Letters to the Editor
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People just do not like Hillary Clinton.
If she had red hair and freckles she'd be ridiculed for being a ginger.
Some of the comments against her are mean spirited; she just brings out the worst in her detractors.
It's not sexism or misogyny, it's just her.
It's tiring to be constantly told I'm sexist because I don't support Hillary. I don't need a British pop star condemning America as misogynistic. Talk about elitism.
And about elitism, Hillary now says that the Democratic party is perceived as too elite to win elections. Does anyone think that HILLARY CLINTON is the answer to that image problem?
Sheesh, now who's out of touch?
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@jdmf -- Traister's article is yet another classic passive-aggressive attack on Obama
You may not see it, but others apparently can see it, as I do.
Traister's article is yet another classic passive-aggressive attack on Obama, Salon-style.
The subhead alone refers to "fanatical support of Barack and gleeful bashing of Hillary."
There's reference to the "disenchantment with the Obama-mania."
Traister writes of "something dark and funky, and probably not so female-friendly, running below the frantic fanaticism of their Obama-loving compatriots."
Salon is always looking for reasons to bolster Hillary's candidacy or derail Obama's.
And today's theme is to decide that even people who LIKE and plan to VOTE FOR Obama -- and who genuinely believe Hillary Clinton is the inferior candidate for POLITICAL reasons -- are getting the heebiejeebies because of some sort of evil sexism rum amok.
This is just more thinly disguised Hillary pandering from Salon.
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Beyond sexism
Much of what we see surfacing that is written about in this article is actually misogyny -- hatred of women -- a step beyond mere sexism. I'm not surprised to see it surfacing.
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Justly or wrongly painted
The Clinton legacy is profoundly tainted. Maybe fresh generational new starts are possible with Chelsea, but neither of the elder Clintons are acceptable much less electable to my mind. I can't stand people who abide or enable lies and covers in the darkness. From purjury to telling tall tales over Tuzla it's trashiness of a type I can't take. To tell the truth I find the two of them intolerable.
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Give us a break, Rebecca
Annie Oakley ... I'm sorry, Hillary ... doesn't have a genuine bone in her body. She has NO SHOT IN HELL at the nomination, and hasn't for a month, but still joins forces with McCain to bash Obama on a daily basis. She disgusts millions of loyal Democrats with every utterance. But yeah, you're right -- we don't like her because she's a woman. And boy are we fools being so strong for Obama. We should just be cool and whatever happens in the fall happens. After all, McCain isn't so bad! How can he be? HALF THE WOMEN IN THIS COUNTRY THINK HE IS PRO-CHOICE!!! If they paid as much attention to, you know, facts -- as they do to the supposed persecution of Hillary -- maybe they would know the real story. If HRC didn't have ovaries, the press would treat her continued presence in the race as the joke it has become.
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PS
I'm sorry to post twice, but I wanted to add something important: those here who say the Obama supporters who are sexist are in the minority might want to search around a bit more. As someone who spends each day reading, commenting, writing letters to the editor, and all that, I've visited many political forums over the past few months. I, and thousands of other Clinton supporters, were driven off of one extremely large, major democratic primary site, for example, because of the never-ending, disgusting sexist comments made by hundreds of Obama supporters. The moderators wouldn't stand up to it (being Obama supporters, themselves), and everything we tried (patiently trying to explain why the language -- which I can't even type here -- was offensive and hurtful, and so on) didn't work. So we all left. Now there are only very new posters and Obama fanatics there. They think that means the entire nation is for Obama and absolutely hates HIllary Clinton. Rude awakening coming...
You can see the sexism everywhere, if you keep your eyes open--it's all over the mainstream / cable media blogs and comments.
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Misogyny and sisterly solidarity
Rather than struggle to prove the sexism underlying the apparently non-sexist criticisms of Hillary coming from liberal men, perhaps it would be better to accept that sexism has very little to do with it. There are plenty of women who despise Hillary. Randi Rhodes and Camille Paglia are two recent examples and I have seen many less prominent women express contempt for Hillary.
Hillary once held a two to one advantage over Obama in the polls. She hasn't lost that advantage because men suddenly decided they hate women. She lost it because, on closer inspection, people decided that that think that this particular woman is less attractive than the Obama alternative.
Instead of focussing on the alleged mania of the Obama supporters, I suggest that it would be more instructive to look at how the desire for a female President and sisterly solidarity is blinding so many progressive females to Hillary's flaws. Hillary has serious problems with honesty and seems to have only two approaches to each issue. She either panders or she antagonises with her divisiveness. What she lacks, and what Obama has in abundance, is an ability to persuade people to shift their position. That is why Obama will make a much more effective President.
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to Jessica Valenti et al: here's how you know
"I hate to rely on this hokey notion that there's some woman's way of knowing, and that I just fucking know. But I do. I just know."
When I was growing up, I watched my dad go ballistic whenever a female politician, spokesperson, or authority figure of any kind was interviewed on television. If the woman's remarks didn't make him particularly angry, then he would comment on her shrill, annoying voice. Or her ugly face. Or her stupid hair. It took me a long time to realize it didn't matter who these women were, or how much they had accomplished, or what profession they were in. They all had only one thing in common--and it was the one thing my dad never overtly acknowledged. Second wave feminists talk about that 'click' moment where you understand immediately and intuitively that sexism is real and is shaping and defining your very life--this realization was mine.
Point being, it's pretty heartbreaking when a daughter realizes her father just doesn't like women, and this election has brought a lot of those feelings back for me. The foaming irrationality(dare I say hysteria?)of the vitriol directed at Hillary--not just from dino-republicans, but from the very factions progressive women imagined were on their side all along--is manifest. This isn't some kind of airy-fairy women's intuition, it's obvious to anyone with open eyes and an attention span.
But it helps if your upbringing has already taught you what to look for.