I honestly don't know what to make of all these men in the political establishment who insist on using their mancrushes as some sort of guideline for who is and is not "presidential."
Where Digby errs is in thinking that it's a largely heterosexual world with between 3-8% of the population being gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or trans-sexual. It's a big mistake because it leaves out all the the men whose are erotically oriented toward other men even though they have sex with, get married to, and otherwise consort with women. The homoeroticism is all around. It's in the pornography (shared with other guys when its not autoerotic), trips to strip clubs (also shared with other guys), chest-bumping, butt slapping, "I love you man" testimonials, gaming networks, sports obsessions, workout addictions, poker marathons, nights out with "the boys," NBA players measuring each other's penises, and the like. When I asked a class how many guys had sex with women primarily so they could tell their guy friends, one male student answered something to effect of "100% of American males." A guy in another class referred to dating women as "gay."
Seen in this light, traditional masculinity is not just male about domination, it's about the domination of male-homoeroticism in most spheres of life outside the home. This reveals another dimension of the threat posed by second-wave feminism beginning in the seventies. Feminism wasn't just about female equality as feminists intended; it was about breaking the nexus of male-male relationships by integrating women into workplaces, traditionally male fields of study, and male preserves like sports. As a result of feminism, the spectre of heterosexual living has been haunting America.
EXAMPLES. As a result, the man-love tributes spotlighted by Digby are normal behavior in most ways.
Here's Roger Simon in the Politico, via Media Matters: From Simon's June 6 column: Here are the winners and losers of Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate, accurate to three decimal places. FIRST PLACE: Mitt RomneyAnalysis: Strong, clear, gives good soundbite and has shoulders you could land a 737 on. Not only knows how to answer a question, but how to duck one.
More from Roger Simon:
But Romney is so polished and looks so much like a president would look if television picked our presidents (and it does) that sometimes you have to ask yourself if you are watching the real deal or a careful construction. Romney has chiseled-out-of-granite features, a full, dark head of hair going a distinguished gray at the temples, and a barrel chest. On the morning that he announced for president, I bumped into him in the lounge of the Marriott and up close he is almost overpowering. He radiates vigor.Howard Fineman and Chris Matthews also like to shower Mitt Romney and the other Republicans with as much man-love as they can.
SPECULATION AND ANALYSIS. Given the prevalence of man-love themes with the Republicans, it might be useful to speculate a little bit about the role of heterosexual male homoeroticism in presidential politics. In this context, it might be best to think of the President of the United States No. 1 Alpha Male in this country, a guy that American men can bond with as a role-model and identify with as an enhanced version of their own masculinity. Because Bill Clinton had a powerhouse lawyer-political figure as a wife, he was also extremely questionable from this point of view. Nevertheless, George Bush has been positively dangerous for traditional manhood because he embodied so many of the frat-boy, chest-thumping, big-talking American male gestures and he has failed so dramatically. In this sense, Bush's failure might be seen as a failure of "real guy" masculinity in general.
And as a result of Bush failure, the presidential link in the nexus of manhood is now being threatened by the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. Traditional guys have long thought of Hillary Clinton as the "uber-bitch"--"sort of a Madame Defarge of the left" according to Chris Matthews-- and now it looks like she's getting ready to occupy the ultimate alpha male position. Because Hillary could upset the whole symbolic system around homoerotic masculinity, traditionalist reporters like Roger Simon, Chris Matthews, and Howard Fineman are bringing their homoeroticism out of the closet and into the open as they pump the Republican candidates.
If Hillary Clinton is nominated by the Democrats and elected as president, she would not only be a huge role model for women (I've already promised to take my 12 year old daughter to her inauguration if she wins), but her election also would represent an interesting leap forward in the "heterosexing" of American institutions.
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