Should Barack Obama have to apologize for his gender?

[Bicoastal]

(Edited to fix some spelling errors)

It's getting ridiculous--BHO is not responsible for the sexist garbage being thrown at Hillary on the other side, just as Hillary is not responsible for the "Barack is a Muslim" stories coming from largely the same sources. With the arguable exception of "You're likable enough, Hillary" comment, Obama himself has been relatively civil to Hillary in the realm of personal attacks, but not ONCE has Barack or Michelle Obama said a word about Hillary's gender that hasn't been 100% positive.

Yet, HE'S being blamed for the sexist attacks spewing from the likes of Hannity and Limbaugh. Some have even said he's not doing enough to discourage these attacks, as if Obama has any control over what Right Wing media pundits and other troglodytes have to say about HRC.

The fact is, Hillary promised us that she could stand her own against these attacks--that she was a fighter, that she'd been fighting against the Republicans for the last 15 years and could do it again. Now, she's attempting to play the victim while Obama, with his dark skin and a Middle-Eastern-y name (if there's anything the RW hates more than Clintons, it's Muslims) amazingly seems to be holding his own and winning more converts far better than Hillary's campaign is. The amount of heat Hillary is taking from her old enemies is unfair on many levels--but the sexism is out there, fair or not, and Hillary isn't currently convincing me that she can overcome it. Shall we blame Obama for that, too?

I have always been convinced that a lot of the anger directed at Hillary is most because of Bill, who in many ways deserves it more than she does. It's unfortunate, and I really do feel sorry for Hillary when these gender attacks happen. But short of feeling so sympathetic that he drops out of the race completely, Obama can't be held responsible for the cavemen who do things like hold up "Iron My Shirt" signs or the TV blowhards who call her a "witch," simply because he, like them, is a male. There ARE female politicians who can unite most of the demographics behind them, just as Obama seems to be uniting most demographics behind him. But I feel strongly that Hillary Clinton is not that politician.

[LordJFT]

1. k&r

[Debi]

2. K & R

Thank you Bicostal!

[bunnies]

3. Should he have to apologize for his gender? Yes. Definitely.

He is a man after all. :evilgrin:

[AtomicKitten]

4. Great piece! K&R

thanks for posting ;)

[K Gardner]

5. K^R.. excellent.

[LisaM]

6. I've never seen any direct criticism of Obama on this

I think what people HAVE been trying to point out is that this primary has shown how much the language of sexism has crept into our language undetected, and how hidden it's been. I plead guilty. Until Hillary became a viable candidate, I wasn't really clued into how words like "pimp" are gender-based. It's subtle in a lot of cases, but it's really pervasive. Yesterday someone was accusing 1960s feminists of being "paleofeminists" - about as insulting as you can get. PALEO?

[Bicoastal]

7. All I know is that on another thread, a discussion on "Why aren't the Democrats

doing More to Protect Hillary?" took a really nasty detour when a 40-year-old female DU'er said she wasn't a victim, only to have several others correct her and say, "No, you ARE a victim--you just don't realize it."

Hillary clearly is like this first DU'er--she doesn't need any help fighting her battles. But there too many factors outside of her gender that make her a weaker candidate than her opponent right now. (Like being married to a compulsive philanderer, for one thing.)

[LisaM]

10. I think there is a frustration with active feminists

When our sisters act as if certain behaviors and phrasings aren't sexist. I remember years ago on "Politically Incorrect", some snotty young woman was on with Erica Jong and jumped up and screamed at her, "well, I don't need any old people like you telling me I'm not liberated" or something like that, failing to acknowledge the way-paving that came before.

I have a t-shirt that says, "I'll be Post Feminist in the Post Patriarchy". I fear that the US is still a patriarchy, but frankly, people don't really realize it.

[Fredda Weinberg]

8. I'd like to hear him apologize for bullying his little sister n/t

[Bicoastal]

9. It is the role of every oldest child to push around their younger sibling(s).

As the youngest child in my family, I can attest to this. :)

[Fredda Weinberg]

11. Well, this youngest didn't take any crap from her older brothers

So let that be a lesson.

[Bicoastal]

12. My older siblings were both female. I couldn't pound on them...

...so the best I could get away with was being a snoop. :evilgrin:

What can I say? Nothing like being honest.

[Fredda Weinberg]

13. I was too young to speak ... but I had 3 teeth. My older brother

remembers the episode w/amusement - he wasn't the closest.

The episode was never repeated.

[readmoreoften]

14. Should John Edwards have had to apologize for his race?

Another stupid OP. Come on, I'm trying to keep SOME Obama supporters off ignore.

[intaglio]

15. Of course he must apologise

and not just for his gender.

He must issue an apology for being supported:
1) by men
2) by the young
3) by women
4) by other races

he must apologise for:
challenging the annointed one
making Bill look bad (in comparison0
the Egyptian Empire
speaking well
wanting people to hope

Oh :sarcasm: if you hadn't guessed