[Guest post by DRJ]
Feminist Gloria Steinem campaigned for Hillary Clinton in Texas today. Here are a few excerpts from the New York Observer:
[Note: All excerpts are quotes from The Observer summarizing Steinem’s speech. Items in quotation marks are quotes from Gloria Steinem.]
> Barack Obama benefits — and Clinton suffers — because Americans view racism more seriously than sexism.
> … one reason to back Clinton was because “she actually enjoys conflict.”
> … if Clinton’s experience as First Lady were taken seriously in relation to her White House bid, people might “finally admit that, say, being a secretary is the best way to learn your boss’s job and take it over.”
> Steinem raised McCain’s Vietnam imprisonment as she sought to highlight an alleged gender-based media bias against Clinton.
“Suppose John McCain had been Joan McCain and Joan McCain had got captured, shot down and been a POW for eight years. [The media would ask], ‘What did you do wrong to get captured? What terrible things did you do while you were there as a captive for eight years?’” Steinem said, to laughter from the audience.
McCain was, in fact, a prisoner of war for around five-and-a-half years, during which time he was tortured repeatedly. Referring to his time in captivity, Steinem said with bewilderment, “I mean, hello? This is supposed to be a qualification to be president? I don’t think so.”
> Steinem’s broader argument was that the media and the political world are too admiring of militarism in all its guises.
“I am so grateful that she [Clinton] hasn’t been trained to kill anybody. And she probably didn’t even play war games as a kid. It’s a great relief from Bush in his jump suit and from Kerry saluting.”
Steinem also sullied JFK, stating “from George Washington to Jack Kennedy and PT-109 we have behaved as if killing people is a qualification for ruling people.”
It sounds like Steinem managed to offend just about everybody. What’s that old saying? ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman …’ Well, you know.
— DRJ