Many want Hillary Clinton to go away. They complain that she is not accepting sufficient responsibility for losing the election. As a Bernie Delegate who believes Hillary was not the best choice, I say categorically that sexism is the primary reason she lost and why even some Liberals want her to shut up.
This morning I read a touching piece written by StellaRay titled “I am VERY discouraged about the unconscious sexism here” at the DailyKos. By “here” she meant on DailyKos, the largest Progressive website in the world extrapolated to Liberals in general.
She started her piece with a paragraph that saddened me.
And oh yeah, I can’t write this diary w/out mentioning Hillary Clinton, sure wish I could, as I suspect I’m going to get pie in my face for stating my concerns and worries. Meh, whatever. It will make me feel better to type this out, and after that…again, whatever.
She is hoping to mitigate the self-righteous attacks from a sect of Liberals who will likely slam her post with a claim that their attacks on Clinton have nothing to do with sexism. That should not be necessary on a site filled with ‘enlightened’ Liberals.
StellaRay said the following.
Now, I want to make very clear that I do understand that some of you do not like what Hillary has had to say. OK.
What I do want to talk about is this idea that she should just shut up and go away. And yes, I do think that’s unconscious sexism. I have seen all kinds of wild comments here about how Al Gore shut up and went away—no, he did not. He poured himself into his personal passion, which was about climate change. About how John Kerry never made a fuss over losing, and yet in the last few days I’ve seen him all over the networks speaking his truth. Then there’s John McCain and Romney, BOTH of whom have had their say since they lost. In McCain’s case, many times over, but then I understand, he’s still a senator.
However, McCain has repeatedly had voice in this country since he lost. He steps right up there and blasts it out. We may not like what he has to say, but I don’t hear many here saying he should just shut up and go away because he lost the race for the presidency. For other reasons, yeah, but not because he lost as a presidential candidate.
I just cannot tell y’all how visceral this feels to me, as a woman. I search for and don’t find any better words to describe it than so many before me have reached for. But I feel it in my belly, and it hurts.
Understand that some may reply to my post here by saying “just because I don’t like or didn’t believe in Hillary does not make me sexist.” Well…I totally get that and accept that.
BUT, the UNCONSCIOUS part I’m talking about has very little to do with whether you liked Hillary or you didn’t. Whether you like what she’s saying now or you don’t. The UNCONSCIOUS sexist part is for those who think she should be sporting duck tape over her mouth.
StellaRay is right. I was a Bernie delegate. I think the Establishment of the Democratic Party has lost its way. I think Hillary is a part of it. But so is Obama and all the other men (and women) in the Establishment. They are not evil people. They have just made a calculated choice where they are a bit more appeasing to the monied interests they believe for the well-being of the Democratic Party. Grassroots Democrats want to empower the base and create a platform where the masses want to engage and with small dollars support the party. Working with monied interest is easier while working with the masses is time-consuming and takes a lot of effort.
That said. Hillary was the most qualified person running in the 2016 Presidential election. After she had become the Democratic Party nominee, I supported her and campaigned for her. What I found from a sect of our ‘enlightened’ Liberals is that her fight was not only with those on the Right. Things that men got away with she didn’t. And the disrespect in the manner the Left that wasn’t on her side addressed her was appalling.
This election proved something to me I thought, as a black man, I would never say, sexism in the aggregate supersedes racism in our current culture. That Trump got 15% of black men’s vote is probative.
I want Hillary Clinton to take some time to tell the real story of her defeat, yes and bad campaign. But against Trump, the worst campaign could have won the electoral college with Russian interference, Comey, and voter suppression. Absent sexist men (and women) she would still be president.
Now, I want the Clintons, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer, and all the other old timers to go away and leave the space open for new vibrant blood. They need to learn how to be mentors and give young people the podium. That will give young people a stake in the party they don’t have and as such no reason to feel an intense loyalty to support.
But I want to conclude by reconfirming StellaRay’s point. She is right. Sexism and misogyny are rampant in this country. If Trump was caught on tape explicitly demeaning black people or Jews, I am sure he would have lost.
I invite you to read a piece I wrote a few months ago titled “Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, & my wife, a dirty old secret” that illustrates this problem.