Is Sexism Hurting The Clinton Campaign? — Posted by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at Care2 Election Blog)
I didn’t really want to do a post on Hillary Clinton and sexism, but it is just getting too difficult to ignore. Am I the only one that has noticed? Let me just say that I am not favoring either Obama or Clinton…When (and if) I do get a chance to vote between these candidates, my decision will be based on the issues. And this post is not about the issues, it’s about all the gender and sexism banter thats been going on.
As a woman I find it offensive, especially considering much of it is coming from other women. What is with that? I guess my sensitivity to the subject of women verbally bashing other women, was triggered when I read this article by Charlotte Allen in the Washington Post last week – We Scream, We Swoon, How Dumb Can We Get? Here is a taste of Charlotte Allen’s rant against women…
Then there’s Clinton’s nearly all-female staff, chosen for loyalty rather than, say, brains or political savvy. Clinton finally fired her daytime-soap-watching, self-styled “Latina queena” campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle, known for burning through campaign money and for her open contempt for the “white boys” in the Clinton camp. But stupidly, she did it just in time to alienate the Hispanic voters she now desperately needs to win in Texas or Ohio to have any shot at the Democratic nomination.
What is it about us women? Why do we always fall for the hysterical, the superficial and the gooily sentimental? Take a look at the New York Times bestseller list. At the top of the paperback nonfiction chart and pitched to an exclusively female readership is Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love.” Here’s the book’s autobiographical plot: Gilbert gets bored with her perfectly okay husband, so she has an affair behind his back. Then, when that doesn’t pan out, she goes to Italy and gains 23 pounds forking pasta so she has to buy a whole new wardrobe, goes to India to meditate (that’s the snooze part), and finally, at an Indonesian beach, finds fulfillment by — get this — picking up a Latin lover!
This is the kind of literature that countless women soak up like biscotti in a latte cup: food, clothes, sex, “relationships” and gummy, feel-good “spirituality.”
Needles to say, I wasn’t the only one who had a visceral reaction to this. PunditMom had a few choice words, and Jeff from Shakesville had this to say, in response to Allen’s response – Shorter Charlotte Allen
Basically, Allen’s argument boils down to this:
- *I was serious about women being stupid.
- *But I was also just kidding.
- *It’s okay to make fun of women, they haven’t been historically oppressed.
- *I really don’t know that much about women’s history.
Well! Good job, WaPo, hiring someone capable of making such a winning argument to talk about women.
I can’t imagine that anyone, at any time, thought that all women would rally around Hillary just because she’s a woman. However, I also couldn’t imagine the severity of the rift this division would have on women in general. And frankly, it’s kinda disappointing. Why are women o.k. with dissing Hillary over her clothes, ambitions, and emotions? Most of us would agree that sexism is wrong, yet there is little outrage over the treatment that Hillary Clinton is receiving…It just doesn’t make sense to me. Are we so use to being at the center of sexism ourselves, that we have become desensitized to it? If so, that’s pretty sad.
Fighting sexims in politics – Adrian Northrup
This is an exciting time in American politics. For the first time in history, the frontrunners for Democratic ticket are two minorities – a woman and an African American.
But still, there’s a gray cloud hanging over this diversity victory – sexism. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is not only under fire for her political stances, but for her gender.
Clinton has endured sexism from all angles. Opponents have criticized her for using the gender card and allow the sexist remarks to continue. Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) explained how he was going to beat Clinton when a supporter in South Carolina asked “How are you going to beat the bitch?” The event inspired a YouTube video, titled “How Do We Beat the Bitch.” It now has more than one million viewings.
On his MSNBC Show, Tucker Carlson said “There’s just something about her that feels castrating, overbearing and scary.” Couldn’t he find a better word than castrating? Other opponents, like MSNBC’s David Shuster accused her of “pimping” her daughter when Chelsea Clinton campaigned for her.
This was from a post at BlogHer – On What Planet Is This OK?
One what planet is this OK? A female Fox & Friends presenter weighs in on the in-studio banter regarding Hillary Clinton’s dress sense by proudly proclaiming, “Here at Fox, we like to be feminine. So we don’t wear the pants.” (If player fails to load, click HERE to view video.) It’s like the feminist movement never happened. This Faux News woman is utterly oblivious to the damage she’s doing. It’s so sad that women are so often their own worst enemies. Evolve people. Then again, along with pant suits, she probably doesn’t believe in evolution either.
Also See:
Hear Her Roar from Tennessee Guerilla Women
Talking Points Memo Cuts Female Writer Not Supporting Obama – Linda Hirshman
Apples vs. Oranges: Sexism vs. Racism
Sexism at the Democratic Underground and the Daily Kos?
Clinton is Fighting an Uphill Battle for Male Votes
Op-ed in the New York Times by Gloria Steinem – Women Are Never Front-Runners
Feminist Rule: We Must Vote For Clinton
