It’s been awhile since the “Iron my shirt!” incident at a Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire, which may have helped Clinton humiliate the pollsters and pundits by taking the Granite State’s primary.
But many women will tell you their outrage has simmered ever since. It reached the boiling point recently with the formation of Women Supporters Count Too, led by Cynthia Ruccia of Ohio.
Hillary has persevered on the campaign trail, putting in long hours and making her case to the voters in states like Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and West Virginia. With her blow out win in West Virginia, she’d won five of the last six primaries, compared to Obama’s single win in North Carolina.
Incredibly, after her West Virginia win, the pundits joined forces with the Obama camp in an all out effort to force Clinton out of the race. John Edwards leapt aboard the Obama bandwagon the very next day in a grandstanding attempt to take the sting out of Obama’s humiliating defeat in the Mountain State.
In today’s Washington Post, Lois Romano reports from Maysville, Kentucky that Clinton is confronting sexism out on the trail. Romano begins:
“Women of all ages and nationalities push against the rope line carrying books and T-shirts, posters and stuffed animals -- anything for her to autograph. They tote huge signs that shout "Hillary Cares About Me"-- and they tearfully grab her hand to implore her to stick it out, to take her trailing campaign all the way to the Democratic convention in Denver.
“They say they have come to show support for Hillary Clinton not merely because she is a woman or because her campaign is breaking historic ground, but because she speaks to them about their real problems and they are furious at the way she has been treated.”
Romano continues:
“In an interview after church services in Bowling Green on Sunday, Clinton for the first time addressed what women have been talking about for months, what she refers to as the "sexist" treatment she has endured at the hands of the pundits, media and others. The lewd T-shirts. The man who shouted "Iron my shirt" at a campaign event. The references to her cleavage and her cackle.
‘“It's been deeply offensive to millions of women,’ Clinton said. ‘I believe this campaign has been a groundbreaker in a lot of ways. But it certainly has been challenging given some of the attitudes in the press, and I regret that, because I think it's been really not worthy of the seriousness of the campaign and the historical nature of the two candidacies we have here.”’
Romano describes an inspired and invigorated candidate:
“An energetic Clinton has stormed Kentucky's middle-class communities for the past four days, shoring up her support before Tuesday's primary, which she is expected to win overwhelmingly. She's attracting some of the biggest and most intense crowds she's seen in weeks, such as the 2,000 who attended her rally in Lexington on Monday night, where she was joined by her husband. And while there are plenty of men in the stands, it's the women who are most passionate.
“And so as her Democratic opponent refers to her politely in the past tense, and the likely Republican presidential nominee simply ignores her, and the pundits snicker that she's delusional and should just step aside already, she is a woman definitely not preparing her remarks for a graceful exit anytime soon. And that's what her supporters want to hear.”
To read Romano’s entire article, go here.
Here are a couple of must read articles documenting the sexist and misogynist assaults on Hillary Clinton throughout the Democratic primary:
Jonathon Tilove's article in the Seattle Times, Hillary Hatred Finds Its Misogynistic Voice and
Stanley Fish’s post at Think Again (NY Times), All You Need is Hate.
And in case you missed it, check out this video that stunningly portrays what Hillary Clinton has been up against in this campaign.
