Letters to the Editor
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Hmmm...
Hillary's candidacy showed a number of things. Some that are particular to the Clintons, such as that incessant attacks no matter the source on a family's character will have undue influence.
But as I consider what her candidacy says to my daughter, there is definitely a very high level of sexism in this country that at times can escalate to outright mysogeny. Hillary had to deal with attacks on her being a woman in a way that if Obama had been attacked for being black would have caused a national uproar.
As I think about the person in this piece who said he does not feel he is sexist or mysogenist for "loathing" Clinton I have to ask -- what is the source of that loathing and why has it been so easy to loath her? Can he point to any instance or group of instances where he could prove that her behavior and personality warrant loathing? My guess is that he couldn't and that he is having a visceral response to her candidacy that is provoked in part by twenty years of non-stop right wing attacks on her and her husband as well as the propensity to believe that she or any woman who is aggressive, strong and ambitious is a bitch.
I am not saying that to vote againts Hillary is a sexist act, but to react with such deep hatred betrays emotions that run deeper than whether her health care plan is better than her opponents (it is if you believe in universal, portable health care; for the record) or if her opponent represents an opportunity for Americans to turn the page on a very rancorous time in our politics (it does if he can overwhelm the right with public approval for his candidacy and then ability to lead).
To detest her, as many obviously do from reading months of posts here on Salon, requires something more than a policy disagreement and that often includes the sexism that is prevalent in our society.