Playing the Victim Card, Hillary Clinton Betrays Women

[Karmadillo]

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/playing_the_victim_card_hillary_clinton_betrays_women_20160215

Playing the Victim Card, Hillary Clinton Betrays Women
Posted on Feb 15, 2016
By Alexa Sue Amore

February has been a tumultuous month for feminism. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright damned young women who prefer Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton, and Gloria Steinem dismissively attributed what she perceives as an irrational preference for Sanders among young women to their raging hormones. The following day she apologized “for what’s been misrepresented as implying young women aren’t serious in their politics” but failed to acknowledge the blatant sexism of her remarks, sinking her reputation as a feminist in the minds of many.

Meanwhile, the popular trivialization of Sanders’ supporters as “Bernie bros” and “Bernie-splainers” perpetuates Steinem’s misrepresentation of Sanders’ supporters as “boys” followed by brainless female groupies. Both Albright and Steinem accuse young women of treachery and abandonment for having their own political opinions, encouraging them to reverse their position out of a sense of shame and guilt.

Little surprise: The recent eruption of comments belittling young women’s mental faculties emanates directly from Clinton herself.

Whenever Sanders confronts her about her record, Clinton casts herself as the victim of a sexist brand of male condescension. Her defensive, faux-feminist tone derails meaningful conversation about the factual political differences between the two candidates, undercutting young women’s ability to meaningfully participate in the political process.

more...

[Cleita]

1. She is a victim of Bill's sexual adventures outside of marriage, but it's not the

one she wants to play.

[bvar22]

2. From Larry Wilmore's Show last week:

"There is a special place in hell for women who don't help women who make up their OWN damned minds."

[Odin2005]

3. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaigns are the worst thing to ever happen to Feminism.

[DamnYankeeInHouston]

7. Yes!

There is no way people would put up with her whining victim act if she were a guy. She has set the women's movement way back.

[MissDeeds]

16. Spot on

[Voice for Peace]

19. I'm trying to remember if Elizabeth Warren ever makes

the point that she is also a woman?
Has she said that Wall Street hates girls?

[Hydra]

32. We know Wall St. is a boys club

And that they hate her with a passion...but they are also afraid of her, and that's quite the accomplishment.

[passiveporcupine]

23. Makes me wonder why other women in politics are not doing this?

the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment

She is the only one I know of who keeps making an issue of herself being a woman. Tell that to all the women who have been in congress and have not used sexism to promote herself, or as a defense shield...or even black women who did not use sex or color for self-promotion or defense. Hillary comes from pretty high up on the white privilege ladder...she is not one who looks good doing this.

Plus, she is not even standing up for women's rights. Jump to 1:28, to 2:53 on the interview for her views on abortion.

At the end...she thinks she can get more cooperation from the republicans than Obama?

[cui bono]

33. Yep. That's the sentiiment in my posts on this as well.

And yet the supposed staunch feminists on DU continue to back her because they seem to think feminism means backing a woman to achieve power even if she's playing the gender card to get there, simply because she is a woman and she must get the position even if it undermines the very essence of feminism to get her there.

Astounding.

.

[farleftlib]

4. Great read. K&R

By cultivating an underdog persona, Clinton sends a harmful message that women in politics are too weak to participate in meaningful debate, and that female viewers will be too caught up in the glorious prospect of a female president to notice her reluctance to discuss the objectionable parts of her record.

As the self-proclaimed victim of a smear campaign, she wallows in, rather than overcomes, the male-dominated political establishment, insensitively invoking women’s shared experiences of sexism to avoid talking about issues.

Clinton and her supporters frequently downplay Sanders’ progressive agenda as too idealistic, while touting the conviction that the symbolic act of electing a female president will substantially improve women’s lives across the country. Many young women simply aren’t buying into this propaganda...

Perhaps women and society in general are skeptical of the glass-ceiling argument for electing Clinton because we have seen how that worked out with the first African-American president. The election of Barack Obama did not magically elevate the status of blacks in this country. It did not result in better education in black neighborhoods or end mass incarceration or keep the lead out of the water in Flint, Mich. The appeal of symbolic victories just does not hold up against reality.

She needs to answer these questions and stop whining, especially when we know she plays dirty.

[snagglepuss]

29. "self-proclaimed victim of a smear campaign, she wallows in, rather than overcomes,"

and

"She needs to answer these questions and stop whining, especially when we know she plays dirty."

Two great lines from a terrific post that nails her. I wish Warren had run if only to demonstrate to Hillary and her supporters that her being female is irrelevant. Hillary wouldn't a stood a chance against Warren and Warren would never play the victim card.

[farleftlib]

30. Oh yes, Elizabeth Warren would be my dream candidate

Check this out from the Huffpost article The Race to Lose the White House that WillyT posted:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/the-race-to-lose-the-whit_b_9237006.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

Or, they could have rallied behind Elizabeth Warren. Admittedly, she wasn't interested. Just think, though, of what could have happened had she been persuaded to run. For one thing, she quickly would have eclipsed Hillary as the front runner. Razor sharp, personable, with a blue steel edge to her words, and resolute -- she likely would have delivered the Last Rites to Clinton by Super Tuesday. And then imagine her against any of the Republicans hopefuls whose only chance of winning turns on Clinton's negatives. A Warren -- Republican X contest, moreover, would have raised the prospect of a Democratic comeback across the board that it utterly beyond Clinton's capabilities.

Elizabeth Warren, additionally, is a woman who made her own way. She didn't become the Senator to a state she'd never lived in because of who her husband was. She earned her seat.

[noiretextatique]

5. not just with gender

she accused Terry Gross of twisting her words when confronted with her evolution on gay marriage. she was against it, then for it...fine. but...she would not admit she was against it, instead, she played the victim. i cannot respect someone like that.

[beam me up scottie]

6. That's a really good point.

That interview was cringe-inducingly painful to listen to.

[pangaia]

12. That was absolutely appalling. Hillary should be ashamed of herself for what she tried to do.

I was embarrassed for Terri. She is a good interviewer, not a 'go for the juglar' type, but good..
Although, in this case she did keep on Clinton for a while..

I remember hearing her interview Rumsfeld and she just let him hang himself. :&gt )

[Spitfire of ATJ]

21. I don't get how anyone thinks they can get one past Terry.

[CharlotteVale]

8. K&R

[SusanaMontana41]

9. Read that yesterday. Great stuff!

[fbc]

10. Supporting Hillary Clinton is wealth privilege

Maybe if was making more than 250k a year, had inherited money, or lived on a fat pension from back when fat pensions were still a thing, I'd be a Hillary Clinton supporter too.

But most of us do not have that luxury.

[thereismore]

11. She is running for "the first woman president" instead of "president".

[PatrynXX]

13. wonder if Code Pink

will show up and protest her warmongering

[SidDithers]

18. Maybe they'll #StandwithRand again...

oh wait, he already dropped out.



Sid

[bravenak]

26. +1

[jalan48]

14. The irony of those calling out sexism on a regular basis being the sexists in this instance.

[chervilant]

15. Thank you so very much for linking this article!!!

This, in particular, resonates for me:

Whenever Sanders confronts her about her record, Clinton casts herself as the victim of a sexist brand of male condescension. Her defensive, faux-feminist tone derails meaningful conversation about the factual political differences between the two candidates, undercutting young women’s ability to meaningfully participate in the political process.

Hi11ary DOES effect a defensive, faux-feminist tone, and I find it tiresome and disingenuous!

Go BERNIE!!!

#NotMeUs

[zentrum]

17. Woman for Bernie Here.

Proves I'm wicked smart. And informed. And with a great bullshit detector.

No feminist sends us into Bush's War. Or touts the Welfare Reform Bill that fell extra hard on minority women.

[Avalux]

24. This woman for Bernie agrees! n/t

[zentrum]

25. I think the boys are following us!

[Avalux]

28. You got that right! Why does it have to be the other way around?

[AzDar]

20. ^Troof^

[jfern]

22. She doesn't care for progressive women

She endorsed the corrupt conservative male Cuomo over the ethical progressive female Teachout.

[azmom]

27. K&R

[quickesst]

31. Curious....

"Meanwhile, the popular trivialization of Sanders’ supporters as “Bernie bros” and “Bernie-splainers” perpetuates Steinem’s misrepresentation of Sanders’ supporters as “boys” followed by brainless female groupies. Both Albright and Steinem accuse young women of treachery and abandonment for having their own political opinions, encouraging them to reverse their position out of a sense of shame and guilt."

Either Bernie knows these people are real, and need to be reined in, or he and his campaign or woefully out of touch.





Bernie Sanders Tells Berniebros To Knock It Off — ‘We Don’t Want That Crap’

Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had a terse message for any of his supporters who engage in online harassment: “We don’t want that crap.” He told CNN on Sunday that the so-called “Berniebro” phenomenon is “disgusting” and that “anybody who is supporting me that is doing the sexist things — we don’t want them.”
The “Berniebro” phenomenon, where a mob of online Sanders supporters attack politicians and writers who express views critical of the Vermont senator or supportive of his Democratic rival Secretary Hilary Clinton, launched numerous thinkpieces from journalists unfortunate enough to encounter them online. At their worst, Berniebros have accused Clinton supporters of voting “based on who had the vagina” and have invented novel sexist terms such as “clitrash.”
Meanwhile, the Sanders campaign has engaged in an escalating series of tactics trying to convince the Berniebros to cut it out. Sanders’ rapid response director asked the senator’s supporters to chill on Twitter:

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2016/02/07/3746988/bernie-sanders-tells-berniebros-to-knock-it-off-we-dont-want-that-crap/

The Sanders campaign wants them to "cut it out".