Are we ready for a woman president? I am beginning to come to the very sad conclusion that maybe we are not. I had always thought that a woman would be elected president before a black man. In this historic election where both have a shot, I am seeing far more resistance to a female candidate. And while media pundits look for even coded racist messages about Obama, the outright sexism used against Hillary goes largely uncommented upon. I like both candidates and think that either would make a great president, but I think the lesson from this is that sexism is so endemic in our society that we hardly even notice it. And I find that both surprising and depressing.

Even attacks against Obama have been sexist, rather than racist. Time magazine’s Mark Halperin recently said in an interview that John Edwards thinks that Obama is kind of a pussy.

The New York Times wrote: “For much of her career, Mrs. Clinton served in largely advisory or collaborative management roles” Talk about unsubtly coded messages- collaborative management is well understood as a term for the type of jobs women do. Even though she was a law firm partner, chairman of the board, and director of three public corporations. Collaborative roles- just a woman- never really in charge.

The sexism against Hillary has been pretty relentless. Katie Couric, in an interview, asked Clinton if her nickname in high school was Miss Fridgidaire. Clinton handled the question well, but I would have preferred a comeback like asking Couric if her high school nickname was Miss puts out with everyone. What an asinine sexist question that would never be asked of a man.

Mat Drudge, who is to responsible journalism what hemorrhoids are to sodomy, ran a photo making it look like Hillary is giving fellatio to the microphone.

We’ve already covered the relentless and brutal sexist attacks on MSNBC by Chris Mathews, which brings into focus the latest- MSNBC reporter and commentator David Shuster referring to Chelsea Clinton’s campaigning for her mother as her being pimped out. I can’t imagine him saying that the Romney boys were being pimped out.

Clinton was outraged, pointing out that she is a mother first and a candidate second. Most mom’s don’t appreciate your calling their daughter a whore. And she wrote a letter to MSNBC, saying that their temporary suspension and half hearted apology was not enough. Even though the letter made clear that her complaint was that MSNBC had a pattern of this type of reckless rhetoric, and that they should address the pattern, most media commentators, including many women on the left, misinterpreted the letter as a demand that Shuster be fired, which they called petty. SO quick to criticize a woman candidate for defending her daughter, they never bothered to read the actual letter in context. It is clear that reading comprehension as well as basic research are not that important in modern journalism.  Stephen Kaus on the liberal Huffington Post called the letter prissy and censorious- terms he would never use about a man standing up for his daughter. Sexism is not male or female, republican or democrat, black or white- it is ingrained into our culture so deeply we barely notice it.

Writer and Commentator Christopher Hitchens wrote this in his column on Slate: “Off to the side, snarling with barely concealed rage, are the Clinton machine-minders, who, having failed to ignite the same kind of identity excitement with an aging and resentful female, are perhaps wishing that they had made more of her errant husband having already been "our first black president." Don’t expect him to refer to McCain as aging and resentful, even though he seems always resentful about something, and would be the oldest man to hold the presidency. But an aging woman, that is a problem.

Fox News brings in gender expert Marc Rudov, who stated that "When Barack Obama speaks, men hear, 'Take off for the future.' And when Hillary Clinton speaks, men hear, 'Take out the garbage.' But I don’t expect that they’ll have a race expert who says that when Barack speaks, men hear him saying “where the white women at.”? As racist as that sounds- Rudov is just as violently sexist. The headline on his homepage reads- You are tolerating her nonsense. As long as this type of crap is about women, we seem to tolerate it.

And while at a Hillary campaign event, a white male shouted from the audience “Iron my shirt!”, you won’t hear anyone at an Obama event shout out “Fetch me some water.” Slavery has been eliminated in most parts of the world, but women are subjugated in countless countries, little better than slaves in many of them, and worse off than slaves in some.

Axe cologne put out an ad with Hillary wearing an Obama button- with the slogan the Axe Effect. One whiff and she falls to her knees as an Obama supporter.

Upper Deck published baseball like trading cards featuring the presidential candidates. Barack Obama was depicted as White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye.  John McCain was depicted as Ted Williams. So, how did they depict Hillary? Perhaps as a member of the all girls All American League? No- as Morgana the kissing bandit, who jumped onto the field to kiss ballplayers. After some some complaints, they pulled the card. Meaning that now, Hillary is not even in the deck. How symbolic is that?

It goes on and on and on. An officially registered anti-Hillary 527  political action committee with the acronym C.U.N.T. that sell t-shirts that say what Hillary really is- you guessed- the acronym for their group, endless other sexist and misogynistic t-shirts, a urinal target with Hillary’s face on it. Bill Kristol calling white women a problem. Hillary’s voice described as shrill- her laugh an insane cackle. The Oliphant cartoon showing Clinton crying at a conference table with America’s enemies on the other side, exclaiming- You guys are mean, while a tiny Bill Clinton says “This is when PMS goes nuclear.. This is not political commentary- it is misogynistic sexist crap that should have no place in a political campaign. A t-shirt

Racism is flat out wrong, and it is as unacceptable in politics as it is in the private sphere. But sexism is just as wrong. And we should be equally unwilling to tolerate it. But sadly, we are.   

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