Hillary Clinton - Anti-Feminist

I spoke last night by telephone with my mother and as is the norm in my family, part of the conversation drifted to politics and her wish that Hillary would get out of the campaign for president. In fact, she said she's so sick of hearing about Hillary and/or clips of her speaking that she has cut back on watching TV news programs. She just wishes Hillary would go away and again commented about other former Republicans who would vote for McCain rather than Hillary.

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While never a militant feminist, as the youngest of three daughters, my mother was raised by her dad as if she were the son he never had, for many years had her own career - plus significant assets of her own - and was never the meek house wife completely dominated by "the man of the house." She would and did put my father in his place. Perhaps she should have done it more often, but Tammy Wynette she wasn't. Thus, I think she typifies many older women in the voting pool. And her views are much like those of Camille Paglia based on Paglia's column in today's Daily Telegraph entitled "Why women shouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton."

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In many ways Paglia is right on point. Hillary makes use of the feminist mantra, but in fact acts quite the opposite - particularly in staying married to sleaze boy, Slick Willie. A number of my female friends still back Hillary because "she's one of us." Truth be told, she's not, but they cannot see it and do not want to hear it explained to them. Perhaps coming from another woman, the criticisms will sink in. Here are some column highlights:

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All women, on pain of excommunication from the feminist claque, must now support Hillary. Never mind her spotty record or her naked political expediency. Any woman with the temerity to endorse Barack Obama (as I do) is condemned as a "traitor" to her sex. "Gender is probably the most restricting force in American life," trumpeted Steinem earlier this year in an article promoting Hillary in the New York Times. Barriers of race, class or economics are waved away as mere frippery.

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Hillary's voter base consists of middle-aged to elderly white women who identify with her caustic, stubborn, bulldog resilience. Humiliated and upstaged by her philandering husband, Hillary is the champion of an army of women who were stymied, betrayed or outmanoeuvred by men. Over the past year, whenever her cowed male opponents mildly rebutted Hillary in debate, her campaign jumped into über-feminist mode: male bullies, they screeched, "ganging up" on a helpless damsel.

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Losing ground with other core groups - notably her own cohort of upper-middle-class, baby-boom career woman - Hillary played the gender card to the max. When polling showed she had seemed too harsh to the caucus-goers of Iowa, she rolled out teary eyes for New Hampshire, which handed her a primary victory. Hillary will scratch, claw, and morph through every gender trick if it rakes in votes.

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Whatever her official feminist credo, Hillary's public career has glaringly been a subset to her husband's success. Despite her reputation for brilliance, she failed the Washington, DC bar exam. Thus her migration to Little Rock was not simply a selfless drama for love; she was fleeing the capital where she had hoped to make her mark. In Little Rock, every role that Hillary played was obtained via her husband's influence - from her position at the Rose Law Firm to her seat on the board of Wal-Mart to her advocacy for public education reform.

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The argument, therefore, that Hillary's candidacy marks the zenith of modern feminism is specious. Feminism is not well served by her surrogates' constant tactic of attributing all opposition to her as a function of entrenched sexism. Well into her second term as a US Senator, Hillary lacks a single example of major legislative achievement. Her career has consisted of fundraising, meet-and-greets and speeches around the world expressing support for women's rights.

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She's a crucifix-wearing, Methodist do-gooder who confidently thinks she's God's agent. There's no room for random eroticism in her calendar. . . . Hillary's recent remarks about politics as a "boys' club" resistant to uppity women was sheer demagoguery. By progressing farther than any woman presidential candidate, she has become a role model for future aspirants. But by attaching herself so blatantly to anti-male rhetoric - particularly in view of her debt to her husband - she is espousing a retrograde brand of feminism no longer applicable to the US.