Philly Inquier:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080123_Sexism_is_candidate_Clintons_primary_opponent.htmlNo one has called Barack Obama a witch.
No one has suggested John McCain is too ambitious.
No one has disparaged Mitt Romney for misting up.
No one has accused John Edwards of faking emotions.
No one has depicted Mike Huckabee as calculating.
No one has critiqued the pitch of Rudy Giuliani's voice.
No one says male presidential aspirants are cold or feisty or careless about their cleavage (or any other anatomical feature). If they tear up, or even - gasp! - cry, no one says men are too weak to run the country. If they blow a gasket (à la Bill Clinton), it's manly. If they blow off a question (classic Reagan), it's strategic.
But when a woman has a chance to win the presidency, all bets are off. It's no conspiracy; this is America.
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There is a double standard, and, with Clinton's candidacy, we see it in sharp relief. She is judged differently than her male competitors, and not just because she's a Clinton.
When she doesn't show emotion, she's cold. When she does, she's - what? - feminine? Soft? Un-commander-in-chief-like? Unless, of course, she's faking it, in which case she's calculating. When she's serious, she's humorless; if she laughs, she cackles. If she attacks, she's partisan. If she plays nice, she's acting. If she wears pantsuits, she's manly. If she shows a millimeter of cleavage, she's flirty.
She didn't leave her husband because she's too ambitious, or so the story goes. Then again, she drove him to cheat. And she rode the public's sympathy all the way to the Senate.
Earlier this year, Clinton was routinely diminished when pundits referred to her solely by her first name. When I asked one to explain, he said it was because her own campaign signs called her "Hillary." True. But when Lamar Alexander's signs proclaimed simply "Lamar!" the chattering class properly used his last name.
In many ways, it remains socially acceptable to be sexist. Whether that's because it's not always easily defined, or because women have been lulled into tolerating it, or because men still hold the keys to success is difficult to determine. Could it be that the men who dominate the airwaves and oversee most election coverage don't recognize the code words, that they honestly don't see the disparate treatment?
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whole lot more!