Hillary Hate: Making Sexism Acceptable

Two great op-eds in the Washington Post yesterday, on the presumptive Hillary Clinton post-mortem: Misogyny I Won't Miss by Marie Cocco and Belittled Woman by Libby Copeland. Both women make the point that dislike and opposition of Hillary Clinton has been expressed in a multitude of sexist ways, sometimes shockingly so. Is it Hillary? Is it sexism? And why are people so stubbornly resistant to allowing that sexism might have been part of this campaign? (By "people" I mean those who insist that there are plenty of reasons to hate Hillary Clinton that have nothing to do with being a woman, and that there are plenty of reasons she (presumptively) lost the nomination that have nothing to do with that, either. (See a collection of them here.) My response is usually that while there are definitely legitimate reasons to dislike/disagree with Clinton, the expression of that dislike is what has so often taken sexist form). For those of you who still doubt, see what Copeland and Cocco have to say about it.

First Copeland:

There is something about that woman -- that woman! -- that refuses to bend, and something about a large portion of this country that despises her for it. The person who once conjured a vast right-wing conspiracy now refuses to exit a race she's almost surely lost, and it Drives. People. Crazy.

"Poor Hillary" is their response, an attempt at death by condescension. "Poor Hillary" means Clinton finally is being brought low (she is forever being brought low, isn't she?), the know-everything who tries so hard but never gets enough votes to be class president.

..."Poor Hillary" speaks volumes about an old truth: Clinton's wounds have always defined her. The haters are always on the lookout for her comeuppance, and the lovers love her more for what she has endured. The women who turn out to see Clinton holler for her to stick it out, tell her they like her grit

Copeland concludes by wondering: "Is it about her womanhood? Or is it about this woman? Is that a false distinction?" Cocco, for her part, thinks it's something that's being wondered far too late in this campaign, and by far too few people.

Cocco reels off a list of things she won't miss once Hillary is gone: Hillary nutcrackers (with stainless steel thighs!), "Bros Before Hos" shirts, comparisons to crazy bunny boiling stalkers, anti-Hillary groups with vulgar acronyms, comparisons to first wives and scolding mothers, whores and bitches. Says Cocco:

I won't miss reading another treatise by a man or woman, of the left or right, who says that sexism has had not even a teeny-weeny bit of influence on the course of the Democratic campaign. To hint that sexism might possibly have had a minimal role is to play that risible "gender card."

Most of all, I will not miss the silence.

I will not miss the deafening, depressing silence of Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean or other leading Democrats, who to my knowledge (with the exception of Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland) haven't publicly uttered a word of outrage at the unrelenting, sex-based hate that has been hurled at a former first lady and two-term senator from New York. Among those holding their tongues are hundreds of Democrats for whom Clinton has campaigned and raised millions of dollars. Don Imus endured more public ire from the political class when he insulted the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

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Would the silence prevail if Obama's likeness were put on a tap-dancing doll that was sold at airports? Would the media figures who dole out precious face time to these politicians be such pals if they'd compared Obama with a character in a blaxploitation film? And how would crude references to Obama's sex organs play?

There are many reasons Clinton is losing the nomination contest, some having to do with her strategic mistakes, others with the groundswell for "change." But for all Clinton's political blemishes, the darker stain that has been exposed is the hatred of women that is accepted as a part of our culture.

Two smart op-eds from two perceptive women. I hope someone forwards them to Maureen Dowd.

Marie Coco: Misogyny I Won't Miss [WaPo]
Libby Copeland: Belittled Woman [WaPo]

Related:
Rebecca Traister: "No one is making nutcracker icons of McCain or Obama" [Salon]

Comments

[sytgrl]

There is no doubt that many comments about Hillary Clinton have been sexist. No one could deny that on any level.

HOWEVER, what this article fails to mention is that Clinton did not run as a "person", she ran as a "woman candidate". Much of her media materials, robo-calls, etc. promoted the idea of voting for her because she is a woman. Her "a vote for me is a vote for women everywhere" meme was a disaster.

Sure, you can bet that she would have still gotten sexist comments, just as you can expect that Obama would get racist ones. However, Clinton failed to realize that when you promote such empty political tactics, you must be prepared for what they generate.

[aofh]

"HOWEVER, what this article fails to mention is that Clinton did not run as a 'person', she ran as a 'woman candidate'. "

So, a loss for Hillary is a loss for women everywhere. Is this why there feels to be a cultish quality in the responses of many of her supporters?

[tbone99]

Hilary's loss is not a loss for me but the way it has brought out outrahgeous sexist comments , shirts, videos etc when they weren't necessary ( certainly all agree she has enough other baggage) and the lack of condemnation of those kind of comments by Obama supporters has been a loss of confidence for me ( and i suppose other women) in what I thought the Dem party and the left stand for. When pointed out they are quick to cry racism ( as if that is justifable excuse or point to why she deserves it because.....)

They don;t seem to see that sexism is wrong for any reason. It is wrong not only because it holds women back, but because it also diminishes men.

[vorpalmusic]

Is this supposed to be journalism?

Hillary beat out all the other male candidates but Obama; now that she is losing to him suddenly it's because of America's sexism? The only state Hillary won by any real margin is West Virgina. Are you going to explain how West Virginia is the least sexist state in the union now? Or is it just one of the few states where racism trumps sexism? Why is it that the few loonies who are writing these articles are all female? You wanted a woman president so bad that you would say anything to shame the rest of us into accepting this one, no matter how unfit. THAT is sexism.

Is Pakistan less sexist than the US? They had a female leader. If this had anything to do with gender, I would argue that Hillary isn't fit to share the same gender as Benazir Bhutto.

Hillary is: 1) a liar, 2) a racist, or at least someone who is willing to play on the racism of voters for her benefit, 3) a panderer who has even gone so far as to affect southern accents during speeches in southern states, talking about shooting guns (when she was 10) in PA, 4) incapable of managing her funds ($20 million in debt), 5) a cheat, trying to change the rules for her benefit at every stage in the game, 6) finally, a generally arrogant person.

Let's hear you talk about how these facts relate to Hillary's gender.

[clevelandchick]

You must have missed Michele Malkin and Rush Limbaugh calling Obama a 'Halfrican'. I didn't see any outrage from the MSM pundits on that one. Oh, yeah and the guy in Georgia selling t-shirts with Curious George and Obama 08 on them - didn't see that one on CNN either, only the blogs.

Of course when you nominate a woman and a minority this stuff was going to come up on both sides, it would be naive to think otherwise even if it is a sad commentary on our society.

I just do not buy that it was the sexism that made her lose this race, it was her campaign using race as a wedge issue that alienated so many Democrats. I know many women that intended to support her but then she lost them over her divide and conquer campaigning.

[csepwede]

and if you don't know what I'm talking about, go to Hillaryis44.com

[csepwede]

I was referring to racist remarks by Hillary supporters.

[disgustedbyitall]

I don't think you need to bolster traffic to a hate site to prove your point. They've taken their cue from their candidate, and she has run a nasty campaign, but it's well documented in the MSM. Increasing the revenue at a site that's less "fair and balanced" than Fox is not the answer.

[rgersmrk]

I do agree that Mrs. Clinton was subjected to sexism in this race as much as Mr. Obama was subjected to racism in this race. At the end of the day I think the both of them showed alot of class when it came to handling those issues. I'm hoping one day people will be able to look beyond gender and race and just see the people for who they are. It's going to take awhile to wash those kind of feelings from people but I'm confident I'll see it happen before I die.

[cylindar]

I would have voted for Clinton but she is a big time liar and a bit sleazy. That being said I am wondering why men hate women so much and women hate men so much among a certain portion of the population in the US and elsewhere. It does not make any sense to me. On the other hand women are just as lousy and rotten and just as good and trustworthy as men. I guess they deserve each other.

[WhoneedsGoverment]

YUP....RIGHT ON....The Hillary haters ( they call themselves "progressive" ) are hypocritacle a-holes.Someone got to say it. These are the people who say" the Bush Clinton Bush" years. These are the people that were exposed to the koolaid , you know,the 50 million dollar republican search for the x-presidents penis.
I first voted in '72 , always been a democrat so tell let me know how dumbass you are by saying stupid things. Talk about eating your own.
IF..your hero is a politician, get a life.
Whe're either gonna kick ass in November, or act no better than vultures over dead meat.
Sexism surely is alive. I've been a Hillary supporter but I think Barack has carried the votes.

[leftcoastliberal]

The Clintons' fear-and-smear politics, transparent lies, pandering, racism, and war-mongering were so odiously ungracious, so insulting to voters' intelligence, so beastly and hate-filled and repugnant - so Republican - that really, the ONLY reason for progressives to support Hillary was that she was the victim of sexist attacks. Pathetic.

[presto]

Fear-and-smear, transparent lies, pandering, racism, war-monger, odious, ungracious, insulting, beastly, hate-filled, repugnant, pathetic. How you can work so much mindless vitriol into one small paragraph very concisely defines the exact nature of Hillary's problem. People buy into the program and are then unable to see anything else. Pretty much all of what leftcoastliberal said is blatantly untrue or gratuitously distorted to bolster empty rhetoric.

Over-the-top bias absorbs anything that feeds it regardless of it's origin or basis in fact. This has been an ugly, eye-opening experience. It will change everything. Maybe not now, but it will happen. When it does, Hillary will be due some credit.

[csepwede]

As a black woman, I've been stunned and hurt by some of the racist comments I've read by Hillary supporters.

These wounds have to heal too.

[vorpalmusic]

Transparent lies = Sniper Fire, against NAFTA
Pandering = shooting guns in PA, talking with a southern accent in the south, drinking shots with the locals
Racism = "white voters" support me
War-Monger = "I will obliterate Iran."

This is just the tip of the iceberg, what can be fit into a little comment box. This is the "credit" that Hillary is due. Why don't you try to talk about the real issues a little bit? Oh, I remember why, because you don't have a leg to stand on...

[VicPerry]

Here's Hillary-supporter logic for you: the approvingly mentioned Cocco notes that Don Imus got in real trouble but that the dumbasses she references didn't; hence it's "proof" of rampant sexism. Damn right Imus got in real trouble!! but how does Cocco not notice that the remarks of Imus were not just racist but also sexist? So sexism against black women only counts as racism, is that it? Not to mention that Imus' remarks were directed at absolutely innocent bystanders, not somebody like Hillary Clinton who wields power, handles her own team of rhetorical attack dogs, and gets in a lot of barks of her own. Thanks for using Imus as an example; we can see your blinders more clearly now.

[GwenElle]

Excellent points and one that I agree with totally. As an African American female I find myself standing on the sidelines in a fit of growing rage towards these largely privileged white females railing over the failed candicacy of a seriously flawed woman.

I am both black *and* female and I can say for certainty that I have personally struggled more in this country against racist attitudes, laws and customs than sexismy. For example, it was never a law that a white woman could not sit in the front of a bus or drink from a public fountain. Until white women have known that kind of degradation, then they would do the world a favor by stepping down from their pillars of privilege and developing more of a sense of historical context. I am not interested in playing the victim game, but it is true that I do not have the luxury as do white women of seeing only (or primarily) sexism as a problem in this country.

Hillary Clinton is a woman without an Authentic Self; someone who could not recognize that authenticity is equal in value to policies, and of far greater importance than experience. She played by men's rules and she lost playing by those rules. The next serious female candidate will not fall into the same traps and make the same mistake(s). We can thank HIllary for that.

[misspennylane]

WTF? Who are you to judge anyone's authentic self, whatever that means?

Let me say it again: With his paper thin resume and his low energy level, there is no way in hell BO would have ever got to this point except that he's a biracial man. Sorry but it's true. He should have waited until he had more experience.

If he's the nominee, I will let his supporters carry him over the finish line. I'll be out in the garden working on my authentic self.

[ResidentChimp]

Sklar must not have gotten the memo from Obama. It seems there are quite a few that missed it. You're suppose to be nice to Hillary and her supporters. Otherwise they will be voting for McCain come November.

[csepwede]

I almost wish they would... because then they'll wonder what happened to their abortion rights and I can feel self-righteous.

Listen, voter extortion will only backfire on you.

[presto]

You mean you don't feel self-righteous now? Coulda fooled me.

[Sneakerface]

White male Obama supporter here. Yes, I have seen sexism in this campaign, both as an expression of dislike for Sen. Clinton, and as it affects her directly as a campaigner. I also feel strongly that she has run a poor campaign with a lack of integrity, which convinces me that she is not the type of person I would want running our country. IMO, the most disturbing moment of sexism in this campaign was when, not long after having been repeatedly criticized for being too cold and unemotional, she had an emotional moment in talking about how much this campaign meant to her and how much she wanted to work for important changes. For the next several weeks she was lambasted in the press for "crying" and was repeatedly questioned as to whether she could be a leader because of this. Besides the fact that she wasn't actually crying - her eyes welled up a little and her voice quivered with emotion, but no tears - there was the hypocrisy of the critics who, only weeks before, had shown no such criticism to Mitt Romney, who quite clearly was crying (over a hypothetical situation, no less !) on Meet The Press.

[JimR]

She was lambasted for crying because she has a serious credibility issue, and has shown in the campaign she is not above pandering to get votes.

Heck, everybody knows Mitt's a phony.

[SicPlurisPoenaPrestantia]

Yet it was Hillary's campaign that opened the can of worms of racism and reveled in it, when it suited her purposes. While I agree that this doesn't excuse the blatant sexism espoused by a tiny minority, it also set back race relations in this country to Ford Administration levels. I suppose I would feel worse about the sexism if so much of it wasn't obviously staged for the media's benefit -- and the fact that she would have been out of this race after South Carolina if she was a man proves that her ovaries were more help than hinderance.

A woman president? Absolutely! This woman? Never!

[CCverve]

I endorse this comment 100%... I would have no problem voting for a woman for POTUS
Just not THIS WOMAN

[misspennylane]

Or any woman alive today.

[presto]

Your racism charges are completely false. That has been one of the the biggest tragedies of this whole campaign. In a year or two, when the dust settles and actual facts are examined, the nastiness of this racial misperception will be a stain on our history.

Blast away.

[tbone99]

In my eyes it is the Obama camp who injected race into this campaign and did not let up throughout the last few months.I think they did it to unite the black community , but I think they will pay a high price for it in the end.

[csepwede]

give me a quotation of the Obama campaign "injecting race" into the campaign.

There's this thing called the internets, see. And people comment outside of the Obama campaign, and come to their own conclusions.

The Obama campaign does not monitor every chat board and blog?

[booksnmore4you]

Al this article is a *whining*.

[bigbingtheory]

Gasp! That's obviously sexist! Because wwe all know only women whine.
That's sarcasm you thinned skinned cry babies. Oops, that might be sexist too because little boy babies don't cry.

[bigbingtheory]

All these charges of sexism but no examples provided. She's a woman, so what? Is someone says "she's" this or that is it sexist because her gender was mentioned? Give me a break. This is whining. Oh, is that sexist too? All this complaining about sexism de-legitamizes actual sexist speech. Grow up. Hillary lost, probably because she tried to act more "manly" than the men and it turns people off to her mesage and it makes it appear she is simply pandering and not being herself. Shame on women who hide behind empty charges of sexism.

[messy]

The only example is that Hillary LOST. period. We were supposed to vote for Hillary Clinton for the single reason that she's a woman and it's "her turn."

Obama was supposed to lose because she already OWNED the nomination. They wuz robbed!

[Sneakerface]

I posted what I think is a pretty good, detailed example of sexism in Hillary's campaign (see my post further up above ) . But I still support Obama.

[disgustedbyitall]

You'd have to be comatose to deny sexism has not been an ugly part of this campaign season, but it's no more ugly than what happens to women every single damn day. What I'm sick of is these relentless "yeah, but..." articles, these endless protests that it's about all women and not just Senator Clinton.

That sexism is always there is apparent, but what a person does, who he or she is, makes a huge difference in how that sexism manifests. It's ignorance no matter where or when it comes up, but to deny the fact that Senator Clinton drew sexist attacks only because she was a woman is to separate her entirely from her sex. That's just as sexist as defining her by it.

There were many attacks on Senator Clinton that were sexist, just like Senator Obama suffered many attacks over race. But stop apologizing for her nasty, screw-you-before-you-screw-me attitude, take-no-prisoners approach to campaigning.

If she brought out the worst in people, it's only because she led by example. I feel no pity whatsoever. Senator Clinton is a shameful player on the political stage no matter what side of the aisle--or gender--she is.