Female Clinton Supporters Fear Campaign Has Unleashed Sexist Backlash

Wall Street Journal:

Valerie Benjamin, a human-resources manager for a consulting firm here, was driving to work recently in her red minivan with a Hillary bumper sticker when a man pulled up alongside and rolled down his window. "You can be for Hillary all you want," he shouted, "but there is no way that thing is going to become president."

"I couldn't believe this guy was shouting at me in my car," says Ms. Benjamin. "I am continuously surprised by the level of venom."

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[Plowboy]

Who is, in your opinion likely to be more sexist, a Molly Ivins fan or a Rush Limbaugh fan?
We all know that Rush has been telling his dittoheads to vote for Hillary. And we know that they have been doing so in large numbers. We also know that they won't vote Democratic in the fall.
Here was Molly's assessment of Hillary in January, 2006:

http://www.cnn.com/2006//POLITICS/01/20/ivins.hillary/index.html

Of course, you can read there why Molly opposed Hillary, and it isn't sexist. Hillary's inability to see straight -- or vote straight -- on the war in Iraq was a major factor. One might note the other names in Molly's article, including that glorious "Democratic Leadership Council" member, Joe Lieberman. Well, some things seem to change -- but do they?

I can imagine what Molly or Ann Richards would have made of Hillary's sniper fire! And it wouldn't have been sexist. AS FAR AS I KNOW! Nor racist, even if Jesse could win in South Carolina.

Some people are more intelligent than others; some are more moral; some have fewer ties to the people who promoted Bush on us. And some people are more honest than others.

Some people think. Some are dittoheads.

[dadw5boys]

Why do women hate other women so much???

The only sexist backlash I see is from Women!!!

White Women who need the National Heath Cate more than anyother froup are the one who want to STOP HILLARY AND STOP NATIONAL HEALTH CARE.

[slow2]

dadw5boys, you have no clue as to the gender or age of anyone who comments on these pages; therefore, your premise is false -- that is, to ask 'why do women hate other women so much.'

Were you to go out on the street in 3 or 4 towns or cities and ask a random number of women their opinion of Hillary Clinton, and ask what they base their opinion on, you would perhaps get a better insight into women and their views.

Of course, that would require some effort on your part, and would require something besides idle observation with no basis for fact.

[ElkoJohn]

`
of two well know feminist role models
Airianna H.
and Lady Hill
i prefer Arianna's version of a feminist
.

[DRaymond]

Yes there are certainly some neanderthals about both race and gender...b­ut it isn't a case where they are hating Hillary because she is running for president. They hated her as first lady too, so it is hard to pin it just on just gender. The dittoheads have had years of their boradcast heroes going into fits of rage at the merest mention of Hillary, either as a first lady, senator, or candidate. That anger was sexist on a much broader scale, that Hillary represented an implied insult to all their treasured first ladies before and after: Pat Nixon, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, and now Laura Bush. You couldn't imagine any of those first ladies presuming that their role qualified them for the US Senate, much less make them 'ready on day one' for the oval office.

Some women I have spoken to, while pleased that there is finally such a viable woman candidate, are a little chagrined that it is coming so much from riding on who they married. They'd rather tell their daughters 'yes you can become president' wthout also having to imply 'all you have to do is marry the right man'.

[markkraft]

It's not a sexist backlash we are seeing. It is a backlash against the behavior of Senator Clinton's campaign, which many perceive to be both factually and intellectually dishonest, to the point of being insultingly so.

Numerous feminists back Senator Obama, because he has been a strong defender of women's rights for his entire political career. They just don't explicitly play the sex card like Senator Clinton's supporters, many of whom have accused their fellow women of committing treason for not backing her. It's a backlash against the smears, the misrepresentations, the selective, partisan blindness. The partisan hackery. Voters are tired of such politics, and they want a change.

So when they fearmonger about a sexist backlash..­. keep in mind that they face such open criticism because they back a secretive, untrustworthy candidate for president who has run her campaign based on divisiveness, not unity, on fear, not hope, and who has merited all the criticism that she deserves, and for trying to use both race *AND* sex as a wedge issue to divide the Democratic Party and this country.

Women who support Senator Obama have a right to be *doubly* proud of their vote... for they *know* the pressures to conform, they *know* the criticism they invite, and they don't let that blind them to what they *know* about Senator Clinton's history, and what they *know* about Senator Obama, and about just how good of a President he would be for this country.

[Denni]

Tellmethetruth, it's too bad you selected such a misleading name.

Clinton has had unprecedented power and for well over a year was considered 'unbeatable'. How utterly ridiculous to say that she's the victim of sexism now that she's losing. She's claimed that she's had 35 years of changing this 'man's world' and making significant changes, now Clintonistas want to mark her as a woman held back from the halls of power. BULL!

Clinton isn't disliked because of her gender. Her husband is equally disliked and distrusted. They're disliked because of the way they do business, because of their tendency to put themselves above the party. it's CLINTON to accepted the goodwill of women who were energized by her candidacy and turned everything into a 'gender war'. She didn't start claiming herself as a victim of the glass ceiling until she started losing. Those of us who've been paying attention refuse to let her play that game.

[Tellmethetruth]

If Hillary Clinton is the victim of sexism, so are all women. End of story.

You cannot blame the victim of hate for the behavior of the haters. Women are not responsible for the fact that some people treat them as non-human because they are women.

This article is just another example of blaming the victim for the hatred of the victimizer.

yes, there is sexism in this nomination process - Obama is capitalizing on the hate vote. If you hate women, hate whites, hate authority, then join the Obama campaign. He is recuiting all the hate votes he can get.

[HeadScratcher]

Whoa, Nellie! Get a grip on yourself. "Hate", "Hatred", "Victim", "Sexism".

Unless I missed a couple, I counted as 8 the use of the word "hate" or "hatred" in your diatribe. You used the word "sexism" twice. You used the word "victim" three times.

Tellmethetruth - you can't handle the truth.

[SLone08]

Boo hoo. Like there aren't millions of people out there saying "There's no way in hell I'm voting for that n*****r Obama". They both face discrimination but she's the only one crying about it.

[eshalom]

Let the well-oiled Obama machine and its enablers - Daily Kos, Huffington Post, MSM groupies, etc. - choke on their own misogynist venom.

As Hillary has pointed out repeatedly, words are one thing, actions are another. Hillary's supporters are taking positive action by the hundreds of thousands this weekend sending her campaign financial support over the internet. Once the financial playing field is leveled, she'll leave Obama in the dust.

I've already donated to her campaign twice this weekend; and I know others are doing the same. Let's wrap up her fundraising in style this quarter - it ends tomorrow at midnight.

[Ides]

It is so much harder to be a woman running for national office than a man. Those three black governors and three black Senators over the last 130 years coasted to office, but those 30 female governors and 35 female Senators over the last 80 years had to fight tooth and nail for every inch.

I wish people would stop being stupid, it makes life a lot less congenial.

[nellie]

Wow, this is a really distorted view of the Obama campaign, a campaign that has repeatedly emphasized unity and inclusion, with a candidate who has repeatedly refused to sling mud at his oppoent—which is more than can be said for his opponent. It's really baffling how anyone could come to the conclusions you have come to, given the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

[halyscomet]

America IS ready for a female President that is not only intelligent and tough, but honorable, truthful, and trustworthy. Unfortunately, the latter three attributes foil Hillary Clinton as indicated by White Water, Bonsia, Ireland, and her non-payment of monies owed the "Little Guys" who put their business on the line to help her in Ohio and Iowa. This is unacceptable regardless of the gender or race.

I am completely confident that a female President with the aforenoted characteristics (and more) will be elected by 2020 or earlier. Just NOT Hillary Clinton.

Let's not subscribe to the belief we settle for less. There are some GREAT female leaders out there who will shortly get their opporunity!

[eshalom]

Thanks. I'm a Hillary Clinton supporter and every time I read a hate-mongering comment, I set aside a couple of dollars for her campaign. The HuffPost is a gold mine for Hillary!

[julescator]

If Hillary thought the nation was so sexist, then why did she run for president. I don't buy all the Hillary drama. The truth of the matter is that it's "HER" not the press, not the men, not the media. One day she will have that honest conversation with herself and realize that SHE destroyed her campaign as America go a closer look at "HER". I am really tiring of her "dramtics" as she seeks to come up with anything she can to give rise to her presidential aspirations. Women can't save her becuase she has not been an honerable woman on this campaign trail. Women forgive a lot, but not trying to lie, cheat, and steal one's way to the Presidency. Women have standards too!

[SifSkade]

Look, if you took Hillary Clinton's personality and character traits and grafted them onto a guy, the guy would be a dick. This is so not about her gender.

[johnnygoodwud]

i am a 60 yr. old white male, and would love a female pres., just not hillary. i'm sure i could write all the reasons, but if you read any of the other blogs here, they cover it all. to sum things up, hillary lacks character. but my question is, who's the real sexist, white males, or are they actually the women who insist on voting for hillary because she is a woman? isn't that being sexist also? i have a question to those women, would you vote for hillary if she were a man? hillary loves playing the victmn, talking about having to compete in the 'boys club', and it not being fair. how long do you think hillary would last in the real world of corporate america, using that excuse, not long.

[geobushono]

Just who are the 'feminists' who support HRC?.....C­ertainly none of my friends who REALLY have been active in Womens Issues going all the way back to the first stirrings of Womens' Liberation in the 60s.
Those women were liberal/pr­ogressive/­radical...­.not a whiny Goldwater activist who uses her station to be sure her progeny has a job on Wall Street....­.....with time off for campaigning as part of the perks....N­ext we'll hear......­....no, I won't even guess what she'll claim next.

[SifSkade]

If the female candidate were someone like the late, great Gov. Ann Richards, I would be far more inclined to believe that people who vehemently opposed her were just being sexist. But Hillary Clinton is neither a particularly likeable person nor a particularly skillful or ethical politician (and these qualities are equally distasteful in a man), so she's got enough political and personal liabilities to throw the gender calculus way off. In short, it's woodenheaded and unfair to measure anyone's sexism or misogyny by their unwillingness to vote for Hillary Clinton or to gauge America's Readiness To Elect A Woman President by Hillary Clinton's failure or success in this race.

[lincat]

I am 51 years old. I and my 2 sisters who are in their 40's have been Hillary supporters for a long time because we admired her for her intelligence, strengh and self-confidence. But we no longer support her because she isn't the person that we thought she was. I am amazed at the women who continue to support her just because she is a woman. She has lied several times and she has done it with such ease, she has aligned herself with McCain and elevated him above Obama. I no longer trust her and think what will she do next. This race has gone on so long and to me it has become a nightmare because of the tactics Hillary and her campaign have used. She is described over and over again as a fighter but I would admire this quality more if she fought with honesty and on her own true merits without any false accusations and distortions and mudslinging. I think a lot of woman such as myself have changed our minds about Hillary not because she is a woman, which is one of the reasons we admired her but because of her character.

[maggieb]

Liar!!!! you NEVER supported her...

[NoSillyName]

I tried to read the entire article before responding, but lost patience. Yes, my dears, there is still sexism. Anyone who believes that the idealistic hope for social change of the '60s & '70s was anything more than just that , youthful idealism and naiveté, is still being naive. Big changes take longer to come about than one generation. All the women who are HRC supporters simply because she is female, aren't paying attention. In order for females to rise to the top in a male-dominated world, they have to act more male. Sure, there are exceptions to every unwritten rule, but the majority of successful women in business have been ones who started their own companies.­(Unless we're simply equating success with money, then as we've been reminded so recently, a female can pull in the big bucks by selling her femaleness via prostitution. But even that is playing by male rules.) Change happens slowly. HRC's arrogance in believing she was entitled to the nomination (because of what?) and her subsequent nasty and poorly run campaign have shown her "true colors". This should have been enough evidence to prove to women voters that this particular woman is NOT the woman to consider for First Female President. I do not believe her problem is due to sexism.

[Mollye]

I disagree with you 100%. Huffpo is definitely filled with Hillary Haters, many of them women. For whatever reason, jealousy, school girl crush on Obama, personality conflict..­.I just don't know. But I know that the women on this blog who are bashing her have set the women's movement back a decade or more (IMHO). Women are minorities. You sink or swim together..­or hang up your cause. You will never reach a concensus if you don't support her right to run for an office that 50% of Democrats want to to run for. You don't have to vote for her..just don't bash her. I think Obama is the one who bahaves as if he is entitled, and that he is arrogant. He gave her "permission" to remain in the race...one in which millions of people have yet to vote....om­niscient leader that he thinks he - now that makes me lose patience.

Hillary 2008, best qualified PERSON to be President.

[FreedomLoverX]

I don't hate her because of jealousy or a crush or a personality conflict. Actually, I think those comments are just plain stupid. I don't want her to be president because she is a perpetual LIAR. Apparently you have not noticed that. What is wrong with you? Can you ever admit she is a LIAR?

[NoSillyName]

Sorry, Mollye, jealous? No, I wouldn't want her life or her marriage for all the money in the world. Sure, she has a right to run, but she's proven to most of us who she really is. I'm a former Clinton voter and admirer, so if HRC had run a different campaign, maybe I'd be for her now. I don't believe in group think.

There are more women born than men, so no, "minority" is not the correct term for women's lot in life. We live in a patriarchy, unfortunately. There have been some gains, but it will be many long years before there is equality for all. Maybe not ever. I say that as a student of human nature, doesn't mean I don't wish it weren't so.

I now duck my head and run from the sniper fire.

[relevancematters]

The only thing I can figure about you die-hard Hillary supporters is that you are all women who have been burned on the way up the ladder and are holding one giant grudge. I am female, 58, raised by a feminist, have two daughters and am more than sympathetic to the plight of women in this world. But I'm also not stupid, and I'm not so blinded by my own story that I'm going to bypass ethics and character when it comes to the leadership of this country.

I will NOT vote for Hillary just because she is a woman. That kind of thinking is beyond stupid: it's selfish, shortsighted and dangerous. It's like voting for Leona Helmsley because she was a woman. Are you kidding? Hillary has run the nastiest, most low-down, whining, underhanded, 'entitled' campaign I have ever seen (sorry, but the internet bares all). She is strident, secretive, cozied up with lobbyists, warmongers and the corporate elite, breaking rules and promises right and left, perfectly willing to sell anybody and anything down the river to achieve her ends.

There won't much left of this country's integrity when Bush leaves town, but I'm not voting to give what's left over to Hillary. We can't afford another egomaniac at the helm. And you ladies are just going to have to get over it: in your zeal to right all the wrongs ever perpetrated against women in one swell foop, you have chosen the WRONG WOMAN.

[julescator]

Obviously you don't know that the CEO of Pepsico is a woman. the CEO of Hewitt Packard was a women and the list goes on. These women didn't get those positions because they were women, they earned them. Hillary has not "earned" the position of president simply becuase she was married to Bill. That is the part that I think is the most offensive to women. She has a "man" campaigning for her, has men at the top of her campaign. If she thinks so much of women, Hillary, then why are Mark Penn, and Howard Wolfson running your campaign into the ground. Perhaps you should practice what you preach. Perhaps when it was time for you to HIRE people to run your campaign from the top, you should have chosen bright women instead of these two bozos. From where I sit their only qualifications were that they were men. They haven't done anything for you except deplete lots of cash form you campaign as you pay them millions!!!!!! You should have hired WOMEN!

[halyscomet]

Mollye,

You could not be more wrong. You infer that Hillary should be supported by women simply because she is a female, which is as ridiculous as stating that all African-Americans must support Obama because of his heritage.

What sets the Womens movement back is NOT giving Women enough credit for having the intelligence to form an opinion regarding what is best for the country based on distant and recent historical facts.

As a male, I seem to have FAR more confidence in your gender than you do!