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Was Hillary Trying to be too much of man?
Meghan O 'Rorourke's article in Slate today is intriguing...
" As he goes forward, Obama will undoubtedly be compared to Abraham
Lincoln. But I always thought Whitman was a more apt predecessor for
both candidates. Whitman embodied the ecstatic to which Hillary
Clinton, at one time, linked her hopes for a better America. But she
didn't make it part of her campaign. Instead, she made fun of Obama's
knack for lighting a fire in the hearts of a wide swath of Americans.
She preached pragmatism instead of fellow-feeling. And she scolded
Obama for being starry-eyed. But her decision to turn away from the
ecstatic was a great mistake, as Whitman might have understood. By
stripping her campaign of its native appeal, by refusing to portray
herself as part of a transcendent feminist narrative, by diluting the
dynamic pleasures of mass political response, she let us down. After
all, feminism need not be joyless. "
Was Hillary trying to be too much of a guy?
Comments (9)
That may be the essence of her self-sabotaging tragedy. Hurt by men -- father, spouse, right wing conspiracy (whatever) -- yet choosing to surround herself, when her own life dream was on the line, with particularly dysfunctional male campaign advisors (Ickes, Wolfson, MacAuliffe, Carville).. and then following their macho advice. Nonetheless, her choice.
June 4, 2008 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's scary....but I'm sure many women have much to say about this....it's a complex issue.
June 4, 2008 7:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Just curious, Gamblerman. What is the scary part? That she made these -- pardon the stereotype -- "guy" decisions and behaved in this way? Or that some women fault her for it? It has been said that HRC is a singularly polarizing figure. Should that analysis be limited to views of GOP versus Dem? Or should it also be a fair question from those of her peers who are not lined up outside the barricades, chanting "Denver, Denver."? Just asking, not angry.
June 4, 2008 7:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I think the planet cannot afford macho behavior in general. Any woman who gains power will have to balance the urge to purge the opponent with some kind of healing the planet psychology.
Which is funny because Obama was actually embodying that. You should read Meghan's entire article in Slate.
The Dems consistently have been accused of nominating " wimps " for prez but the alternative is now destroying America....reptilian behavior, you know.
June 4, 2008 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Was Hillary trying to be too much of a guy?"
I believe Hillary is simply a sociopath. Her gender is irrelevant.
June 4, 2008 8:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think there is something to what you say. But it's just another layer of stuff that's actually going on. Many women would probably agree....that gender is a complex issue.
June 4, 2008 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think so. She had to make a contrast with Obama that would ideally be favorable to her. It's not easy to do that when your opponent has a relatively vague feel-good message. She had that message very early on but Obama used it better, so she went on a search for alternatives. Perhaps she felt sarcasm was what she had left to try that could work.
June 4, 2008 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dissing men is sexist, too.
June 4, 2008 10:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think Hillary had bad luck. The primary calender, the mood of the dem electorate, and Obama's political genius all conspired against her, plus serious emotional flaws in both her and her husband...
June 4, 2008 11:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
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