Full Transcript of Hillary Claiming Sexism Worse than Racism in Campaign

In a published article by The Washington Post's Lois Romano, Hillary Clinton briefly hit "sexism" in media coverage of her campaign as "deeply offensive to millions of women," but she went much further, as a transcript of the entire interview now makes clear.

Clinton criticized the "vitriol" from "misogynists" and said that the race factor was often discussed but not gender, adding "[E]very poll I've seen show more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman to vote for an African American, which rarely gets reported on either." She expressed amazement "that we would have a presidential campaign in which so much of what has occurred that has been very sexist would be just shrugged off."

She is fresh off a landslide win in West Virginia in which surveys revealed that race played a key factor, and that appears to be true, as well, in the results from Kentucky.

While some of the quotes have already surfaced, here is a full transcript of the Sunday interview sent to E&P this afternoon:

Q. One of the stories that has been well documented over and over again is basically how you've been treated by the media. Can you talk about that a little bit, because I get the idea that it's really pissed off a lot of women.

A. "I think it has. I think it's been deeply offensive to millions of women. ... I believe this campaign has been a ground breaker in lots of ways, but it certainly has been challenging given some of the attitudes that have been forthcoming in the press, and I regret that because I think it's been really not worthy of the seriousness of this campaign and the historical nature of the two candidacies that we have here. But I don't really stop to worry about it because there's nothing I can do about it."

Q. Are women going to be upset if you don't get the nomination?

A. I have more voters now than my opponent. I have more popular vote, more people voting for me.

Q. Counting Michigan and Florida?

A. According to ABC, and I think it's a fair way to total it up because my name was on the ballot they voted for me. But in any event, it's one of the closest races we've ever had and I think that a lot of people are deeply invested in their candidates, so there will probably be disappointment no matter which of us gets the nomination. And then it will be up to us to unify the party and make sure we are victorious in November against McCain.

Q. What's the scenario by which you could still win the nomination?

A. If people start asking themselves who's the strongest candidate against John McCain, because I believe I am.

Q. Do you think he can win?

A. Sure. I think he can win--I think I will win.

Q. But short of a scandal on his part do you see people coming to that conclusion?

A. I don't know, that's why we're not going to quit. We're going forward. We're going to give the people in the remaining elections the chance to vote, which I think is absolutely fair. And we're going to resolve Michigan and Florida, which has to be done sooner instead of later. And then we'll see where we stand.

Q. Do you think this has been a particularly racist campaign?

A. I do not. I think this has been a positive, civil campaign. I think that both gender and race have been obviously a part of it because of who we are and every poll I've seen show more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman [than] to vote for an African American, which rarely gets reported on either. The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable or at least more accepted. And I think there should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism when and if it ever raises its ugly head. But it does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by comments and reactions of people who are nothing but misogynists.

Q. Isn't that how it's always been though.

A. Oppression of women and discrimination against women is universal. You can go to places in the world where there are no racial distinctions except everyone is joined together in their oppression of women. The treatment of women is the single biggest problem we have politically and socially in the world. If you look at the extremism and the fundamentalism, it is all about controlling women, at it's base. The idea that we would have a presidential campaign in which so much of what has occurred that has been very sexist would be just shrugged off I think is a very unfortunate commentary about the lack of seriousness that should be applied to any kind of discrimination or prejudice. I have spent my entire life trying to stand up for civil rights and women's rights and human rights and I abhor wherever it is discrimination is present.

Greg Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher. His new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq.

Comments

[laylahb]

Well, this is certainly going to help to unite the party.

Hillary and her supporters have made so many excuses for her lack of success in the primaries, and "sexism" is just the most recent. But the truth is, she's been running a horrible campaign. This Presidential election is about who is the best person to run the country. She keeps asking her supporters to "hire her for the most important job." Why should we? This campaign was mismanaged from the beginning. There was no solid strategic planning, no consistent marketing message, campaign staff members made the news for their infighting and turnover, and the negative advertising that was used frequently actually annoyed the electorate.

Finally, and most importantly, from a financial standpoint, why would anyone hire a CEO who has essentially bankrupted her campaign? If she can't handle that, how is she going to manage the country

[StephenJK]

Lack of success? What planet are YOU on? I'm on earth where Hillary Clinton has won 20 primaries and 1 caucus. Obama has won 27 states and all the other caucuses. He's got the narrowest of popular vote leads where if you include FL and MI Clinton takes the lead. Wake up and smell the HRC/BHO ticket coffee. It's the only way for us to win in the fall. Not only that, I see a VERY long democratic run, if they run successful admins, on the WH, Congress and the SCOTUS.

HRC/BHO 08
BHO/EDWARDS 16
EDWARDS/CASEY 24

[JimR]

Lack of success = she didn't win

YOU wake up, and stop drinking the Clinton Kool-Aid for a minute. Putting her on the ticket is a bad, bad, BAD idea.

[MWJacobs]

I agree completely. She does keep asking us to look at this as a hiring decision. In addition to your point of HRC having bankrupted her campaign, I cannot imagine hiring a person if, after checking her references, 6 of 10 of them said they don't trust her.

[jmpurser]

PLEASE let's turn this ugly page in American history as soon as possible. Kick Hillary off the stage just like she was a man and behaved so reprehensibly.

[missjabez]

"A positive and civil campaign?" What malarkey. Hillary refuses to take responsibilities for her actions, and to acknowledge maybe, just maybe, Obama ran a better campaign. She will do anything to tear Obama down.

[StephenJK]

If Obama ran such a great campaign he would be the nominee. However, since Wisconsin, Hillary has been rolling. She's connecting with the largest base; working class. She has demonstrated a firm grasp on the issues and she possesses the tools to get the votes in Congress. Lets be realistic, a HRC/BHO ticket is the way to go. Howard Dean is, I think, seeing it this way as well. It's the only choice where logic and reason rule.

This is a big deal, this election. We need to send the best people we have up against McCain in the fall and I think the HRC/BHO ticket is the best we've got.


HRC/BHO 08
BHO/EDWARDS 16
EDWARDS/CASEY 24

[dawlishgal]

What working class? That of two Appalachian states with low incomes and not very many blacks? How did these two extremely atypical states come to be seen as some kind of microcosm of all of American society (if not via a bogus issue promoted by Clinton and her supporters). Obama won several primaries by bigger majorities than Clinton won W. VA and now KY, and nothing was said then about the states he won being typical of anything.

If a segment of the white working class---the one that HC is pandering to by pretending to talk the way they do.--with the dropped "g"s from every word ending in"ing" and all of the "y-awls"--- falls for her cynical manipulative crapola, that doesn't mean that the rest of the voters aren't getting increasingly disgusted with her divisiveness and her lack of party loyalty. I know at least 6 people in NY and CA who are already sorry they voted for her and only one person in both states who is still happy to have voted for her.

[monkette]

Uh -- Obama IS the nominee. He is 60 delegates from the finish line and Hillary cannot, in any way, catch up to him. It's an all but done deal.

And he's run a fabulous campaign compared to Hillary's screech-fest. Despite attempts to take him down like Wright, which was an absolutely ridiculous attempt by the media and Hillary to discredit him through identity politics.

We won't even talk about the massive funds Obama is still raising while Hillary's campaign sinks millions of dollars deeper in debt since her donor pool is drying up like the Sahara.

[Yola]

Stephen,

If HRC steals this (sorry, I mean wins) then she will need to win the GE without BO. After all surely you will agree that since you and yours beleive that he is inexperienced, not connecting with white people etc., then he would be a burden to her ticket.

I think crooks should stick together HRC/RENDELL.

They will win all the way to Rickers Island!

[Gma11]

It sounds like she wants to take women in the U.S. back to the 1960's. Been there. Done that. I'd rather go forward.

She never ceases to amaze me. She is such a privileged, rich, white woman. She doesn't seem to have a clue.

Or else she does, which is even worse.

[BluesDogLefty]

Look, of course there is misogyny and sexism in America, but how would you argue that she or he has a greater disadvantage because of sexism or racism. This is dumb.

This logic is funny:
1) HRC didnt win primary because of sexism.
2) We should make HRC the nominee even if she loses because Obama can't get elected in GE because of racism.

BTW--I love HRC big time and would have been proud to see her as president--but she didnt win.

Also--btw--Obama is only the 5th African American to be elected to national office since the Civil War--so I dont see his advantage personally. For craps sake, about 10% of Americans think the guy is a Muslim?!?!?!

[DietrichMoody]

Hillary has a flawed mentality when she says Obama CAN win but see is so sure she WILL win. I believe, part of this, is a flawed mentality that wrongly assesses, that a Majority of Americans in Novemeber will NOT, at all, pass up the chance to vote for this Woman - because she is a woman. Male guilt? This is how self-centered she appears to be. But this is such a flawed analysis. Why? because , People won't feel guilty voting against her. She lost 11 states in row. She lost voters she should have held on to.


On the other hand , Obama hasn't composed a narrative of white guilt. Obama's narrative has been, vote for this qualified man, with vision, and a team of people that are looking forward, that can rescue this nation, that can help us regain the moral authority around the world, OH and by the way he happens to be black or bi-racial, whatever. If he's doing what he is doing without white guilt, then he's being judged by the content of his character, and thus is very very electable.


Obama destroyed Hillary's credibility not only as a poltician but as a Woman, . Hillary is still holding on to the same thinking she had, when she started this campaign. A flawed Mentality.

[StephenJK]

"She lost 11 states in row."

Do you have a problem living in the NOW? LOL

If the primary was limited to those 11 states, Obama would be the presumptive nominee. However we've got 50 states and a few protected territories that vote. Now, it is fact that more people have voted for Senator Clinton. That means more people like her, feel confident that she can do the job, undoubtedly has the stamina (amazing for a 60 year old) and possess the intellectual prowess needed in dealing with everyday issues of the Presidency.

[burnt]

spin and delusion

[tyrdofwaitin]

N.B. If Hillary does "...abhor...discrimination wherever it is present", too bad she forgot all that when it came to race baiting Sen. Obama or when her friend, Geraldine Ferraro, stated publically what some in Hillary's campaign were sensitive enough to keep to themselves. What goes around, Hillary, comes around.

[hopeless277]

Q: Senator Clinton, why did you lie about the Bosnia trip?
Q: Senator Clinton, why did you endorse John McCain over Barak Obama?
Q: Senator Clinton, why did you support the invasion and occupation of Iraq?
Q: Senator Clinton, does getting elected make someone electable?
Q: Senator Clinton, if you want every vote to count, why are you asking superdelegates to invalidate those votes by voting for you instead of Senator Obama?
Q: Why did you sign the 4 state pledge?

Not that she would, or even could, answer any of these question truthfully but what the hey? I guess according to Hillary I'm a sexist pig for wanting answers from a woman candidate.

[blackfrost]

I totally agree. Could she even realize that some people would be turned off by her lies. Not because she's a woman

[trevor01]

Thank you for publishing this important interview.