An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton Supporters [View All]

[ProSense]

An Open Letter to Hillary Clinton Supporters

by thereisnospoon
Fri May 16, 2008 at 05:34:06 AM PDT

I'd like to make a quick note to all of Hillary Clinton's supporters who are currently blaming sexism for the fact that your candidate has almost certainly lost sexism had nothing to do with it. In fact, it was anything but.

Sure, Hillary was the victim of some sexism, just as Obama has been the victim of some racism and McCain will be the victim of some ageism.

But that's not what spiked Clinton's chances. Bill Clinton would also have lost this year.

The truth is that there is a quiet battle being waged for the soul of the Democratic Party. Your candidate was on the wrong side of that divide. It wouldn't have mattered if Hillary had been male, and Obama female. What mattered here was ideology.

In column #1, you had:

• Barack Obama
  
• Progressive
  
• Howard Dean
  
• ground-up campaign
  
• rejection of lobbyists
  
• 50-state strategy
  
• bringing in new voters
  
• activist orientation
  
• establishing new coalitions
  
• downballot as important as top-of-ballot
  
• unapologetically espousing progressive principles and taking with you the voters that will come your way
  
• looking tough on national security by not voting with Republicans
  
• moving beyond the social issue fights that have characterized politics lo these many years.

In column #2, you had:

• Bill Clinton
  
• DLC Democrat
  
• Mark Penn
  
• Terry McAuliffe
  
• James Carville
  
• triangulation
  
• "lobbyists are real people"
  
• "big/swing state strategy"
  
• top-down campaign
  
• keep the old coalition alive at all costs and win back the Reagan "Dems" by magic pixie dust
  
• establishment oriented
  
• "the White House is all that matters"
  
• trying to look tough on national security by voting with Republicans to invade other countries to prove your bone fides
  
• and continuing the same squares/hippies proxy fights that have been taking place since the late 60's.

And that doesn't even get into 3am phone calls and other campaign tactics.

The simple truth is that the candidate who staked themselves out in column #2 was probably going to lose--and if wouldn't have mattered if they were black, brown, white, male, female, neuter, or space alien. The time for that ideology at the head of the Democratic Party has passed.

It is deeply unfortunate that the historic candidacy of a serious female contender for President had to get swept up and moved aside because she chose the wrong side of a party realignment and ideological divide. But that's just the way it went.

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more

When Hillary's tactics fail, there is always the sexism argument. In addition to the above and this, here is why sexism is a lousy argument for why Hillary is losing:

• Hillary is losing because she is a poor manager.
  
• Her old strategist was overpaid and lousy.
  
• Sexism isn't responsible for Hillary adopting every RW talking point.

The sexism argument is another crutch to excuse the denial that she is a lousy candidate who came to the race prepared only with the notion that she couldn't lose.

Hillary's campaign is not about advancing women, it's about advancing Hillary

Why do some of Hillary's supporters continue to treat every endorsement as "betrayal"?

The Trouble With Brand Hillary