Clinton a constant target of sexist remarks

[goldcanyonaz]

By Jodi Enda


No one has called Barack Obama a witch.

No one has suggested John McCain is too ambitious.

No one has disparaged Mitt Romney for misting up.

No one has accused John Edwards of faking emotions.

No one has depicted Mike Huckabee as calculating.

No one has critiqued the pitch of Rudy Giuliani's voice.

<snip>

There's a double standard and, with Clinton's candidacy, we see it in sharp relief. She is judged differently than her male competitors, and not just because she's a Clinton. When she doesn't show emotion, she's cold. When she does, she's - what? - feminine? Soft? Un-commander-in-chief-like? Unless, of course, she's faking it, in which case she's calculating. When she's serious, she's humorless; if she laughs, she cackles. If she attacks, she's partisan. If she plays nice, she's acting. If she wears pantsuits, she's manly. If she shows a millimeter of cleavage, she's flirty.

She didn't leave her husband because she's too ambitious, or so the story goes. Then again, she drove him to cheat. And she rode the public's sympathy all the way to the Senate. But what if she had left him? She would have been a bad mother. And perhaps unpatriotic to boot, leaving her poor husband to run the country while in a state of emotional upheaval!

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_8025804?nclick_check=1

[Horse with no Name]

1. Bullshit.

But it sure plays to the electorate well.

[Evergreen Emerald]

4. this is a board for conversation. "Bullshit" offers no enlightenment

How can you possibly see those examples and dismiss them without a thought. It makes me wonder if you don't have your head in the sand on this issue.

[Horse with no Name]

7. It is bullshit.

Clinton doesn't do anything that isn't vetted before no less than 3 think tanks.
She isn't a weak woman...she is strong and she is smart. If she cries...it is because the voters need to see she is human.
If she tells all about Monica...it is because the think tank said she needed to make people feel better about it.
There is NO spontaneity in the Clinton campaign. Zilch. Zero.
It is all strategy. Period.

[Evergreen Emerald]

18. If you actually think that Clinton is the only politican who does that...

I have a bridge for you in Alaska. You expect a higher standard from her than from any other candidate.

Further, that is not the point of this thread. This thread is suggesting that sexism is alive and well in America...and worse, she cannot comment on it or is "playing the gender card"

[Horse with no Name]

26. Sexism IS alive in America

and claiming it is surrounding Hillary is doing it a big disservice.
Of course she is NOT the only politician who vets everything she does...but the difference is...I give her FULL credit for knowing how to play the game and I don't look at her any differently than I do the other candidates regardless of who they are.
She is a consummate politician...she rarely makes a mistake. Her campaign is about a picture of perfection as you will find.
She plays the game very well. Does what she needs when she needs to do it. Is that calculating? Sure. However, isn't it a compliment to say that she runs a perfect campaign and is completely in control?
Do her supporters here just enjoy the outrage for the sense of outrage?
Sexism exists...and it hasn't started in on her yet. When she goes in front of the republicans...I will venture to say that you aint seen nothing yet.
However...I see very little here. Not near as much as her supporters claim.

[robbedvoter]

50. She is strong. And so are we. We do not pity her! We IDENTIFY WITH HER

Buy yourself a clue!
The fact that you keep harping on "pity" reveals your ugly sexism.
Hillary doesn't want your pity. Neither do I.
But one way or another we're getting your respect. if we have to drag you out of the cave kicking and screaming!

[Horse with no Name]

55. To start with

I don't live in a cave. I am a woman.
Should I yell sexist at your remark?
I don't want your pity and you surely don't have my respect.

[robbedvoter]

68. Then you're inbued with the "weaker sex" BS. Hillary ain't a damsel in distress

This is NOT a rescue operation. It's an act of empowerment.

[Sparkly]

87. Wow, robbedvoter, you rock!!

:yourock:

[Auntie Bush]

9. HORSEshit! (You should know it when you see it)

Name one single thing the OP said that wasn't true. My God....we've ALL heard them ALL right here on DU! You're in denial!

PS All horses deserve a name...even if they are old, bony, gray, lame, swayback and ready for the glue factory. :rofl: Maybe you're due for a name change...just like me after the primaries are over.

[Horse with no Name]

11. I love it

You feel no qualms about attacking me...yet you have all the pity for a seasoned politician.:eyes:
Go for it Bush.
I don't give a rat's ass but I will say ONE thing...she has got you (and others like you) snowed.
She is hurting the women's movement much more than she will ever help it by her manipulation of people like you.

[noiretextatique]

22. actually, i think she is helping the women's movement

more women are noticing all the sexist comments made about her.

[durrrty libby]

28. You bet and they are pissed. This will only help her with the women vote

[goldcanyonaz]

30. We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore. Women vote, and are voting for Clinton.

[Cameron27]

81. Yes we're angry alright.

Women won't vote for Clinton simply because of the rampant sexism, but the anger and backlash are ramping up the enthusiasm for her IMO.

[CTyankee]

95. Even my husband is pissed at the sexism. He was undecided until Edwards's

remark about HRC's getting emotional and that did it for him. He is officially voting for Hillary in our Feb. 5 primary. I am not off of Edwards but I wish he hadn't said what he did...

[Name removed]

29. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[robbedvoter]

48. It is NOT PITY - you clueless sexist horse! It is ANGER! At your attitude

At men continuing to disrespect us.

[Evergreen Emerald]

2. That is the truth. And if Clinton mentions it...she is playing the gender card

Conversely: when anyone criticizes Obama or his invocation of MLK--they are racist for attacking Obama.

[THUNDER HANDS]

3. since when are the terms ambitious and calculating sexist?

[Jai4WKC08]

77. You miss the point

Ambitious and calculating aren't sexist in themselves. But they are derogatory. Yet they are not applied to male candidates who are just as ambitious and calculating (if not more so) than Hillary.

[dkf]

5. How's about DIRTY and AWFUL. Is that sexist?

Those are my words for her.

[journalist3072]

6. Absolutely correct. And no one has held signs up at other's campaign events, saying "iron my shirt.

[Horse with no Name]

8. That was.

But it has been an pretty isolated incident.

[burythehatchet]

12. definitely wasn't a plant, cuz she would never plant people in the audience

and didn't the fella vote for her? He probably was won over by her message.

[dkf]

10. Its not that people are sexist. Its that they dislike her and everything about her.

Because she is phony and not likable. And I agree with that assessment.

For every "sexist" statement there are those that are disparaging but are completely unrelated to gender.

The thing is when you throw all your dislike about her, some adjectives are considered sexist.

But for many things you could substitute a "non-sexist" or non-female adjective:

Shrill = grating

Witch = Asshole

Calculating = Manipulative

Ambitious is not a sexist word. Like when my congressman decided he wanted to take on our senior Democratic Senator people said he was too ambitions and he lost.

And re: Misting up. If a Man cries because he feels sorry for himself, he would have got a lot more heat than Hillary did. She actually got a pass on that because she is a female.

Face it. Hillary gets heat because people can't stand her. And that isn't because she's a woman. Its because we dislike her period.

[Evergreen Emerald]

21. she is not likeable because she is a woman. She is no more calculating than

any other politician.

YOu require more of her than any other candidate. Backwards and in high heels.

[dkf]

23. Pah I started disliking her because the Clintons' kneecapped Howard Dean.

And then it all snowballed.

But it was because she was dirty that she got on my bad side.

Why would I hate her because she's a woman? Do I hate myself? I mean is this supposed to be self-loathing?

[creeksneakers2]

37. Kneecapped Howard Dean?

I don't remember anything like that.

[durrrty libby]

39. Good self analysis

:thumbsup:

[burythehatchet]

13. since horseshit and bullshit have been taken, donkeyshit!

[robbedvoter]

59. Adult diapers in aisle 3! There's an onset of diarhea from clueless men

Ignore at your own peril. keep piling on - the women who read this board are reconsidering already.

[saltpoint]

14. Say we can control our party's list of nominee choices. Say that

none of the 8 announced candidates, withdrawn from the race or not, are on the list and that 8 new Democrats are to be considered.

Say, just for the sake of argument, that the new pack of 8 are:

1 Max Cleland
2 Evan Bayh
3 Mark Warner
4 Charlie Rangel
5 Barbara Boxer
6 Max Baucus
7 Janet Napolitano
8 Alexis Herman

I'm supporting Senator Boxer in that group of 8. Max Cleland is a close second. It has nothing to do with anyone being a witch or the sound of his or her voice or whether he or she tears up on occasion. If voters don't tear up when they watch OLD YELLER or Zefferelli's ROMEO AND JULIET, they're likely inhuman.

Senator Clinton may win our nomination. If she does I'll vote for her. I'm supporting Edwards in the primary. I consider him to be advancing proposals and policies which strike closer to my concerns as a voter and citizen than Sen. Clinton's proposals and policies. The assumption that I favor another candidate over Sen. Clinton on sexist grounds is ridiculous, if as a voter I would readily and enthusiastically choose Boxer, Napolitano, or Herman over Bayh and Baucus.

[dorktv]

17. Senator Clinton seems to be ripping off Senator Edwards' policy

proposals...while I do not like the idea of someone doing that-at least she is copying him rather than the less then progressive Obama.

[saltpoint]

24. Hi, dorktv. Since I'm an Edwards supporter, I hope all our candidates will

give a listen to some of the proposals he and his team have put together. Those are proposals for an America I would like to live in. It has been very bleak for most of us for the last 8 years under Bush.

I'd like to see all of our original 8 announced candidates still in the race. My favoring one strongly doesn't preclude the need for wide dialogue, and I miss the voices of the others -- the ones who have dropped out and the ones the media ignores.

[pdxmom]

15. I see the remarks as negative, not sexist. And all of them are getting

that treatment:

1. Barack Obama was called a drug addict
2. John McCain is a warmonger
3. Personally, I mocked Romney for tearing up during his "I'm a Mormon" speech. I also mock Bush* every time he does it.
4. Edwards has been called a hypocrite and "angry".
5. Huckabee definitely has been accused of being calculating. As have Romney and Rudy.
6. The voice thing is the one that I do agree is probably sexist, but it's not much different from those that call Romney oily (as said by my hubby the first time he saw Romney).

The media does their schtick with every single candidate. Have they given Clinton as fair shake? Other than Tweety, who is a misogynist of the highest order, I don't see that the media has been any more schizoid over Clinton than they have over any other front-runner. They are trying to create conflict in their storyline (the news no longer reports, it tells "stories"). And they love to build them up just to knock them down.

[theredpen]

16. If Hillary Clinton were right here, I'd say...

...Hey, woman! You go in the kitchen and get me some cakes and pies!

:hide:

[dorktv]

19. And she would kick you in the nads! But since she is not here...

I will do the honours of making you kill that bug!

[robbedvoter]

71. Hey, Cartman - this is exactly what animates this election - voter turnout - YOU!

Stay visible - we may need you!

[Quixote1818]

20. No one made fun of Howard Dean, Al Gore or John Kerry either.

No one called Gore and Kerry stiff. No one said Gore invented the internet. No one said Gore acted superior to George Bush. No one said George Bush senior was a wimp. No one called Obama an empty suit. No one said Obama was too ambitious. No one made a big deal about Obama using drugs.

Come on, everyone is getting hit, not just Hillary. Screaming Sexism every five seconds is losing her Men voters just as Obama would be losing white voters if he screamed prejudice against Blacks every five seconds.

[dkf]

25. Yeah this post is ridiculous. She's trying to make people vote for her because they pick on her

Blech.

[noiretextatique]

52. that's idiotic

the article is analyzing the media depictions of her, and some of them are sexist.

[robbedvoter]

74. She is not appealing to my (our) pity. By the time you'll get the empowerment thingy

we'll be done with this election - hopefully taking office.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

89. Ridiculous? Try this ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2725611

"Blech" :rofl:

[robbedvoter]

60. Everyone is getting hit. But some of the hits are pure sexism - and some of us

have had enough of it. The percentage of women coming to vote increases proportionally with these attacks. It strikes a nerve.

[Jai4WKC08]

84. Everybody gets attacked and ridiculed

Some fairly, some not so much. But IN ADDITION to the all the other crap, Hillary gets hit with the female stereotypes. You can deny it all you want. It exists. And it's done openly. Most people (and almost all of them in the media) who may judge Obama by racial stereotypes, have the good sense to hide it. Except the Bill O'Reilly's who appear to not even know when they're doing it. Even the so called mainstream media seems to not know when they're being sexist. Or they just don't care.

And for what it's worth, Hillary is not "screaming sexism" any more than Barack is "screaming prejudice against Blacks." But most women see it quite plainly, just as I'm sure most blacks see the racism.

[durrrty libby]

27. It is true. Tucker Carlson is fond of saying that every time

he sees "Mrs Clinton" he crosses his legs.(fear of castration)

Could he be anymore sexist and disgusting? I've heard him say it several times.
Why wasn't he fired for that?

Women are the silent majority of voters.This shit pisses them off to no end. They are turning out in record numbers for Hillary

They will continue to do so, and take her all the way to the WH

[Horse with no Name]

32. Tucker is a moron

Nobody pays attention to him. For God's sake...his MOTHER still dresses him.

[durrrty libby]

40. Nice...making excuses for him. He is married with 4 daughters

So the mommy dressing him pejorative doesn't cut it

[Horse with no Name]

41. I'm sure YOU would know ALL about lil fucker tucker libby

I know who YOU are.

[durrrty libby]

43. Do tell

[Horse with no Name]

44. You aren't worth it. n/t

[durrrty libby]

45. As expected. All hat no cattle

[robbedvoter]

61. Bingo! 57% in NH! 59% in Nevada! Keep it up - I want 100% of women at the polls!

[lumberjack_jeff]

31. Okay. And?

Are you suggesting that these sexist remarks by some of the legions of people who dislike her are a reason to vote for her?

[Evergreen Emerald]

35. There is not a level playing field. Clinton is required to walk a tightrope

in this campaign because she is a woman. And, because her opponent is a black man. The standards are different.

She is attacked if she mentions her gender. "playing the gender card."
Conversely, Obama uses his race, runs on his race, and if that fact is mentioned by Clinton--she is racist. There is a double standard.

Clinton is doing everything the guys are doing, but "backwards and in highheels" as they said about Ginger Rogers. And despite that--she thrives.

Perhaps they are a reason to vote for her, because it shows how tough she is and how smart she is and how, despite the leg up that Obama is getting, and despite the lack of level playing field, she is winning. Perhaps her strength is a reason to vote for her.

[Iceburg]

42. Great post /nt

[Quixote1818]

54. Sorry, it's just the opposite of they way you put it

She is not walking a tight rope anymore than Obama or Howard Dean was. Dean and Gore were attacked just as much as Hillary was yet they never had the opportunity to screamed sexism.

Do you think Obama should start playing the race card then because a few people say he has no substance or is an empty suit?


The fact is Hillary seems to be winning and getting 100 times the free Media attention Edwards and Kucinich are getting. Perhaps those complaining about sexism should be grateful that the Media is infatuated with Hillary. You can see the glass half full because a hand full of people make sexist remarks or you can be happy as hell that one shit load of Men have voted for Hillary for president.

[Evergreen Emerald]

62. Obama is already playing the race card. And has done a great job

of attacking anyone who questions the fact that he is running on race.

Hillary Clinton cannot say: "they are piling on me" (which they were) without being attacked for using her gender.

You mentioned Dean and Gore. If you do not see the difference between the two white men running and Clinton, there is not hope for you and if you are the norm--no hope for America because sexism exists. And without recognition, will continue to thrive.

The media: Clinton cannot get a break from the media. She is constantly on it--but it is all negative all the time. Obama's coverage is positive or neutral.

You state that a "shitload of men" have voted for Clinton. I am not, nor is the op, suggesting that all men are sexist.

But to deny that it exists, is to reinforce it.

[Quixote1818]

72. The attacks listed in the OP have gone both ways

I don't think the sexism is enough of a problem to even mention other than perhaps Chris Matthews who is an ass. Everything mentioned in the OP is not proof of sexism. In fact Obama has been hit by many of the same attacks. The OP mentions Ambition yet it was Hillary who attacked Obama for being too ambitious yet he can't scream sexism.



No one has suggested John McCain is too ambitious. But Hillary has suggested Obama is

No one has disparaged Mitt Romney for misting up. Bull shit. Many people suggested he was faking it and made fun of his sons working his campaign and not being in Iraq.

No one has accused John Edwards of faking emotions. Yes they have. Rush, O'Reilly and Hannity do it all the time.

No one has depicted Mike Huckabee as calculating. Bull shit!

No one has critiqued the pitch of Rudy Giuliani's voice. Perhaps Stephanie Miller is sexist for attacking the pitch of her voice. Humm, maybe she has a problem with the pitch of her voice and should work on it?


Sorry, but you and the OP haven't made your case here.

[Evergreen Emerald]

88. I think it is easier to deny that sexism exists--then we don't have to do anything

about it. Would you also deny that racism exists? Just curious.

When a female is reduced to the physical it is a way of demeaning her. Edwards comments on her clothes, others comment on her personality, others comment on her voice, her hair, her age...it is sexism at its finest.

Your examples: Stephanie Miller show. When Jim shudders because Clinton's voice is not sexy--that is sexism. That is reducing Clinton by defining her worth based on the physical. It is absolutely sexist with the Miller show does that--in fact I don't listen to it anymore because of the sexism that exists with regard to Clinton.

[robbedvoter]

75. "men have voted for Hillary" - how condescending can you get?

ANY DEMOCRAT is unjustly attacked/ignored by the MSM - that's why Raygun had them purchased and think tanks started.
All people you mentioned have justifiable complaints in the way they were treated. The sexist cherry on top - that would be Hillary. Although Nancy Pelosi had her share when she took office as well, I recall.

[robbedvoter]

64. Wonderfully said. here's the graphic for it:

[Evergreen Emerald]

65. Thank you!

I am sending that to everyone I know.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

90. LOLLLL ... love it!! ;o)

:kick:

[lumberjack_jeff]

91. "Tough"? "Smart"?

Granted.

I wish she'd apply that toughness and intelligence to something other than the status quo and $91m in campaign contributions.
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?cid=N00000019

It is juvenile but sadly effective for her to complain in campaign literature that people should vote for her because the boys are picking on her.

Explain why I want a victim for President.

[Quixote1818]

33. Did I miss something? Isn't she winning? Who are all these sexist Men voting for her?

Frankly I am really getting tired of all the wining about sexism. Obama isn't playing the "Everyone is prejudice" card so why is the Hillary camp CONSTANTLY using the sexism card?

[robbedvoter]

78. Hillary didn't write that article. One of us "feminazis" must've. You'll see more

coming up - as you piss us more with your arrogance and refusal to even understand what we're saying . I am not asking for agreement here - just get what we're saying already!

[Iceburg]

34. Don't worry about Hillary -- she can take it, but its really starting to P$$Off the remaining 51%

that are fed up with the misogyny -- especially here at DU.

[robbedvoter]

79. Right. Nobody is worried, lots of us are incensed. I hope 65% of the voters in SC are women!

[HughMoran]

36. The defensiveness here is absolutely BIZARRE!

Why is this touching a nerve with people? :yoiks:

[Quixote1818]

47. Do you think Obama should start playing the race card then?

If he did you would see the same kind of reaction you are seeing here with people playing the sexism card.

The fact is Hillary seems to be winning and getting 100 times the free Media attention Edwards and Kucinich are getting. Perhaps those complaining about sexism should be grateful that the Media is infatuated with Hillary. You can see the glass half full because a hand full of people make sexist remarks or you can be happy as hell that one shit load of Men have voted for Hillary for president.

[HughMoran]

49. But the sexism is a real as the nose on my face

It's so obvious to anybody who DOESN'T ALREADY HATE HILLARY - and thus is my point!

[Quixote1818]

63. Hussein Obama isn't obvious too?

In America, calling someone a Muslim, even when it's not true, is a common political technique used to destroy a candidate's chances for election and even if it isn't true, the fact of the rumor can be enough to destroy his candidacy.

I would suggest Obama is getting hit 100 times worse than Hillary.

[noiretextatique]

57. as with clinton and sexist remarks

some are making racist remarks about obama. if he gains more ground, i expect more.

[lumberjack_jeff]

92. Clearly you would not.

It works for Hillary because of demographics.

If Obama were to make an appeal to victimhood, he wouldn't have a majority of the population rally to his cause.

[robbedvoter]

67. Because - they're sexist and can't face it? They keep harping on "pity" and "weaknss"

when we explain to them is empowerment and and identification with a strong women rather than pity...The obstination to keep it about "pity" and weakness" tells the whole story about how some here see women (or would love to be able to continue too)
Damsels in distress - Hillary ain't one - and this is no rescue operation.

[lumberjack_jeff]

93. The NH quasi-tear and her complaints of being ganged up on are not intended to communicate strength

[fightthegoodfightnow]

38. Do You Really Expect It to Be Easy for the First Serious Woman Presidential Candidate?

You write: 'There's a double standard and, with Clinton's candidacy, we see it in sharp relief. She is judged differently than her male competitors, and not just because she's a Clinton. When she doesn't show emotion, she's cold. When she does, she's - what? - feminine? Soft? Un-commander-in-chief-like? "

I think it's unfortunate that because of my desire to see a woman in the White House in my lifetime, I'm probably going to have to vote for a woman who will never get us out of this war because she wants to prove how big her penis she has. I suppose that is progress, but I don't think I'm alone and probably just tired of Clinton getting the pass on the issue.

[robbedvoter]

46. And THAT is what brings women in droves to the polls!

[HughMoran]

51. BINGO!!

We have a winner.

Look what it did in NH.

I'll guarantee that if Hillary gets the nomination, the polls will not be accurate due to their missing of the demographic shift that Hillary brings to the race.

[Iceburg]

56. Yup -- a lot of polsters will have tarnished reputations after this election /nt

[robbedvoter]

66. 57% in NH, 59% in Nevada - trend going up as sexist pundits, DU-ers say: whaaa?

[HughMoran]

70. It's the "secret weapon"

People don't realize that voter turnout in this country is so low that any candidate that can excite a downtrodden group (woman and minorities are 64% of the electorate!) can win any election, any time they want!

[krabigirl]

73. Exactly!

[Iceburg]

53. You are right ... we won't just get mad -- we'll get even!!

That's what happened in NH & NV. Can hardly wait to see what unfolds in FL with its higher than average elderly female population.

Tweety's comments used to bother me -- now I see them as votes in the bank!

[goldcanyonaz]

58. A vote for Hillary, is a vote against Chris Matthews.

[durrrty libby]

69. Me too.

[lumberjack_jeff]

94. Democracy as retribution. Nice. n/t

[Quixote1818]

76. Rebuttal of every claim listed above

No one has suggested John McCain is too ambitious. But Hillary has suggested Obama is

No one has accused John Edwards of faking emotions. Yes they have. Rush, O'Reilly and Hannity do it all the time.

No one has depicted Mike Huckabee as calculating. Bull shit, Air America and even Rush Limbaugh have called him calculating and dishonest!

No one has critiqued the pitch of Rudy Giuliani's voice. Perhaps Stephanie Miller is sexist for attacking the pitch of her voice. Humm, maybe she has a problem with the pitch of her voice and should work on it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pK0W_R3Z8Y

No one has disparaged Mitt Romney for misting up. Bull shit. Many people suggested he was faking it and made fun of his sons working his campaign and not being in Iraq.


Sure Hillary has been the victim of some sexism (Chris Matthews) but this article is overblown and does not make the case. Stick to the shit Chris Matthews pulls on Hillary. It holds more weight.

[robbedvoter]

80. Could you please publish these thoughts in SC? We need more women to show up

and you're REALLY helping!

[Quixote1818]

82. When you can't argue with logic then make a cutting comment.

:eyes:

[Cameron27]

83. That's so true that I barely respond to

the hate threads anymore. WTH, keep bumping my candidate up, it's fine with me.

[noiretextatique]

85. so...there haven't been any sexist comments made about clinton?

i agree the article is a bit light on examples.

[Quixote1818]

86. Sure there have. Chris Matthews is clearly an ass. But I think this is over blown. nt