I Agree, This Shit is Not Fucking Helpful

A few weeks ago Hanno asked me (via email) why the Dems hated Hilary Clinton so much. I did my best to answer since, afterall, Za is among those who really hate her. Hanno's asssumption (not a bad one) is that some sexism is afoot. I was willing to be persuaded otherwise, but haven't yet found a viable alternative. Maybe some of you readers can point me toward those alternative explanations.

The criticisms made against Hilary Clinton are no different from criticisms made against most politicians. The only novel criticism I heard recently on NPR is that if she were to get elected in 2008 then we would have been saddled with a Bush-Clinton dynasty for 24 years, which certainly flies in the face of the founder's ideals of democracy. But even considering that criticism, I am with Hanno in that I don't quite get why Republicans and Dems alike hate Hilary. She is indeed a truly polarizing figure and that is bewildering.

Anyway, Hecate just alerted me to some really unfortunate comments that Elizabeth Edwards just made--clearly to position her husband for 2008. Ms. Edwards is trotting out the ole' "mommy wars" angle again for her husband's political gain. It is bad enough when the NYTimes writes these "trend" stories on elite mommies "opting out." The stories are a big F*** You to women working their ass off trying to balance a work and home life because, although the feminist movement has been successful in so many ways, it still has its work cut out for finally making a substantial dent in work as an institution. Women are still trying to figure out how to be a creative, contributing productive citizen and a nurturing, creative mother. While most women I know love being a mother, it is not the only thing they want to do. Frankly the fact that external forces--and they are external forces Ms. Edwards--makes this balance nearly impossible and makes these women miserable is an important social issue that politicians like Jonathan Edwards ought to address if he wants to attract my vote in 2008.

Ms. Edwards had this to say about Senator Clinton:

“We both went to law school and married other lawyers, but after that we made other choices,” Mrs. Edwards said, according to The Associated Press. “I think my choices have made me happier. I think I’m more joyful than she is.”

Now Ms. Edwards is apologizing to Senator Clinton (here). Obviously this is not a freely given apology, but a political move, probably motivated by some less than noble threats to the Edwards. Fine. But, what this incident finally makes clear to me is that the anti-Hilary sentiment out there is, plain and simple, fueled by sexism. Thanks to a progressive female lawyer, speaking in support of the Democrats, for clarifying that, once and for all.