Jane Hamsher on the Hillary haters:

[11 Bravo]

I continue to strongly support John Edwards, but the level of vituperation leveled against Hillary Clinton has been over the top, even for this place.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/pushing-back-against-the-_b_84863.html

[REDFISHBLUEFISH]

1. Its on main stream media too.

The same folks that silenced Edwards want to shhush the Clintons.

They want another PLIABLE candidate like Dubya. Just from Democratic side.

[AX10]

2. The hate for her is not just at DU...

but most of the so-called "Democratic" blogesphere. TPM, Huffpost, Kos, etc...
Air America Radio is not much better. Ed Schultz has gone into mysgonic territory when railing against her.

This just proves that the far-left can be just as bad as Rush, Hannity, Ingraham, Drudge, etc...

[rodeodance]

3. I have lots of respect for JH.

[Jane Austin]

12. I don't.

She ran off a perfectly good member of the FDL community a couple of summers ago

using hateful language and said my friend had "violated the rules".

My friend didn't know she had violated the rules. What she had done was object (mildly) to Jane Hamsher using the word pu**y in some rant or other.

Hamsher wouldn't tell her what the rules were, and then banned her.

Lotus was a very popular commenter there and when she left a number of people who had been there since the beginning left, too.

During that time, it seemed that if you differed with Hamsher on her blog, she told you where you could go in the crudest possible way.

I don't know what it's like now, but I wasn't interested in having to guess who was next so I haven't been over there in over a year.

[rodeodance]

18. sorry to hear that--actually it is only about less than year since i have tuned into her writing.

[rodeodance]

14. yes, the far left can be as vile as the RW when it comes to HRC

[rodeodance]

4. REC

[Little Star]

9. Kick & Highly Recommend

[BooScout]

5. It's totally disgusting........

And I remember well all the fighting that went on in 2004. The ugliness while bad then was not near as hateful as it is now.

Very disheartening to think that people like this want a chance at Uniting the country again. If anything they will fracture it even further than it already is.

[MADem]

6. Wow, big finish, there!

I apologize in advance for quoting Fish's post in its entirety but I think it deserves to be read. If Hillary Clinton does pull this thing off, she will have done so against the seemingly insurmountable weight of 16 years of being the target of misogny and hatred that have focused into a narrative that has also been appropriated by many on the so-called "left" to take her down -- and certainly by the media.

I guess she didn't get the memo -- middle aged women are supposed to dry up, go home and be invisible.

[rodeodance]

16. ha ha "I guess she didn't get the memo -- middle aged women are supposed to dry up, go home and be i

[Nederland]

7. I wonder why?

I wonder why she has so many different types of people that hate her. I mean, obviously it can't be because of anything she has done or said over the last 16 years, so I wonder what makes her such a hated figure in American politics. :eyes:

[Little Star]

8. Every one should follow your link and hear what Jane has to say.

Quite enlightening. Here is just a small part of what she has to say:
snip~
I was watching MSNBC this morning and wondering how much the media thrall surrounding Barack Obama has been worth to his campaign.

Having seen Obama mania up close and personal the media didn't make it up, but the way they cover this race -- the language they use to talk about him, his charisma, his "youth movement," his momentum and his star qualilty all stand in sharp contrast to the way they pick apart every detail of Clinton.

They obsess over her in irrational and completely contradictory ways and just seem to find it unseemly that a middle aged woman won't quietly remove herself from the national stage and stop making a bunch of men under 35 uncomfortable with her very presence.
Snip~

Then she leads us over to this at NYTimes.com:
http://fish.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/all-you-need-is-hate/
snip~
All You Need Is Hate
I have been thinking about writing this column for some time, but I have hesitated because of a fear that it would advance the agenda that is its target. That is the agenda of Hillary Clinton-hating.
Its existence is hardly news — it is routinely referred to by commentators on the present campaign and it has been documented in essays and books — but the details of it can still startle when you encounter them up close. In the January issue of GQ, Jason Horowitz described the world of Hillary haters, many of whom he has interviewed. Horowitz finds that the hostile characterizations of Clinton do not add up to a coherent account of her hatefulness. She is vilified for being a feminist and for not being one, for being an extreme leftist and for being a “warmongering hawk,” for being godless and for being “frighteningly fundamentalist,” for being the victim of her husband’s peccadilloes and for enabling them. “She is,” Horowitz concludes, “an empty vessel into which can pour everything they detest.” (In this she is the counterpart of George W. Bush, who serves much the same function for many liberals.)
This is not to say that there are no rational, well-considered reasons for opposing Clinton’s candidacy. You may dislike her policies (which she has not been reluctant to explain in great detail). You may not be able to get past her vote to authorize the Iraq war. You may think her personality unsuited to the tasks of inspiring and uniting the American people. You may believe that if this is truly a change election, she is not the one to bring about real change.
But the people and groups Horowitz surveys have brought criticism of Clinton to what sportswriters call “the next level,” in this case to the level of personal vituperation unconnected to, and often unconcerned with, the facts. These people are obsessed with things like her hair styles, the “strangeness” of her eyes — “Analysis of Clinton’s eyes is a favorite motif among her most rabid adversaries” — and they retail and recycle items from what Horowitz calls “The Crazy Files”: she’s Osama bin Laden’s candidate; she kills cats; she’s a witch (this is not meant metaphorically).
Snip~

A MUST READ FOR ALL!

[tandem5]

10. thanks for posting this nt

[Spiffarino]

11. I'm an Edwards guy, but the Hillary hate's ridiculous

She may well be the nominee so what's the point of crapping on her?

Admittedly, I don't care for her very much but that's based on her positions and actions on a few issues. I'd rather see Barack get the nod, but it isn't like she's the only Dem who gets it wrong sometimes. And she's a damn sight better than John "Insane" McCain.

She's sure as hell getting my vote if she's the nominee. No more Republicans. Ever.

K&R from a former Edwards- now current Obama-supporter

[nonconformist]

13. This Edwards supporter agrees. K & R. nt

[Coexist]

15. it was interesting, until she got to this part - and lost me on the entire theory:

"I guess she didn't get the memo -- middle aged women are supposed to dry up, go home and be invisible."



Since when do we all hate middle aged women. There are women all over the House, in the Senate, both Republican and Democrat.

That sentence left a bad taste in my mouth - she doesn't have much of an argument if she has to resort to something pathetic like that.

[hlthe2b]

21. I'm guessing you are quite young.... My Mother experienced it

and warned me. I never believed it either, but sadly, I now believe there is something to it. We do not value middle aged women as much in a society that so dramatically sexualizes women to "prove their self worth."

I hope it changes for your generation. It just might require the first woman President to move us toward that.... :shrug:

[Coexist]

28. I am 42. I have a daughter.

She can have a great career in any field if she works hard.

Most women I know my age make lots more than those just entering the workforce.

Are you saying a 45 year old M.D. makes less than a first year intern who is cute? Is less respected than her? People would turn to the intern for advice on important medical decisions?

Take a look at this list of the 100 Most Powerful Women, and come back with a list of lovely 24 year olds.

And then give me a break.

[hlthe2b]

32. Don 't be snide. If you are 42, you know better than this.

I have earned two doctorate degrees in male-dominated fields. You are fortunate to have not experienced what other professional women of our generation have, and THAT IS a glass ceiling that has only started to be penetrated.


I'd normally be happy to converse back and forth and to debate the issue, but I find your two posts to have such a condescending tone, I guess it isn't worth the trouble...:shrug:

[Coexist]

34. sorry to seem so mean

but to reduce women and men who won't vote for Hillary to such a sad cliche is way beyond Jane Hamsher and it really bothered me.

I was taking all she said to heart, and then she ended it on that petty note.

I was insulted and I may have taken that out on you.

Again, my apologies. I was rude. It wasn't necessary.

[hlthe2b]

36. Thank you for that... I suspect I am as conflicted as you....

I feel very strongly that we bear responsibility for our vote. No longer can we say our single vote doesn't matter....

[NashVegas]

23. Are You Kidding?

Last year a co-worker, the morning after the Screen Actors' Guild awards, made a "sag" joke in regards to mature actresses being featured and winning awards. Contrast that to the Oscars. How often does an actress over the age of 35 get a nom?

Dove soap had an ad campaign ready to go featuring nude women, all well over the age of 45 and very tastefully covered up, ready to go. US networks rejected it.

How did you like the Victoria's Secret commercial in the Super Bowl last night?

[Coexist]

27. I AM a middle aged woman. 42 years old with a teenaged daughter

and the field you are referencing is a vanity field. Their looks are important to their careers.

Name a career outside the entertainment industry where women my age don't, on average, make more than 20 year olds.

We are not disposable, we are not "dried up". We do what we want, make our choices, thanks to the strength of the women who came before us.

[NashVegas]

38. Oh ... Boy

If one argues the extremes, of course a 40 YO is going to make more than a 20 YO. How about a 35 YO male doing the same work in a non-union or other setting that doesn't have strict codes?

[OzarkDem]

29. Women are not adequately represented in public office

especially considering they make up more than half the population of the US.

After years of talking a good game, Dems have done poorly in helping women get elected. Even the GOP does a better job.

[in_cog_ni_to]

41. Are you kidding? You think the good old boys club isn't being threatened right now?

They ARE! Why do you think the troops have been rallied to support Obama against her? THEY ARE THREATENED BY A WOMAN. They would much prefer she stay home and just shut up.

[Straight Shooter]

17. We've got our work cut out for us to go up against the Hillary haters, but I don't care.

We'll win them over with dedication and determination. Look at who our role model is :)

GO HILLARY!

[rodeodance]

19. ~ALL FIRED-UP FOR THE LADY~ YES SHE CAN, YES WE CAN~~

[Nederland]

22. Interesting chant

I wonder where you got it from... :eyes:

[rodeodance]

24. Obamafolks stole it from the UNITED Farm workers-Know your history before you spout off!

[VolcanoJen]

37. Chavez supporters never chanted, "Yes, he can."

Just saying.

[Spiffarino]

26. The one thing I DO like about Hillary

...is that, as a campaigner, she takes no crap and is a merciless asskicker. I may not agree with her on a few things, but I agree that she's got the moxie to win.

[BlackVelvet04]

20. that's a great article....

I just ordered the book The Hunting of the President: The Ten-Year Campaign to Destroy Bill and Hillary Clinton. I imagine we would find the same people behind the current smearing as the past smearing.

[otohara]

25. Hillary Already Has A Built In Hate Audience

and like it or not, her vote to authorize the Iraq mess is where much of the anger from the left comes from. Not to mention, Kyl/Leiberman and her NO vote to Carl Levins' amendment. Do these people not have the right to be angry?

Sorry Fox News & right-wing doesn't hate Obama as much as Senator Clinton. Give them time, but I don't think the hate on the right for Clinton will ever top any democrat. As for the rest of the media, Obama mania is undeniable, it's hard not to report on it.

Here's a thought, spread some vile rumors about Barack and his wife - wait 16 years and maybe, just maybe, Barack Obama will be just as hated by the right-wing.

BTW, I love them both, but I'm a little concerned about winning the general election if Hillary is our candidate. On the other hand, I'm thrilled that Obama has inspired the future generation of adults to take more interest in their country and politics. My years left on this earth are winding down, I'm willing to let the new kids take responsibility.

[DainBramaged]

30. "focused into a narrative that has also been appropriated by many on the so-called "left" to take

her down."


How horrible a thought that is. We on the left have people in our midst so hateful and suck ass that they are willing to take her down and give the election back to the Reich.


They have to be bedwetters.

[OzarkDem]

31. Great article, good analysis

I find this quote especially relevant:

"They obsess over her in irrational and completely contradictory ways and just seem to find it unseemly that a middle aged woman won't quietly remove herself from the national stage and stop making a bunch of men under 35 uncomfortable with her very presence."

The prevalence of sexism in the younger generation of males (esp. Dem males) has been a big disappointment. It reminds me of the old days of sexism and job discrimination when all the young turks felt it was acceptable, even the norm, to show hostility to experienced women, seeing them as obstacles to their climb up the career ladder. Sad to see it hasn't changed.

[kurth]

33. "the craziness of a cult"

[chascarrillo]

35. Maybe she's upset that she can't photoshop Obama in blackface?

:shrug:

[VolcanoJen]

39. Interesting piece, but...

... it's as if she's implying that anyone who doesn't support Clinton in this primary feels that "middle aged women are supposed to dry up, go home and be invisible."

Unless I'm really reading that wrong, I'm pretty offended by that characterization.

[burythehatchet]

40. I don't feel like reading the article, but does she discuss the people Hil associates with?

That's a big issue for me.

[krkaufman]

42. Hamsher's referenced source is largely talking about the true whackos ...

... who theorize that the Clintons killed Vince Foster, etc. The author graciously allowed, however, a hater-exception for those with valid reasons for not supporting her candidacy.

[Indenturedebtor]

43. Im not a big fan

And as with many others out there who call themselves progressives we tend to dislike politicians who run campaigns on corporate coffers, etc. She has enough baggage that theories dont really need to be invented... just ask someone.