Lessons in how to get women NOT to vote for you

These lessons brought to you courtesy of Derek Stevens, candidate for Bend City Council:

Lesson #1: Objectification

By Thursday, his candidacy hit its first bump in the road when The Bulletin newspaper reported that he described a television reporter who interviewed him as a "little hottie" in an online chat room posting and placed her picture on the site.

Note to Derek: Most women find it objectionable to have their picture posted on your website without their permission. Especially if you act creepy-assed about it.

Lesson #2: Allow mysognists pigs to post comments on your website--and then respond to them as if you find the comments favorable

The post sparked comments by other users, some suggesting that Stevens "shoulda knocked her out and had your way with her" and that the reporter "would look nice knocked out and curled up in the trunk of my car."

After those postings, Stevens commented favorably about the reporter's body and said he found the picture on the station's Web site.

Lesson #3: Write stuff that makes you look like a complete ass

When one user suggested that Stevens hire the reporter as a bookkeeper, he wrote back that he "would be stuck behind my desk all day ... I wouldn't get any work done."

Lesson #4: Take absolutely no responsibility for comments

Stevens said he can't control what others write after he posts on the forum and sometimes he doesn't even read their comments.

Stevens goes on to say that he thinks people should vote for him because of his ideas for Bend, not because of "mindless fluff" that he does in his spare time. That's probably a valid point.

But what people do when they don't think anyone is watching matters. Derek Stevens acted like an asshole toward a female reporter and then made a lame attempt to dodge the responsibility for it. Politics is as much about perception (if not more) than about reality.