White Woman Supporting Hillary: A Paradox

The choice for the Presidency should be all about competence and character. As M L King said: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." So what is going on with white older women? Do they not understand that gender bias is racist?

The argument given by these white elite women for their support of Hillary is primarily based upon their view that women have been oppressed by men for most of human history. While this is true, African Americans have gone through at least as much if not more injustices. The issue of choosing a President by a standard of previous injustices and suffering makes the electorate a "Queen For A Day" type choice. "Queen For A Day" was an old quiz show that awarded major prizes to people who had the worst sob story as determined by an applause meter.

The gender bias of white elite women supporting Hillary is based upon gender bias and has bad racial overtones. Those who support Hillary based upon gender are as wrong as those who vote against Obama based upon race. And please do not rationalize this by claiming that blacks are making their choice based upon race. You can blame that one on Bill Clinton who has shown himself to not be such a black President. Until he opened his mouth, the majority of blacks were supporting Hillary.

Comments

[OtayPanky]

It is FACT that there IS a contingent of women who are adamant about Hillary because of gender.

Go read Gloria Steinem's Op-Ed in the NY Times a few weeks back.

Or check out any of Erica Jong's recent blogs here on HuffPo.

Or consider Marcia Pappas of NY-NOW, and her absurd accusations against Ted Kennedy for supporting Obama.

Of course it's FINE for woman to support Hillary, or blacks to support Barack, for the RIGHT reasons. And Sheldon Drobney articulates them exactly as I have done, over and over again here: CHARACTER and COMPETENCE­...and positions on issues that I can support, or at least live with.

I'll respect ANYONE who supports ANY candidate on that basis. But I have no respect for anyone who makes such an important choice, in such an important election, based on the SHEER IDIOCY of identity politics.

[MH51]

I hate everyone assuming I am voting for Clinton because I am a feminist, upper middle class and of a certain age.
Well I am a white woman and hear me roar - I voted for Barack Obama yesterday. ENTHUSIASTICALLY I might add.

I do not vote with my breasts but I do vote with what is between my ears! This logic that I, being a white feminist would only vote for her is stupid at best. Sure there are some dumb women out there who do this and they ruin it for all. But really sir, do you really think there are that many? I don't.

I did not vote for Mr. Obama because he is a man, because of his race, or because of his family. I voted for him because of what he has been saying all along if you had been listening. I voted for him because of his record. I wanted to vote for him after his 2004 democratic nat'l convention speech.

The only thing I like about Ms. Clinton is that she is a woman. Everything else to me is a negative. I don't see a difference between her and all the fat old bald white guys that have held office appointments for the last century. That is my one of my many issues with her. Not that she is female.

[ayc]

This post by Melissa Lacewell says a lot:

"Black women voters are rejecting Hillary Clinton because her ascendance is not a liberating symbol. Her tears are not moving. Her voice does not resonate. Throughout history, privileged white women, attached at the hip to their husband’s power and influence, have been complicit in black women’s oppression. Many African American women are simply refusing to play Mammy to Hillary. "
http://melissaharrislacewell.com/Blog/?p=30#comments

[YellerDawg]

Now, there's a loaded word, "mammy." You just couldn't resist using it, could you? Both you and Melissa should be ashamed of yourselves. From the name, I assume Melissa is a woman. Whatever you are, you are both misogynists and racists. Yep, I said it. You are both if you think that black women are a monolithic block, so mindless that they can't distinguish between Hillary and a true oppressor. Good grief. Have you no shame?

[grendl]

This is precisely the problem.

The Civil Rights movement, and the Women's movement were necessities in this nation, as the hypocrisy of the inequities between genders and races were glaringly apparent to the rest of the world and ourselves. How could we call this a free country when so many were oppressed.

But with those movement, came the inevitable abuses. Affirmative action, giving jobs to people based on race, or sex turned out to be just as unjust as the previous system of white male privilege. Yes, it opened doors, and even scores, at least to some extent, but it was still a system based on gender or race. Unqualified people were getting jobs, as well as the qualified ones, because of the color of their skin.

The presidency is not a means of reparations, or affirmative action. All this talk about how great it would be to have a black president or woman president will disappear should Hillary or Barack turn out to be totally incompetent, ineffectual, or weak. Not saying they will, but there's always that possibility.

John Edwards became a victim, in some part, to the idea that change has something to do with the color or sex of the person occupying the White House. Who knows, the guy might've made a terrific president, but unfortunately shared the same skin color as every American president to date. Many saw that as a vote for the status quo, not change. Perhaps they're right, perhaps they're wrong. I think a working cerebrum in the Oval Office would constitute monumental change myself.

People like things easy. It's easy to vote for Hillary because she's a woman, or against her, but that has nothing to do with her ability to govern this nation. Doing the actual homework, examining her record, her stance on issues, that takes effort, something severely lacking in this country today.

[S1m0n]

That's not fair. White women can support hillary for all kinds of reasons, including because she reminds them of themselves, without it being racist in the slightest.

What *is* racist or sexist is making the argument that white women (or everyone) should support Hillary because she's a woman. Yes, we hear that argument a good deal hereabouts, and it's wrong, but that doesn't make all the women who think Hillary is a better choice wrong.

[presto]

I am a white woman, maybe elite, definitely older and I support Hillary. I cannot quite understand why you think my support is based on gender - it really is not. I have followed her Senate career quite closely and I am often amazed by her depth of understanding. Nothing I have ever done or said in my life has had any negative racial undertones. I also like Obama and I think his ability to inspire and move the masses is incredible. I don't, however, think he would make a particularly effective president. His politcal career does not indicate any particular talent for getting things done nor any really deep insight into the major concrete issues of the day. HIs huge talent lies in his charisma and his ability to motivate and lay the groundwork for advancing the human condition.

Sexism has become the most prevalent and the most ugly form of repression on earth - something I did not really accept until I witnessed the feral, mosty male, societal attacks over the past few months on a woman who does not deserve to be de-humanized so viciously.

I do believe that many women, especially older women, have a degree of wisdom that might be escaping you. Your comments above are lightweight and mis-directed. "Queen for a Day" is hardly an apt analogy.

[jvarga]

Why do people assume that any support of Senator Obama is because Senator Clinton is female?

[Sheldon Drobny - Huffpost Blogger]

Do you have the wisdom to understand that the attacks on Hillary have nothing to do with gender? They are attacks on Bill Clinton and his form of politics which she has adopted. I think Hillary is suffering from denial about her husband and is a psychological battered woman. Perhaps she has made a Faustian bargain with her sexist husband.

[CaveatMagnusFrater]

...Do they not understand that gender bias is racist? ...

That doesn't even make sense. The term sexism has it's very own meaning sir. You don't need to misapply other terms. Welcome to the 21st century.

[presto]

Exactly - since when do we have a "female race" to get all racist about. Our dialog is becoming so full of "ists" that we can't even figure out what group we're attacking.

[BufoAmericanus]

Cheers to you Sheldon.
I think you're right on target, here.

[jesseln]

If people said they were voting for Barack because he's a man (and notably not a woman), people would be outraged. It's barely tolerable to say you're voting for him just because he's black. Why not just study the differences between the candidates? There are plenty of places where they differ: http://politicalmaelstrom.blogspot.com/2008/01/actual-differences-between-barack-and.html

[Democrab]

If every last person in America, republicans, democrats, women, men, blacks, whites, asians, indians, literally everyone voted for Obama, would you leave us alone? I somehow doubt it.

I think you would find a way to attack someone because you thought they might be thinking about voting for someone else besides him.

[jvarga]

If we all vote for Senator Clinton will the woe-is-us pity party around here end? Will we all escape the insults, name calling and tar-and-feathering that we're subjected to for not crowning Senator Clinton President Clinton II?

[Sheldon Drobny - Huffpost Blogger]

The repeat of the 1st paragraph is not my fault. I cannot edit this because of some problem with Huffpo software.

[blessingx]

Thank you Sheldon for getting me to finally register with Huffington to post. I did so because I don't know which is more irritating, the "logic" of this article or the writing style - "The gender bias of white elite women supporting Hillary is based upon gender bias..." Lets vote!

[Sheldon Drobny - Huffpost Blogger]

That was a Huffpo software problem. I did edit out the repetitive phrase but it did not work.

[DemandTruth]

I have to say, as a woman and an Obama supporter, I think you've gone over the line in trying to say that African Americans have had it WORSE than women in this world. Yes, we've BOTH had it pretty damn bad. But black men DID get the right to vote before ALL women. And women are STILL fighting for control over their OWN bodies here in this, the "land of the free". You just have no idea what that could be like. Would YOU like a politician or a preacher making a law dictating what you can do with your weenie and when and with whom?

Please, take a look around the world, from Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan to China to Darfur to American Evangelical households - see the women there and how they are treated by the menfolk. Property. Slaves. Sexual slaves. Chattel. There is still sexual slavery going on in this country and in many others. There are still women being abused every day by their boyfriends and husbands who have NO recourse or help to escape.

I understand your argument about not wanting women to vote for Clinton JUST because she's a woman, and I agree with that. But you need to take a step back and realize that women are still slaves in this country and many others - and you do us a disservice by trying to marginalize that.

[Sheldon Drobny - Huffpost Blogger]

I am a male Jew who understands oppression very well. The younger generation which includes my children are mostly color and gender blind unlike my generation. If I offended you, I am sorry. However, comparing oppressions is not a basis for choosing a President. And women are human. They can be racist too.

[YellerDawg]

Keep digging, sexist. You'll never get out of the hole you've created with your anti-Hillary vitriol. It's absurd to believe that your children somehow escaped the racist, sexist attitudes of people like you. I worry for your daughters' states of mind, with a father like you. Don't bother responding. You're hopeless.

[presto]

Where on earth did you get the impression that "DemandTruth" above was saying that comparing oppressions is a basis for choosing a President? And I don't quite understand why you are pointing out now that women can be racist too. Of course they can. What does that have to do with what your article said?