Hey Folks, accusing women of voting for a woman only because she is a woman

[boston bean]

is what is sexist.

Disappointed to see Bernie, as far back as 1985, using a womans sex/gender against her.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/hillary-clinton-sexism-bernie-sanders-215375#ixzz3qEHHzm00

[djean111]

1. Hey folks - telling women that they, of course!, will be voting for Hillary is SEXIST.

I have seen many opinions here that OF COURSE Hillary has the wimmen votes all sewn up.

Hoist with yer own petard, matey.

[boston bean]

2. I don't feel hoisted on me own petard, at all, matey.

Anyone voting for Hillary and saying so out loud, is a sexist?? LOL

[djean111]

7. No, OPs and posts insisting, for a really long time now, that of course Hillary has the woman vote

in the bag, that of course all of us wimmen will be voting for Hillary because no mere man could possibly understand us and help us, etc., is the sort of sexist drivel that has been ladled out here for what seems like an entire year. Posts and OPs that insist that all of we women will be voting for Hillary just to have a woman in the White House, all historical and all, fuck the actual issues that affect all of us - THAT'S sexist.

And, as a woman, I find it embarrassing and that it trivializes feminism. Makes me think that if Elizabeth Warren had run, it would have blown away a huge chunk of Hillary campaign strategy.

[boston bean]

9. Hillary does have a lot of support from women.

But categorizing that support based on gender alone, is what is sexist. As it is using gender/sex as an attack against one gender/sex. Something you didn't see happen with every single male president of the US. They were never attacked for being a man or having their supporter accused of only voting for him because he was male. Even in the face of all the barriers preventing women from participating in elected office, men still weren't criticized based on their gender or have their supporters accused of voting for him because he was male.

I find it embarrassing when people, men and women, participate in furthering these tropes. But I'm not surprised by it at all, either.

You might want to think a bit more highly of your sisters, as persons having a mind of their own, and voting their interests (what every single other person in this country does), except women or certain women using their votes, right?

[djean111]

13. Again, there have been a lot of posts saying that of course, women will vote for Hillary.

As a woman, I find Hillary's stances on things that hurt women, like war and fracking and cluster bombs (oh, those are only children in other countries, though, sorry), the TPP, Wall Street - are all abominable, and all hurt women. I have a mind of my own, too.

I don't support or vote for any politician who has a Third Way background or mindset. And that background and mindset are all easily found, these days.

[boston bean]

16. Women will vote for Hillary, that isn't a sexist thing to say, it's the truth.

[Hiraeth]

26. Women will vote for Bernie, that isn't a sexist thing to say, it's the truth.

[boston bean]

28. Glad to see you once again in agreement! nt

[msrizzo]

47. Hillary supporters making that claim?

I guess I haven't seen too much of that. There are TONS of women here on DU proclaiming that they won't vote for Hillary just because she's a woman. Some of them are Bernie supporters and some are Hillary supporters. Wanting a woman president or wanting Hillary to be the first woman president does not automatically mean that one's support is solely predicated on the fact that Hillary is a woman.

[Cha]

3. Don't "hoist yourself on your petard".. take it easy there matey.

[RiverLover]

5. LOL!

So true.

[beam me up scottie]

18. LMAO!

Well done!

[Skidmore]

4. It is extremely disappointing.

I know the reasons I support Hillary and her being a woman candidate is just a bonus. The argument that women woul vote for a woman on gender alone is sexist and implies that women are incapable of agency beyond what gender stereotypes dictate.

[boston bean]

6. Agree, and using the the trope indicates a presence of sexism.

As it is being used against women, based on gender.

[Starry Messenger]

43. This.

[Iliyah]

64. Also, with Pres O, the saying Blacks only voted for him because he's Black.

Same meaning and same attack on intelligence.

[Spazito]

95. I agree...

I think it is denigrating to women.

[stonecutter357]

8. K&R!

[Armstead]

10. Can you get you memes straight?

Are we supposed to vote for Clinton because she is a woman? Because this is a historic opportunity to elect the first woman president? And only women understand women's issues, and we should not elect a man because he doesn't understand what it's like to be a woman, and therefore is not able to effectively work to resolve women' issues?

Or are we supposed to overlook her gender and vote for her simply because she is the best qualified?

And we are supposed to assume she is strong and tough and able to stand up to the GOP neaderthals and to world leaders and all of the other pressures and opposition a president has to deal with?

Or is she a fragile flower who has to be treated special, and men have to tread lightly around her to avoid being sexist brutes? Are we supposed to limit language and tone of voice and posture to a narrow spectrum, to conform to the Manual of Gender Appropriate Behavior?

It gets sooooooo confusing.

Personally, I kind of believe in the goal of a level playing field. That once-popular notion liberals had that we should be moving towards have a society in which everyone has an equal chance, and that factors such as race and gender are neither artificial barriers or advantages in the public sphere. And that everyone is entitled to equal opportunity and has equal responsibilities.

[boston bean]

12. Why are you pidgeonholing women voters? Can't we have a multitude of reasons for voting

for a candidate?

And why can't we vote for someone who has a strong history of supporting women and point that out as a basis for voting for her?

Is there really something wrong with that? Or are womens issues just to trivial to worry about or think about or base your vote upon.

I see women can't have an opinion and if they do it is invalid. Poor things.. where is my fainting couch?

[Armstead]

22. I'm trying not to pigeonhole voters

I think everyone should support and vote for the person they think is best.

If people like Hilary for any combination of reasons, great. If her being female is one of those reasons, great. I got no problem with that.

What i object to is using gender as a critria to bash her opponents and their supporters, such as in your OP.

And I object to this crap that if Bernie happens to use the word "shouting" in a debate, Hillary and her surrogates use that as a distraction from the issue they were discussing in the debate.

And I am totally confused by the mixed messages surrounding her , and the paradoxical claims that we should respect her toughness, but nooooo, you can't say certain words around her, or look a certain way or sit a certain way because that might offend sensibilities.

[boston bean]

25. I think you got it a bit backwards.

A woman running for office faces all types of obstacles men don't face, based on sex/gender.

To point it out, and to speak out against it, is not using gender as a criteria to bash opponents.

People fail to see where the issue begins. And your post basically tells women to lump it, you aren't suppose to talk about that, or you are playing the "gender card".

[Armstead]

38. I totally agree that there are obstacles

But the amping up of the "don't get out of line or you'll offend Hillary or supporters or all women" in this campaign almost seems like a setback, rather than an advance for legitimate goal of women having a full and equal role in politics (and elsewhere).

And if people who are progressive and supportive of that goal are both being insulted and getting pissed off ....think of how the more conservative and truly sexist segments of society are gong to respond to these excessive kid-glove demands.

First of all, Clinton is not the first woman to be a candidate for a relatively high office. It's not like an election involving a woman is something novel and unique. We're not all starting from scratch.

We have made progress, in that women are often able to run for office without gender being the main issue, or even AN issue for them. It is often either peripheral or dealt with in a constructive way. And we often deal with women in office on their own terms regardless of gender. They don't expect or get special treatment, or respond in oversensitive ways. And when it does happen, most women candidates are able to bat it down in a way that is not exploitative or gratuitous.....

That's the standard I would have hoped to see applied to the Presidential campaign. But it's being made into an issue at times and in ways that are gratuitous and personalized that distract from otehr issues.

And derogatory and insulting behavior is not confined to women. Look at how GW Bush was treated on DU when he was in office, or how DUers refer to Republicans on a daily basis.

Sanders statement, and his overall demeanor was not even remotely sexist.

Look, Sanders can be gruff and occasionally has a temper. That's who he is with both men and women. Some people like that about him, some don't, or have mixed feelings.

But he is also very supportive of women and women's issues, and is also generally very polite and avoids personalized attacks on opponents. Much more so than many politicians.

And he's trying to focus the campaign on issues overall, withoout the personalized negative campaigning that keeps out overall politics so trivial and alienating. The Clinton campaign should follow suit, and not engage in manufactured outrage.

[Fred Sanders]

55. In example of the sexism prevalent in America and the male white media....any condescending

comments about the fashion choices of any of the male candidates for President.....any pantsuit jokes or business suit police arrests?

None.

Clinton faces barriers similar to Obama and will overcome them exactly the way Obama did... by force of personality and conviction.

"You vote for Obama because he is black" is as fine with me as "you vote for Clinton because she is a woman"...is condescending as well as flat wrong for most people....and for those that may vote for a Democrat for only the ONE single reason...I am fine with that too because the individual vote is the individual vote.

[Bread and Circus]

66. Actually Armstead is right. As a group you are trying to have it both ways.

Maybe not you individually. I am not sure because I don't read most of your posts. But as a group you say a bunch of different things that contradict each other but the underlying message is to silence your opponents because we either lack the gender or the proper sensitivity to warrant merit to our arguments.

You want all of the cake and to eat it all by yourself.

Go for it. Just don't expect people to go out in droves to vote for such bullshit come 2016.

[boston bean]

73. Trying to have what both ways?

Dispelling sexist characterizations in order for them to not be used to keep women in their place? A rung lower?

[Bread and Circus]

74. Yes, as a group, you are.

[boston bean]

76. What group are you talking about?

[Bread and Circus]

78. Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters

[boston bean]

79. Hillary supporters are trying to have what both ways?

[Bread and Circus]

81. Go read my posts. I already answered your questions.

And you know I am correct.

[boston bean]

82. You agree with Armstead on something.. not sure what that is.

[Skidmore]

14. You need to read for comprehension, my friend. nt

[ms liberty]

31. Low reading comprehension is at epidemic levels here at DU...

It is quite disappointing how far it has fallen in recent years. I refuse to believe it is all due to deliberate misunderstanding and bad intent.

[Skidmore]

36. And concrete thnking is also..

[Armstead]

49. Okay....How's this about the veracity of the women quoted in the article?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=753006

[beam me up scottie]

17. Exactly. I vote with my brain, not my vagina.

The outrage du jour is hilarious.

[boston bean]

19. And women who vote for hillary are voting with their vagina?

[Hiraeth]

29. I vote with a pen. Yeah, my precinct is old school like that.

[boston bean]

30. You might want to let Scottie know.

[Hiraeth]

32. LOL

[Fred Sanders]

56. Good one....because of course some folks voted for Obama "with their skin" is the parallel logic of

that level of intellectual dishonesty....or lack of ability I suppose.... hard to tell what is causing the massive failure of logic.

[beam me up scottie]

63. She doesn't get extra points from me for having a vagina, Fred.

Maybe that logic is hard for you to understand but I'd rather base my vote on issues.

Bernie is a progressive so he gets my vote

[Scootaloo]

90. Wasn't that a major whine of Hillary supporters back in 2008?

"Black people only voted for Obama because he was black!"

[Fred Sanders]

91. Major wines are tasty!

[Scootaloo]

92. Must be why you guys are still sipping that one, I guess.

[Hiraeth]

11. Hey Folks, women voting for a woman only because she is a woman is also sexist as all hell.

[boston bean]

15. There isn't one woman here on DU who would vote for a republican woman for president.

You think/know there is? Point me to the evidence?

Why can't women think the democratic woman in the race is a better choice for them?

Why does that make so many so angry, that they have to minimize womens voices by telling them they are playing in essence the "reverse sexist" card.

[Hiraeth]

20. Women minimizing women? Holy fuckall. And if there is no such thing as reverse racism

(AND THERE ISN'T) ergo there can be no such thing as reverse sexism with or without the cute little air quotation marks.

just ugh.

[boston bean]

21. so you got my point? nt

[Hiraeth]

23. I got your pointlessness right here. Yeah. Got it.

[boston bean]

27. LOL. nt

[thesquanderer]

68. Probably true that no woman here would vote for Fiorina.

But that said, I think there is a phenomenon that, if there are two candidates who are both good enough to be considered (say, Sanders and Clinton, but not Fiorina or Palin), some women will choose among those two based on one being a woman. In fact, I know someone who feels that way... she'd be fine with either Sanders or Clinton as President, and that being the case, she's intending to vote for Clinton because she'd like to see a woman in the White House. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but in such a case, gender is playing a role in why the woman is voting for a woman.

[boston bean]

75. Our gender includes many issues for us. It's not just based on sex.

Try to keep that in mind.

[melman]

24. How many threads are we going to get out of this article?

We're at a mere two now but it's early.

[portlander23]

34. Get used to it. False claims of sexism is now a campaign strategy

Not like there's a precedent or anything for these sorts of baseless attacks.

[Armstead]

57. Hpefully not many...I don't want to keep postng this debunking link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=753006

[stupidicus]

80. they seem mto be running from that

which is strange, given they're likely no strangers to using dubious sources as a defense

[sufrommich]

33. I still see right wingers accuse African Americans of voting

for Obama because he's black. That charge is meant to imply that only a certain segment of the country is capable of voting logically.

[Martin Eden]

35. There's nothing of substance in the article linked in the OP

Mostly it's a lot of quotes from the Hillary camp and discussion of how it affects the Sanders campaign.

The only thing that comes close is the following:

“Should we vote for [Kunin] because she is a woman? To the degree people think that that’s true, I would regard that as a sexist position,” he said at the time, according “The Socialist Mayor,” a book about Sanders by Steven Soifer.

I would also regard that as a sexist position. If you don't, please explain why.

I suppose it was not politically correct for Bernie to point that out, but the quote is totally devoid of context; he may have been answering a question.

What's really going on here is the Hillary camp is desperately trying to find anything -- anything -- to smear Bernie Sanders.

[boston bean]

37. Telling women they are voting based on gender/sex is sexist.

Women have a mind, a brain, thoughts, opinions, solutions. It should be no issue for any person if a woman is voting for another woman. Hell, we've been voting for males for president for the past 200 years.

[Martin Eden]

40. Yes it would be, but Sanders didn't

Unless you have a different Sanders quote not cited in the article.

[Bluenorthwest]

70. But that's not what Bernie did. That's your revision. After Hillary's DOMA revisionism it is time to

hold her cohort to the facts.

Where did Bernie tell 'women they are voting based on gender'? He did not.

[SmittynMo]

39. It's all bullshit

Bernie is the farthest thing in the world from being sexist, and everyone knows it. People try to read between the lines all the time, searching for answers. And a lot of times, they're wrong.

So my wife and ALL of her girlfriends are voting for Hillary. When I asked them why, they all said because she's a woman, and we need a woman for president. Is that sexist?

I'm not voting for Bernie because he's a man. I'm voting for him because I feel he is the best for the job, has tremendous honesty, and has the best vision for this country. No baggage, no bullshit, no half answers, no false narratives.

This crap on Bernie being sexist is all BULLSHIT!!!!

[SoapBox]

41. What a load of crap.

Stop with the dirty politics.

Discuss serious issues.

[JDPriestly]

42. At a political meeting, After explaining to another woman why I prefer Bernie's views on the

Issues to those of Hillary, "But she"s a W O M A N."

I"m a woman too, but Hillary"s poor judgment and weak stances on the issues p l u s her corporate funding turn me off completely.

She may be a woman, but that is a hair-brained reason to vote for her.

Mata Hari was a woman too. That"s a lame reason to vote for someone..

Voting for a candidate based on gender is the definition of sexist ...

Regardless of the gender of the voter or the person voting.

My daughters don"t understand when I explain to them the gender discrimination I suffered in my life. They never knew gender discrimination and work in fields that were traditionally male.

Young women understand sexual harassment but sexism not so much.

[Vinca]

44. I'm very puzzled by the silly attacks on Bernie by Hillary supporters.

It's clear she will most likely be the candidate, judging from polls, and I'm certain come November of next year they will expect us to vote for her. The more the foolish attacks persist, the more Bernie supporters consider Plan B: a write-in vote.

[fasttense]

45. Calling Sanders a sexist is like calling Dr. Prathia Hall a racist

The both have been very strong supporters of the causes the slurs deny.

[NCTraveler]

46. Her being a woman is completely valid...

As part of a reason to support her. Saying a size able group will vote for her just because she is a woman isn't really borne out in reality. It is no different than the people of Furgeson fighting to get more representation. Some don't get the concept of equal representation and that women don't have equal representation because of current and historical oppression.

[Armstead]

61. AS PART OF yes

But when its accompanied by phony accusations of sexism against Sanders...That isn't helping to advance the idea of equal representation

[NCTraveler]

62. Then I'm glad I have taken part in no such thing. Nt

[Armstead]

48. Well, well well....Let's see what this female opponent complaining about Sexst Sanders also said:

So this woman being used as an example in that article of a woman Sanders offended as a sexist political opponent when he ran against her as mayor. Let's see what else she had to say about Sanders when he gave a controversial permit and proclamation endorsing a Gay Pride March back in 1982:

http://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2015/06/30/32-years-before-scotus-decision-sanders-backed-gay-pride-march

After quite some debate at a June 13 meeting, the board voted six to five in favor of designating the date of the march Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, according to a contemporaneous story from the Burlington Free Press. Opponents, such as Alderman Diane Gallagher, a Ward 6 Republican, questioned why the march required official recognition.

"Can't you just go out and have your party and enjoy yourselves and make your point without asking the city to have a proclamation?" she asked.

Sanders indicated at the meeting that he would sign the proclamation, according to the Freeps' Scott Mackay. "In the city of Burlington and in the state of Vermont, people have the right to exercise their lifestyles," Sanders said. "It's an American right, anyone's right to have a march... This is a civil liberties question."

The mayor elaborated on his reasoning later that month in a memo penned on the eve of the march. "In our democratic society, it is the responsibility of government to safeguard civil liberties and civil rights — especially the freedom of speech and expression," Sanders wrote. "In a free society, we must all be committed to the mutual respect of each others [sic] lifestyle."

[beam me up scottie]

50. So the woman who made up the story is a Republican homophobe?

Oh dear, no wonder she hates Bernie.

Good find!

[bowens43]

51. but apparently saying we should vote for a woman because she is a woman....is not sexist?????

sorry hillary supporters you cant have it both ways...of course you are supporting the champion of the flip flop......

[riversedge]

52. Wow--Sanders said it was sexist

Wonder if he has evolved in his thinking on this over a few decaes??



......In 1986, when he ran unsuccessfully against Madeleine Kunin for governor, Sanders said gender was not a good enough reason to vote for her.

“Should we vote for [Kunin] because she is a woman? To the degree people think that that’s true, I would regard that as a sexist position,” he said at the time, according “The Socialist Mayor,” a book about Sanders by Steven Soifer.

In an interview with POLITICO, Kunin confirmed the account. “He tried to be more of a feminist than I was to appeal to the women’s vote,” she recalled.

“I found that very difficult,” said Kunin, the first female governor of Vermont and a former Bill Clinton administration appointee who is now serving as a surrogate for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. “Men can shout and Bernie is a very good shouter. But we’re women. Women raise their voices and it’s considered unseemly. We’re still subconsciously seeing women as different — Bernie should just be careful. To accuse a woman of shouting makes her unattractive.”

Sanders has said he considers himself a feminist based on his record of fighting for women’s rights. Yet he ran into trouble in his successful 1985 race for mayor of Burlington, when he faced off against Diane Gallagher. That race also descended into squabbling about gender...................

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/10/hillary-clinton-sexism-bernie-sanders-215375#ixzz3qFQCjT5y

[Armstead]

53. Be careful of the double standard in your sources

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=753006

[riversedge]

83. I was referring to Kuhn

[Armstead]

84. You mean the one who is working for Clinton and is thus very objective?

[Vattel]

54. More smearing of Sanders. Sad.

[CharlotteVale]

58. "One of the merits is I am a woman." - Hillary Clinton.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/23/politics/hillary-clinton-gender-merits/

As a woman, it disgusts me the way Hillary talks out of both sides of her mouth while playing the woman card at the same time. Her hypocrisy in going after Bernie is so typical, but if she thinks it makes her look stronger she is very much mistaken. I'm a woman and I am voting for Bernie.

[boston bean]

59. Well, she is a woman. Would you rather she try to hide that fact? nt

[CharlotteVale]

67. OMG, you started a whole thread on how it's sexist to accuse

women of voting for a woman just because she's a woman, when Hillary herself says to vote for her because she is a woman!

Hilary's own words totally destroy the premise of your post. You're lecturing "folks" for doing what Hillary herself promotes. The hypocrisy is not surprising.

[zalinda]

71. How would she hide it?

Would she wear men's suits, get a man's haircut or lower her voice register? None of that would disguise the fact that she is a woman, and a very well known woman at that. That she keeps bringing up the fact that she is a woman, is curious. After all, Bernie doesn't bring up the fact that he is a man.

Z

[boston bean]

72. I know, being a woman has always gotten women to the top of politics before!

Saying it is good to be a woman and embracing it is not a bad thing in this type of environment it is a good thing, not a bad thing.

[zalinda]

85. She needs to talk about issues

not about being a woman. We are at a time in this country when issues take precedence over gender, just like skin color in 2008. I don't see how telling every one how difficult it is to be a woman is a good thing, it just makes her sound whiny and helpless. We can SEE that she is a woman, we know that women have vaginas, so why keep reminding us?

It's a dog whistle tactic. Vote for me because I'm a woman who has had it so hard, in this man dominated world. Except that she hasn't had that difficult of a life, she's had the brass ring of a life. And, to top it all off, the government whether state or federal has been supporting her and her husband since 1977, on and off, mostly on.

I'd say a good 50% of women haven't had it any where as easy even in one aspect of their lives. Single women and not because they wanted to be, couldn't find a job that paid a decent wage, husband the bread winner, died or left the marriage, with or without kids, couldn't get higher education whether because of time, money or disability, etc are things that directly affect women and Hillary doesn't have any empathy or connection to any of it. She talks a good game, but that fake smile gives her away every time.

Z

[boston bean]

87. She does speak about issues. Not her fault if you haven't listened.

She also speaks from a womans perspective. She ought not hide that.

[earthside]

60. Hillary fanatics are bigots.

I don't even understand why this would be in dispute.

The most fervent of Hillary supports always trot this 'sexism' charge out as the first line of attack against whomever ... be it Barack Obama (and/or supporters) or Bernie Sanders (and/or supporters): if you don't support Hillary you are a sexist.

The irony, of course, is that it is solely gender that determines this avenue of attack. The most obscure words or sentence construction is manipulated as 'evidence' of Obama's or Sander's "sexism".

This is simply bigotry -- "Intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself."

Now, I've been involved in the campaigns of many women candidates and 90 percent never descend to this level of attack. But as we saw in 2008 and as we are seeing again, this tactic is fundamental apparently to the Hillary strategy.

I guess Hillary approves of this political device or she would tell her folks to shut it down, but she doesn't. This Nixonian characteristic is one of the main reasons I think she is simply unqualified to the President of the United States.

[DrBulldog]

65. Just more of the steaming hillary of garbage.

And yes, there are millions of women out there who are going to vote for her just because she is a woman and to hell with the country.

[GoneFishin]

69. What a load of crap. You are projecting.

[Bluenorthwest]

77. To the DOMA Revisionist Camp: Dianne Gallagher who is cited here to trash Bernie will be remembered

by some of us for her nasty anti gay attacks on Burlington's LGBT community when Bernie was fighting for them, she was making horrible snarky bigoted comments that were homophobic, homophobia of course is a subset of misogyny. Gallagher was of the mind to tell gay women how wrong they were, also gay men, bisexuals and trans persons, we should all keep to ourselves and not seek any civic acknowledgement.

Every single day of every campaign is a long series of filth out of anti gay politicians, if there is no new filth they drag up the filth from long past and spread that for a while, DOMA, anti gay local politicians from the 80's, you name it, if it is homophobic it has eternal life in the center parts of this Party.

[stupidicus]

86. how long have you been siding with/sourcing homophobes?

is about the only response this post warrants. And that would be what, following the hillary camp "debate" playbook?

Everybody here should save it for that reason.

They could of course, also ask why a chucklehead like Dianne would be attempting to destroy the socialist BS, and helping HC. I doubt it is because of shared gender, but rather ideology. SHe is no doubt the preferred candidate

“If it turns out to be Jeb versus Hillary we would love that and either outcome would be fine,” one top Republican-leaning Wall Street lawyer said over lunch in midtown Manhattan last week. “We could live with either one. Jeb versus Joe Biden would also be fine. It’s Rand Paul or Ted Cruz versus someone like Elizabeth Warren that would be everybody’s worst nightmare.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/wall-street-republicans-hillary-clinton-2016-106070#ixzz3qFlYHmOV

The darkest secret in the big money world of the Republican coastal elite is that the most palatable alternative to a nominee such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas or Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky would be Clinton, a familiar face on Wall Street following her tenure as a New York senator with relatively moderate views on taxation and financial regulation.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/wall-street-republicans-hillary-clinton-2016-106070#ixzz3qFl6mj3c

it sure is discouraging to see so many faux lefties working so hard to give the righties what they want.

[That Guy 888]

88. Voting for a particular candidate based on gender/sex has happened 44 times in our nations history.

It's high time we stop doing that! -> http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251708508

That's the post that made me start to use the ignore function. If you can't say something nice, or constructive better to say nothing at all in the primaries which is what I've been trying to do since. Unless it's on the Sanders, O'Malley, or Clinton group, I don't really want to see posts cheering on their candidate of choice.

What causes the ignore function not to work? Technically I shouldn't be able to see or respond to this post. Not intended as a slam against boston bean, but I don't think we have anything constructive to say to each other about the Democratic Presidential candidates in the primary and would prefer not to even be tempted by this and similar posts.

[JTFrog]

97. "I don't really want to see posts cheering on their candidate of choice. "

I would suggest trashing GDP then because that's pretty much what the forum is for. It's unfortunate that it is also used to tear down Democratic candidates and/or their supporters.

[That Guy 888]

99. I don't mean posts like Hillary getting a union endorsement, or Sanders making a public appearance

...or O'Malley talking about foreign policy. Those I don't mind, and in some cases actually want to hear about. And if someone gets a little enthusiastic about their preferred candidate down thread, I'm not too surprised. It's the fact free cheer-leading, and baseless attacks that get annoying.

I was also surprised to see someone's post I shouldn't have seen. Apparently the ignore function doesn't work on posts that make the DU homepage, something I'll have to keep in mind.

[Bluenorthwest]

89. Your article cites a nasty homophobe as support for calling Sanders sexist. Address that please.

Why do you think that people who attack LGBT are valid to judge anyone about bigotry? Gallagher openly smeared us. Now she does the same to Bernie, during the week of DOMA revisionism.

Are you openly siding with Gallagher? Is Hillary endorsing that woman? If so she needs to drop out of the race today. Today.

You need to clear this up. Is Hillary endorsing Gallagher? The other person quoted in the article works for Hillary. Does Gallagher also work for Hillary? You need to explain all of this.

[whatchamacallit]

94. Bluenorthwest, bless you for ending another garbage thread!

[Bluenorthwest]

96. It should not be the end, the OP should step up and address Gallagher, whom the OP has presented

as an authority on who is and who is not sexist. The article cited quotes a Clinton staffer and this Gallagher bigot, that's the whole of the citations.

The OP and the OP's cohort needs to explain why this is being done. First it was the DOMA bullshit attacks out of Hillary and now they are citing Diane Gallagher?

[whatchamacallit]

98. Agree, but

we both know the chances of that.

[riderinthestorm]

93. Oh ugh! Taking even two seconds to read the article disproves your smear

against Bernie Sanders immediately.

You've spun his words 180 degrees.

Absolutely unbelievable and a huge hit on your credibility (and those who've Recced this)

SMH. And Gallagher? Really? I'm frankly pretty horrified you think this is a good idea to associate HRC with Gallagher.

Wow....

[MoonRiver]

100. I'm definitely not voting for her based on gender

but the fact that I could help elect the first female president sure is icing on the cake!

[ljm2002]

101. Let's take a look...

...at this latest accusation of sexism:

"Disappointed to see Bernie, as far back as 1985, using a womans (sic) sex/gender against her."

So I went to the link to see the support for the statement about 1985. Here is the relevant snip:

Sanders has said he considers himself a feminist based on his record of fighting for women’s rights. Yet he ran into trouble in his successful 1985 race for mayor of Burlington, when he faced off against Diane Gallagher. That race also descended into squabbling about gender.

“He is setting me up to [be] the rich bitch, the girl with the pearls, Lady Di,” Gallagher railed, according to a clip from the Burlington Free Press, in which she said Sanders tried to use her gender and wealth to portray her as out of touch with the electorate.

Note the lack of any direct quote from Bernie. The article quotes only his political opponent's opinion of what he said.

Of course we don't have to go as far back as 1985 to see the same exact thing:

When Bernie used the term "shout" in a response to Hillary about gun control, anyone who has been following this campaign knows that he was using his standard rhetoric on the topic, and has used the same phrasing in response to many a male interlocutor. But somehow, because he was replying to Hillary Clinton, it suddenly became a sexist put-down.

Similarly, when a campaign staffer said they would consider as a VP candidate on their ticket, anyone who has been following any campaign ever, knows that is standard political grandstanding and has been used on countless occasions by countless campaigns to undermine the perceived stature of one's opponent. Yet suddenly it is sexist, merely because the opponent happens to be female.

In reality, neither incident represented sexism except in the fevered imaginations of those who wanted to make political hay. IMO, trying to turn these into incidents of sexism diminishes Hillary's stature, and by extension, the stature of any female candidate by implying that any female candidate will resort to accusations of sexism when faced with standard political opposition.

And the thing is, Hillary Clinton is perfectly able to battle without resorting to false accusations of sexism. By all means, when faced with a real instance of sexism, call it out! But these are not real instances.

Of course, bottom line, each candidate and their campaign will go for political advantage where they find it. Hillary's campaign seems to think that these attacks, as phony as they are, will resonate with women. I can only speak for myself when I say that they do not resonate with me.

[AgingAmerican]

102. And those who brag about it?

Just who do you think started this one?

[zappaman]

103. Stockholm Syndrome is a better explanation.