We sat around the dinner table, a group of 50-something progressive feminists, talking to a friend from England about presidential politics. We were all for Hillary, weren’t we, he asked. Hillary? We hated Hillary. He was taken aback. Weren’t we her base? Wasn’t she one of us? Why did we hate Hillary? Of course, a lot of people seem to… return to article
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Reader Comments (163)Natalie, all:
‘humanizing’ hillary - part 2: HILLARY BREATHES
by Mia T, 7.05.07
More than half the electorate will not even consider voting for missus clinton. Her support comes primarily from ignorant, uneducated, ‘needy,’ easily demagogued, vulnerable women. (Washington Post, June 2007)Hence missus clinton’s 2-prong scheme:
(1) Disinform and agitate (in standard-issue Stalinist fashion, of course… and, yes, abuse vulnerable women yet one more time in her quest for power and treasure, fav hillary modi operandi all.
(2) Tell us the clinton machine is ‘humanizing hillary,’ an admission which, in itself, is remarkable until we realize the reason: the clinton machine understands that one cannot cure such grotesqueries, so they are doing the next best thing, telling us that they are doing it. (Do not miss the putdown here: The clintons and their machine think we are so stupid that we won’t be able to discern the difference.)
Check out the YouTube vid.
Posted by miat on Jul 5, 2007 at 5:54 AM I didn’t have the time to read all 151 (at this time) comments, but I liked many of them.
Baby-boomer . . .guilty, as charged. Still, if I have to vote for her in ‘08, I will, but I’m gonna like it.
To the poster who likes Hagel, oh, yes! And I’m a long-time Dem. I’ve always liked him.
Hillary. Hillary. Why are you so disliked? Why do so many of my Dem/Progressive/ and some alternate life-style friends not really feel good about supporting you, if we have to?
Bill may be a “cad” and a “bounder,” but I think that, at least, he understands the life of regular Americans. May not always act in “regular Americans” best interests, but, at least, gets it and knows it.
Hillary. Coldest politician I’ve ever seen. Makes Newt look warm.
I’ll vote for her, if I have to, but, no, she is a conservative in Dem sheep’s clothing. Why can’t Randi Rhodes run?
Posted by wizardofoz on Sep 6, 2007 at 2:53 PM Sorry!
If I have to vote for Hillary, “I’m NOT gonna like it.”
Posted by wizardofoz on Sep 6, 2007 at 2:54 PM I would say tired of anything and anybody that threatens her beloved spotlight.
Self obsessed. Not a good trait for a leader of any country, or any group of people for that matter.
Posted by Natalie on Sep 13, 2007 at 1:59 AM Katiebeth:
In all the comment craziness, I almost missed your response, which would have been a terrible shame. I’m 16 years older than you are (one of those Gen Xer types), a teacher, and young women like you give me hope for the future of women and this country.
You articulated perfectly the stench of sour grapes that pervades this article. How is it Hillary’s fault that the author’s group of “progressive” friends are still bitter about the lipstick and skirts they chose to wear, about all of the choices they had to make? How can they look at a woman precisely of their own generation and criticize her (generally inaccurately) for making different decisions?
Disagree with her politics, her character, her morals, whatever. Vote for her, vote for someone else. But don’t try to fool yourself or anyone else by attempting to disguise plain old bile as feminism.
Posted by Ann Marie on Oct 28, 2007 at 3:25 PM I am so glad that someone finally wrote this article, and I’m only 24 years old. (I am female) Hilary Clinton is like a man in woman’s pants. As a woman I am turned off by her coldness. I don’t believe that she cares, and I do think she is riding her husband to the top. Who wants a presidency of Hillary AND Bill? If he’s defending her now, accusing the other Dem candidates of being too tough on her, what will he do when she’s in the White House? If she wins, it will be because of her husband’s backing, and the financial backing of major companies. Duh. Hillary needs to get off the GENDER card and take the heat! Take the heat Hillary, take the HEAT! The fact that she is complaining about being hit so hard and attributing it to her gender is a weak-minded ploy to attract the support of females. Imagine me trying to use that excuse on the job. “Don’t be so hard on me, I’m a woman.” Uhh, that won’t work. Grow up Hillary and take the HEAT!! Get off your husband’s laurels and take the HEAT!!! Additionally, stop wavering on key issues. I don’t know what she believes in. It’s like she wants to stay POLITICALLY CORRECT and in the POLITICAL FAVOR of the majority so she can ASCEND to the top. What a fake. I really hope and pray she does not win. I will be so disgusted. Cold, dependent on husband, not standing firm on anything. Build your house on rock, Hillary, not the sinking sand of wavering opinion.
Posted by tpatrick21 on Nov 15, 2007 at 10:29 PM I hardly think a “cold” woman could raise a bright and confident daughter, been Elected to the Senate (not appointed by the supreme court such as the current administration), Head up a winning campaign, all the while being bashed with sexist comments having to do with her lipstick shade, clothing, personality, etc. I don’t think there is any need to worry about Hillary taking the heat. She has been doing that amazingly well ... just as most professional women are doing, these days, on a regular basis. Go Hillary !!!!!!!!!
Posted by KittysBlue on Nov 15, 2007 at 10:57 PM I am a true believer that the people that really fought for women’s right had different intentions than we do today. I believe that they were fighting against a country that wanted to dictate what they could and could not do based on their gender. The reasons that most of you list make you sound like you are highschool. You sound like you are talking about the girl you dislike who is running for head cheerleader. So what if she doesnt wear lipstick or flowery tops? We arent electing her to head up N.Y. fashion school, we are electing her to run our country. I would rather have a women who knows who she is, doesnt care what other people think of her, and wants so to be preident so bad she is willing to do anything to get there. You dont have to go out and have coffee with her every Wednesday so does it really matter if you get irritated with some personality flaws she might have. I think Susan sounds very judgemental and not very smart. What ever happend to women sticking together? We might have a women RUNNING for president but we still have a lot of work to do in the feminist movement. We are going backwards because of people like you!.
Posted by EducatedFeminist on Nov 28, 2007 at 5:01 PM I’m 25-year-old female who is new to taking interest in reading feminist articles and literature......because most women who babble about feminism are so pathetically insecure and up their own vaginas with whiny, imaginary victimization, I can’t even tell what “feminism” even means. I skimmed these comments, and bickering over who represents “feminism” best sounds just as lame and bitchy as schoolgirls in the bathroom calling each other sluts. What is all this she “acts like a man” bullshit? Do human beings no longer have personalities unique from each other, regardless of gender? Defining characteristics as “masculine” or “feminine” destroys what you LITTLE GIRLS want--and I don’t think that’s feminism, I think it’s female domination. Men are not all bad. Peace on Earth would be great, but we have to learn how to defend ourselves on the way to that in case aliens attack. We’re going to have to leave this planet in the long run, and the future of the human race is more important than whether some dipshit politician represents your dumb little ideals that you value more than our well-being as a whole planet.
Think about this....you want the world to be a better place for women, yet you attack other women for not being perfect? You want equality for women, but won’t respect the full range of perspectives?
Thank you all, I now remember why when I hear the word “feminism,” I get ready for a big bucketful of menstruation. Throw your tampons in the trash, not in other people’s faces, please. Women really could run the world if they would stop bitching so much.
I notice a lot of ladies claiming to be baby boomers......why aren’t you happy? Why are you still nit-picking and boring people with vag-talk? This sewing-circle bitchfest feminism is disgusting, and more destructive to females than men have ever been. That dude who commented on bonobos is right, actually......missed a couple points, but was correct in pointing out how we can learn from incestuous, pederast, sex-obsessed chimpanzees. Most women can’t seem to think right without dicking, but rape is bad, so the society I read about on Wikipedia seems to create a balance. I’ve seen nebulous patterns of this phenomena at swinger parties.
And ladies, seriously, don’t let men trick you into thinking you have some special powers as a woman he’s incapable of recreating. You can incubate a fetus, but beyond that it’s all bullshit. Manipulation and passive-aggressive head tricks are NOT what being a woman is all about. It’s not about anything. Find a hobby, get a job, and buy your own damn beer.
Shit, these comments are making me wonder if women actually deserve to vote. I’m all for equality, but it’s never going to come if women as a whole don’t get their heads out of their vaginas, stop expecting the world to soften, grow a spine, and get in the fucking game.
Posted by lovekitten19 on Dec 29, 2007 at 1:53 PM Unlike almost all of your misguided readers, I am a woman who WILL be voting for Hillary. I just want to know Ms. Douglas, how you think you resemble a feminist in any way, shape or form? Isn’t feminism about having the freedom as a woman to make choices based on your own ideals and values and not about conforming to the expectations of others? You have your own narrow definition of what feminism and feminity connote in our society, and more importantly to you, what those things should look like in a woman, based on what you read in The Feminine Mystique. That is one flaw I see with many “academics” such as yourself; you seem to let the books you have read shape all your ideas and impressions instead of thinking for yourself.
So your main beef with Hillary is that she presents as too masculine? She is putting on some sort of tough guy act, in your opinion? First, do you know Ms. Clinton personally? How do you know these are not her true character traits? You stated that she lacks a certain feminine delicateness. Isn’t there room in our world for all types of women? Do you also think girls who have short hair, wear sports jerseys and prefer to play with a football instead of a Barbie doll are some kind of abomination? Isn’t it possible that what you construe as coldness and lack of feeling on Hillary’s part could also be called poise and self-assuredness? Not all women behave according to the narrow definition of feminity that you are using to gauge Hillary’s shortcomings as a woman. I’m guessing you don’t expect all men to behave exactly the same and to exhibit the same level of masculinity, so why are you pigeon-holing women?
It sounds like something about Hillary intimidates you,and sadly, a lot of other women. I wish you could get over your fear and mistrust of women in power, and would embrace all the positive things she could do for our country. Not once in your article did I come across high praise for any of the other candidates. I think most people know she is just as qualified (actually more in my opinion) to lead this nation as any of the other candidates, who never have to face a small fraction of the scrutiny Hillary receives daily by the media and from people like you, because she has the audacity to think she can be in charge of a nation and be woman at the same time.
One other item in your article I took issue with is your comment that you expect a woman running for office to be better than any of the male candidates, because women have always had to prove their worth when measured alongside men. To me, this means no woman is ever going to measure up to your high standards, which for some reason, are not as high for men, even though they’ve been in power a hell of a lot longer, so you are closing the door on our entire gender. Well that’s a hell of a thing to do in the name of “feminism”. I feel sorry for any of the female students who enroll in your classes because they are getting an incredibly narrow-minded professor.
Posted by schoolpsych on Jan 26, 2008 at 4:10 AM As a “post-50 progressive feminist” myself, I find your topic a complete oxymoron! Feminists Who Hate Hilary is as absurd as “African Americans Who Hate Barack Obama"--an article I doubt we’ll ever see because his base knows when it’s time to act politically expeditious and work together. Sadly, I doubt I’ll see an American woman as US President in my lifetime because of women like you.
Posted by 13kl on Feb 2, 2008 at 3:51 PM What an interesting mix of perspectives. It has inspired me to share what I hope will be an equally interesting contribution to this lively discussion.
As a young woman, I sat at the feet of three generations of successful businesswomen and absorbed the lessons they shared about their commitments to our country, their communities and family. What I realized (and at times witnessed) above all was that each paid a severe price for being female, even as they fed, financed and healed their communities. Despite this burden, their unshakeable commitment to contributing to the greater good is the same commitment I am inspired to make in my lifetime as well.
I remember naively thinking that with the advent of feminism (and my mother’s enthusiasm) that I might one day become President and uphold the kind of values we look to. Though I chose a different path, nonetheless, we have a woman running whose background is quite different than what I would have envisioned, yet so much of her background is on par with many past Presidents. Despite this, the media sees fit to rip her apart.
In the past, we didn’t have a media nearly as powerful or pervasive as it is today, and the folks running these companies gave some minimal measure of respect for candidates. We ought to be ashamed of what we’ve allowed the media to become in our society. There’s an old Japanese saying that the person who doesn’t know their position is a very dangerous person indeed. The media has lost all concept of what their position should be in our society, even outside of politics.
While that does not excuse any candidate’s shortcomings, even if female, I believe we would do well to remember that history has given us Presidents whose contributions were largely notable in only one or two areas (Carter’s Camp David Accord, Nixon’s relations with China, Bush 1’s foreign policy, etc.), yet whose machinations along the way were quite dubious, to say the least.
Politics, in all of its dirtiness, now has a female playing the same game as her counterparts with all the attendant skeletons, yet we are villifying her for being in the ring. It has become a feeding frenzy and that is sad. If HRC is elected, it may very well be that more than half of the population is tired of witnessing the systematic villification of their sisters because they choose to participate in the business and politics of capitalism.
What I hope transpires after this race, regardless of who wins, is that a veritable tsunami of women of all ages begin running for office so that the voices of women committed to the greater good becomes not just the story I heard at the feet of my mother, grandmother, etc., but the story future daughters hear at the feet of their mothers and grandmothers for generations to come.
Posted by whitecrow on Feb 10, 2008 at 2:36 PM -
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