Why This Socialist Feminist Is For Hillary

[OKNancy]

http://www.thenation.com/article/why-this-socialist-feminist-is-for-hillary/
The stalled revolution for gender equity won’t be won simply by installing a woman in the White House—but it can’t hurt.

Long article

Snips


At first glance, you’d probably guess that I would proudly don a “Feel the Bern” T-shirt and make a generous donation to the democratic socialist firing up the Democratic Party. Born to leftists themselves born to leftists, I am what is known in some circles as a “red-diaper baby.”

My immigrant Jewish grandparents met in New York City, at a meeting of the Young People’s Socialist League on the Lower East Side, and I grew up more familiar with the words to labor anthems than to those of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” My mother was an activist in the civil-rights movement who later engaged with feminism, antiwar activism, and the vast panoply of progressive issues that ebbed and flowed through our national politics over the past half-century.

-snip-----

For those of us on the left, the pressure to join the Bernie Express is intense. Friends and colleagues, casual Facebook acquaintances and lifelong political allies alike, all throw up their hands in despair or sneer in disgust if you don’t pledge allegiance to the candidate whose strength and broad appeal in the primary has been both surprising and energizing to progressives used to “holding our noses” and voting for the lesser of two evils. Never mind that I will gladly vote and work for Bernie if he is the nominee, and I applaud the way he has pushed Hillary to the left. For refusing to back Bernie in the primary, I’m a dupe and a traitor; I’m a tool of (take your pick) imperialist, war-mongering, militaristic, in-the-pocket-of-Wall-Street corporate hacks.

-snip-----

Here’s why: I want a woman president—and, no, not any woman president. Hillary is not, as her detractors would have it, Margaret Thatcher or Carly Fiorina—or Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann, or some other female candidate whose platform rests on antipathy to any feminist concerns. Like most in the Democratic Party, she is a centrist. In her political orientation, deep intelligence, and policy wonkishness, she is similar to Obama—and not as dissimilar to Bernie as one might imagine. Still, I support her less for her specific political positions (some of which I agree with, many of which I do not—all of which are far superior to the racist/sexist/xenophobic sideshow that is the Republican primary field) than for the iconic value of electing the first woman president of the United States.

--snip-------

Feminist Hillary supporters are not, as some would have it, identity-politics clones who would support any woman, regardless of her positions. To suggest this smacks of a dismissive sexism that colors the discourse of both left- and right-wing Hillary haters. And the idea that Hillary’s victory would be “merely” symbolic underestimates the profound import of symbolism and obscures her explicit alliance with (some version of) feminism and her clear qualifications for the job. As with Obama and racism, her candidacy is bringing sexism out into the open—not that it’s ever far from the surface!—both the Trump-like horror of the female body, and a curiously visceral and over-the-top cottage industry on the left of “anti-Hillary” haters (as if she were the enemy and not… right-wing Republicans?). But like the racist fervor that greeted Obama, the misogyny bubbling over will make plain the deep gender inequities that persist despite decades of feminist work, and finally put to rest the lie that this revolution is largely won.




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Me: Thank you so much Ms. Walters for saying what I've wanted to say!!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

1. My wife is a Socialist Feminist and isn't for Hillary.

[Empowerer]

15. Ok

[freshwest]

2. That covers many perspectives. Thanks. n/t

[TM99]

3. So basically she is voting for Clinton because she is a woman.

She is not voting for her positions. Clinton is a centrist (hahaha!) and this woman is a socialist.

She is voting for a 'profound import of symbolism'.

She is still voting based on gender alone.

[Splinter Cell]

17. No surprise.

That is where the vast majority of Clinton's support stems from. It sure isn't about progressive values.

[Iliyah]

4. K & R

As a progressive, yes indeed.

[m-lekktor]

5. I much preferred the article" Why This Socialist Feminist is Not Voting for Hillary Clinton"

by Liza Featherstone which is linked as a related article to the piece you posted! I didn't see the Featherstone piece link the first time I read this one when it was posted before awhile back!

http://www.thenation.com/article/why-this-socialist-feminist-is-not-voting-for-hillary/

[artislife]

9. That link impressed me far more! nt

[cali]

6. Her reasons for supporting Hillary have zip to do with her self-avowed socialism

They have everything to do with gender.

[William769]

7. Kick & highly recommended!

[ismnotwasm]

8. I vote Democrat

Before 2000 I voted Socialist. Sanders never impressed the socialist side of me, PLUS his math doesn't even add up.

This article speaks for me in a lot of ways

[George II]

10. I vote for the candidate that would do the best job in the office. So far, in over 45 years....

....of voting that has been invariably the Democratic candidate.

[yardwork]

11. Interesting. I'm a lifelong socialist and I support Hillary.

I don't agree with some of Bernie's positions and I don't think he can be elected. I don't think he would be a very effective president. He's a good senator.

Hillary Clinton is more centrist than I, but I have confidence in her ability to lead and deal with Congress. She's tough as nails. She can win.

[sheshe2]

13. Great read Nancy,

“feminist” isn’t an epithet; it’s a badge of honor.

[Warren DeMontague]

14. "As if she were the enemy and not right wing republicans" - like how some treat Sanders supporters.

This article has been posted before, and it makes two basic points- one is, support Hillary because she's a woman, and two is, it is sexist to suggest that people are supporting Hillary because she's a woman.

Specifically, the last and second to last paragraphs directly contradict each other.

Still, I support her less for her specific political positions (some of which I agree with, many of which I do not—all of which are far superior to the racist/sexist/xenophobic sideshow that is the Republican primary field) than for the iconic value of electing the first woman president of the United States

.

Fine, if you want to support Hillary because she's a woman. That's legit, really.

But it's a little disingenuous to get mad when other people notice.

[Starry Messenger]

16. I think there are many of us. ;)