TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Democrats Didn't Help Hillary

ADVERTISEMENT

By SANDY FREEDMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 15, 2008

I'm disappointed, but that's not why I'm angry.

I don't think Hillary Clinton lost just because of sexism. I think the part that has angered women so much was the sexism by the media, in particular, and the lack of outrage voiced by everyone concerned, especially those in the Democratic Party, especially leadership.

We hadn't heard these things in many years. Maybe she has PMS. Talking about her cleavage. If she was cranky. Chelsea was being pimped out. ... Her fat ankles. What she was wearing? You never saw anything about what Obama was wearing. ... We haven't come very far.

I told Howard Dean, "When these things were said, where were you? Why hasn't your voice been heard? If someone raised the N-word about Obama, the heavens would have rained down." ...

Now Howard Dean is talking about these things. But as the leader of the Democratic Party, he should have been doing it all along.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should have had something to say. When the "bitch" remark, or the pimping remark, was made, Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy should have had something to say.

If you show a little emotion and shed a tear, they say, "She's so emotional. She couldn't have her finger on the button."

If a man sheds a tear or his lip quivers, then he's sensitive. That's never said about us. We're emotional. We're not tough enough. Then if you don't show it, you're too tough. You just can't win. Men don't have that difficulty.

Half the kids in law school and med school are women. They don't know what happened before. They have no clue. They aren't interested in the perspective of how they got there.

That causes a generational thing between women. Unless you have someone in your family who can explain that to you and make you understand, these women have no idea.

We have begun a dialogue on race. I think we need to re-address a dialogue on gender.

Sandy Freedman is a former mayor of Tampa.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT