# Nancy Pelosi claims Hillary was a victim of sexism, accompanied by other babbling **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 25, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205 "2008-06-25T17:47:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/1 "2008-06-25T17:47:22Z")
Nancy Pelosi (D-Eranged), made a number of comments [in this article](http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/06/pelosi_hillary_was_victim_of_s.html#more), but stopped short of making sense. > [@](#): > > “Yes, there was sexism,” Pelosi told a group of reporters over breakfast this morning. OK. On that basis, Mr. Obama has faced racism, and Mr. McCain ageism. All victims are equal, so move on. > [@](#): > > Pelosi said Clinton had benefited from the excitement that was generated among women by her candidacy. > > But that was offset by sexism, she added, stopping short of pinning Clinton’s defeat on gender bias. Pelosi said she hadn’t studied the question in detail but was merely speaking “instinctively.” Or, a zero sum game. Instinctively = talking out of your ass. > [@](#): > > “The expectations will be high,” she said she’s told them. “The results must happen.” Whiskey, tango, foxtrot? > [@](#): > > "Is there sexism? Probably so. Is it responsible for the defeat? I really wouldn’t have the scientific knowledge, all of the information, to know that. But I do think that being a woman has a positive upside in the campaign, probably offset by more sexism, I don’t know. The last three are factual words. > [@](#): > > "Of course there is sexism. We all know that. But it’s a given. It’s a given. And I think with the next generation, it will be less… Which is it, Flipper? > [@](#): > > "I don’t want to make a decision without knowing what the facts are. My impression is, yes, there was sexism, My knowledge is, yes, there is sexism, because there has been. Based on that, there are dinosaurs, because there have been. Please, Nancy, for the sake of your party, shut the fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/2 "2008-06-25T17:54:26Z")
You’re right. Unquestionably, there was absolutely zero sexism against Hillary Clinton. And the hypothesis that the number of sexists, ageists and racists in this country are equal is entirely logical. I don’t see what the problem is here. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/3 "2008-06-25T17:57:03Z")
What did Nancy Pelosi do wrong here? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/4 "2008-06-25T18:03:38Z")
It sounds like she basically said Hillary gained support from a number of women because she’s a woman and lost a number of other votes because she’s a woman. Is that in question? > [@](#): > > Pelosi said she is already warning her House Democratic colleagues to be prepared for a new reality next year if Obama becomes president. > > “The expectations will be high,” she said she’s told them. “The results must happen.” It would have been nice if you had quoted what she was responding to. The expectations will be high because of a democratic president with a democratic controlled congress. It really isn’t the WTF comment you seemed to think it was. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/5 "2008-06-25T18:05:52Z")
You know, honestly, if Hilary was the exact same person but a guy I think the election would have gone very differently. Not necessarily that she would have won, but it would have been a very different game. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/6 "2008-06-25T18:21:20Z")
I bet her genitalia would look a bit different too. Just since we’re all going out on a limb. IMHO, Pelosi’s not that far off the mark; sure, Obama faced racism, but I’ve never heard an African-American say they “wouldn’t vote for a black man to be President.” Conversely, I’ve heard many, many women say they “wouldn’t vote for a female President.” Given their testimony, I’m certain of one thing- I wouldn’t want any of \*those \* women to be President. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/7 "2008-06-25T18:23:51Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] You know, honestly, if Hilary was the exact same person but a guy I think the election would have gone very differently. Not necessarily that she would have won, but it would have been a very different game. [/QUOTE] Sure. Then it would have been her _wife_ acting all wacky during her campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/8 "2008-06-25T18:23:57Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] > [@](#): > > Pelosi said she hadn’t studied the question in detail but was merely speaking “instinctively.” Instinctively = talking out of your ass. [/QUOTE] I thought Instinctively = woman’s intuition. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/9 "2008-06-25T18:26:31Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] I thought Instinctively = woman’s intuition. [/QUOTE] So you agree? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/10 "2008-06-25T18:26:46Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] You know, honestly, if Hilary was the exact same person but a guy I think the election would have gone very differently. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure if that even makes any sense. For one thing, if she was “the exact same person but a guy,” she wouldn’t have been married to Bill, and if you take that away, she’s _really_ not the same person anymore, in the eyes of many voters. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/11 "2008-06-25T18:28:38Z")
[QUOTE=Snarky\_Kong] So you agree? [/QUOTE] No, no, a woman’s Intuition is her triple-bladed Schick razor. Has comfort strips with aloe, and a comfort-grip handle. What? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/12 "2008-06-25T18:42:47Z")
So the OP expects a politician, a MEMBER OF CONGRESS, to shut up during a press breakfast? I lack words to describe what a silly concept this is. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/13 "2008-06-25T19:17:32Z")
No offense, OP, but even my cat has better reading comprehension skills. There was nothing particularly earth-shatteringly revelatory about her (rather general) observations, but there certainly wasn’t anything wildly off-the-mark about them either. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/14 "2008-06-25T19:23:37Z")
What would Pelosi know about being a female politician, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/15 "2008-06-25T19:41:03Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] You’re right. Unquestionably, there was absolutely zero sexism against Hillary Clinton. And the hypothesis that the number of sexists, ageists and racists in this country are equal is entirely logical. I don’t see what the problem is here. [/QUOTE] **I** didn’t say there wasn’t, did I? Pelosi did claim there was sexism, then didn’t, then said she wasn’t sure, but there must be, because there has been. I also didn’t hypothesize on the equality, or lack thereof regarding other -ists. I merely observed that the other candidates faced their own versions of prejudice on a given facet of their person. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/16 "2008-06-25T19:49:50Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] **I** didn’t say there wasn’t, did I? Pelosi did claim there was sexism, then didn’t, then said she wasn’t sure, but there must be, because there has been. [/quote] It’s not that complicated, although they could have edited the quotes and explained things better. I think you also did the “What an idiot!” thing too fast. Pelosi said she believed there was sexism, but there was also enthusiasm for Clinton because she was a woman. She felt the two probably canceled each other out. She said sexism definitely exists, but she’s not sure if that’s why Hillary lost. I think that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/17 "2008-06-25T20:04:09Z")
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird] Sure. Then it would have been her _wife_ acting all wacky during her campaign. [/QUOTE] Probably because of PMS. I don’t think Pelosi has done a very good job at all as Speaker, but I see nothing at all wrong or new about her comments. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/18 "2008-06-25T20:10:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Pelosi said Clinton had benefited from the excitement that was generated among women by her candidacy. > > But that was offset by sexism, she added, It’s interesting how she calculated this “offset”. While the focus among some has been alleged media bias against Clinton on the basis of gender (largely citing a few snarky comments by pundits), Clinton’s gender arguably _helped_ her in the media. For uselessly prolonging the race for the nomination while providing Republicans with anti-Obama fodder, she was repeatedly praised as dogged and tough. A male candidate who did that likely would overwhelmingly have been termed stubborn and obstructionist. Pelosi is being cagey here, but she’s doing her part to fuel the mythology that Clinton lost the race because of sexism, instead of due to the fact that she was a flawed, poorly prepared candidate. That mythology can be used as a tool to stir up support for other women candidates, most prominently including Clinton herself when she’s being considered for V.P., Supreme Court justice, President or whatever high post her followers feel she’s entitled to. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/19 "2008-06-25T20:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] > [@](#): > > “Yes, there was sexism,” Pelosi told a group of reporters over breakfast this morning. OK. On that basis, Mr. Obama has faced racism, and Mr. McCain ageism. All victims are equal, so move on. [/quote] Do you think there’s a problem with noting the existence of sexism against Clinton without also mentioning prejudices against the other candidates? > [@danceswithcats](#): > > Pelosi did claim there was sexism, then didn’t, then said she wasn’t sure, but there must be, because there has been. No, she repeatedly said there was sexism, and also said she wasn’t sure if the sexism was responsible for Clinton’s defeat. This is no contradiction, since the existence of sexism and the role it played in her defeat are two different questions. Other than using a lot of words to say a simple thing, which is normal for a politician, Pelosi hasn’t done anything worth getting annoyed about here. Weak, weak pitting. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205/20 "2008-06-25T20:18:31Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] For uselessly prolonging the race for the nomination while providing Republicans with anti-Obama fodder, she was repeatedly praised as dogged and tough. A male candidate who did that likely would overwhelmingly have been termed stubborn and obstructionist. [/QUOTE] Cite and cite? You’re pulling this analysis out of your ass just as much as Pelosi was. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-claims-hillary-was-a-victim-of-sexism-accompanied-by-other-babbling/454205.md?page=2)