Of course he is. His 1st use of the term “Sweetie” to address a woman of any kind should have been your first clue, and his 2nd use your absolute confirmation.
Among other things. Yes, other things.
I was reminded of some of those “other things” this afternoon as I read and pondered this really good article, “Gender Issue Lives On as Clinton’s Hopes Dim,” from today’s NYT.
I can’t help it. This article tripped a bunch of triggers for me. As much as I did NOT want Senator Clinton to become President, I really couldn’t stand the rampant misogyny and sexism leveled against her, so much of it under the radar and “invisible,” especially to so many men (and too many women, too, as always), far too many of them in the mainstream media.
There’s been a lot of discussion that many of Clinton’s supporters will not vote for Obama in the fall. I think that most of them are just frustrated, disappointed and angry and will change their minds, however reluctantly, by November, but some may not. The NYT article puts it very poignantly:
If many of Mrs. Clinton’s legions of female supporters believe she was undone even in part by gender discrimination, how eagerly will they embrace Senator Barack Obama, the man who beat her?
And if they have noted that Obama himself has been guilty of gender bias, how much less willing will any of those supporters be to vote for him?
It was probably these questions that set me to thinking of some of Obama’s more offensive remarks and behaviors toward Hillary, things I’d forgotten as I’d let myself get drawn in, to bask in the warm glow of his ascendant star, this Golden Boy which his undeniable charisma, elegance and artful presentation. And the excitement he generates! It’s pretty amazing that 50-75,000 people turned out in Portland, OR, for an Obama ralley and that the Crow Tribe of Montana has adopted him. Very impressive.
But reminders like the following from the article, so close to my own experience and the experience of millions upon millions of other women of my generation and before (and since!), brought tears to my eyes — tears of gratitude about how far we’ve come, tears of disappointment about how far we haven’t come yet, and tears of disappointment in Hillary mostly and her campaign as well:
And Mrs. Clinton seemed to channel the lives of regular women, who often saw her as an avenging angel. Take Judith Henry, 67, for whom Mrs. Clinton’s primary losses stirred decades-old memories of working at a phone company where women were not allowed to hold management positions. “They always gave us the clerical jobs and told us we didn’t have families to support,” she said. At a rally last month in Bloomington, Ind., she sat with her daughter Susan Henry, 45, a warehouse worker, who complained that her male colleagues did less work and made more money than the women did.
Decades after the dissolution of movement feminism, Mrs. Clinton’s events and donor lists filled with women who had experienced insult or isolation on the job.
Need I remind anyone that the numbers of women who have experienced insult or isolation on the job are legion? The truth is every woman has, though a few may be in denial.
Some even accuse Mr. Obama of chauvinism, pointing to the time he called Mrs. Clinton “likeable enough” as evidence of dismissiveness.
There was more to that than the mere words Obama spoke. Let’s not forget his tone, his facial expression, his body language. They all three expressed extreme disgust and distaste for Clinton, and perhaps the subject itself. It’s hard to imagine anything he could have said that would have been more unflattering short of answering how he clearly would have preferred, in the clearly impolitic negative.
I remembered numerous instances where he expressed a subtle but arrogant disdain of her in his criticisms of her on the campaign trail. I don’t like her either, as I’ve said a number of times now, but that doesn’t mean I’ll speak of her quite so dismissively as he has. And if I do, I’m not her political opponent for the highest office in the land, just a nobody bloggin’ fool. There comes a point when you stack enough of those dismissive little comment up and low and behold they lean right on over into the misogyny column.
I was also reminded of this sagacious observation posted at DU:
Obama has benefited mightily from sexism in this campaign, and has remained silent. Unless Barack Obama speaks out, his campaign’s chilling acceptance of the gender bias stirred by our national media will also remind many of Ronald Reagun’s acceptance of the race-baiting southern strategy-because if Barack Obama accepts the Presidency, at least in part, because of abject sexism, a brutal gender attack on a female rival- the most famous female Democrat in history- he will set feminism in our country back a generation. Journalist Tom Watson Jan 2008
which was accompanied by a link to this truly amazing montage of a video documenting just a bit of the sexism aimed at Clinton during these many months. I would hope no one could watch it without being infuriated.
I like the way blogger Lisa Nuss summarizes it:
And so about that “sweetie” comment. It’s simple — Barack feels entitled. Entitled to belittle an accomplished news reporter. Entitled to call his wife “the boss,” to laugh at how she “has to” pick up his socks. Entitled to abandon his commitment to his state as a 1st term senator and instead run all over the country running for president. Entitled to abandon his care of his two young children completely to his wife, laughing about how he never sees them. And then entitled to lecture other black men on the importance of families. Put a cigar in his mouth and he’d fit right in with a group of fat, old Republicans. Only – wait a minute. He’s a slim, young, Democrat. Getting away with condescending to women. Not only getting away with it – millions of people are eating it up. He’s so caught up with himself now he didn’t even congratulate Sen. Clinton on her huge West Virginia victory. Recall that the pundits excoriorated Sen. Clinton for not being more humble after her South Carolina loss. Yet they praised Barack for not being humble after his New Hampshire loss. Now he feels entitled not to even treat her as a respected competitor. And he’s being rewarded for it.
It’s no wonder some of us are pissed. Now, Nuss is clearly a Clinton supporter, but even though I am clearly not, I agree with her. Further, I’m saddened that this otherwise wonderful young man with so many gifts and talents is capturing hearts and minds everywhere, but doing so in part by enforcing anti-woman bigotry as one of the tools he holds close to his vest.
This is an excellent discussion of the sexism we’re seeing in this campaign.
I’ve been torn, because I want to oppose the rampant sexism I’m seeing. But I don’t want to support Clinton for other reasons. You separate the issues very clearly without leaving the fuzzy line between them that so many commentaries seem to leave behind.
Thanks, Thom! Appreciate your vote of approval and love seeing you here.
Ms. Drist –
Many excellent points and I appreciate your thoughts about my piece. I like the comment from Thomcat and your points about addressing the sexism for those who don’t necessarily support Sen. Clinton for other reasons.
Worth considering is the fact that Sen. Clinton never suggested people vote for her simply because she’s a woman, but based on her qualifications. Problem is there’s evidence people are not voting for her because she’s a woman but the media appear unable to acknowledge that. While men in Oregon voted for Obama 2 to 1 but women voted about equal numbers for both, no one has suggested the sexism at play. Yet when whites in West Virginia voted overwhelmingly for Clinton, all the media was concerned about the racism that implied. With such a clear gender marker in Oregon, you can’t deny sexism was involved unless you think it’s simple coincidence that twice as many men disagree with her platform as women.
Food for thought.
Lisa
Thanks for popping in, LIsa. I’ve added your blog to my list, as you can see, and very much appreciate your comments on the matter. I’m astounded at those Oregon numbers which, as you rightly point out, I didn’t hear mentioned anywhere.
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