Not sexism.  Hillary lost this because she lied and pandered and ran a despicable campaign.  I would love to have a woman president; I just want someone better than Clinton.

BRAVA! BRAVA!! Wonderful diary, video history outstanding and the music uplifting! Keep fighting for Democratic principles!

That was a four word answer.

I am a feminist as is my mother.  As were my grandmother and great grandmother before us.

I am also a Democrat.  As is my mother.  As were my grandmother and great grandmother before me (in fact we're distantly related to one of the women you name above).

No Democratic nominee for President, however hard I campaigned against them in the primary has ever needed to woe my vote.  I can't imagine that one ever would.

Roe v. Wade / the US Supreme Court not enough for you?  How about torture and 4+ years of imprisonment without trial, 100,000+ dead in Iraq, many of them women and children?  Mothers of US soldiers sent to fight and die in a war for profit rather than protection?

As a Democrat and a feminist, I have no idea how you can find it within yourself not to want to vote against John McCain in November, whomever ends up opposing him.

Though I find your narrative of this race highly reductive and your commitment to seeing it from only one perspective very troubling, you are correct that you hold a card here, because you have a vote.  As someone committed to electing the democratic nominee, I will ask you a candid but question: If Obama closes out the nomination and does not offer Clinton a spot on the ticket, who do you want to name a successor to the seat of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, widely acclaimed as the Thurgood Marshall of the women's movement: the Senator from Illinois or the Senator from Arizona?

If you remain undecided, who else and what else do you need to secure your vote for the party dedicated to improving the lives of working families, ending a war, fixing an ailing economy, promoting accessible health care and medical research, and protecting a women's rights to make their own reproductive choices?

Please let me know and I will do what I can to win your vote.

Nice positive diary linfar! Keep up the good work!

Please don't forget Lucy Stone.

She's one of my favorite suffragists.

Unlike Stanton and Anthony, she supported the 15th amendment.  The amendment was fundamentally flawed because it gave African-American men the right to vote but continued to deny women.

However, as an abolitionist and suffragist, Stone realized a partial success was better than nothing.

I think some of you could learn from Lucy Stone.

It doesn't help your claim to be a loyal Democrat when you seem to believe it's an acronym for something.

I believe you meant Geraldine Ferraro, and frankly, she's the one with a problem, not my Democratic Party.

Linfar, great diary. Rec'ed.

Sen. Clinton's close defeat in our Primary process is a landmark. In the future, when the name Clinton is brought up..it will be Hillary and not Bill.
What is truly amazing is that in our Party it came down to a woman and a bi-racial man.
This is why our Party and not the GOP will take over and not let go.
..but when you talk about sabotage..
you are disrespecting all the fine women candidates on all levels. Sen. Clinton is NOT the only woman running for office. Your candidate came up short.
However, most of us will be working on and/or contributing to many outstanding female candidates.
Darcy Burner has recvd and will recv money from me.
Donna Edwards will be making a difference...
So if your political world excludes all other women candidates..what is your real agenda?

http://www.darcyburner.com/?gclid=CIDzmf mks5MCFQQiIgodniB9rg

http://www.donnaedwardsforcongress.com/

Anyone out there want to give a shout out for a woman candidate?
 

Great diary Linfar...loved the video and what it projects.

"Ahfarley, farley, farley, farley, farley, afaaarrr!"

--  Steve Martin in The Three Amigos

"this party has seriously demeaned and discounted women's voices and the woman candidate in one of the most disgraceful displays of discrimination against women since we first won the right to vote"

Ummm. A bit dramatic.

uh, no. Only if you don't agree. That was exactly what men said about the suffragettes, by the way. Amazing. lol

I feel sorry for any woman who doesn't support Hillary Clinton.  Obama is not who people think he is.  Clinton is so far superior.....

Let's not forget the real reason we are supporting Hillary: it's not just because she's a woman,it's because she's the only one left on the slate of Democratic candidates, who has the necessary background, experience and know-how to be president. She has the winning resume. The other candidate lacks all of the above qualities to be president.

with this?

woman has had it with all the HRC followers stated desire to vote for McCain because of some ill-perceived notion of sexism on behalf of our party. Our party isn't perfect and there is always room to grow and further the democratic ideal. Out of the 16 women in the Senate, 11 are dems. Out of the 71 women in the House 51 are dems. Can it be better? Of course it can. But the democratic party has been dedicated to progress and to those of you who choose to be a fair-weathered progressives ...then adios..sayonara.. au revoir.. arrivederci.. hasta luego.....see ya.

and neither does Clinton.

   only one point I disagree with and that's with regards to Geraldine Ferraro.

   Ferraro won't even tell us how Obama has been sexist towards Hillary or anyone. She's simply complaining. She's upset that her candidate is getting beat.

  Other than that, kudos. Nice diary. You will be courted for your vote and your help.

Finally, it is my opinion that this party has seriously demeaned and discounted women's voices and the woman candidate in one of the most disgraceful displays of discrimination against women since we first won the right to vote.

Not to intrude on your persecution fantasies, but how do you reconcile the support of Obama by some of the most prominent women in the Democratic Party?

Janet Napolitano, Amy Klobuchar, Jan Schiakowsky, Kathleen Sebellius, Caroline Kennedy, Claire McCaskill, Barbara Lee, Lois Capps, Zoe Lofgren.....

Linfar - you are over the top on this one. Let's acknowledge the shoulders upon which we women voters stand and the inspiration of that wonderful old song  so beautifully rendered by Judy Collins et al. And let's salute the incredible courage and spirit of Hillary Rodham Clinton who remains a candidate for President of the United States.

I don't really realize how women's voices are being ignored.

First of all, Obama often wins women under 65, if not the majority of that age group.

So to be fair, you can only say "old womens voices are being ignored."

But that's not fair to say, either, since Obama is winning by every metric possible. When the primaries are done, he will have won popular vote (which doesn't matter since nobody campaigned for popular vote), even with the faulty Michigan and Florida primaries that disenfranchised millions of voters who stayed home or didn't vote because they thought their votes wouldn't count (note that Obama has been polling higher than hillary in MI for quite some time) and giving Obama no MI votes.

So now your argument becomes "old women were outvoted."

So, the overwhelming choice of old women lost due to being outvoted. How does that translate to sexism?  

So it has begun, the usual fear mongering about the Supreme Court and reproductive rights that the democrats have used for decades to keep its womenfolk in line.  Only this time, I don't think it is going to work.

Too many of us have been deeply wounded as we watched many members of the democratic establishment work actively - some overtly, some covertly - to undermine the first viable female candidate for President of the United States.  We have been watching closely.  We have seen how she has been treated.  We identified her struggles as our own.  Every blow they landed on her, has blackened our eye.  Every snide comment she has endured has drawn our blood.  

These wounds will not heal quickly or in knee-jerk response to the tired old rhetoric about the Supreme Court.

Many in the democratic party have been cowed by threasts of African Americans rioting in the streets of Denver.  Well, democratic women may just have their own riots if Clinton is not the nominee.  Only our riot will be quieter.  And more lethal.  Our riot will be at the polls in November when we pull that lever for John McCain.  The party hasn't stood with us, why should we stand with the party?

I still don't understand why all of you "feminists" (and I use the quotes because threatening to vote for someone pledged to stack the court with judges, threatening to overturn Roe v. Wade, is the furthest thing from feminism) rally around Hillary like she's some kind of feminist icon.  My girlfriend, mother, and boss have vaginas too!! Does that necessarily make them feminist icons?  

You linfar, and your mean-spirited posse at Hillaryis44 aren't at all politically cognizant.  All you know is that a)Hillary is a woman, b)you're a woman, and your shallow logic concludes that since you're both women, she should be the only candidates.  You are all clueless on policy positions there and it's apparent none of you there are even the slightest bit politically cognizant, but you show no shortage of resorting to 8th-grade gossip/namecalling, and unabashed racism.

I'm thrilled that you and your ilk are leaving the party.  This election shows that the Dems need to cut some dead weight, so why not start with the racists who shout "KOOL-AID KOOL-AID KOOL-AID" and "CULT CULT CULT" about Obama supporters incessantly, yet only viciously support a candidate because she has the same sex organs that you do.  Pathetic.

By the way, I would like nothing more than to see a woman in the White House, I truly would.  Just not THIS one.  I think we've had enough two-faced, manipulative, destructive presidents lately.

PS - linfar, I can't wait 'til you signal the "racist old lady" bugle repeatedly and have the rest of your Hillaryis44 KKKavalry rec up the heck out of your thread!

If you're really for women, know that Clinton will endorse Obama in the end. Know that John McCain has called his wife a c*nt. Know that McCain voted against a bill that would give women equal pay.

Know that McCain will be worse for the feminist cause than whatever you think Obama will ever be. Look at his record.

Lets come together :P

i support Obama, and don't agree with all of the assertions, but overall: excellent.

(the comments were not as good, from either side.)

My impression was that the point of feminism was to treat women equally, meaning that in the political arena, we elect them or not based entirely on their  qualifications and proposed policies, and not on anything rooted in sexism.

But I understand we aren't there, yet, which is why I don't mind women rallying to Hillary in this primary or blacks doing the same for Obama.  As a social constructivist, I believe strongly that the best way to overcome prejudice is to provide strong examples --- examples which cannot be ignored --- of such prejudice being incorrect.  Thus, in overcoming sexism or racism, a female or minority President could do great things.  Those who are perhaps a little uneasy would have their fears assuaged.  Perhaps those who are outright bigoted would be less able to pass on such beliefs to the youth of America.

Identity politics is somewhat troubling, because it creates such deeply ingrained factions --- a fundamental concern of our founders --- and those factions sometimes lead to entrenched hostility.  At this moment, it's easy to understand why this hostility is directed at Obama.  He's the likely nominee and he's defeating the most prominent female to ever run for the Presidency.  Yes, indeed, with her loss WE ARE ALL losing something, because it sets back the chance to overcome sexism with the strongest possible symbol...a President who happens to be female.  

But to vote for John McCain is not the answer to defeating sexism.  Not only will the sexism remain, but so-called "women's issues" (a term I've always hated because it supposes that women only care about certain issues and that men don't care about these issues, at all) will quite possibly take a serious hit.

I can't predict that Obama will, with 100% certainty, be the nominee of our party, and I cannot predict whether he would offer the Vice Presidency to Hillary Clinton, or whether she would accept it.  I hope that they form a unity ticket, because it would be a great way to spend 16 years fighting bigotry simply by providing a strong example of what black and female Americans can do.  But if they do not, and he is our nominee, please consider carefully the ramifications of your vote, whether you're considering casting it for John McCain, for a third party, or not at all.          

Thank you so much.... beautiful and touching.

Please all hillary supporteres. Watch our video and make sure that you leave a comment and rate it as your fav or it will not stay alive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvuMDmqww bI

Linfar,
As usual, these morons will shout you down. They are too inept, to understand that this has nothing to do with a temper tantrum.

"We have 99 reasons and his skin aint one".
This has everything to do with sexism as well as a total lack of experience for the job. The DNC is so in the tank for obama it is obvious.

They had no problems saying that there will be riots if the nomination is "stolen" from obama.

Stolen, they are withholding delegates and telling people don't vote for her she won't be the nominee. Just don't look at the vote counts that are certified and legal and give her the lead! Forget about the voter suppression by the DNC and MSM, telling you don't bother voting for her SINCE FEBRUARY!!

It is obvious what they are doing. They have been trying to get her out since Feb. BO has refused any re-vote or Delegate split, unless it gives him favor. Willing to disfranchise millions for his own greed and ambition. He wants to get her out before the Delegates can be assigned, thereby wittling away his lead. While her vote totals continue to increase! Then step in and seat the Delegates so to save face for Nov. Mi. & Fl. are not idiots they know what is going on!

The DNC and BO have never said anything about all the sexist statements about Senator Clinton. The agent of change and unity didn't know how to step up to a mic and say enough is enough. She is a Dem. like me and I don't want to win by beating up on a woman. No he let his surrogates continue on his behalf while he got to stand back with "clean" hands. But I am no idiot. I can see the filth on them. He did the same over the race baiting against 2 of the greatest advocates for equality for ALL races. Yes there are more than just A.A in the world. He stood back and let them say all they wanted and he joined in his own self on 3 different occasions.

Hold Roe v Wade over our heads, we are united and won't be taken advantage of. The Repubs. have not been able to get it done yet, what makes you think they will now? This is just another way to try to get us to "go along with the program". NOT!!

As my mother used to say, don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

"As usual, these morons will shout you down."

The Diary is:
Great
News
for Hillary!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpYpORnck I0

Don't forget
"Bread and Roses" first and foremost referred to a UNION activity.
This was done at a time when women could not vote but were forced into outrageous labor situations.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19bzfhs_f lU

(this appears to have Arabic text...I do not know what is says..)

I find this diary odd after Hillary Clinton's own track record with minority and progressive voters. She has consistently pandered to them only to throw them under the bus (or simply not take action when she could have) when it is politically expedient to do so. This is true in the examples of both GLBT people and AA's. What Clinton has repeatedly demonstrated is that, for her, these voters (women, progressives, african americans, gays, etc.) will come around, no matter how badly you treat them, and vote for you as a Dem. because they have nowhere else to go. She has been playing this game throughout this entire primary campaign with AA's. If she should somehow prevail, what do you think she thinks one of the largest voting blocks in the party will do? She thinks they will vote for her anyway because they have nowhere else to go. This is precisely why she and Bill took the risk of "going there" in this campaign. They cynical bet that it wouldn't hurt them, in the end, and that in the short term (the primary) it would energize white working class voters to their benefit. Shameful if you ask me.
Ferraro's comments show that she is out of touch with feminism (not to mention reality). I am someone who has identified as feminist since the 1970's and who has fought the good fight for decades. There is simply no truth to the idea that Obama has uttered sexist comments in this campaign. Moreover, calling people sexist (or racist) disavows feminism itself insofar as these statements turn people into subjects (of gender and race). This is how gender was created in the first place (by doing this, you only perpetuate that power). Finally, we do know, for a fact, that Geraldine Ferraro has made racist statements. And demonstrated what an impoverished feminist she was in the process.

In the end, these efforts to hold the party hostage are foolish. If you don't want to vote for the Dems then don't do it. But to use gender the way you do, as a weapon, is clearly not feminist.

If feminism consists in getting a male sexist elected, who stands for war, torture, and against women's rights, rather than a male who holds the opposite views, then I'm resolutely not a feminist.

I would like you to demonstrate how sexism has hindered Clinton any more than racism has hindered Obama. You can't. I would also like you to demonstrate how sexism has hurt Clinton more than her own inept advisors. You can't.

So until you can come up with better evidence that the reason why we have our first African-American nominee is sexism, I suggest that stop with the wild accusations.

Sexism was certainly a factor. So was racism. But thankfully, this is the Democratic Party, and neither of those two factors was enough to sway the nomination. Obama ran a better campaign than Clinton. I don't know why that's so hard for you to admit.

and the video brought me to tears.  I stand with you.  And for those of you who like to assume we are supporting for Hillary JUST because she is a woman, that is not the truth.  There are so many more reasons that have been discussed in other diaries.

Nevermind the hateful comments in this diary, although it felt to me that we were being spit upon by the commenters.  Remember that Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt, Jeannette Rankin and Elizabeth Cady Stanton had to put up with far more in their struggle.

And for those of you who like to assume we are supporting for Hillary JUST because she is a woman, that is not the truth.

Wherever would people get such a kooky idea?

I support the Woman!!

It is very simple really. Women are not going back to their 'place' backing the boys and feeling good about it.  

Finally, it is my opinion that this party has seriously demeaned and discounted women's voices and the woman candidate in one of the most disgraceful displays of discrimination against women since we first won the right to vote.

This diary is weak sauce - a smattering of opinion, trumped up charges of persecution, and a youtube video, and it's onto the wreck list.

I'll support the nominee no matter what, but like many other supporters of Hillary Clinton, I was deeply offended when I heard Barack Obama and news commentators say that he would easily get her supporters but she wouldn't get his.  Our votes have been taken for granted.

but this guy ain't him. I admired Senator Clinton but said she and Bill were already in the White House, we can't vote for her.

And people said are you for Hillary, you know, you're a woman so you're probably for her? I found it insulting.

So I looked around and I looked around for a candidate...and found nobody who had what she had.

I'm now simply crazy about her. And all things being equal, yes I'll support the woman candidate.

But in this election, all things are not equal. Hillary's opponent is no match for her.

He did very little after he won the right to vote to ensure women got theirs. Susan B. Anthony helped him, where was he?

Someone needs to come up with a list of all the sexist/racist things that have come from both campaigns.

When i see statements like:

"Finally, it is my opinion that this party has seriously demeaned and discounted women's voices and the woman candidate in one of the most disgraceful displays of discrimination against women since we first won the right to vote."

I have no idea where you are coming from.

Barack Obama is not a President who will make women sit in the back of the bus.

Like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama has co-sponsored the Equal Rights Amendment -- something John McCain opposed his very first year in Congress.

Like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama has co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Bill correcting the Supreme Court's egregious decision.  John McCain opposes the bill.

Like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama understands that the ultimate role of the law is to serve the interests of justice, and will appoint Supreme Court Justices who are not indifferent to the human consequences of their views.

Barack Obama has spent much of his career -- as a civil rights attorney, as a community organizer, as a state senator, supporting the very same positions that brought Hillary Clinton and many other Democrats into politics in the first place and that John McCain has spent his entire career opposing at the top of his lungs.

My vote counts very little in the big scheme of things, I do my best with it, and move on with my life.

Cast your vote whatever way you think is best.

Never threaten people with it, though, because it's not scary.

I would be interested in hearing specifics (with links) about the DNC's sexist acts.

Well said.

It's overly wrought and without serious analysis to suggest that "the men" weren't interested in what "the women" want.

The gender gap in this race was not particularly high; in other words, lots of men voted for Clinton and lots of women voted for Obama.

In most states, a majority of women under 65 voted for Obama.  It's the 70-30 vote Clinton gets from women over 65 that gives her the majority of women's votes. Of course, those older women are an important constituency, but one misrepresents the electorate to pretend that the women's vote has been uniform across age and racial categories.

This woman used to support Clinton and switched. I'm no cultist, but an academic who used to work in grassroots feminist organizations.  So cut the crap and gender victim nonsense. It not only doesn't help Clinton while assisting enemies of progressivism and feminism, but it undermines the chances of future women candidates.  

may be given to Hillary through back-channels, or in a private setting so as to be able to save face, should she turn the offer down. If that's the case, given the Obama campaign's dislike of 'leaks'... you may never hear that an offer was extended, when in fact one was. My question to you is: In that event, what would satisfy your desire to see the vp slot offered? Would Hillary's own support of the ticket... or maybe someone from the Clinton circle being on the bottom of the ticket be enough to satisfy you in that regard?

And why do you think that people made their vote choices because of gender discrimination?  

There were and are plenty of reasons, such as their positions on the Iraq war, the pandering Clinton did on issues such as the gas tax and flag burning amendments, the problem with having the same two families control the executive branch, Obama's ability to bring new people into the process, etc.

It's awfully reductive - and not backed by evidence - to claim that discrimination based on sex was a major factor.

There are several movements of disaffect Hillary voters that will no doubt converge in November at the ballot box to reject Obama. Corbett's Operation Turndown Obama is just one of them, there are others like WomenCount and Clinton Supporters Count Too not to mention all the Republican supported anti-Obama stuffing in the works. This is what happens when you shit on the party base; we'll walk away and let you clean up your mess.  

So it's shitting on the party base to go out and vote for a candidate that some women didn't vote for?

I've voted for candidates who didn't win the nomination fight before and I felt bad then then I voted for the nominee.  Sometimes democracy works like that.

You enter into politics, sometime your candidate wins and sometimes your candidate loses.  

I support the Woman!!"

Well, sure.  But here's the thing: all things are not equal.  

I guess I don't see how Obama's likely nomination is the result of sexism.  Sexism no doubt has played and perhaps still plays a role, just as racism plays a role in some anti-Obama votes.  But Hillary's campaign made a large number of tactical and strategic errors, and those errors had big effects.  

People voted for lots of reasons.  Among the factors weighing in my decision with respect to Hillary: the Iraq war vote, the Bill factor and the "dynasty" issue, Hillary's generally positive legislative record, her tendency to triangulate positions (and yet her seemingly more progressive and principled stance than Bill), her prowess in debates, the creepy Mark Penn, the ickiness of James Carville and several other prominent HRC supporters, etc.  

In the end, I voted for Obama, though my state (MA) went for Hillary.  Hillary's being a woman was an obvious plus in my evaluation, but it was not determinative.  

(Possible interesting side note #1: though I have seen plenty of people admit on camera that they won't vote for Obama because he's black, I haven't seen video of people saying they won't vote for Hillary because she's a woman.  It may be out there, but I think it's less widespread.)

(Possible interesting side note #2: I refer to the candidates here as "Hillary" and "Obama."  Does my using Hillary's first name suggest that I take her less seriously?  I don't think so: her campaign uses her first name regularly, and her home page has "Hillary for President" prominently displayed.  For whatever reasons -- probably too complicated to explore here -- Hillary has bet on her first name and Obama has bet on his last name.  This may have been an error on the part of her campaign.)

(Less interesting side note #2A: has anybody noticed how Obama would tend to refer to Hillary as "Senator Clinton" in speeches, while Hillary would tend to refer to Obama merely as "my opponent"?  The pattern wasn't absolute, but it was there.  Rhetorically, this worked for Obama, as his practice seemed  more confident and assured, whereas the rhetoric of "my opponent" is a bit nervous, as though merely stating the naem of the person gives him legitimacy.)

Finally, this: Obama should have the feminist vote in the general election because he has (on the whole) feminist positions on issues.

BRAVO !!!

it is my opinion that this party has seriously demeaned and discounted women's voices and the woman candidate in one of the most disgraceful displays of discrimination against women since we first won the right to vote.

That's your opinion.  But what evidence do you have?  In what sense is this election an example of "one of the most disgraceful displays of discrimination against women since we first won the right to vote"?  I see a lot of hard politics, but discrimination?  Evidence would be nice.

Look, Linfar, nobody disagrees that there is sexism and racism in America today.  

Obama dealt with that racism in what will become one of America's great speeches.  He addressed the issue with courage and bravery.  He took risks for what he believes.  It cost him votes because there will be some who are afraid of scary black preachers, but there are others who appreciate the authenticity... like me...

And there was sexism in this campaign.  But what did Hillary do to deal with the sexism?  Zilch.  In the absence of any real leadership on the issue, her followers are now running around the intertubes threatening to vote against their own interests.  It didn't have to be that way and a braver, more courageous candidate would have raised the issue.  Sure, she would have pissed off some deeply seeded Hillary haters, but some of us are looking for better leaders.  

I always thought the 19th amendment granted all people the "right to vote for whoever they wanted to" regardless of sex.

I didn't realize it meant that a woman voter MUST vote for every woman candidate regardless of their views, and if they don't vote for the woman then they are labeled as a enemy of feminism.

Guess you learn something new everyday....

has not been demeaned or discounted and will be voting for Obama in November. You do not speak for all women.

Feminists for Obama 08