"Pansy" reference in Hillary Clinton endorsement raises some hackles

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley's high-profile embrace of Hillary Clinton may not play out as an unalloyed asset for her. The main sound bite he delivered in endorsing her presidential candidacy today sparked criticism (muted, for the most part) for being an insult to gays.

Referring to his own reputation as a hard-charging politician, he said, "I've been accused of being persistent and downright aggravating." As Clinton stood next to him in an auditorium at North Carolina State University, he added, "But this lady right here makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy." (More about the event is available here.)

The first definition in Webster's New World Dictionary for pansy is "any of various violets." But then there's this: "[Slang] an effeminate man; esp. an effeminate male homosexual: often a contemptuous term."

Although Barack Obama's overdue stiff-arm of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright overwhelmed coverage of virtually anything else in politics today, Easley's comment did not go completely unnoticed.

As of this afternoon, a  handful of blogs had commented on it, including this post on The Smoking Gun, which noted that when Clinton ...

"stepped up to the mic to accept Easley's endorsement, (she) said nothing about his 'pansy' comment."

The Drudge Report linked to this item, meaning awareness of Easley's phrase is likely to grow.

We checked with the Washington headquarters of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's premier group promoting gay rights, and it already had a statement in the works.

Trevor Thomas, the group's deputy communications director, sent out this e-mail a few minutes later: "We certainly wish the governor would have chosen his words better and have expressed our disappointment to his staff.”

We've asked the Clinton campaign for a comment but, as of now, nothing has been issued.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Associated Press

 

Comments

[Justin]

It is an unfortunate/ignorant choice of words, but can we focus on the fact that the endorsement was essentially that Sen. Clinton is more "persistent and downright aggravating" than Gov. Easley?

Are those virtues we want in a president? Our current president has been plenty persistent. More importantl,y why should somebody support a candidate who's best case for election is tearing down their opponent?

[Rocky]

Reading some of the posts here is disheartening. How about talking about some actual issues instead of re-hashing this Rev Wright madness. If this is what American politics has become, I'll tell you this, God Damn America!

Rev Wright said nothing yesterday or the day before that was anything new. The message, that black people are just different, not deficient; was totally lost to almost all of you.

It's just sad that things are going down the way they are. Barack Obama now has to denounce his own pastor in order to stay politically relevant when it should not even be an issue. It shouldn't be an issue no more than President Bush supporting Pat Robertson's or Jerry Falwells bigoted views. Bush has never had to denounce Pat Robertson or Falwell, why should Obama have to denounce Rev Wright?

What has this country become when political candidates have to denounce their pastor's views in the public eye to stay relevant politically? It sounds like something that a political candidate in Iran or the Taliban would have to do. I'd like to think that we are above religious fundamentalism, but the way this country is reacting to what Rev Wright said shows that some of us are just as fundamentally religious as those in the Taliban or in Iran.

What Rev Wright said was nothing new. All he did was speak the truth, the truth has been around a long time and it's about time we accept it. Instead of picking little sound bites about an AIDS conspiracy and Farrakhan to focus on. The focus needs to be on the message, not these little tidbits of sound.

I hope some of you realize how ignorant and stupid all of this is. Think about the massive problems we are facing in almost every domestic issue you can think of. If you think about that, and still want to focus on this, you've got some major personal issues that you need to deal with.

Barack Obama is still the best candidate to be President of the United States of America. Hillary doesn't have the judgement, McCain is too old and he wants to continue these same failed policies. Obama is the best candidate hands down. It's up to the American people to realize when they are being 'swiftboated' with some nonsense.

All I'm saying is think about it before you let the words of a pastor determine who you vote for. Nothing will change if we continue to fall for this manufactured BS.

[a joke]

the whole obama thing is over race his whole be the first black man in the white house is about race everything is abut race so anyone who wants to vote for a racist like most black people then u should just go back to africa and shut up about it.

[grow up]

hyper hyper sensitive is the reaction to this comment

Tells you how touchy the homosexuals are.

oh no, i shouldn't said touchy. eegads.

Grow Up.

(oh no, there's conotations in 'grow up')

Everyone. Please. Get a LIfe.

[D.C.]

It's pretty bad when all we care about is if someone said 'pansy', rather than who is best suited to lead this country out of the horrible mess we're in. Wake up America, this isn't a soap opera.

[hammerdown]

Well there goes the pansy vote.

[MarkyMark]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Who gives a crap?

[Chris Dolejs]

I'm a supporter of both Hillary and the Human Rights Campaign. I would not call any gay man a "pansy." Of course, the fact that Rocky Balboa is a purely fictitious character might make some difference, yes? The dictionary definition emphasizes the "effeminate" part of the slang sense of the word. Should little girls take offense if someone says that Hillary makes Rocky look like a little girl?

There have been, of course, unfortunate statements made by supporters of the candidates:

Wright: "God damn America."
Easley: "This lady right here makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy."

And however vexing either or both may be, neither should bear at all on people's decisions about whom to vote for. The statements are not relevant.

This is a non-issue, and even Obama would call this a silly distraction from bigger, more meaningful issues. I have to agree with him.

[William Anderson]

I've never associated Pansy with gays personally. I also find that term a lot less offensive that much of the vile language that Reverend Wright has been spewing so pointedly about Americans, Whites, Italians and Jews. I'm sure given time, this crazy uncle will add more categories to his growing list of people he despises.

[Dao Of Zombies]

So, we've resorted to looking up definitions of words in order to uncover inflammatory comments?

I hardly doubt this was intended as a slight to any group, and people who dig like this are the same people who talk about Barack Obama making a odd gesture during a debate.

Get over it, find something a little more worthy to cover. Honestly.

[Tophier Verdugo]

I'm not sure what this has to do with how good a president Hillary Clinton would be. I am gay, and I couldn't care less about what the Governor of North Carolina said. Perhaps the press should be giving the Republican candidate a hard time about receiving endorsements from people who say that gay people deserve to die. That is the actual stuff that is hurtful. Let's keep our eye on the ball people!

[William Anderson]

I've never associated Pansy with gays personally. I also find that term a lot less offensive that much of the vile language that Reverend Wright has been spewing so pointedly about Americans, Whites, Italians and Jews. I'm sure given time, this crazy uncle will add more categories to his growing list of people he despises.

[mateo]

Not surprising that this kind of gotcha tactic is all these two candidates have left.

I for one am not convinced either is significantly more qualified or more deserving of the job than the other.

How about a truly experienced, principled, deserving candidate?

www.votenader.org

[unscum]

I'm an Obama supporter, but I must say, this is such as stupid story. Is this what you guys at the LA are payed for?
I guess 4000 dead in iraq, rocket slamming into the green zone, $4 gasoline and 40 million people without health care is no longer any news. Pathetic!!!

[Eric]

Finally, something IMPORTANT that will seriously affect my vote! /sarcasm

[Al]

I presumed he was talking about Obama Barack and was using the phrase in the sense of metrosexual, an appellation Howard Dean declared applied to himself. Alternatively, HRC counselor's have frequently been described as gurly men, and he may have decided it was necessary to differentiate her from them.

Truly a macaca moment.

[wildbill]

It was an unfortunate choice of words on the part of the N.C. Governor.He,like most people say what is on their minds,before they engage their brain and think.

[B]

Look, I don't care much for Hillary or Governor Easley for that matter ... but come on, is our country so anal retentive and uptight that the guy gets stuck with criticism for saying Hillary makes Rocky look like a pansy?! Those who take offense for those comments have unresolved issues with themselves that they need to deal with, don't take it out on a simple, common, everyday phrase that I've heard people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations use as something humorous.
Frankly, I've heard far worse comments than that coming from those who'd take offense to such an inane phrase.

[Ben]

Here comes "Pansygate."

This will be for Hillary Clinton what "Bittergate" was for Obama.

Thank God the Nation is finally becoming interested in some real, serious issues that make a difference in folks' lives! God bless America!

[Larry Sidney]

Seriously, the political correctness in this country is disgraceful! First, counting negatives again Obama for comments that his pastor made--which by the way are irrelevant as we consider what Obama may accomplish as president. Now, penalizing Clinton's standing because of the use--by someone else who happens to support her--of the word "pansy?" What the hell is wrong with people in our country? Are there not more important issues to consider than these? Whose thin skin is being ripped open by these almost insignificant remarks?

The sad truth is that neither of these issues would be a problem at all, except that we now have people whose very livelihood is to sound the alarm for the rest of us, to get everyone riled up and over-sensitive to the minutia, while the real issues--economy, foreign policy, environment, war, povery, etc.--take a back seat. Shame on the alarmists for doing it, and shame on US for buying into it!

[steve pesce]

Pansy in the boxing lingo sense is not any more offensive than saying someone was hit so hard he was on "queer street". This is boxing lingo and not about gays.

[John_Lai]

This is the type of media coverage that Elizabeth Edwards found so abjective. They twisted the speakers meaning, sidestep the main issue, try to frame the audience and disorient them for their LEFT WING liberal PURPOSE: biased towards OBAMA.

These extremists try to influence voters towards their anointed candidate with no regard to public interests. We get misunderstanding rather than understanding from their reports.

They serve to distract the issues about policy and development.

The degenerated journalism it is. It is disgusting to see reports like that. We should tell them to stop this nonsense. We want to be relevant. Do not baffle us with this BS.

[Kat]

If the Repugs and the Clintonista are going to hang on every word of the Rev. Wright, then any of Hillary's and Bill's buddies become fair game. Pansy is derogatory, unless you are a gardener. Hand signals and dog whistles to the intolerant white undereducated community. In other words, appeal to the lowest common denominator by denigrating anyone who is not a white, hetero, factory worker. Nice work, Hillary. You should be real proud of yourself. I hope your Wellesley friends don't catch up to you, you disgusting hypocrite.

[dt]

whatever... this is just downright stupid.... I'm gay and really don't care that he used the word "pansy"

[downhill240]

Havn'et we had enough of the go-git-em mentality from the bush gang? Remember the "Bring-em on" comment? Remember the photo-op where Hillary was belting a shot of whiskey and a beer chaser to win acceptance from the good old boys? This too sounds like George trying to win approval from the good old boys (Cheney/Rumsfield).
We don't need another "Hard-chargin" to hell with the cost kind of President. We need a President capable of thinking through every action possible including blow-back on any action we take. This Military/Industrial think has got to stop. We don't need anyone who wants to one-up Margaret Thatcher.We simply cannot afford it any longer.
We need a person who has the ability to make the right decision, not the politically expedient decision. Senator Obama is the person capable of correcting our course in the world, domestically and in history.

[Heidi]

I guess he could have said "girly-man" and all this ruckus would have been avoided? Good grief he was looking for a word that meant: weak man, and picked that one. Would it have been better if he had just said "weak man"? He was making a comparison between a FICTIONAL character and Clinton. Does anyone think that Rocky was offended? I'm sure Gov. Easley would be happy to give a pretend apology to him. I' going to actually find some news to read now. Congratulations on pickng up another Super Delegate Ms Clinton.

[Geoff Lander]

I hear the press repeatedly putting words into Obama's mouth that he did not utter. Obama did not repudiate, reject, or abandon Wright. HE HAS NOT SAID ANY SUCH THING. All he said is that "any relationshp I had with him as changed."
"Changed?" That's pretty weak and ambiguous if you ask me. Yet the press put the typical leftist, pro-Bama spin on it to make it sound like he said far more than he did.

[Obamamania]

Obama is our Savior. Obama, Ayers, and Reverend Wright are Right! God D*** america! The stupid, bitter, racist "typical white people" of pennsylvania voted for clinton. How disgusting, now they have even more blood on their hands! They ignored their opportunity to redeem themselves for their racim, and evil past -> slavery - to finally make Michelle proud. How sad. Please no hater responses, but you bitter, typical Indiana white people, please stop buying guns and save your money for my reparations check! Obama ''08, Repartions Check, ''09! http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/racism/010827.reparations.html

[Lisa Kirby]

What a Grrly-Man jerk! If we're gunna split hairs about "bitter" Pennsylvanians and "Under fire in Bosnia" let's split even more hairs, eh? "Pansy" is a lovely flower and should never be used inslutingly. Shame on him! - LOL

[Daly]

BHO showed Wright more compassion and respect than Wright has show America. It is amazing that Wright would wait until this moment to resurface, he started with a reasonable tempered PBS interview and from there he was a racial maniacal nightmare dispersing bombs of hate at every phrase. With time and the foundation of his past works, he could have been forgiven but instead of acting as a man of faith he lashed out like unwanted terrorist pronouncements a la bin Laden.
Wright's willingness to hold Obama hostage and by virtue holding the American people in distain will have to answer to a higher power for his actions.
You could see and hear that Obama was ashamed and humiliated by the lunatic.
Even in his darkest hour Obama stood in the most difficult of positions and had to share with us his shock at how a man he has trusted would callously try and burn a lifetime of dreams for a few minutes of glory.
I hope for an Obama bounce back, he has lots to offer and given the chance would thrive in pushing us to where we need to go. He has staked out some grounds that prove he thinks of a better tomorrow, a stronger and prouder America if people could embrace the contents of his character deciding to vote hope, we have witnessed the man travel through the valley of hate like no other that I can ever recall.

[self sycophant]

My god, Democrats are just pathetic. All of this- the damn campaign- is just really pathetic.

[Adam Shea]

Hey!! I'm a *very* proud "Pansy" voting for Senator Obama thank you very much Governor!

Purple Pansy Passion

[Dave]

News like makes me forget that the dollar is crashing, and the US military is consuming oil at a rate that is putting a solid floor under rising oil prices.

[EX-OBAMA SUPPORTER]

Clinton has said outriht she would never have attended this church after hearing one of these speeches.

and the reverend disgraced the Clinton's in his sermon by name.

that doesnt sound like a meeting of the minds rather it souns like the polygamist wives who refuse to believe anything bad about obama and would rather sell their souls instead.

wakup you obama followers - - no one sleeps forever.

[Jim Andris]

Now think about it folks. "Clinton makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy." You were expecting something else from the bubba gov? These macho types define their masculinity by how far they can stand away from looking like a woman. This is an endorsement? I guess if she can stand the insult, we Clintonistas will just have to put up with it.

Signed,
A gay man, no pansy at that, but some of my best friends are.

[Lynne B]

I don't see anything wrong with his use of the word 'pansy' and I am an Obama supporter, long before the use of the term as a derogatory slang used against gay people, it had a different connotation. My parents used it freely - as a little girl they constantly called me a Pansy - I asked them why and they said that "pansys wilt for no reason at all", Easley could well come from the same generation where the word was used without any anti-gay bias. I think this whole primary thing has gotten nuts, reporters are trying to write the news instead of reporting it. We have serious issues and the MSM seizes on every single misspeak, every action by an associate..reporters 'making news' rather than 'reporting news'..a country that is on the brink of moral and fiscal bankruptcy and the MSM treats us to non-stop, trivial crap.

[John Pansy]

My last name is Pansy. Can I sue?

[Larry Oregon]

I'm not gay but I am bitter about this remark. Pansy? If you are a professional pollitician then you wouldn't make those mistakes. How Rude!

[senior pansy]

I am a 72 year old pansy and my pansy partner and I have already voted for Obama and most of the other pansies and their partners we know are voting for him too.

[Mark]

Playing to negativity is what Sen. Clinton is all about. She knows how to bring out the worst in people's natures. What an inspiration! Yeah, I'd like 4-8 years of that. Like I want an earache.

I can't imagine why 48% of the voting age population says they wouldn't consider voting for her. Can you?

[docb]

Hillary let this gay slur pass...she is always attuned to her audience ..The rest be damn...throw them under the bus if it is expedient.

[charlieb]

Panzy was not meant in any way as an insult to anyone. Please do not take it as an insult. Maybe it's generational....eons ago I use to call my brother a panzy. I always equated it as not tough, like a flower. Nothing more.

[Margaret B.]

"Pansy"!!?? We are really reaching here. That is a totally cliche and very common phrase that's been around for decades. A pansy is a pretty but delicate flower that wilts easily. I think it's also a way of calling someone a "wimp" or "girly".

I've lived in San Francisco for 25 years, am a passionate supporter of gay rights, and would never occur to me that that was a slur against gays.

This is getting pathetic. I can't believe I'm reading the L.A. Times. I expect better from the Times. Frederick and Malcom are ridiculous.

[Gays,bi-sexuals and other perverts for the Chicago guy!]

Hey one guy seems to be attracting 99 %of the lunatic
fringe:The judas gov.,Hanoi Jane,Carter,Rezko,Ayers and
the LGBT with the other extreme left wing bums.....great
for him..so let the lady from New-York benefit from the
support of middlle-America and it's core values.

[Sally]

The truth is, the Clintons were responsible for NAFTA, and while Hill can say "I was secretly against it back then," the reality is, it was the signature of the Clinton years. And it was her own campaign head, Harold Ickes, who as part of the DNC rules committee, stripped FL and MI of their seats. She agreed with him until she started losing, and she's trying to spin the fact that she wouldn't allow people who had voted GOP in the first MI vote to vote Dem in the revote as promoting a legitimate revote, when it's not b/c a lot of people knowing the original wouldn't count had switched over. And when people talk baggage, it's funny- Bill was almost impeached, Hill is being arraigned in a few months (not someone she knows but she herself)in the Paul v Clinton case, objects were stolen by the Clintons from the White House when they left, documents went missing, Hill obtained a criminal pardon for her brother's criminal friends, Vince Foster was murdered, Monica, Jennifer- the list goes on. It's just that Obama wanted to keep it clean so he didn't mention any of these, but the reality is nobody has more baggage and shadiness than the Clintons. The Clintons had even bombed Iraq, if anybody cares to remember. It was not a rainbow and unicorns peaceful time. Even Hill's claim to be active in the administration was proven false by the records; she started out strong, but when her health care efforts failed, she became another tea and tourist first lady. People even forget her outrageous lies and her constant smearing with the absurd excuse of preparing Obama for Republicans, as if that were her job. A former governor's wife and then the president's wife, Hill has 100 million dollars in her pocket and grew up well-off, to become a member of the head board of anti-Union Walmart- yet she pretends now to have any semblance of connection to grassroots America. From moving to NY, a state she never lived in, to take advantage of an easy election that would put a big state in her hand come 08, to her episodes of tears, to her whining about speaking first in debates and her willingness to put McCain above Obama, Hill has shown that she has been planning a long time for the throne that was her birthright. The only reason that the 90s was prosperous was because there was a computer, internet and technology boom which is now over. Even the concept of a president's wife now becoming president is inherently ridiculous- it smacks of royalty. Now, her campaign, badly managed, is in debt, and she's had to fire 3 top campaign strategists. She didn't even bother to read the Iraq intelligence reports when she voted to send our boys to war. There is simply, absolutely nothing that would make her qualified.

[Darrel]

She is no pansy, but she sure is skanky eh?

And she pimps out Chelsea.

And she for sure is no feminist, since she attacked the character of the women that Bill Clinton assaulted, instead of attacking Bill the sexual serial abuser abusing women left and right for decades while Hillary turned her skanky head to the side and ignored it all time after time after time.

After all, the non-pansy Hildebeast sure wasn't going to satisfy Bill the sexual abuser was she? Especially when she let him abuse all those women, then attacked those victims when it went public - eh?

Right - no pansy - right, I got it Governor, you freaking idiot. Elect a woman who enables sexual abuse. Hide the women and children first though, governor.

[jordan40]

I am amazed by the way people in this country condem others by association, and assinate you, because of association. The media create controversy and dought. When is everyone going to wakeup from their dream and make their own decissions?

[I am the Egg Man]

Obamamania there you go again.. you are so jealous that your man is not fit for the nomination. you making racist remarks only shows your ignorance.. you must be from the ghetto... SO STUPID to make remarks that do nothing more than to show your IQ of being a slimeball lowlife.. you think this is all about race.. what planet did you come from..does your mom and dad know how stupid you sound. geez , stop with theremarks and say something that is significant to the issues at hand.. obama is a loser and will not make it to the final showdown as hilary is going to win this one.. in another couple of months he will be history as hilary will win the nomination and obama will be a name that will fade in time.. this time next year no one will remember who he was.. like the sun setting in the afternoon so will the name Obama be likewise.. he will fade away like a flower., Hey! but theres always next timein 4 more years.. se la vie.. adios. asta la vista baby!! its over.. obama wil not be our president.. JOhn McCain will prevail and win it.. so obamamania try focusing on mccain and remmember to pray for our nation..obamamania you seem like a person that needs to be on retalin. remember hilary for 2008.. and john macain as WELL. get used to that name.. JOHN MCCAIN.. the number 1 contender

[SophieL]

Funny how the gay community (of which I am a member) is not troubled by this phrase. To you folks who are "outraged" over this: stop trying to help us in this manner. I'd rather have you dance at my wedding.

[Maureen Canavan]

His whole statement was ignorant. If this was an Obama supporter Hillary's crew would be hysterical. Remember the monster quote. . .