CTHIA

cthia n. (k'THEE-ah) Reality-truth; the way things are rather than the way we'd like them to be.
          -- Vulcan to Federation Standard Dictionary

Can you imagine hearing and reading about a person who is belligerent, thirsty for power, attention and adulation?  Moreover, that this person is morally insensitive, lies, smears opponents and never helps anyone but herself?

You might think, "What a terrible person she must be."  That person surely would have no friends.  Everyone would hate and distrust everything that person said or did. Well, the author of The Case Against Hillary Clinton says that's her reason for writing a book that contemptuously batters the First Lady.

Peggy Noonan directs her book to the people of New York State in an undisguised effort to influence the outcome of the senatorial race in New York.  She proudly admits to writing an unbalanced and polemic book.  Apparently she is incapable of cthia, as her history as Reagan's speech writer attests.

One thing we know for sure. It's easy to be the critic and condemn what others do.  It is also quite effective because some people believe that WHATEVER IS WRITTEN IN A BOOK IS TRUE.  "It must be", they would argue, "because otherwise the writer would be sued."  Sadly, they are wrong because it is nearly impossible to prove a negative.

In addition, a clever writer uses devises to protect herself from such suits.  Devices such as "quoting" a person or persons; alluding to thoughts or actions, and parroting gossip. Furthermore, Noonan can quote from tons of charges and innuendoes made by Republicans in Congress, talking heads, editorial writers and anyone else who does not like Hillary.

The book and its contents are full of contradictions.  Noonan condemns the First Lady for being an activist, a revolutionary, and a leader in the Women's movement, then faults her for not responding like a bitchy, raving, phema nazi-harridan to husband Bill's womanizing. Her book is full of things Hillary SHOULD HAVE DONEs and SHOULD HAVE SAIDs to her husband, the president.

First she accuses Hillary of being a strong influence in Bill's presidency and its scandals, and then she criticizes her for not directing him in ways that CONTRADICT the shining-wifely-standards set down by the Republican "family values" directive.

She completely ignores the fact that many charges made against the administration are unproven, by listing every accusation made, then claiming that Hillary is re- sponsible. Many times she accuses the Clintons of lying while lying herself.

"Noonan exercises plenty of creative license in these pages, mostly effectively, by inventing dialogue, events, and inner thoughts that serve to illustrate Mrs. Clinton's motives and character as Noonan sees them," [our emphasis] writes Linda Killian in a review FAVORABLE to the book.

Hillary is charged with being in a position to do real good but Noonan claims that she has done nothing either for our country or for other people.  Noonan either ignores or condemns Hillary's many accomplishments.  Doubtless this is because so many of them have to do with women, children and education.  This frames and illuminates Noonan's bias.

Reviewer, Stephen Louis Harris writes, "Noonan has the writing style of a tenth-grade creative writing student. Her gushy, adjective-filled writing is dripping with diatribes and rantings against the first lady. Expecting anything positive about a Democrat from a right-wing hack former Reagan speech writer (this is the lady who gave us 'a thousand points of light' and all we got was Bush and his dim bulb Dan Quayle) is more than we should expect. Peggy, maybe you can help W. string a comprehensible sentence together and something as memorable as 'read my lips.' "

We think that The Case ..." will turn out to be "FOR Hillary Clinton" as more and more women turn away in disgust from the carefully crafted *wish list* that characterizes this book. As they do, we salute them with this line from another smart, strong, competant and brave woman:

After Noonan's book, Randall Terry's "Farewell to Vermont" speech was downright civilized. He stated that he had failed in his attempt to save the people of Vermont from a fate worse than death -- "The Civil Union Law". He declared that he might enter the NY senatorial race to replace Rudy as the Republican candidate to give anti-choice voters political representation.

It turns out that Randy WAS effective in changing the minds of at least 2 Representatives who listened to him and changed their intended NO vote to YES. "From what he and his group said we felt what gays and lesbians feel and hear all the time and how frightening it must be. It gave us new insight."

So, thanks and goodbye, Randy.  Hope when you get to NY you can meet up with Peggy.  You both see things only as you want them to be, not as they are.  It should be a rush for both of you.

twanda@together.net  

2000-017

Copyright 2000 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: twanda@together.net.

G e n d e r G a p p e r s   ^{T M}