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Edited on Fri Feb-15-08 06:14 PM by Bicoastal
(Edited to fix some spelling errors)
It's getting ridiculous--BHO is not responsible for the sexist garbage being thrown at Hillary on the other side, just as Hillary is not responsible for the "Barack is a Muslim" stories coming from largely the same sources. With the arguable exception of "You're likable enough, Hillary" comment, Obama himself has been relatively civil to Hillary in the realm of personal attacks, but not ONCE has Barack or Michelle Obama said a word about Hillary's gender that hasn't been 100% positive.
Yet, HE'S being blamed for the sexist attacks spewing from the likes of Hannity and Limbaugh. Some have even said he's not doing enough to discourage these attacks, as if Obama has any control over what Right Wing media pundits and other troglodytes have to say about HRC.
The fact is, Hillary promised us that she could stand her own against these attacks--that she was a fighter, that she'd been fighting against the Republicans for the last 15 years and could do it again. Now, she's attempting to play the victim while Obama, with his dark skin and a Middle-Eastern-y name (if there's anything the RW hates more than Clintons, it's Muslims) amazingly seems to be holding his own and winning more converts far better than Hillary's campaign is. The amount of heat Hillary is taking from her old enemies is unfair on many levels--but the sexism is out there, fair or not, and Hillary isn't currently convincing me that she can overcome it. Shall we blame Obama for that, too?
I have always been convinced that a lot of the anger directed at Hillary is most because of Bill, who in many ways deserves it more than she does. It's unfortunate, and I really do feel sorry for Hillary when these gender attacks happen. But short of feeling so sympathetic that he drops out of the race completely, Obama can't be held responsible for the cavemen who do things like hold up "Iron My Shirt" signs or the TV blowhards who call her a "witch," simply because he, like them, is a male. There ARE female politicians who can unite most of the demographics behind them, just as Obama seems to be uniting most demographics behind him. But I feel strongly that Hillary Clinton is not that politician.
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