Defending Her Honor

I'm a long time lurker but I created a username so that I could post this. A friend sent it to me and even though I knew that most of these things were said, seeing them all together really got to me!

Defending Her Honor
The-100-percent-sexism-free Democratic primary.

By Jim Geraghty


In the coming days, you will hear many asking whether Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House fell short because of sexism. And there will be that related question, “is Obama sexist?”

There is really not much evidence that Obama is sexist. There is only, “Hold on a second, sweetie. We’ll hold a press avail,” which he told a reporter at an event outside Detroit. And perhaps his comment to a factory worker in Allentown, Pa., that “you’re gorgeous, you look like you might be a dancer.”

Okay, there’s also the time Obama, after a particularly tough exchange with Hillary, told a crowd, “You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out.” And, “You know, over the last several weeks since she fell behind, she’s resorted to what’s called ‘kitchen sink’ strategies. . . . She’s got the kitchen sink flying, and the china flying, and the, you know, the buffet is coming at me.”

Also, “I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she’s feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal.” (This one is especially benign, considering he went with “periodically” instead of “every 28 days or so.”)

And when Obama offered the backhanded compliment “You’re likeable enough, Hillary” in a New Hampshire debate, some women may have wondered why we never heard this kind of jab at John Edwards or Bill Richardson.

And then there was Michelle Obama’s comment that, “Our view is that if you can’t run your own house, you certainly can’t run the White House.”

But other than that, there’s no evidence of sexism.

So Obama likely isn’t sexist. And though some say his campaign, friends, and allies might be, there’s not much evidence of that, either.

Okay, so when congressman Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.) was asked whether Clinton should drop out of the race, he said, “Glenn Close should have stayed in that tub” — comparing Hillary to the obsessive psychotic from Fatal Attraction.

And maybe John Edwards responded to a question from a reporter about Hillary getting choked up in a New Hampshire appearance by declaring, “I think what we need in a commander-in-chief is strength and resolve, and presidential campaigns are tough business, but being president of the United States is also tough business.” And Edwards did say he was “not sure about that coat,” referring to the coral jacket Hillary wore at one debate.

And of course, Obama’s friend of 20 years, Fr. Michael Pfleger, on the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ, painted Hillary as crying because “a black man is stealing my show.”

In the interest of fairness, I should note there were a few other such isolated incidents — columnists decrying her “frigidity” and “inability to keep Bill on the porch”; the Washington Post’s Robin Givhan writing about her cleavage; Randi Rhodes calling her “a f***ing whore”; Maureen Dowd claiming that she “has turned into Sybil”; MSNBC reporter David Schuster asking whether Chelsea was being “pimped out”; Katie Couric asking Hillary to confirm that her “nickname in school was Miss Frigidaire”; cartoonist Pat Oliphant depicting her crying while facing hostile foreign leaders (and Osama bin Laden expressing, “she’s so sensitive, I had no idea!”); Chris Matthews declaring that “the reason she’s a U.S. senator, the reason she’s a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around”; comments from an unnamed Democratic party official that her effort once she fell behind in delegates was “the Tonya Harding option”; magician Penn Jillette declaring on MSNBC that Obama’s success in February was due to Black History Month and Hillary’s subsequent success could be attributed to “White Bitch Month”; an audience member at a debate asking her if she prefers diamonds or pearls; and John Aravosis of AmericaBlog posting pictures of Monica Lewinsky with her mouth wide open every time Hillary irked him.

But other than that, there is no evidence that sexism played a role in Hillary Clinton’s defeat.
 
Just a hint - if you're going to go to the trouble of creating a new identity to post something, you might not want to put your name to it. And I don't understand why you couldn't post this under your regular username? If you're afraid of being flamed, perhaps you should think twice about posting it in the first place.
 
I never had a username before today. I have been a lurker, reading the forums only. I don't know why I would be flamed for posting this. Seriously.
 
RE: Thank you for posting this!!!!!!!

I actually printed this out!! In case I ever run out of toilet paper, I'll have a spare sheet with which to wipe.
 
Lauren - Just a heads up - any criticism of golden boy Obama will get you "flamed" here! ;) Actually, I'll take that back. If worded correctly, criticism may open a healthy debate. This post is a lot like the annoying political forwards that most of us have flooding our inboxes though, so most likely it will just elicit a negative response. Now, if you want a good thread, just ask people to explain to you what Obama's beliefs and plans for our country are. If you can get any replies, it would make for an interesting thread. ;)
 
Wow, sour grapes is an amazing thing.

We could go down this same road with the racism track for Obama, but I don't really feel like that's appropriate or necessary on this forum.

The bottom line is that you can draw whatever you want from any commentary that was made. As a woman, I do not feel belittled or oppressed by the commentary above, and the vast majority of it is taken out of context anyway.

I flat out do not believe that sexism "played a role in her defeat". She dug her own grave with her own shovel as the race progressed. You could claim that had the nomination gone to yet another old white man. But it went to a young black man, who's endured many of his challenges during this race, like "I just can't bring myself to vote for a black man" after the WV primary.
 
Lian, Gotcha! This was sent to me by a friend so it might seem like an annoying political forward. I couldn't find where any of the contents are false and so thought it was worthy of sharing here where the vast majority are women. Ad hominem/straw man attacks don't bother me really because they don't detract from the truth unless you are prone to being susceptible to those types of fallacies.
 
I agree with the person who stated that this sounds a lot like sour grapes. I would never vote for a sexist person, and I am an Obama supporter. I think that Hillary's playing the "I'm being picked on me because I'm a girl" card is promoting sexism toward herself. And I can quote instances in which some of her and her husband's comments have "seemed" slightly racist. But I'd never do it because I don't think the Clintons are the slightest bit racist. I think that once you start picking apart peoples words without context you can bend them to serve any agenda you may have.

PS This is a bold post for a newbie around here. Though I whole-heartedly disagree with the message, I'm very impressed! :)
 
Well, for one, I don't think Sen. Clinton lost her bid because of sexism. The reason why she lost, despite of enormous name recognition, was because she ran a campaign that didn't plan for the long term and didn't have a plan B when things didn't work out as anticipated.

She knows how to play with the big boys, she was pretty good at dishing out. If you throw a punch, woman or not, you need to be able and prepared to take the counter punch, no matter what it is, without whining. As HRC said so eloquently "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen". Oops, is that sexist, too?

I wasn't too thrilled when Sen. Obama said to Sen. Clinton "You are likable enough". I thought it was a stupid thing to say. But we all say stupid things at one time or another. I don't understand why we all think those people who run for public office are robots, they are human, they make mistakes. In fact, HRC had her fair share of stupid things she has said.

I don't know how many times I have been called "Sweetie" by women and men alike. So what!!???

What I think is more sexist than anything is the fact that many women just vote for Hillary Clinton BECAUSE she is a woman.
 
It would take too long to point out EVERY INSTANCE the comments were taken out of context.

May all our lives never be so scrutinized & our words never taken & twisted to suit a personal agenda.

God Bless America where anybody can say anything on any forum/magazine/newspaper/newscast.

ETA: I do understand that OP didnt write this. Its also always a sad day for me when people in general take the writings of another and call it some sort of a fact. Internet, newspapers, news casts - take the information & research it & you'll be amazed at how many things are taken totally out of context & even fabricated.
 
Well, whoever wrote this forgot his snide, childish comment about "thinking she was Annie Oakley" the day after she told a story about her father taking her on hunting trips.

I've done my best to stay silent on this issue b/c politics can be so sensitive, but I don't disagree w/this post. I've admired Hillary for a very long time & she's been one of my most significant role models. Personally I don't see anything about change in Obama (other than what's on his campaign signs). I think he's the usual good old boy.

And I do think there has been an element of sexism in our great nation's perspective of Hillary b/c of her strength & independence. Shame on her for being a woman, having a brain & not being afraid to use it!

That's all I'm gonna say on the matter. Gritting my teeth & going back to sitting on my hands. ;-)
 
>I never had a username before today. I have been a lurker,
>reading the forums only.

My apologies. I misunderstood and thought you were a regular poster who had created a new account solely to post this.
 
“I was probably the only revolutionary referred to as cute.”
--Abbie Hoffman

Sorry, just seemed like an opportune time for an Abbie Hoffman quotation :7
 
I think Senator Clinton lost because she lies. She told the one about "arriving in a hail of gunfire" THREE TIMES. The first two times nobody even called her on it. But the third time, the huge entourage along with her said there not only wasn't any gunfire but when the plane landed they were greeted warmly with tea and snacks. For one, you shouldn't lie because it's proof you can't be trusted and you always get found out, especially when you're running for president of the United States. Second, if you're going to lie it's best not to have a huge entourage who were there and can easily contradict you. I voted for Bill Clinton twice but, after Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky I've had enough. When Hillary lies I find myself thinking 'What is wrong with Those People? Is the whole family pathologically incapable of telling the truth?' More than the lies, what irritates me about her is the flat-out stupidity of the lies she chooses to tell; lies that can easily be uncovered by the dumbest of reporters. It's unfortunate, but much of the reason I've supported Obama is because I've yet to witness any scandal or concrete proof he lies or treats people badly - and, of course, he opposed the war because he suspected the lie behind that. Will he be a good president? One can only hope. But I already know both Clinton and McCain wouldn't have/won't get it right. One is a war-monger and the other is a liar. If Obama is worse than the other two I'm sure we'll find out all about it in the legitimate media before the election. But, if that happens, what the H*ll we'll do then is anyone's guess.
 
Gayle, thanks for the link to the source. I wish all the stuff that gets forwarded on the internet would come with one. It's amazing how much of it comes from the right-wingers. Personally I delete most forwarded messages in a vain attempt at purging cyberspace of all the babble that seems to spread like wild fire.

While I believe sexism is ingrained in our culture, I think Hillary's loss had more to do with a poorly run campaign. I think there were many sexist comments made about Hillary during the campaign. I also believe this was possible because overt sexism is unfortunately does not stir up the same outrage as overt racism. Most T.V. commentators know better than to make a racist remark on air, even if they might think it, but sexist comments just breeze right by.

Gabrielle
 
Very good post. Grant you it is one sided, but that's the position you were taking and I respect that. It is sad that educated and allegedly intelligent people of power and in prominent positions purse name calling, and stereotyping as a way to get their political point across.

I liked both candidates but I was partial to Hillary. Obama is not going to win this race. I don’t believe the majority of American’s would allow a black man to run their country. Too many ignorant hillbilly’s running this country. Which is a shame as I feel Obama could do amazing things for American’s and goodness knows they need it.

Eaglobo...umm, classy comment. If you haven't something intelligent to add probably best to keep silent.
 
I agree that there Clinton has been treated badly in many instances, and that sometimes it seems like it's because she's a woman. Although I don't really think Obama himself is guilty of this, and I don't think sexism cost her the election. She's dished plenty of dirt herself. She's a strong and intelligent woman and I think she did her best with the cards she was dealt. Although I'm more in favor of Obama I'm glad she stuck it out! I'm proud of both of them. Unfortunately politics has become a bloodsport and I just chalk all the ugliness up to that. I also think Obama has been and will continue to be treated unfairly by the many racists in our country. It's so disturbing that the search "assassinate Obama" has been in the top 100 google searches.

That said I absolutely think that Obama CAN and WILL win the election. Our country has more than its share of racists who won't vote for a black man, but even so I think he has a broad base of support and that he'll pull it off. Go Barack!!!

By the way "Defending Her Honor"? Please. Clinton doesn't need anyone to "defend her honor". That woman is as strong as they come!
 

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