Victimhood

How much danger is the Democratic Party really in?

Generally decent article - but this is the part that disturbs me:

Many of Clinton's supporters, particularly women, also warn that they feel Obama has benefited from a free ride in the press and has taken advantage of barely veiled sexism. Clinton tellingly referred supporters to the analysis of ABC's Cokie Roberts, who said this of the reaction some women have to Obama: "Here is this woman, she's worked hard, she's done it all the way you're supposed to do it, and then this cute young man comes in and says a bunch of sweet, you know, nothings, and pushes you out of the way. And a lot of women are looking at that and saying, 'There goes my life.' "

What? What?! Here is the problem with this entire race - Clinton's arguments and ploys only work up to (down to?) a certain age group. In regard to the passage above, that is not my life. Nor is it the life of any of my female friends. And honestly, it feels like shit to be part of a group (the female gender) that would make important political decisions because they feel sympathy for the candidate, who is (schemingly, mind you) playing the victim. How can Hillary be tough enough to handle the White House (or the goddamn red phone) when she keeps whining about being a victim all the time? Why would women want our first representative in this historic role to be a) crazy and b) pathetic? Because that's what this victim argument is - crazy and pathetic. You win office because you're the best. Not because you've supposedly been shafted your whole life. If you come against someone who is better at the political game - well boo fucking hoo, either step it up or accept the fact that perhaps you're not president material. But don't complain about it and reinforce the stereotype of women as whining, pathetic, helpless little creatures. We're not. I certainly am not. Nor would I ever want to be put into a position of any sort because someone feels sorry for me. I can't think of a worse way to win (minus the 2000 elections, that was pretty bad). Women, particularly, I plead with you - don't vote for someone because you can relate, because you feel sorry for them, because she's a victim. If Hillary wins and history chooses her victimhood as the reason (because let's be honest, history is completely malleable), women will be set back significantly. My generation really is free from a lot of the old hang-ups (well, not completely free - that's still a way off, but I believe old attitudes toward these subjects hold very little sway in our minds) - be it gender, race, religion. From what I've seen, members of my generation have displayed a remarkable degree of tolerance - it warms my heart, it really does. My message to older voters would then be - please, really think about why you're voting for Hillary - if it's because you believe she truly is the best person for the job, then by all means! But if it's because you relate to her tale of woe (which is exaggerated), think again. There is an entire group of ladies who haven't felt victimized whatsoever in their lives. Women are doing extraordinary things, even in traditionally male industries (like mine). Don't reinforce an old, outdated stereotype. Hillary may have had a few rough patches in her life, but who hasn't? I don't know how you can look at this race, and believe that she is losing solely because she's a woman. And, for her to play that card, to manipulate voters into thinking they're evening the playing field, to set herself up as a victim - well, it makes the voters (particularly the women voters) look foolish and it proves what I've always suspected to be true - American voters vote with emotion, not reason. (Which, funnily enough, seems to be the argument against supporting Obama - we're too easily charmed - but that's nothing compared to the victim game.) Ladies, I'm talking to you - I think this is where we need to bring reason back. And reason clearly shows that Hillary cannot run a presidential campaign. To boil it down to its most concise form, which I know you've already heard, if you can't run a political campaign, you probably shouldn't be trusted with an entire country. Victim or not.