I thought a lot about this, particularly since I used a very derogatory term to describe her in an earlier thread.NOW President Kim Gandy said:June 05, 2008
My daughters don't remember much about the 2004 presidential election, except for the "ReDefeat Bush" sign that decorated our lawn for two years. Now 12 and 15, they've been watching this long and unprecedented nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, the frontrunners for their party's nod.
What their mother sees as historic and groundbreaking, they see as normal and everyday, and I'm now realizing that they'll never even remember a time when the only conceivable frontrunners were white and male. Hillary and Barack were their introduction to presidential politics, and that will be one of the great legacies of this primary season.
Not to say that I've been entirely sanguine about their watching the television coverage. I had hoped they would be inspired to watch these historic campaigns unfold, but as the blight of unspeakable media sexism has grown stronger with each passing primary, I started turning off the "news." The unprecedented level of misogyny unleashed by heretofore unlabeled sexists is another of the season's legacies.
Indeed, Hillary Clinton's campaign inspired millions of women across the country, and the increased female voter turnout has helped many women running for Congress or local office in those primaries - but will those women candidates now face a media gauntlet that is more about their gender than their qualifications?
Yes, Hillary Clinton persevered to win contest after contest, despite the ridicule, scorn and derision that was heaped on her by the frat-boy commentariat, and we salute her courage and determination not to allow the self-important pundit class to drum her out of the race with their endless name-calling. But will that treatment be the norm for women who run in the future? Has it become acceptable?
Television commentary on her voice, her laugh, her clapping, her clothing, even her ankles - not to mention calling her a bitch and a she-devil, and comparing her to a crazed murderer, a hated ex-wife or a scolding mother - became so commonplace that we came to expect it. And Hillary rose above it, as we knew she would, but it took a toll on her campaign and on all of us. We should vow today, here and now, that we will not allow the media to do it to any woman ever again.
The worst offenders, NBC and CNN, have been hearing from women who are fed up with their bias and sexism, but that's not enough. For my next column, I'm working on the sexist media "Hall of Shame" - and yes, you'll have an opportunity to weigh in with your own nominations.
Until then, a salute to Hillary Clinton, who said on Tuesday: "I made you -- and everyone who supported me -- a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I'm going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life."
Hillary, you have made a mark on history for eternity, giving little girls and little boys the full knowledge that women can compete, take risks, take the heat, make hard decisions, and be strong leaders. Whether you are President, Vice President, on the Supreme Court, serving as the Senate Majority Leader or just plain being the best-ever senator for New York and for ALL of us, we will be with you -- as we work together for equality for all, and a better, safer, more peaceful world for everyone, not just the privileged few. Yes, we will. Thank you, Hillary.
I never liked Hillary, but being a woman has little to do with it. I didn't care for how she handled the Health Care Plan, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, how she carpetbagged her way into NYC, and this is all before she declared her candidacy.
She was a proven liar, had problems managing her staff, and is massive debt. Hardly the stuff of someone I want to vote for.
I believe NOW is using the media as an excuse for Hillary's loss. Obama is more dynamic and ran a better campaign, which got him the nomination. He never mentioned Hillary's sex (unlike her appeal to "white voters"), which is critical.
Yes it is easy to insult Hillary because she is unpleasant and a woman, an easy combination to target with misogynist comments. But this is the current media state, and if she was not prepared to deal with it (btw, indignation is not exactly a good defense), then she was not ready to run for President.
Ultimately, when women stop looking for excuses, then a woman candidate is equal to a male one.