We bruise our daughters when we bash Hillary Clinton -- Connie Schultz

[Algorem]

http://www.cleveland.com/schultz/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1202808727169901.xml&coll=2

Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Connie Schultz
Plain Dealer Columnist

When I was 11 years old, my girl friends and I used to talk long into the night about how one of us was bound to become president of the United States.

We had no reason to believe that, except that we were young girls watching and learning from the chaos swirling around us. It was 1968, and the change blowing across the country was kicking up quite a breeze in our own small Ohio town.

It seemed like every other week someone's older sister was getting suspended for wearing a see-through blouse. Mothers were starting to take jobs and earn their own paychecks. Heroes were murdered, and neighbor boys were leaving for Vietnam. Fistfights were breaking out behind the high school over where boys wore patches of the American flag.

My parents acted strange, too. My father grew sideburns wider than matchbooks and didn't flinch when I used my baby-sitting money to buy the Beatles' White Album. Only months earlier he had grounded me for explaining the back story of "Mrs. Robinson" to my younger sisters, and now I was walking through the dining room singing "Happiness is a warm gun, momma" and he didn't even look up from his newspaper...

[babylonsister]

1. Just...ugh. Now she's off limits to criticism because of her gender and the

implied damage that criticism might do to our kin? That's a new one on me.

[jgraz]

3. Theres nothing more "bruising" to gender roles than a woman who constantly trades on her gender

Ask yourself, is Hillary's campaign really the model we want for our female candidates?

[Demeter]

14. Not For ANY Candidate!

[papau]

5. any praise of Hilliary is letting her be protected by her gender-protected by a "gender card" - but

Obama plays the race card and his opponents made him do it because it was obvious to all that innocent remarks - indeed all comments by opponents - hurt or might hurt black feelings. And 40% support for Obama amoung blacks becomes 90% (in Delaware) - which is explained as Obama doing better when he gets around to that area of the country with his speaking ability moving the crowd - like they never heard his message before.

Obama has played the race card very well.

[Jack Rabbit]

19. Did any of you on this subthread read the piece?

Ms. Schultz is not proposing that we not criticize Hillary Clinton because she is a woman. She is saying that she should be criticized for matters relevant to what kind of president she would make. The example of the Hillary Doll with the spikes between her thighs is an of misogyny, not of enlightened political debate.

I support Barack Obama, and I approve of Ms. Schultz' message.

[cloudbase]

2. Something something heat

something something kitchen.

Too many women fought for equal treatment. No exceptions.

[papau]

4. "Change" would indeed be a female president - but women got the vote 50+ years after black men - its

a bigger change than most here at DU can accept -

so expect Hillary to be described as without whatever it is that would make her a good choice and having all that would make her evil and untrustworthy and a bad choice -

and all that with words that scream that the writer is not only biased, but is also of limited vocabulary for slurs against women, all wrapped up in the Obama game of seeing race in any criticism - Obama has played the race card very well.

[mike_c]

6. so do we bruise our sons when we criticize John McCain...

...and if not, why is Hillary different?

[Dhalgren]

7. Women are oppressed and brutalized throughout the world

and in every part of this country. Women do not have equality in this country and there is no point in trivializing that fact. I do not support Clinton and certainly not Obama, but to pretend that women are not oppressed and brutalized is completely unacceptable. I am not saying that Clinton deserves "special" treatment, but I am saying that men and women are treated differently in this country and even at this late date that cannot be denied...

[mike_c]

9. you went WAY beyond my response, which essentially agrees with your comment...

...that Clinton doesn't deserve "special" treatment. I am fully aware of women's social and economic status worldwide. However, Sen. Clinton is not running as an "oppressed person," nor has she even made feminism or womens' rights an issue in her campaign.

Using her gender in support of her campaign is just as divisive as using it against her campaign. When her supporters make statements like the one in the OP, they should extend those sentiments to ALL the candidates. As someone notes up thread, too many women have worked too hard for social parity to allow this kind of BS.

[Dhalgren]

12. Did you actually read the entire piece? She wasn't saying that

statements against Clinton's policies, or votes or issues were the problem, it was the veiled and not-so-veiled disparaging of her as a woman that she is objecting to in regards the affect upon younger women and girls. I think that is a legitimate concern - and, again, I am not a Clinton supporter.

Everyone seems to be so hardened and calloused toward the "enemy" candidate that they cannot even acknowledge the possibility that any aspect of the "enemy" might be admirable or valid or that the "enemy" might just be human, after all. Everyone has become so ugly and so venomous that there is no longer even the remotest possibility of reason and commonality. It is quite the spectacle...

[CherokeeDem]

8. Ohhhh...

I grew up admiring women who were leading the movement to gain equality for women. I am a feminist in that I feel that women can do anything they choose to do and do it well. I do have real issues with women who only vote or work for a female candidates or feel we damage women by not giving them an advantage or a pass. Women and minorities have needed advantages and still do but at some point, we have to take a bit of responsibility. If we continue to hide behind our need for an advantage, then we will never achieve full equality. I believe that we bruise our daughters more if we protect women from reality and not "bash" or question or expect and accept less of them. Any candidate, male or female, needs to be able to handle criticism whether is is correct or not, to assume that we are hurting ourselves by bashing Hillary is absurd. At some point, and I suppose we aren't there yet, we need to put these stereotypes away and look at each other as equals. Utopia? Of course, but we have to start somewhere.

[speedoo]

10. The really unfortunate thing about that article is the title.

The article itself is reasonable in that it attacks some really stupid things, like the "Hillary nutcracker". I'd have a big issue with that if my 11 year old daughter saw it.

[billyoc]

11. Bruises will be the least of my daughters' problems if they grow up

to lead the DLC.

[bemildred]

13. No, we don't. nt

[Irishonly]

15. The writer isn't very clear

I am either close to the writer's age or even a little older. To bash Clinton on polities or her votes isn't wrong or demeaning to women. Many women voters today didn't go through a lot of crap we did. I remember a friend of mine wanting a paper route and being told it was a boy's job and not a job for a nice little girl. I remember the hell college women went through when they were going for typical male majors and the sexism they had to deal with in classes.

What's demeaning to women is comments about her clothing, looks or why she chose to stay in her marriage. Senator Clinton is not the only women in politics that has been subjected to such silly sexist comments. Whether Pelosi is judged on being a great or horrible speaker does not depend on the designer suits she wears or how many times she blinks her eyes. Senator Obama is running for president and whether or not Michelle is wearing perfect pearls is not a part of the campaign. We used to see comments like these in women's magazines and not through the MSM. The sexism in the media has to be addressed for all women and until we do, we are going to hear about what a knock out a candidate's wife is, a critique on how a female politician looks and whether or not she bakes cookies.

[AllKnowingGuy]

16. Hillary is soft like most women politicians

Hillary is like most women politicians - too sensitive to handle the heat of politics. In my home country this doesn't happen.

Ivan
[e-mail]

[Skittles]

23. I don't even want to know where the fuck you are from

:thumbsdown:

[lumberjack_jeff]

28. Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Dumbfuckistan. n/t

[Forrest Greene]

17. Wotta Crock

My daughters are smarter & stronger than that.

[Baby Snooks]

18. Oh, please...

Hillary Clinton is an example for young women? Put up with a philandering husband just in case there's some advantage to your doing so? Not much of an example if you ask me. She really comes off as nothing more than a liberated courtesan. Actually, since I don't work for the media and can't be fired, she comes off as nothing more than a cheap whore. Selling herself. And selling out other women.

Instead of taking potshots at Tammy Wynette and pretending she wasn't just some little woman standing by her man, which in the end she was, she should have learned from Tammy Wynette. Stand by your man. And then when he blows the second chance, start singing "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" as you drive to the divorce attorney's office.

[springhill]

25. So she's a whore because she didn't divorce her husband.......

God this board has gone downhill so much. Where are the really intelligent and thoughtful people that used to be on democratic underground. I miss them so much.

[Ano Genitus]

20. It is when people say she looks like Klinger that gender-specific damage is done.

Stupid statements that have nothing to do with political acumen - these are pointless. However, S. Obama would make a better president.

[JPZenger]

21. My Daughter Wants Hillary to Lose So She Can be 1st Woman President

My 12 year daughter said she wants Hillary to lose so that she can become the first woman President.

I believe in letting my kids make up their own mind. My kids are both big Obama supporters.

[Two Americas]

22. interesting

Many are asking "is the country ready for a woman as president?" and "is the country ready for an African American as president?"

Watching this ugly fiasco unfold here betwen the supporters of the two candidates, I am wondering if Democrats are ready to have a woman as a candidate or an African American as a candidate.

[fortyfeetunder]

24. I don't buy this for one minute.

I can agree or disagree with Ms. Clinton or Mr. Obama, but my opinions on them are not a reflection on women or African Americans. Otherwise, that is stereotypical thinking..

And if I have to criticize either of them it's on their character and/or policy. Not about hairdo, habits, personal life.....

It's all about mature communication.....

[springhill]

26. Mature communication?

That rarely occurs anymore.

[Harry Monroe]

27. Oh, please!!!

Spare us this crap!!! So, if you bash Obama, are you bruising blacks?? If you bash Edwards, are you bruising white males?? And on and on and on...