I suppose we are not allowed to mention this...

[senseandsensibility]

maybe not even here on DU, and definitely not on MSNBC, the so-called liberal network, but this entire 2016 Presidential campaign has been sexist from beginning to end, from front to back, from its surface to its depth.

The fact that Hillary could be our first female president is almost never mentioned, and if it rarely is, it is seen as a matter of concern.

I know that when President Obama was our nominee, he faced unbelievable racism and he had to face
extreme bias and unfair expectations. But, occasionally, our "liberal" media, such as MSNBC, would allow a little pride to show due to the fact that we might finally elect an African American for
the first time.

There is no pride allowed to be expressed for Hillary. On the contrary, even in the "liberal" media it is
all about how "likeable" she is, and coded warnings about how she better not try to outshine a man.

Is anyone else sick of this?

[DawgHouse]

1. I am excited about having a woman President, and not afraid to say so.

She's qualified and I am proud of her. I wish the press would talk about it more but then her female supporters get put down because "we're only supporting her because she's a woman." As Uncle Joe would say, "This is a big fucking deal."

Come over to the Hillary Group.

[senseandsensibility]

7. Good suggestion about the Hillary group.

I'll check it out. But really, the pride should be more widespread. It should be prominent on any "liberal" site.

[bettyellen]

2. Yes! But today Joy Reid had a wonderful segment on the historical nature of HRC's run...

It was today at about 6-7 pm? She showed clips of Shirley Chisolm, Geraldine Ferraro and there was a great interview with this amazing historian and writer. Cannot remember her name.
I am definitely going to try and find it on MSNBC's website or cable and watch the whole thing. But yeah - I was surprised no knew has really covered it well.
You will def enjoy it.

[DawgHouse]

3. Missed it. Thanks for the heads up.

[bettyellen]

18. Even better than a heads up- a link to the segment!!

http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/clinton-to-make-history-on-debate-stage-772822595938

[Hortensis]

37. Thanks, Bettyellen. Historic election, all right.

We have a choice between electing our first woman president or our first clown from a horror story. Close election.

[calimary]

59. GREAT!!!

SNIIIIFFF... There he goes again! He sounds like the seven-year-old with the messy head cold in the back of the classroom whose mom sent him to school with a handkerchief but he still somehow lost it on the way into class.

[senseandsensibility]

4. Unfortunately

I missed it. But I did see some absolutely disgusting coverage on Hardball that I may post about later when I've composed myself. Love Joy.

[bettyellen]

16. But fortunately I found it for you. It's so uplifting, I think it deserves to be an OP

http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/clinton-to-make-history-on-debate-stage-772822595938

[senseandsensibility]

20. You're right and I gave you

your first rec!

[Kablooie]

5. The problem is that everything everywhere is anti-Trump not pro Hillary.

That doesn't leave any room for discussion of Hillary's historic accomplishment.
It's drowned out, like everything in this election, by the glaring horror of Trump taking over the United States as his playtoy.

[Missn-Hitch]

10. Guilty. I am going to try to get through her book before the election.

And even if I don't like the book, I am still voting for her!!

[KT2000]

6. from a 12 year old -

"there should not be a woman president until there have been 50 men presidents" This is from a fellow who supported Sanders and has now switched to tRump. He says all of his friends support trump and they think he will win but be assassinated.

These kids are very engaged in the election and it is a hot topic for them. I'm sure he learned his sexism from his father and it seems to be OK among his friends.

All I know is this election is showing us that we have not really come very far in equality, fairness, and justice.

[elmac]

8. My 8yr old nephew, who I watch from time to time

told me with a very serious face & voice that Hillary Clinton Lies a lot. It was cute but also disturbing considering the brainwashing this poor kit goes through in a 99.9% republican community, his parents included. I tried to explain that not everyone thinks that way, ect... but its a losing battle.

[AllyCat]

29. Heard this from a new kid in our neighborhood

"Clinton cheats", he said. I said many people say the same about Trump. "Oh", was the reply.

[pnwmom]

11. Tell that 12 year old that we've already had more than 50 TERMS with only male Presidents

and 43 individual male Presidents serving those terms.

That's plenty.

[KT2000]

43. Excellent!

I will gladly pass that message on. Thanks

[pnwmom]

9. I agree. They want us to think her gender is irrelevant, even though no woman in more than 200 years

has ever been President.

And only 20% of the Senate is female, and just a handful of Governors.

We're supposed to accept that she's on an equal footing with the men, even though we know she isn't. She is constantly judged by different, and higher, standards.

[Alameda]

12. I notice a lot of sexist ageism as well

....very unflattering and horrid photos of her looking like a witch..or some such. There is no reason to take vicious photos like that. She was a very pretty woman as a younger lady, now she has droopy jowls, a double chin and other things we get as we age.

She has not aged well in the looks department. Who ever is grooming her is doing a bad job. It would be better to let her hair go gray and loose the red lipstick. A more mature Grandmother (matriarch) look would be far more effective. The position she is seeking requires some gravitas. Her looks now don't have that. She hasn't adapted her garments, make up and hairstyle in an age appropriate effective way, IMHO

Think Jane Goodall, Maggie Smith...it's ok to be an elder.

I say this as a former image consultant technician and a older woman myself.

[senseandsensibility]

17. You know, I'm a fashionista

(in my own mind, at least) and a frustrated stylist. I love clothes, love "dressing" people, and honestly think clothes are important. I do judge others (male and female) on their clothing and appearance more than I should. Not really proud of that. However, at this point, I just don't find any observations about Hillary's appearance helpful.

[Alameda]

22. Yes, it does sound petty.however

packaging is important. It's used to sell things all the time. It has a subtle subliminal effect. I've never liked Hillary's sense of style, but as she ages, it becomes more crucial to image building. She can't get by solely on her intellect, and her looks are not there now.

I think she would do better to transition to what she actually is, a tough and wise matriarch.

Mind you, style is not fashion, it's something else. Style is classic, fashion comes and goes.

[JTFrog]

35. Yeah, I'm noticing some right now. nt

[sunnystarr]

50. I made an op earlier this month

and gently suggested teeth whitening and a full-time hair stylist for Hillary. My post was pulled for being demeaning to Democratic figures.

At times her hair looks great and other times cringe-worthy. You're right about the red lipstick, which also then highlights the teeth. With the big whitening movement you notice it more. This isn't a sexist comment, the same observations apply to many men. I just want others to see her as I do; the most perfect candidate for all of us.

[calimary]

60. I'd politely disagree - I think Hillary has gotten better-looking with age

She's a terrific-looking older woman. Jowls? Hardly. I'm in my early 60s and my neck is a lot messier-looking than hers. She hasn't had any work done, she hasn't had an eye job, she hasn't had a facelift. I've seen a million of 'em as a reporter covering Hollywood. You should have heard us in the press corps muttering smart-ass remarks to each other during the AFI tributes. The American Film Institute does a Lifetime Achievement Award gala every year, and it typically brings out "old Hollywood." I have seen more facelifts, more neck lifts, more hair plugs, more boob jobs, more butt lifts, more fillers, lip jobs, eye lifts, Botox, Juvederm, chemical peels, and the works. Holy Cow!

Notice, as long as we're being catty here - Andrea Mitchell's smile, for example. She has the typical mouth of someone who's had several facelifts, where the skin is pulled so taut that its consistency, its resilience - is all compromised. It's been pulled to shit. If you look at Mitchell when she's not well lit, you see how badly her facial skin has been pulled and weakened and compromised. You see the uneven texture, the subtle capillaries that now show, and the corners of the mouth. The upper lip is stretched abnormally, and the corners of the mouth extend artificially, almost like Jack Nicholson's Joker face-makeup in the "Batman" film. The corners of the mouth get pulled so tight that the tissue on the inside starts popping out. Go to @mitchellreports, her Twitter page, and look at her closed-lipped smile in the little photo on the left side. Telltale.

Hillary has aged well. She's doing something new with her hair, which I first noticed on her convention night. Showing a little white hair at the temples, which feathers into the rest of her blonde hair really nicely. Gives her a really lovely look. She ain't no teenager, okay? So she's not gonna look tight and bright. But I appreciate the wrinkles, the laugh lines and the slight bags under the eyes. It looks REAL. Her hair is styled in a most becoming professional woman style. And she's a LOT prettier now than she was as a student at Yale.

[Skittles]

13. sexism is far more pervasive than racism

there has never been a female president and we are OVER HALF THE POPULATION

[senseandsensibility]

14. I've grown to realize that

and to be honest, it's just not acceptable. Yet it's so pervasive that even enlightened females don't see it.

[kwassa]

53. and how much racism have you experienced?

and how the fuck would you know?

[Skittles]

56. LOL

yet another silly leap of logic

*BIG SURPRISE*

over and out with you; waste of time

[kwassa]

58. You are a white woman saying that sexism is worse than racism ..

and you generally step into many racial threads and say that the racism doesn't exist, or minimize the situation. You are not alone, there are many minimizers on DU.

So, you don't have the background to make that statement. You yet feel justified in making it.

Too funny.

[One Black Sheep]

15. Yep. And hate to say it,

but just the fact that Trump, a man, will be on the same stage with Hillary, a woman, well, there will be some people who will see that picture, and then already think Trump is automatically the winner in the debate, and for them it won't matter what happens in the debate either...

[senseandsensibility]

19. You are so right

that it is scary.

[Skittles]

24. the idea that supremely qualified Hillary must debate an absoute nitwit

and the media treats them as equals?

INSULTING

[Il_Coniglietto]

30. This is honestly the most insulting part

Hillary is so far above Trump in every measure of a human being to even contemplate a comparison is ridiculous.

But as potential presidents? My god, how is any of this real?

[Skittles]

31. how is this real?

it's a combination of misogyny, a press more excited by ratings than by actual journalism, and stupid white men who think the answer to their financial woes is a rich con man

[ErikJ]

21. Hopefully it should help women feel more empowered world-wide

which is a huge plus. Extreme paternalism is what has caused most of our world's problems.

[Alameda]

23. The USA is so behind in this

Quite frankly, it's an embarrassment it has taken so damned long for a female to even be up for election.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elected_or_appointed_female_heads_of_government

[xfundy]

25. Way past time for a female president.

The men have screwed up far too much.

[DFW]

26. I learned one thing being close to Emily's List for a while

My daughter interned for them ten years ago. Obama used to hang around there a lot, and that was the first time I met him. The more time I spent there, meeting people like Pelosi, Klobuchar, and a host of other women still active in Democratic politics, is that gender was NOT important to me. Competence was. I got comfortable with looking beyond gender and concentrating on the issues and personalities at hand.

Britain, India, Pakistan and Germany (where I now live) all quickly adjusted to having Thatcher, Gandhi, Bhutto and Merkel as their leaders. We will manage the same with Hillary Clinton as president. It'll happen faster in Boston, Massachusetts than it'll happen in Tropic, Utah, but there are women in Utah, too.

I'll be proud when it's a milestone we have gotten to, but I'll be prouder when it isn't a big deal any more.

[bettyellen]

42. It still a huge and notable milestone. Sheesh.

[pansypoo53219]

27. i just watched the last part of a 3 part BBC suffragette series. i am not surprised at all.

all those clenched balls.

[kentuck]

28. And they have destroyed her credibility and reputation...

With their constant barrage of "dishonest and untrustworthy". Donald Trump is considered more honest and trustworthy than her in the polls. Donald Trump! Donald Fucking Trump!

[Skittles]

32. plenty of DUers fell for that garbage too

it is indeed disgusting

[brer cat]

33. It is appalling how many people, including many democrats,

bought that crap. I have tried to "deprogram" several people I know, but it is hard going when they hear and believe that constant barrage of lies.

[Persondem]

48. No He's not. Can't remember the poll (there are so many) but one that I saw the other day

showed trump twice as likely to tell a lie as Clinton. I took a quick look at RCP but could not recall the poll. I'll try again.

[yardwork]

34. Sexism is at the root of the double standards to which Hillary is held.

[senseandsensibility]

44. Yes it is, and I think more on-air surrogates

need to call it out! It's like it's forbidden to mention it.

[Demsrule86]

36. I can't believe that Michael Steele

said she would be perceived as a bully if she is too 'knowledgeable'. That is just like in High School where 'smart' girls did not get dates although my boyfriend did like smart girls...then college where a professor told the few women in the chemistry program( I majored in Chemistry Biology and math) that many would end up 'sitting at home'...but they were now taking a man's place who had a family to support...I am married to a great guy now who told me once he couldn't date stupid women and the fact I could argue math sealed the deal for him....It is sexism and I am disgusted with the media whom I will never watch again and people like Steele. Hillary was not treated fairly during the primary and is not being treated fairly during the general. She never got to enjoy her primary win or even the convention. Hillary has been treated unlike any presidential candidate ever. It makes me so angry.

[niyad]

51. well, of course he has to say that. do not forget that al gore was criticized for sounding

intelligent--how much WORSE when it is. . . .gasp. . . a WOMAN!!!!

[get the red out]

38. They don't call Trump

They don't call Trump on his sexist dog whistles about her, and that really pisses me off. People worry about her having to go to the bathroom. Paintsuits, enough said on that one. And the Republicans seem to think that Bill's cheating is supposed to reflect on her character in some way? And even her grandmother status is supposed to be a negative, but Trump has grandkids, and that's ok.

[Ilsa]

39. I don't want too much emphasis on the "historical nature"

of this election. I think the emphasis needs to be on her plans, platform, philosophy, and damn good record of public service. If too much emphasis is on the "first" issue, I'm afraid her message and accomplishments will be ignored.

That being said, yes, there's plenty of sexism in the election cycle.

[bettyellen]

41. Well they did a little eight minute segment on MSNBC and since there was all to wall coverage all

Day that makes it about 1/75 of it, so don't worry about it being overemphasized. No one is grading her on a curve over it.

[CTyankee]

40. my husband says it's is high time we had a woman president. He has always been100% for her.

My son also. Plenty of great guys out there who love her!

[skylucy]

47. My husband is the same way. Thank goodness. And my 89 year old dad is also a Hillary

fan. There are plenty of intelligent, secure men who are for Hillary.

[Mary Mac]

45. it fills me with rage. The msm.

Nt

[skylucy]

46. "Is anyone else sick of this?" Oh yes. Totally.

[niyad]

49. the sexism and misogyny has been obvious to most of us her entire career. yet, even

on some "progressive" boards, the charge of sexism and misogyny is met with vehement denial and outrage. pathetic and discouraging, actually.

[MadDAsHell]

52. "The fact that Hillary could be our first female president is almost never mentioned"

That's not a bad thing. What's between your legs doesn't qualify you to be Presisent. What you do/say does.

[ismnotwasm]

54. Oh yes

The sexism comes from every direction. Sick of it is a mild way of putting how I feel about it.

[LS_Editor]

55. Her gender should be irrelevant.

Her qualifications should be paramount.

If sex should not disqualify someone from a job it sure as hell should not qualify someone for a job.

Otherwise, is it really gender equality women are seeking?

[Skittles]

57. where did ANYONE say her gender qualified her for the job?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

61. Sexism is a much different narrative than racism.

I think it's really important to talk about what we see.

It's history, roles of women, expectations and limitations beloved about women and widely pushed, modeled and upheld pretty much without question (except maybe in ladies rooms and kitchens) for generations.

Thank you for the OP. Yes, the relentless censoring imposed on her shows us so much about this oldest of "isms".

[Lifelong Protester]

62. "She doesn't have the stamina"?

And being SoS was a walk in the park.

[The Green Manalishi]

63. I could not care less about gender

any more than I gave the slightest damn about the race of Senator Obama or anyone else.

TO even consider that such a thing could be a factor in how anyone would vote would make me ashamed to be not only their countryman but of the same species.

Yeah, I'm a white male. To *ME* the race or gender of ANYONE doing ANYTHING simply don't matter, period. Facts are facts and a valid argument is a valid argument, the Truth is always knowable and completely unrelated to the nature of the person making a statement,pushing a narrative or suggesting an action; I am repulsed by anyone who would even notice or make it a factor in evaluating anything whatsoever.

Maybe copping that attitude is, in and of itself, white privilege. If so, I make no apologies. I'll hire the best person, condemn the guilty and give weigh to argument whether made by a rich white male, a computer pAI, a radical Jihadi or a sensitive and enlightened fellow progressive exactly the same, or damned well die trying.

[toddwv]

64. Yeah, some people act like one of the previous requirements was for the candidate to be male.