Women Say That Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin Received Unfair Treatment in their Political Campaign

[Truth Teller]

Source: US News

Women say female candidates are held to different standards on the campaign trail, but believe Hillary Clinton's and Sarah Palin's runs were a dramatic step forward toward electing a female president.

But that's enough already about their clothing.

Those were among key findings of a national poll of women, both voters and nonvoters. Sixty-five percent of women—majorities in every demographic and political group—said that male and female candidates are held to different standards on the campaign trail, the poll found. Just 29 percent thought expectations are the same.

A robust 93 percent said the candidacies of Clinton and Palin should encourage more women to run for office. Eighty-six percent said the young girls and women in their own lives would be more likely to take an interest in politics thanks to Clinton and Palin.


...


Read more: http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2008/12/04/women-say-that-hillary-clinton-and-sarah-palin-received-unfair-treatment-in-their-political-campaigns.html

[tomhayes]

1. Just proves that women are stupid :)

Hillary - yes.

Palin - HELL NO!!! She deserved *a lot* worse than Bill Maher calling her a stewardess.

[Lerkfish]

3. My wife, a former flight attendant, would have been livid at the comparison

My wife could run huge circles around Palin intellectually. Hell, anyone could.

[Alter Ego]

40. A fruit bat could have run circles around Sarah Palin intellectually.

She was a complete embarrassment to herself, her family, her party, and she is probably one of the primary reasons McCain is not President right now.

[NashVegas]

25. How Offensive

:nuke:

[superconnected]

28. "Just proves that women are stupid" Sounds like a very ignorant, bigoted statement.

[tomhayes]

30. The smiley face meant it was a JOKE

But face it Plain was an unqualified candidate who happened to be a stupid woman.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

44. actually it means that women can see subtleties and nuances better than you and that we can get over

the partisanship for a bigger issue such as misogyny.

[Lerkfish]

2. and white, doughy candidates are held to different standards than black and biracial candidates.

:shrug:

its true, to some extent. But both Clinton and Palin also received preferential treatment because they were women as well.

its a mixed bag with the press.

[zbdent]

14. I remember that McCain's religion never became an issue ... whichever he was at the moment ...

but hey, there's a guy who might match a religion which implies that only "people of color" can be in (which is untrue), and his religious beliefs are called into question daily ...

[randr]

4. Please, just imagine how derisively a male candidate who came off

as Palin would have been treated in the press. A man with the same clothing fetish would be labeled as gay and would have never made it as far.
My guess is once Palin passed the eye candy test for the Mcsame handlers, there was no further discussion.
There are just as many female assholes as male and they deserve the same treatment.

[acmavm]

5. You're right. If a man had been caught billing their constituents falsely

(i.e. the per diem thing which I think is FRAUD), promoting shooting animals from the sky, had a pregnant 16-year old daughter, and put out a video showing turkeys being beheaded and drained would be updating the resume and looking for work in another career field.

[Juneboarder]

21. Ha!

Not only in another field, but in another country (possibly solar system) as well! :)

[tyne]

8. Mmmm....

Ya, if the DNC had spent $150,000 to clothe Biden and his family, nobody would have said a word....

*Sarcasm*

[noel711]

6. I said it once, and I'll say it again and again and again..

The media owes Senator Clinton a huge apology.

The way she was treated, compared to the way
Sarah Palin was treated, and fawned over,
and gloated over.. was dreadful.

There is no comparison between these two.

[emilyg]

15. I agree.

[karynnj]

17. Over all the media was far worse to Senator Kerry and VP Gore

than to either Clinton or Palin. The media spent at least a year calling HRC's campaign flawless. They also followed the Clinton lead in showing the primary "popular vote", something that makes NO SENSE at least as often as the delegate count. CNN was very pro-Clinton. There was nothing anywhere near as wrong as the incredible amount of time the Swiftboat liars were given after it was already proven they lied - and Kerry's own 2 MINUTE or less defense was not given airtime on most stations.

Kerry would be President now had he been treated as Clinton was. His primary campaign WAS from Iowa on nearly flawless - yet no one ever said that. HRC got away with the Bosnia story until she told it 4 times - and it was jarringly untrue. The headlines, if it had happened, would have been memorable.

Gore was criticized for wearing brown suits! He was also accused of exaggerating - when he had a long term reputation as a pretty honest eagle scout of a politician. Yet, HRC used the word "initiated" with SCHIP - when it was a Senate produced bills - where Kennedy and Hatch initiated it. Kerry, who with Kennedy wrote a precursor bill, was in a position to more honestly claim he initiated it - but he stated his role very precisely - leaving it to Kennedy to praise him for those contributions.

[bowens43]

7. well , I didn't see it. nt

[atimetocome]

9. then you were asleep during the campaign.

[Demit]

10. Yes. I don't remember any photos shot from between the legs of a male candidate.

to show a young male face in the audience looking up. There were several shot that way of Sarah Palin. I'd call that a double standard.

[Crunchy Frog]

39. I don't remember any male candidate showing off his legs in public.

[LostinVA]

47. Women often wear dresses and skirts when dressed up

They don't "show them off."

You just helped prove the point of the OP.

[Crunchy Frog]

53. Sarah Palin very much called attention to her legs during the campaign.

Not just with the skirts and dresses, but with the extremely high heeled shoes, and the particular styles that she chose. Whether or not anyone wants to hear it, that is the reality of the situation.

Oh, and I'm sorry that I kicked this thread. I found it in a search for something else and replied before seeing how old it was. :blush:

[faulknercindy]

11. In some ways I agree and some I don't

I agree that remarks about Senator Clinton were skating the line, but sometimes she seemed to use that to her advantage. Just my opinion which means nothing. They also should have called a spade a spade (some did or wanted to I could tell by their manner and what they weren't saying) and said Sarah Palin you are an empty headed moron go away. That has nothing to do with sexuality you are just stupid.

[CitizenPatriot]

12. Yes, sarah palin used her sex to demand special treatment (e.g., no one can

comment on her 83 IQ score) and Hillary Clinton did everything she could to be taken seriously.

So, when the media focuses on "their clothes" it isn't the same. Palin's clothes weren't the issue; the fact that they violated campaign reform act that John McCain authored was the issue.

On the other hand, Hillary has been the subject of scrutiny over her hair, her lipstick, her clothes, ad NAUSEAM for NO reason. She wasn't a beauty queen, she never ran on her looks, she wasn't wearing short tight skirts and passing out pins that said "NY's hottest senator."

Palin runs around in her dominatrix librarian outfit and then claims sexism if anyone asks about her ethics violations or what papers she reads.

Special Note to Gov Palin,

loved your interview where you called Hillary a whiner for claiming sexism....that was just a mere month or so before you graced us with your presence and cried sexism PREEMPTIVELY to ward off anything remotely resembling a press conference or an interview or policy questions or...well, you kept America at bay regarding your religious beliefs, among other troublesome issues. The same America you claimed deserved to know who Barack Obama played cops with when he was 6.

See you in the primaries -- I can not wait.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

13. the way the media treated Sarah Palin was demeaning to women

the media fawned over Palin, and I think this was due to her alleged level of physical attraction. The very fact this person was not cut out to represent anything was deemed a secondary concern until well after she was chosen as McCain's running mate. If Governor Palin was considered less attractive then I doubt she would have received nearly as much positive media attention, and probably would not have been chosen as McCain's running mate.

The GOP's choice of Palin demeaned women, and the way the media gave her an initial free ride was demeaning to intelligent and talented women who get where they are because of not how they look.

It's also interesting to note that when GOPers hit back at women criticising the choice of Palin, Limbaugh, Dennis Miller et al. announced it because those "liberal women are jealous of her looks" thereby reinforcing the point.

[Political Heretic]

16. Sometimes you see what you want to see.

Sometimes you don't.

Take Palin for instance. On the surface, without looking at extenuating information, the amount of time the media spent focusing on Palin's wardrobe would seem ridiculous and sexist.

However, it was the RNC/Campaign who made it an issue, by such ridiculous and fairly unscrupulous stunts like spending half a million dollars of campaign money on her clothes. That's news, it isn't sexism by anyone except probably the GOP.

What Clinton experienced in the media was influenced by the fact that she was the first women frontrunner candidate with a serious (in fact anticipated) shot at the nomination and the White House. Media was fixated on the "first woman" story and as such their coverage was certainly different that it would have been if she had been a man. I'm sure Clinton experienced plenty of sexism on the campaign trail, and on the blogs of anonymous couch commandos. But as a major feature of dominant media - no, I'm sorry, it was not the case.

In a similar fashion, what Obama experienced in the media was influenced by the fact that he was the first African American candidate who at one point became the front runner and, especially after winning Iowa, was considered to have the most serious shot at the nomination and the White House. The media was also fixating on the "first African American" story and yes, it influenced their coverage in positive and negative ways (ex of a negative, Is Obama "black enough" or Is Obama trying to be White?)

I'm sure Obama experienced racism on the campaign trail, and on the blogs of anonymous couch commandos. But as a major feature of the dominant media? No, I'm sorry, it was not the case.

[madrchsod]

18. sarah was/is a cartoon.

there`s nothing there. she is/was an insult to women and men. hillary was hillary. she never backed down from who she is. people hated,did`t care,or supported her. what ever my feelings toward hillary she deserves my respect. sarah-none

[Ecumenist]

19. I've been a woman most of my life and ain't nobody asked me nuthin'.

Hillary pissed me off BIGTIME with some of her comments during the primaries and palin is a rabid, frothing at the mouth moronic and hypocritical bitch. How's that US news?

[noonwitch]

20. I didn't like the way Palin was treated by her own party after the election

the way the McCain people tried to blame their loss on her, and started accusing her of spending money on clothes and such. They spent the money on clothes because they didn't like her down-home look. Then they criticize her afterwards? If I were a republican woman, it would piss me off.

I don't have any problem with any of the comics' jokes about her, or anything like that. Or jokes about Hillary-I voted for her, and I've told a few Hillary jokes in my day.

[atimetocome]

22. yes, those

Mccain aides were horrible.
But so many on DU continue with the cracks about the clothes. Obsessed.

[No Elephants]

23. I find it embarrassing that women are whining about this. Like Obama did not take hits bc of his

color? Or his Northeastern education (aka "elitism"), which Hillary somehow escaped. Or Kerry because of the Swiftboaters? Or Edwards bc of his hair? Etc. Etc. Etc ad nauseum. It's called being in politics.

To quote both Truman and the Clintons, "If you cannot take the heat, stay out of the kitchen."

[damntexdem]

24. Sarah Palin certainly received unfair treatment -- unfairly favorable.

She is a nutcase that the media has taken all-too seriously.

Hillary got more-or-less what she deserved.

[Beacool]

26. Interesting that so many still feel that there was no sexism used against Hillary or Palin.

More disappointing that some of these posters are women. I guess not liking these women made it alright for some to ignore the blatant misogynist remarks that were thrown daily at both women.

I agree with this poster at US News & World Report:

"From Chris Matthews/Hardball saying Hillary's voice is "shrill" to calling her a "she-devil", the coverage was very sexist. Did he ever listen to his own voice? Keith Olbermann wanted her to be locked away and Jack Cafferty wanted her to be run over by a truck. Steve Champman/Chicago Tribune thought she was trying to play up her gender when she wore a flowered jacket right after the NH primary. It didn't matter that she had that jacket for at least a year since I saw her wear it many times before. As for Palin, the obsession with her family was something that has never and will never happen to a male politician."

I might suggest that some listen to the first 3:25 minutes of this video and then tell me that there was no sexism exhibited by the media, and this is just a small portion of what they said about Hillary during the primaries.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcdnlNZg2iM

[Alexander]

34. Interesting how you can't get over the primaries.

I didn't realize Chris Matthews controlled all of the media and campaign strategies. :eyes:

[Beacool]

56. Interesting how you choose to ignore sexism simply because it wasn't directed at your candidate.

The primaries may be over, but Matthews continues to be a a sexist creep and MSNBC behaved disgracefully throughout the whole primary. This is like the Warren thing, where plenty here don't see anything wrong with that bigot giving the invocation.

x(

[goforit]

27. I as a woman can not stand either one of them. They both were EGO maniacs!!!

Absolute Divas!!!

[comanche12]

29. There's nothing fair about hunting wolves from an airplane.

And anyone who does it or condones it, such as the public servant Sarah Palin, deserves nothing but scorn and a trip to the unemployment line.

[JonQ]

41. It was population control

not intended to be a fair competition between humans and wolves. There's nothing fair about mousetraps either.

[wuushew]

45. That doesn't make any sense

is Alaska a secret mecca of ranching that I don't know about? What is wrong with nature determining the number of predators in a given ecosystem?

Look at the situations which people cite the need for population control. It is either one of two cases:



(A)Given access to human agriculture and areas without natural predators animal populations expand without check, therefore culling anticpates the invetiable and prevents mass die off.

(B)Animals present a problem to human communities and economic activity





Do either of these two situations exist in Palinland?


Since there is no valid argument for population control, I can only conclude Palin gets off killing living creatures.

[JonQ]

48. Incorrect

It was to help in areas where moose and caribou are particularly endangered, and it worked. So there is a valid argument for population control and I don't believe she was actually the one doing the killing, merely issuing permits.

We look silly when we try to make this in to an issue, it isn't.

[wuushew]

49. I would appreciate any relevant links you have on the subject

The federal legislation (PDF) does have a loophole for predator control, permitting state employees or licensed individuals to shoot from an aircraft for the sake of protecting "land, water, wildlife, livestock, domesticated animals, human life, or crops." (This doesn't just apply to wolves; coyotes and foxes are sometimes gunned down from aircraft, especially in Western states.) Since 2003, Alaska has issued aerial wolf-hunting permits in select areas where moose and caribou populations are particularly endangered. The idea is that by killing the predators, the airborne gunmen can ramp up the number of moose and caribou that human hunters can take home for supper.

http://www.slate.com/id/2199140/

[JonQ]

50. How about the one you just posted?

"Since 2003, Alaska has issued aerial wolf-hunting permits in select areas where moose and caribou populations are particularly endangered. The idea is that by killing the predators, the airborne gunmen can ramp up the number of moose and caribou that human hunters can take home for supper."

[wuushew]

51. I have problems killing something just to make it possible to kill something else

Palin is not a native. She and other whites can go to the super market like everybody else.

[Scout]

54. being able to kill their own is a major attraction that draws people to Alaska....

and those free subsistence hunting and fishing licenses are a big plus too.

[JonQ]

55. So it's acceptable for natives to kill?

why? Are they not allowed in supermarkets? Your race-based views on shopping intrigue me.

If a native shoots a moose for food, is it less dead than if a white person does?

And where do you think prepackaged meat in said supermarkets comes from? The only difference between hunting for meat and buying meat from a store is that the hunters at least are willing to look at the results of their actions rather than pawning it off on someone else so they can feel better.

[gorbal]

31. There is a bit for Palin too.

I understand people being freaked out on how much she spent on clothes, but that fact that it is still a story really irkes me.

[tomhayes]

33. It's a story becuase it was against her stated POLICIES

She came out as the "I sold our jet on eBay" lady, and then she spent hundreds of thousands on clothes.

Can't you see this is a story.

Much more than an expensive haircut for Edwards, or Al Gore letting a WOMAN tell him to wear EARTH TONES.

Palin was/is a piece of crap and the reporting on this story illustrates her intellectual dishonesty.

And remember McCain was against "PORK", and what could be porkier than spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on clothes for a few months of campaign appearances??

[robcon]

32. I agree. The coverage was awful and sexist.

Held to a different standard because of their sex.

[Blu Dahlia]

35. women have to be smart to run. That's the main difference

Palin is as stupid as Bush, but she was held to a higher standard than other GOP males who are just as dumb.

[truebrit71]

36. Total horseshit.

I'm sorry but if you are running for the toughest job in the world, crying or whining about being treated differently doesn't help your cause...

[Cha]

37. Oh bullshit!

WAH WAH..I sure as hell wouldn't want to be lumped in with palin if I were Hillary.

So many assholes try to rewrite history.

[Crunchy Frog]

38. Palin was held to no standards whatsoever.

And there were howls of "sexism" whenever someone tried. I consider that to be sexist in itself.

Edit: Oops. I'm sorry I kicked this. I was doing a search on a recently TS'd poster and didn't notice how old this thread was. :blush:

[Dukkha]

42. If a man hid from the press like Palin did

he would be called a...well, a Fred Thompson.

I did not support Hillary but she carried herself with dignity and intelligence and always maintained her standards.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

43. women are correct. i had to defend sarah palin from sexism on du. it was quite gross

both the fact that i felt compelled to defend her because the issue is bigger than her and that there was such unnecessary sexism

[LostinVA]

46. They did -- even on here

And, I loathe having to defend Palin in ANY way.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

52. These 2 names should never be used in the same sentence