2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumHillary Clinton Isn’t Sick. You Are. - by Eleanor Clift
Older men look distinguished. Older women, well
The deck is stacked against Clinton here. All the more reason to get it all out there.
ELEANOR CLIFT
09.12.16 6:40 PM ET
When Hillary Clinton began mapping out her presidential campaign, she knew that clearing the hurdle to become the first woman commander in chief would be paramount. What she didnt know or fully understand 18 months ago was how her age would work against her in subtle and cruel ways, and how ageism and sexism can combine in a double whammy undermining her candidacy.
Unfounded rumors spread by Donald Trump and his allies about Clintons allegedly poor health and lack of stamina found their mark Sunday in a video gone viral that shows Clinton stumbling as aides help her into a waiting car. Her doctors statement released several hours later revealed Clinton had been diagnosed the previous Friday with pneumonia, a common and treatable condition, but which takes longer to recover from if youre over 65; Clinton is 68, soon to be 69.
CNN covered Clintons near collapse all afternoon, bringing in Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the networks chief medical correspondent, to recall Clintons 2012 concussion and her history of blood clots. NPRs Cokie Roberts said on Mondays Morning Edition that Democrats were discussing sotto voce how to replace Clinton as their candidate should that become necessary. Joe Biden is their top choice, she said, and hes five years older than Clinton with a history of brain aneurysms.
Its worth pointing out that Trump is 70 and while he doesnt have pneumonia, hes not exactly a picture of health. The point is that we as a society give the guys a lot more leeway than we give the women. Were accustomed to older men in leadership positions. John McCain and Bob Dole were both over 70 when they ran for president. The media didnt obsess over it, though we rightly scrutinized their vice-presidential picks, and McCains choice of an obviously unqualified Sarah Palin cost him votes.
-snip-
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/09/12/ageism-and-sexism-yes-but-a-lack-of-transparency-too.html
Arkansas Granny
(31,483 posts)EdditJones
(10 posts)+1
niyad
(112,432 posts)Satch59
(1,353 posts)Got to meet her last year when she thought Trump was a joke and I told her I was worried about what Trump is stirring up with his supporters...
I trust that Hillary will break through and finally show that women in high power is a great thing!
bullwinkle428
(20,626 posts)niyad
(112,432 posts)Nay
(12,051 posts)because they don't "do hard jobs," and that's sooooo unfair, but it's OK to slam Hillary because she's OOOOLD while Trump is 2 years older and Hillary statistically has more of a chance to outlive him. It's always a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation with all these GOPers.