She, and some other women, are acting out the very stereotypes we are trying to live down.

Why are we focusing on a Summers gaffe years ago, instead of on something current (like telling Obama to fire the groping speechwriter) or something important (like trying to get a qualified Clinton supporter appointed to Hillary’s seat instead of Caroline Kennedy)?

So far, the focus on Summers has given Obama cover to appoint two inexperienced bots — as token women. (Romer and Melody whosis)

Summers said cutting-edge research has shown that genetics are more important than previously thought, compared with environment or upbringing. As an example, he mentioned autism, once believed to be a result of parenting but now widely seen to have a genetic basis.
In his talk, according to several participants, Summers also used as an example one of his daughters, who as a child was given two trucks in an effort at gender-neutral parenting. Yet she treated them almost like dolls, naming one of them ”daddy truck,” and one ”baby truck.”

Dr. Larry Summers uses a very different definition of science than I do. He also makes very different connections between issues, such as autism being comparable to the innate abilities for math and science by gender.
Also taken from the same article:

The organizer of the conference, Harvard economist Richard B. Freeman, described Summers’ critics as activists whose sensibilities might be at odds with intellectual debate.

Some of the critics he was referring to: Nancy Hopkins, a biologist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Denice D. Denton, chancellor designate of the University of California, Santa Cruz,; Anne C. Petersen, former deputy director of the National Science Foundation; Catherine Didion, former executive director of the Association for Women in Science; and Donna J. Nelson, chemistry professor at the University of Oklahoma.

Articles like this, pointing this stuff out, is sexist. I mean, why arn’t there articles pointing out how much better girls are at reading and writing? Because that would seem silly. Articles like this remind me of those old victorian papers that tried to ‘prove’ black people were not as evolved as whites. Look forward to Nancy’s article.

I’ll be sending them around!

If Summers had said that blacks were genetically inferior in math and science, would Obama elevate Summers to this position?

I think not.

In the US, sexism is acceptable, racism is not.

Unfortunately, even some of the new women’s groups do not see it. I also found it really disappointing that Women Count attirbute Kay Hagen’s win to Obama: Barack Obama’s success in North Carolina likely gave Hagan a boost. Do they not even see it?

Women were hosed on this one and should be reasonably upset given than Larry, Tim and Paul all played a role in getting us in the current economic mess.

And oh, Bill Richardson – got the other financial post.