Why did Clinton lose? Sexism, entitlement, or Billary factor

Many women I talk to, even those who aren't particularly fond of Hillary, feel empathy for her, knowing that any woman in a world dominated by men has to walk a tightrope between femininity and masculinity, strength and vulnerability. They see double standards they hate — when male reporters described Hillary's laugh as "a cackle" or her voice as "grating," when Rush Limbaugh goes off on her wrinkles or when male pundits seem gleeful to write her political obituary. Several women I know, who argue with their husbands about Hillary, refer with a shudder to the "Kill the Witch" syndrome... When the usually invulnerable Hillary seems vulnerable, many women, even ones who don't want her to win, cringe at the idea of seeing her publicly humiliated — again.

I know that the attacks against powerful women can be harsh and personal and unfair, enough to make anyone cry. But Hillary is not the best test case for women. We'll never know how much of the backlash is because she's a woman or because she's this woman or because of the ick factor of returning to the old Clinton dysfunction. While Obama aims to transcend race, Hillary often aims to use gender to her advantage, or to excuse mistakes. In 1994, after her intransigence and secrecy-doomed health care plan, she told The Wall Street Journal that she was "a gender Rorschach test."

"If somebody has a female boss for the first time, and they've never experienced that," she said, "well, maybe they can't take out their hostility against her so they turn it on me." As a possible first Madame President, Hillary is a flawed science experiment because you can't take Bill out of the equation. Her story is wrapped up in her marriage, and her marriage is wrapped up in a series of unappetizing compromises, arrangements and dependencies.

Instead of carving out a separate identity for herself, she has become more entwined with Bill. She is running bolstered by his record and his muscle. She touts her experience as first lady, even though her judgment during those years on issue after issue was poor. She says she's learned from her mistakes, but that's not a compelling pitch. As a senator, she was not a leading voice on important issues, and her Iraq vote was about her political viability.

She told New York magazine's John Heilemann that before Iowa taught her that she had to show her soft side, "I really believed I had to prove in this race from the very beginning that a woman could be president and a woman could be commander in chief. I thought that was my primary mission." If Hillary fails, it will be her failure, not ours.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/opinion/13dowd.html?scp=7&sq=Hillary+Cl...

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[girzwald3]

Gee, it couldn't be that Hillary is a shitty candidate, a liar, and a socialist. NOOOOOOO clearly its cause shes a woman!

[RA1140]

She lost, because she's a liar. She lost because she's a funder of the war in Iraq which murdered 10000's of innocent people FOR NO REASON. She lost because she was never meant to win. She lost because Barack is better than her, whether he's not white or not. She lost because she threatened to assasinate a nice guy(Obama) like her husband had the FK's killed. She lost because she's an idiot. She lost because she's useless and well hated.

[othsma]

women don't belong in the office because all female politicians only concentrate on women and not people in general.

if women can't think about both gender,they don't deserve to be president.

[Gorillazfreak18]

Because she is a woman.

Notice how the media was all over Sarah Palin? She's a woman, lol. No matter who the female cadidate is, they will lose, because society is still sexist and somewhat racist.

You must remember, Obama is multi-racial, so what if he was 100 percent African American...

[BazzTheBoss]

she does not deserve empathy, she stayed with bill for the power!! power whore

[Denisehealthnut]

Misogyny my Ass-ony!

[dalpaugh]

Barnacle's point should be all that needs to be said about Hillary's campaign. If Democrats, or the country as a whole, were sexist, she never would have been a frontrunner.

[prisonerofalliance]

Maybe because she voted for the Iraq War and the last thing we wanted was a choice of two who voted for that war. Maybe because many of us know that the Clintons are tools of the "military industrial complex". Inexperience in Washington is another word for unencumbered by K Street. Why did Hillary lose? Let me count the ways. But it wasn't sexism. And let's not forget it's the Clintons themselves - "hard working white people", "he can't win", etc.who played the race card. Obama did no equivalent

[hichcoc]

oh..it's because she is a woman..Okay..that's palpable or maybe is it sour grapes and hidden racial motive...?

[CHFCooper]

She's not gone yet, damnit. 'Amerika ditsch deatte.'

[souljaEXVOTO]

the media did nothing but praise her in the early debates. She was the shoe in, then people woke up. alas, some are still asleep and posting pointless comments defending the defenseless here on youtube. too bad.