Clinton Confronts Sexism On the Trail and Vows to Battle On --- Washington Post
Millions of women all over the country feel that Hillary has not gotten a fair deal from the media and are furious at the way she has been treated. They point to specific examples in this Mad As Hell/Bitch UTube video which features examples of blatant and pervasive sexism in remarks by Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, Tucker Carlson, Jack Cafferty, Mike Barnicle, Tim Russert and other well known liberal news figures.
A major article in today's Washington Post by Lois Romano quotes Hillary on this growing anger at MSM sexism.
In an interview after church services in Bowling Green on Sunday, Clinton for the first time addressed what women have been talking about for months, what she refers to as the "sexist" treatment she has endured at the hands of the pundits, media and others. The lewd T-shirts. The man who shouted "Iron my shirt" at a campaign event. The references to her cleavage and her cackle.
"It's been deeply offensive to millions of women," Clinton said. "I believe this campaign has been a groundbreaker in a lot of ways. But it certainly has been challenging given some of the attitudes in the press, and I regret that, because I think it's been really not worthy of the seriousness of the campaign and the historical nature of the two candidacies we have here."
Later, when asked if she thinks this campaign has been racist, she says she does not. And she circles back to the sexism. "The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable, or at least more accepted, and . . . there should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism when it raises its ugly head," she said.
"It does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by the comments by people who are nothing but misogynists."
This article combined with two articles in the New York Times (Gender Issue Lives On as Clinton's Hopes Dim by Jodi Kantor and She Just Might Be President Someday by Kate Zernike) is reflective of an underground feminist ferment that has simmered for months and is finally erupting.
Tom Waton wrote a groundbreaking article in January: The Sexist Media Lynching of Hillary Clinton
What kind of progressive American leader would stand silent, supporting with the cold reserve of ambition the disgracefully sexist, blatantly anti-feminist attack on a well-respected woman of the same party, a political foe perhaps, but a national Democratic leader?
Barack Obama - so far.
Make no mistake, Obama's breakthrough says something wonderful about the state of racial politics in our nation - or perhaps the lack of racial politics - and the involvement of young people in politics. But his silence in the case of the cynical media lynching of Hillary Clinton by a national press corps obsessed with her gender is telling. And unless Barack Obama speaks out, his campaign's chilling acceptance of the gender bias stirred by our national media will also remind many of Ronald Reagan's acceptance of the race-baiting southern strategy - because if Obama accepts the presidency, at least in part, because of abject sexism, a brutal gender attack on a female rival - the most famous female Democrat in history - he will set feminism in our country back a generation.
Days ago, Geraldine Ferraro, the first female vice presidential candidate, strongly suggested that she may not vote for Obama, if he wins the nomination. There is a fury loose in this country, and the Democrats will ignore it at their great peril.
The two videos below illustrate what women have been upset about in the media. The first is more pro Hillary, with some obvious campaign material at the end, and the second lays some blame on the Obama campaign for passivity, by his supporters, with regard to blatant misogyny.
Both are very powerful with explicit references to sexism.
Hillary Clinton: Mad As Hell/Bitch:
and
Hillary Clinton: We've Come a Long Way, Baby!
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