Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Ladies in Pink get a nod from Women's Wear Daily


Protesters at the convention.

The Pink Ladies Take Over
by Jacob Bernstein

Posted Thursday August 28, 2008
Last Edited Tuesday September 02, 2008
From WWD Issue 08/28/2008

One woman is walking down the street in her underwear, on the back of which someone has inscribed the message “Let me be brief. Impeachment is on the table.” Another is bicycling past her on a bright pink bike, with a giant pink hat adorned with pink feathers. A third is seated on a bench waiting for the mall shuttle with a pink bumper sticker on her chest that says, “Make out, not war.”

For a party that takes pride in its diverse swath of constituents, the Democratic National Convention has been surprisingly muted visually this week. There are scores of young people who look like they graduated from Brown, Vassar, Yale or Wesleyan, and there are lots of handsome black women in their 50s. Blondes and brunettes, whites and Hispanics, young people and old people, they are all here in droves. But there is surprisingly little quirkiness, which is at least part of the reason the women of Code Pink are so hard to miss.

Born out of an opposition to Iraq, the organization since has come to form a more general progressive antiwar platform, and is raising money to help Cindy Sheehan defeat Nancy Pelosi in her race for Congress this fall.

“Sixty percent of Americans opposed the war by 2006,” said member Renay Davis, who is riding on a bus toward the organization’s temporary clubhouse: a dilapidated hippie-dippy coffee house called the Mercury CafĂ©. She’s dressed for the occasion in a bright pink fireman’s hat and enough bumper stickers on her chest to cover every car for miles. “Why aren’t people speaking out? The silent majority needs to become the vocal majority.

“People say, ‘All you do is preach to the choir. I say, ‘When did you last call your congressperson to tell them that you didn’t want more funding of the war effort? Nancy Pelosi, as speaker of the house, has not done what she could have to stop the war by stopping the funding. I’ve heard the argument that if she introduced a bill to bring the troops home, Bush would just veto it. But at least she would be doing her part.”

What Davis and her fellow members want is enough money to bring the troops home, some money for the Iraqis to begin rebuilding their country themselves and the end of contracts to government contractors such as KBR and Halliburton.

They are somewhat less dogmatic about who should be the next U.S. president. Some are in favor of Obama, partly because Hillary Clinton voted to authorize the war. “We helped paint Hillary Clinton as a war candidate, which helped give Barack Obama an edge,” said co-founder Medea Benjamin. “We went to meet with her before the war began. We told her, ‘We want to support you [in your political career].’ She gave us a rap that sounded like George W. Bush and we were left so disgusted that we gave her a pink slip instead.”

Benjamin is not speaking metaphorically. It was a giant version of the traditional piece of paper, and as the organization’s co-founder clarifies proudly a moment later, her partner in crime, Jodie Evans, actually threw it at the New York senator. (Evans’ other accomplishments include getting herself ejected from the Republican National Convention in 2004 when she interrupted the President’s speech to lambast him about the war in Iraq.)

For the record, Benjamin does not see anything strange about her organization’s categorical rejection of the first would-have-been woman president. “We’re women, we’re feminists, but to us, it’s the positions that matter, not the package they come in.”

She’s also heard the argument that the outfits of her Code Pink cohorts — the very thing that gets them so much attention — also risks turning them into a joke before they even open their mouths. But without them, she says, the organization would sink.

“Last night was boring,” she said, discussing the first night of the convention. “Then we show up and people light up because of what we wear. It’s provocative, it’s interesting. If we dressed the same as everyone else, we wouldn’t get any attention.”

26 comments:

TOP said...

If you ladies would take off your top and show your tits, you might get more respect. You would certainly get a larger following.

LaFajita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JimPreston said...

Silly top, you are thinking of our dear friend Sherry Glaser at www.sherryglaser.net.
But please be careful.
peace,
jim

Unknown said...

More Power to Code Pink!

Great job, and THANK YOU!

Code Pink at the RNC, Sept.3rd;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABuGmuY-xeg

Christine said...

Very pathetic, "ladies." Please show some consideration for your fellow humans and try wearing a little more clothes in the future. Also, keep in mind that the majority opposes you - you have to resort to shenanigans in order to get any sort of attention.

Unknown said...

That is pretty disgusting... not far from your self righteous propaganda I suppose.

How does it feel to know that the majority... people similar to your mothers, fathers, brothers and or sisters, think you are pathetic human beings? As scum with delusional minds.

Honestly... the falsehoods you have embedded in your mind... the extreme views... the way you feel about those individuals you oppose is how almost everyone feels about you. The people you pass on the street and in the grocery store. The people who greet you with a smile... if they only knew you they would be disgusted.

Luke and Sara said...

Peace is such a beautiful and wonderful thing, something we all want to achieve........too bad you have made such a mockery of it with your immature, disrespectful(to others and yourselves), almost circus like protesting. You should try the "witches day" again, like a Berkley, that made you look real legit. at least you were up front with how crazy you are, so we don't have to worry about you ever getting any real power and actually accomplishing something.

gbadavid said...

The fact that a war hero like John McCain, one who fought for the ability to allow women like you to dress like you do and protest like you do, is a total disrespect to the USA. If our country is that bad, then leave. I do not always agree with all the decisions our government makes, but I do love our freedom and ability to help other countries in their time of need. I will say that your website, pictures and opinions have been a great teaching tool for my 14 year old girl. It allows us to see the difference between correct confrontation and misguided opinions. I wish you all well, but remember that through your blatant disrespect of a war hero, you lesson the respect of American women and men.

God Bless you and God Bless America.

LaFajita said...

Hmm...looks like our Republican friends showed up.

Please go ahead and explore our site and learn more about Code Pink. Make whatever comments you feel you must, and please do try not to hurt yourselves or anyone else.

Peace

Anonymous said...

Just because I disagree with you, that makes me a Republican? You prove my point. You aren't mature enough to handle a cause. Rush to judegment makes you a fool.

Anonymous said...

I am a die hard liberal, and supporter of peace. Your antics at the RNC have alienated people on the fence. Stupidity like this does not sway votes in the correct way!
If you want peace don't stop bombs, promote free trade! Please stop these unprofessional and immature actions. Why don't you start by getting into government and change it from the inside, and stop making your cause a joke!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness. Rush must have told everyone to post on this site today. Good job, troops. But remember, everyone say the same thing -- no original thought required!!!

Luke and Sara said...

It seems from this article that your cause is more of that of attention deprived child then an effective political agenda.
The article makes it sound like you were disappointed that the DNC wasn't more like Burning Man!
"surprisingly muted visually"
"surprisingly little quirkiness"

Anonymous said...

Apparently "no original thought required" is your mission statement. Mindless robots following orders like sheep to the slaughter usually don't earn respect cause notice of your political actions. Rush is right about you. Sad thing is, you are using sex and no brains. As stated previously, you are a sad waste of DNA. My 7 year old granddaughter is smarter than your entire group and she doesn't have to dress like a slut to gain attention.

Luke and Sara said...

ok. this is a joke. everyone with "republican" in their name posts hate posts? sounds fishy to me.....

So i have been on and off this site all day - you are proud to get arrested? and impressed when people disrespectfully interrupt others speeches? sad.....

Daito said...

Hey - I like the pink hotpants outfit, but next time, can you put it on a more attractive woman who is not pregnant?

Daito said...

Hey ladies, if you really want to win votes, put your best foot forward. Take a note from PETA. I mean, I personally don't give a shit if squirrels are made into cereal, but somehow when a naked broad that looks like Alicia Silverstone tells me its bad, I beleive her.

Now I know you must have SOME attractive members. Get them out front. Use the uglies for admin and back office tasks like answering phones and shoveling snow. Trust me, guys will pay attention.

JimPreston said...

I am a bit puzzled by the whole 'waste of DNA' concept. What else were you going to do with it anyway?
It's kind of like my pink zoot suit; since I have one, I really do have to wear it, right? For peace, you know, just for peace. Please don't get too worked up about it.

radamo3 said...

To all you protestors out there bitching and moaning....you're welcome!

The WordSmith from Nantucket said...

Well....aside from the vitriolic comments, CodePink should dig through and examine why these commenters have such a strong, negative reaction to your antics.

You don't represent the mainstream. Why do you suppose that is? You would do well to consider whether or not what you've believed in, all this time, what you've been protesting about, is based upon a series of flawed perceptions, misguided opinions, driven by an irrational ideology.

You want peace, as do we all. Yet your worldview of how to get there, is just naive and childish.

I suppose in order for you folk to believe you are "fighting the good fight" to the extent that you believe it, it is necessary for you to demonize and hyperbolize those you oppose. This is in part why you lose credibility amongst those in the center and to the right of it.

You are quick to believe the worst about our soldiers (I checked through your blog a while back and the only posts about soldiers are when they are portrayed as victims and murderers. You do nothing to honor their heroism and service to country), the worst about this country (re: Naom Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Ward Churchill), and never hold accountable real dictators and violators of the UN (think: Saddam, Kim Jong Il...) and human rights.

All of you should really do some soul-searching and questioning, whether or not you and your ilk stand on the wrong side of history, and are the enablers of more violence and more wars, not less.

Don't you find it curious that it's your side that feels "freedom of speech" implies you have the right to gatecrash anywhere you damn well pleased, no matter how tasteless, classless, and inappropriate? There's a time to protest and be heard, and a time to just shut the hell up and behave yourself and be respectful. To "hear the other side" if you truly believe in freedom of speech. Did you see any Republican wingnuts crashing the DNC and making a spectacle of themselves? Being arrested outside?

Good grief...quit imposing your "in-your-face" righteous selves everywhere, and show some dignity and respect to those with opposing views, rather than trying to shut them down by invading their own party.

Luke and Sara said...

Well put WordSmith, "Gatecrash" is the perfect word for it all.....doing whatever it takes to make a scene anywhere you aren't wanted.
The sad part is that they are all getting a high off being so smacked around on their own blog. I can hear them now "We must be accomplishing something if all these people are worked up about it!"
What they don't realize is that what they are accomplishing is in direct opposition to what they had planned to accomplish.

TheBronze said...

Code Stink are pathetic 60's leftovers. It didn't work then and it doesn't work now.

If you creeps only realized that the vast majority of Americans think you're pathetic and silly. Grow up!

If anything, you're great for laughs.

M. Simon said...

Ladies I applaud your efforts.

The murder rate in Chicago is now higher than it is in Iraq.

Chicago needs your help. Please. Please do something to stop the violence in Chicago.

Please Bring Peace To Chicago

researcher said...

Code pink you are in good company I heard all of this scum talk during my Vietnam protest years.

Took ten years of protest to end that illegal war for profits.

There are new souls and old souls on this earth and these folks calling you scum are of the new soul type.

Know that there are those of us out here that love ya.

Words from a former Vietnam protester and retired prof in Tempe. I.e. old guy.

If these warmongers are calling you scum you know you are on the right track and moving forward.

Bless you all for what you are doing for our country. True patriots. Just think of the lives that would have been saved if Germany had had more code pink?

It is going to be a long and difficult road, as America has become a nation of imperialists and many out and out warmongers.

deleted said...

Did you people miss the 60's? I'm sorry well then use this sorry organization to try and make your empty lives meaningful.

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