Comments on: Counting Clinton Out

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:13:56 +0000

I think I’ve already said that I would love to have a female president. She was my governor when I was a teen in New Jersey, and while my hopes of a Whitman presidency are the stuff of dreams, my Clinton nightmare is made more tangible every time I hear criticism that never even punctures the fact of her gender or character. It bothers me that some of the most intelligent pundits most biting criticisms that do not resort to “bitch” or “lesbo” or the like, remain fixated on her self-interest, or her willingness to lie, or her cynicism. If any of these qualities is absent in a politician categorically, I’ve got a bridge to sell. How’s this for substantive criticism: every time I hear her speak, I get images in my mind of her face printed vividly on an Eastern Block poster in primary colors. This is the woman who wrote a book years before her run for president that was placed on display in my school’s library when it came out, which was essentially a guide on social engineering and among those lessons, a screed against the free market. Call me a purist, an extremist, whatever, but this is not the PERSON I want in charge of the country. And I could care less about her scruples.

By: Doctor Slack

Doctor Slack — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:09:31 +0000

(And no, the “Clinton is just doing what the boys do” argument doesn’t wash. Can you name a male politician who, during a primary, has endorsed the opposing party’s candidate over their primary opponent? There is obvious sexism in some coverage of Clinton, but it sounds rather like a comforting falsehood to pretend it’s all that relevant to why, say, a young feminist grad student would turn against her.)

By: Doctor Slack

Doctor Slack — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:00:48 +0000

“Trying to take on the male persona” is fairly standard jargon (from a certain stream of feminism) for “being an amoral, underhanded asshole.” What Alexa is gently trying to say is that Clinton has turned her off by running such a fucked-up campaign. Nothing insane about that.

By: nene

nene — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:04:01 +0000

Alexa will only be ready to vote for a female candidate when she, herself, changes.

By: Kevin B. O'Reilly

Kevin B. O'Reilly — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:29:15 +0000

Mr. Harris makes an excellent point. Hillary’s *real* self — whatever it may be after all these years in public life — is so hideously unlikable that she must constantly endeavor to formulate some public self that people can tolerate. And all of that only makes her seem calculating and deceptive.

By: Mithras

Mithras — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:16:56 +0000

The link to the wsj article seems to have some problem.

By: Franklin Harris

Franklin Harris — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:59:35 +0000

The problem Hillary Clinton has is that she gets pilloried on those few occasions when she is authentic (e.g., her much-maligned remark during Bill’s first presidential campaign when she said she wasn’t going to just stay home and bake cookies) and rewarded for when she isn’t (her New Hampshire comeback after chocking back tears). I prefer the authentic Hillary, to the extent I can be said to prefer either of them. But she prefers power, so she keeps trotting out the fake tears or “I’m your girl” crap because it seems to work. That makes her problematic both as a candidate and as a feminist.