Of all of the criticism Hillary Clinton faces, much of it has little or nothing to do with her actual political record. Many of her detractors — on both sides of the political spectrum — complain that the Democratic candidate is loud or brash, that she shows too much emotion or not enough, that her voice is unpleasant, she’s a ball-buster, and so on and so forth. You know, the type of criticism to which male politicians almost never have to answer.
So it should come as no surprise that when Hillary supporters were asked why they think people hate their candidate so much, while some mention Benghazi or Wikileaks, many point to the fact that she’s a woman. Sadly, this is nothing new. The above clip compiles nearly 40 years — four decades! — of Clinton having to deal with rampant sexism from interviewers, from her time as first lady of Arkansas, to first lady of the United States, to her tenure as senator of New York, to her first presidential bid, to when she was appointed secretary of state, and finally to her current presidential campaign. Some of the more outrageous questions she’s had to contend with include:
- One gets the impression that you’re really not all that interested in state dinners and teas and garden parties…
- Can a first lady be popular and opinionated? What is it about you that pushes people’s hot buttons?
- Do you think the American people are ready yet to have a first lady who has strong opinions and an agenda?
- What can you say to the voters of New Hampshire on this stage tonight who see your resume and like it, but are hesitating on the likability issue?
- Does it hurt you when people say you’re too lawyerly… you parse your words… you’re not authentic… you’re not connected?
- There are people out there who have this idea that you’re not trustworthy, that they don’t like you for some reason — what is that about in your opinion?
So if Hillary Clinton ever comes across as though she’s fed up with all the bullcrap, rest assured she probably is.