story about the new action figure, including an interview with Herobuilders.com’s Emil Vicale. The three different types of Scott Brown action figure were addressed, along with some details of the “Cosmo Man”:

There’s the “2012 Executive Scott Brown,” dressed ever-so-presidentially in a suit. Then there’s the “Scott Brown Everyman,” dressed in a white T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. Which, if you ask us, makes the senator-elect look like a member of the Log Cabin Club! Where’s the manly barn jacket????

But best of all, is the anatomically correct Scott Brown Cosmo Doll, with rippling biceps, a Situationesque six pack and an oh-so-demure fig leaf!

“We thought maybe you women would like that one,” Vicale laughed. “He’s a good looking, sexy guy and we wanted to show different facets from his life.” ‘

Um … they think the “Everyman” action figure is the one that makes Scott Brown look gay?  Because I’m pretty sure it’s the one where he’s naked with a fig leaf that’s the gay one.

I am sure we can expect many more jokes based on Scott Browns appearance over the next few years.  Here is a clip for last week’s Saturday Night Live where John Hamm plays Scott Brown breaking into a meeting with the top Senate Democrats.

Barbara Boxer (D-CA) imagines a half naked Scott Brown dressed as a doctor dancing and talking to her, “Oh, hi Barbara, how is your Health Care plan going? I’m against the public option but I can offer you a pubic option.”

This month with the release of her new book “Going Rogue” we have been in the midst of a Sarah Palin media storm.  Which means we have also been in the midst of a calling Sarah Palin crazy storm.  Which also for some reason leads to calling other female politicians crazy (yes, I’m talking to you CityPages).  Last week the Twin Cities publication CityPages put the above image of Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann (R) on the cover as a parody of Palin’s new book managing to make fun of not one but two female politicians in one tacky move.  Not only was this CityPages millionth “history of Michele Bachman” piece but they had go in the way, way back machine to cover things like Bachman hiding in the bushes (yes, CityPages has done this before).

To be clear, I am not a republican, I am a moderate democrat.  I just don’t like any female politician being referred to as crazy.  Why?  Because this is something the media doesn’t do to male politicians.  No matter how crazy the men are.  In fact male politicians many times do things way crazier than female politicians ever do but never get called crazy for it.  Why?  Because they are men.  I first became aware of this phenomenon while Hillary Clinton was running for President in 2008 and was often being called crazy in the media and by many of my friends while she was not actually acting crazy at all.  Mrs. Clinton was regularly called “crazy” for her foreign policy towards Iran, and that she would retaliate if they would attack Israel.  As we know now with Clinton in place as Secretary as State, her firm stance towards unfriendly nations in anything but crazy and is gaining her respect.

The media are not the only ones to blame here.  I have a number of young women friends who are involved in politics that I believe would call themselves feminists.  There is just one thing they do that I can’t stand.  They love to have cut outs of Sarah Palin at parties.  And then they put weird things on the Sarah Palin cut outs and take pictures with it.  I do not understand this.  I find this so sexist.  I try to say to my young liberal friends, “Imagine if conservatives were doing this with and Obama cut out.  Wouldn’t you find that racists?  Just a tiny bit?”  But for some reason it is alright to do this to women.

Members of Obama’s staff actually had a Hillary Clinton cut out that they used to take to parties with them.  There are pictures of Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau grouping the Hillary Clinton cut out at one party. I think he should have been fired for this.  Why?  Because if the equivalent racist event would have happened at a party with a Michelle Obama or Barack Obama cut out that staffer would have been fired and there would have been more outrage.  As I said before, people accept sexist treatment of women.  Even if it is the Secretary of State.

Do you still not believe me that women politicians have a harder route than men when it comes to being called crazy?  Do you just think that Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman are the two extra special, extra crazy people out there in America that deserve this treatment outside of everyone else?  Let’s use South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford as a case study.  The man lied about going on the Appalachian Trail and was actually in Argentina with his mistress.  The best part is when he gets totally busted and has a press conference, he has a complete breakdown, and cries in front of everyone.  I think anyone would admit that neither Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, or Michele Bachman has ever done anything close to as truly crazy as this.  The man CRIED in front of the press.  If Sarah Palin did this I think that she would be somewhere locked up in a padded room in a straight jacket right now.  But a man did this, so of course he is still Governor of South Carolina.

How do we get to believe that these women are crazy?  There are a few steps that the media and others use.  First of all the story must have the word “crazy” somewhere in the headline.  Second of all a crazypants picture of the female politician is needed.  Third, you have to take an incident that really isn’t that crazy and then make it sound like the woman is unstable and may just crack at any moment.  This combination of crazy headline, crazed woman picture, and story of a woman on the edge is like cocaine to the addicted American public and cannot be refused.

The reason I feel so strongly about this is I truly do not believe that we will have a female President in America until women politicians start to get a fair shake by the media and by citizens.  We all need to pay attention to how women in politics are being represented not only in the media but by opposing political parties and those around us.

By the way CityPages, when are you going to do a crazy Tim Pawlenty cover story?  Oh that’s right, never.

Tuesday on my Twitter feed I mentioned that a company called HeroBuilders.com was going to be coming out with a new Michele Bachmann Action Figure.

Don’t worry, because the wait is over! And just in time for the Christmas shopping season! I know what I’m putting on my list for stocking stuffers!

In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, HeroBuilder CEO Emil Vicale said choosing who get’s an action figure can be difficult:

‘When asked what aspects of Bachmann “struck his fancy,” Vicale said, “She’s hot. Did I say that out loud? Yeah, I guess I did.”

Bachmann will be dressed in a business suit. Vicale said he originally thought about having her hold a gun, “but I’m thinking ‘no’ this time.” ‘

“We’re not going to do anything over the top,” he said. “I think she’ll look good in a nice tailored business suit.” ‘