Hillary Clinton: Ixnay on the Ining-Whay!

It's almost become a cliche put out by feminists that there's media misogyny in the coverage of Clinton's campaign--and from the Clinton campaign, "a double standard" to which the campaign's been held. I know I myself have said that MSM sexism is appalling a couple hundred thousand million times. (It doesn't mean it's any less true.) It's just that it's starting to echo a lot and we've lost sight of what sexist media coverage of Clinton's campaign means. So I'm glad Michelle Norris of NPR dug deeper into this with Senator Clinton recently.

From the April 8, 2008, interview Norris conducted with Clinton, where she asked Clinton if it was true that if the only way for her to win is to win "ugly":

"Well, I don't know what it means because there is no way for Senator Obama to win unless he also obtains a significant number of superdelegates," said Clinton. "I understand that there has been, throughout this campaign, something of a double standard. I accept it; I live with it."

Asked what the double standard is, Clinton at first demurred.

"Well, I think that it's pretty obvious to anybody who has followed it," said Clinton.

When Norris followed-up again, saying, "Just in case it's not clear to someone, I don’t want to assume. I just want you to tell me what you think the double standard is because I don't want to assume," Clinton unloaded.

"No, but you know – for example, why is the question directed at me?" she said. "I mean, neither of us has the number of delegates to win. It is a problem for both of us."

There is just one teeny problem in the equivalency Clinton draws: she's not leading by delegate count, the popular vote, or states won. And her superdelegate margin over Obama is shrinking. Which may account for why she's being asked if she's stepping down any time soon, or if her road to winning the nomination is "ugly" because it involves the superdelegates ignoring delegate count, popular vote, or the number of states won to choose Clinton over Obama. So why would it be "fair" to ask the frontrunner to drop out?

I'm starting to wonder if Clinton would like some cheese with her whine. Because if she thinks Obama is a media darling, HOW IS SHE GOING TO GO UP SUCCESSFULLY AGAINST JOHN McCAIN, who must have nekkid pictures of most of the press corps getting it on with puppies or cows from the huggy-kissy coverage HE gets? Seriously, I don't know what he did to get all those free passes from journos.

So Clinton, here is some toughlove, because if somehow you become the nominee and I'm going to have to vote for you, I don't want to hear why you aren't getting any traction in your attacks on your dear friend John McCain. I want you to TAKE HIM DOWN.

You've claimed that you're doing Obama a favor by "vetting" him with some friendly fellow Democratic partisan-style toughlove. But the same could be said of you--Obama is giving you a fair fight on your road to the nomination (if you get it). In fact, I'd say Obama is far more gentlemanly than McCain would be, for all kinds of reasons. No one has to tell you that Republicans will Go There. And the media will Go There too, they already have.

Your toughlove, Senator Clinton:

• The double media standard: Deanie's Blue Inkblots dresses down sexism without dressing up Hillary's flaws, tough Texas broad style.
• Can you benefit from the "double standard"? Jthomascronin thinks so, and lists 6 ways. Please stop. These are icky habits and ineffective.

You're welcome.

Now a while back, I floated the idea that the remaining primary should be used as an opportunity to see who could do better in the contest of whittling McCain down to size: Obama or Clinton? What puzzles me is why she hasn't seized on this opportunity. I know she's capable of a nice sharp attack. And wouldn't that be how the presumptive nominee would think? Time to get in your licks against McCain? I've found one, below--where's more?

More of this:

And less of this:

Or this:

Unless, and this is paranoid but possible, Clinton's pulling punches on McCain because she can run against him in 2012 if McCain wins:

Finally, here's a great perspective on muzzling the attack dogs and restoring some substance and civility to journalism--i.e., performing a misogynectomy on MSM: "Why Fighting the Media System Should Be on the Feminist Agenda." Hillary, you can continue to complain about the status quo, or you can get your friends Gloria and Robin and other feminists stirred up to change the system that's broken. Because by attacking the system, you'd be helping women who come after you who'd undoubtedly face the same thing. By sticking within the status quo and complaining about it, you just want things to be better for yourself. Which will it be?

Cynematic believes a little "never complain, never explain" is good for groundbreaking women. That, and team contact sports for girls. She blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.

Comments

[Lawyer Mama]

I hear you, Cyn, on the "sucking it up and taking it" thing. But if we (meaning women) don't call a spade a spade, who will?

You know I'm an Obama supporter, but I think HRC is entitled to bitch about the double standard applied to women (particularly her). It drives me insane that the MSM is so damn tough on her while they're making out with McCandidate on the back of the bus. And I think that's part of what this is about, not just who's leading with delegates.

[Deb]

Maybe it's related to my experiences as the only woman in a group of men (snowboarding prior to its mainstream popularity, when it was 95% dudes; uh, participating in "burlesque" and getting the low-down from men about their real feelings about women -- for some reason they felt they could open up about that stuff to a stripper, which just seems really odd to me now in retrospect, but, anyway; and lastly, having hung about local rock shows where there few women, and the ones who were female were often gay, because it's just kind of a really penis-possessing scene, even now, I think; living with a bunch of guys in a house/frat party for several months while living/working in Alaska one season). But my take is that you *do* have to keep quiet about the things that seem to be a personal affront if you want to gain respect (and Cyn, glad you linked to Deanie's Blue Inkdots 'cause I was on the verge of doing so, myself). It isn't easy, and it's most *certainly* not fair, but it's that whole "man's" world thing. And frankly, men can be mad whiners, but MAD whiners, I've discovered, and it's just that they don't do it around women very much, unless you've sorta slipped under the wire and they have kind of forgotten you're a girl and they start being themselves. But it's a club. It is.

And I would love to see Ms. Clinton take on all the double-standard nonsense if she becomes our next president.

AFTER she's gotten the office. But not until then. Until then? She needs to take it on the chin. Get the respect *first*, THEN deal with the fact that it's utter crap double-standard nonsense.

That's my take, anyway.

[cynematic]

Great comments all around! I want to put it out there that it IS possible to be an Obama supporter AND simultaneously be disgusted with how MSM covers Clinton. I don't watch tv at all any more, and I'm so much happier getting my information from other sources.

LawyerMama, I really lay this inability to deal with MSM misogyny at Clinton's campaign managers' feet. I mean, they *know* who they're representing, right? They KNOW that she's like red meat to women-haters (not all of whom are Republican). So I don't know why her campaign didn't evolve some kind of strategy to suffocate this MSM misogyny every time its head arose. If I were managing her campaign, I'd have done advance work to get prominent feminist pundits/spokespeople on board to act as a Squelch Squad. Same with online feminists, many of whom are college-age: have them bombard guilty parties with letters, phone calls, etc, EVERY time it happens. Hire Tina Fey freelance to punch up some speeches. Every time someone made a comment about thighs or cackles or whatever, she should've cackled right back and said: "Well my THIGHS aren't going to solve your subprime mortgage problems. Let's talk about what will--my new economic plan." Or cackled and said, "Why Joe/Chris/whoever, you mean you were looking at my THIGHS? Does your wife know? You sure it's okay with her? Anyway, back to my economic plan..." Or whatever. Sassed back. To my mind, this is elementary campaign strategy: MESSAGE CONTROL. Media coaching for your candidate. Her campaign managers did not serve her well. (That's why I find her whiny. Has no one found a solution? Or tried one?) I don't think there's a silver bullet that'll make all of it go away, but to my mind she hasn't tried hard enough to get on top of the problem to be able to complain about it.

But that's my overall frustration with Clinton. She lacks the imagination to punch her way out of the problem or to critique the overall system. And as I'm at best a hold-my-nose supporter, I don't feel obliged to do the work for her--especially not after her race-baiting Obama. (The Squelch Squad could've used the talking points in the very last article I linked to, about how changing the media is a feminist issue.) Instead MSM misogyny becomes a crutch. And if her campaign managers did not serve her well, she herself wasn't giving them the direction they needed to solve the problem.

As for the double standard--I looked hard for an example where she said that McCain gets to slide by. Couldn't find one. She could've gotten two hits on two different fronts, Obama and McCain. Why not act like the presumptive nominee and start going after McCain?

Deb, glad you liked the Deanie's Blue Inkdots post. I liked how she said, you can't whine "even if it's true." And it IS true MSM is overflowing with sexism. Question is, what are you going to do about it? It's "all about how you handle it."

[Gunfighter]

Complain about double standards while unable or unwilling to define the double standard=FULL OF SHIT.

There it is, Senator Clinton. Grow up, put on your big girl pants and fight. Take your lumps and continue fighting... but for God's sake, please stop complaining that it's unfair because the boy fighters are punching too hard... "because I'm a girl".