The Change Candidate Needs to Change His Tone Towards Women
The first time Hillary Clinton ran a television ad complaining about Barack Obama's unwillingess to debate in Wisconsin, he fired back with an ad of his own about the 18 debates he's already participated in and the two more that are scheduled.
She wouldn't let it go; her subsequent ad speculated on whether he was reluctant because his health insurance care plan wasn't as good as hers.
At a televised campaign stop, someone asked him how he felt about the ad campaign. Obama, grave-faced and sympathetic in tone, opined that when Senator Clinton was 'feeling down,' she went on the attack to make herself feel better; that is, she committed an error in judgment because she was in a bad mood. That was the moment when I, and other women of a certain age, all over the country, winced.
The change candidate had embraced one of the oldest clichés in the book -- that women are held hostage by emotion, that we can't be trusted with the big decisions because, depending on our age, we're either on the rag or having a hot flash. The overtly sexist position used to be that you didn't want to entrust the red phone to a woman because women are unpredictable and irrational; a fit of hormonal pique and kaboom, we all glow in the radioactive dark. The ones who aren't instantly vaporized, that is.
The kinder, gentler version? A soft-spoken observation about what a female candidate does when she's "feeling down," the implication being that Hillary's distress over the delegate count had impaired her judgment, and that someone who loses her way like that is not strong enough to withstand the rigors of the presidency. If you think that I and the indignant gal friends I've polled are overreacting, try the acid test: Imagine any major candidate making that kind of subtle put-down about a man's psychological fortitude. In 1972, Thomas Eagleton had to have shock treatment to get us to raise a national eyebrow about his mental health, ending his brief tenure as George McGovern's running mate. Short of that, we tend to assume that the boys are steady enough to handle the job.
The interesting question is where the inspiration for the dig came from. If it was truly an off-the-cuff remark, then it's just gender-role business as usual, and the French, sadly, are right: The more things change, the more they remain the same. This might help to explain why women stick to Hillary; any woman who grew up in the transitional generation between Betty Crocker moms and Betty Friedan daughters has a special antenna for this kind of slight. We've heard it before, we know we're going to hear it again, and we'd just as soon hang with a smart girl who gets it, for all her flaws. As for the more highly educated women who poll for Obama, let's see how they feel when they find out he would think better of them if they were guys.
If it wasn't a spontaneous comment -- if someone in Senator Obama's camp thinks it's wise to use code to address and exploit our primitive fears about whether women can cope -- then whoever came up with it ought to be ashamed of himself, and the man who uttered it needs to rethink the strength of his opponent and her supporters. Beat her on better ideas, or oratory, beat her with passion and energy, but beat her fair and square, if you can. Don't talk about change and then quote from a 1950s playbook on the battle between the sexes.
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Karen Stabiner pretends that this remark must apply to women only. Everybody in the world (including her) knows perfectly well that men and women and boys and girls who are down often go on the attack to make themselves feel better. Want proof? Read many of the comments here. Read the next version of this article in a day or two, which has appeared about five times now already, the "Hillary is just being attacked because she is a woman" article. All of these articles and comments are ATTACKS from people who are DOWN. Most famously: alleged Hillary Clinton supporter Bill Clinton. Too bad for Karen's argument, so she has helpfully added the part about it just applying to women. She had to. Because it wasn't in the statement she is talking about.
VIC...."YU
Maybe theres a backlash against Hillary because she's identified with Feminizm?
Ever think of that?
In 50 years or less Feminism will be gone anyway, because the culture it's based on will be gone.
America will be a country dominated by Christian Funamentalists, and Roman Catholics. Simply because, the culture that created feminism, did not have families, and did not reproduce.
They spent so much time wageing war against the middle class values that supported them economically that they succeeded in destroying themselves.
In the end Feminism will disapear, and become a a mere curisosity, in the history books written by Christian fundamentalist scholars.
Not all feminist are gay and not all are even women. My mother, a feminist had 3 kids and I have a family too. Also I work with children and most educated people believe in equality and are teaching girls and boys that there are equal regardless of if they have children. This is todays feminism. I don't need to yell in the streets, I am doing it working within the system.
The backlash to the to the Christian fundamentalist is coming. What do you think the rise of all the young people voting and voting democratic is about. It will be our turn again!
Karen, he meant "down" in the race, not down emotionally, like a simpering woman, come on.
Seems that all the Hillary camp is out taking words apart as if they didn't know the meaning of the word "IS".
And what was it that Bill Clinton meant in South Carolina? Certainly nothing racist. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
This whole election is starting to resemble the readings of Nostradamus. The candidates speak vaguely and the voters can assign any meaning they want to it, good or bad.
Sure, there may be a tint of sexism or a whiff of racism coming out here and there. But basically, to me, this looks like two groups of people rallying around different mirages.
I think some people might be reading too much into Obama's remarks.
Oh no. I think I just plagiarized. Or maybe I said something sexist or racist. Or maybe I just snubbed somebody. Or maybe I just got snubbed.
Let's keep going with these kind of media stories. Let's completely forget that there are millions of Americans out there losing their jobs, homes, and health care. Yes, let's just keep going with these kind of media stories.
how did "down" become sexist? i just think that is desparation and if anything, obama will choose his words more carefully. i m a woman and i dont take offense to it. i do take offense to bill clinton implying as he did in south carolina that he has earned the right to speak for African Americans. that was blatant.
Pfft! You want double standards? Obama couldn't get away with a tenth of the shit Hillary pulls, without it being branded anti-woman violence and a whole lot of 'violent black male' dog-whistling from the Clinton camp. She couldn't even fight fair in the debates -- trying to smear her opponents with 'ganging up' on her. This is the battle-tested candidate who's ready to go up against the Repub attack machine?
Forty pages of comment. No there's no sexism in America. All it takes is for a real feminist, not a one-of-the-guys femmette, to make a statement and the ether is filled with denial. Hate mail coming from guys who don't believe that anything is sexist and from women who don't know where their rights come from. These women don't mind making less money or being barred from management or being denied the choice of what to do with their own bodies. They don't mind as long as the cute guy at Hooters will sit next to them. Ah. Belonging.
Is it me or are the ladies being overly sensitive and reading something into that remark I just don't see?
Maybe I shouldn't be using the term "sensitive"
since we know that is a purely a woman's domain
Last time I checked I still had a vagina too.
You can't really be serious... Why can't she be "down" because she's losing? Why make silly inferences when there is so much more important things for grown up people to discuss?
I've probably been a feminist for longer than you've been alive, Karen, and I have to tell you: I'm getting sick and tired of the Clinton Crying Machine (as is my 26-year-old feminist daughter). First, I don't even agree that Barack's comment was sexist; it merely commented on Hillary's demonstrated behavior. Second, even if it could be perceived as sexist, as you claim, Hillary's the one who started playing the gender card in this campaign -- not Barack. If she didn't whimper and mewl after losing Iowa, and turn to her big tough hunk of a husband and other male surrogates to defend her honor by attempting to defame her opponent with racial innuendo, she and her supporters might have the right to cry foul when she and they perceive some sexist affront. But someone who oh so coyly responds to a debate question with a girlish grin and "you've hurt my feelings" is playing the gender game. If she's going to play it, she can't complain when her opponent says something in response to her whining, simpering behavior. You folks can't have it both ways.
Not the words of a feminist. Sorry.
I am glad to hear other women getting charged up about this slanted, biased, and anti-female election. I am so angry that Hillary has been attacked by all of the men and attacked for all the wrong reasons, I will vote for no one else but her in November. No other candidate will win my approval at this point.
Hillary Clinton has never been attacked for being a woman.
Do you have any idea what Margaret Thatcher had to go through in the 70s when she was climbing the political ranks? They said, "cavewoman with the painted face," "her slip is showing," "Thatcher the Milk Snatcher." You want to know what actual sexism was? THAT was sexism. Yet Thatcher prevailed, and Thatcher was able to change the political landscape in her country because she never made her candidacy about "women vs. men." She made her candidacy about her ideas and her principles for how she was going to lead.
There have been no sexist attacks whatsoever on HRC from any of the major presidential candidates. As an Edwards supporter, I was turned off when the Clinton camp claimed he was "piling on" HRC in the NH debate. HRC needs to focus on the issues affecting the American people. If she has superior plans for moving this country forward, that's what will get her elected, not this "women vs. men" business.
This is really the third in a series of comments that are put downs. In the debate it was "your likeable enough." Last week he said
"You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out." , and now this weeks "I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she's feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal. ...These
comments are no accidents. They show what this man really thinks of women.
Why don't you ask Michelle Obama what her husband thinks of women? She seems pretty liberated to me -- I suspect she'd identify herself as a feminist who wants no barriers to her two daughters' sense of opportunity. I daresay she'd tell you his comment didn't come close to meaning what you've read into it!
Michelle Obama has stated that she has to pick up Barack's clothing in order to do the laundry. That's just how my Grandma did it. My liberated Mom sure as hell didn't and my liberated Wife sure as hell doesn't either.
“I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she’s feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal.”
Why use a dirivitive of period?
Andrea Mitchell on Hardball: Clinton "hanging on by her fingernail
you are kidding right? if anyone is playing any card boo hoo in new hampshire
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