How often do other democracies actually elect female leaders, really? Many haven’t yet, and most that have only once. This is hardly unique to the United States.
My country, Canada, has never elected a female Prime Minister; we had one for a few months but she ascended to the job as a replacement for the previous one, not in an election, and in her first election suffered arguably the worst electoral defeat in the history of Western democracy. Italy’s never had a female PM has it? Has Spain ever had a female leader? The UK had a female Prime Minister once. France has never had a female President. Germany’s on its first female head honcho now. Japan hasn’t had a female PM. Is it really that common?
I think many Conservatives hate her so strongly because of the fact that she wildly overstepped her position when she was First Lady and moved into areas of policy where she (as someone no-one elected) should not have gone. I do think it’s a bit of old-fashioned sexism, as well, but I for one strongly disliked the fact that it was HRC’s health care plan, not then-President Clinton’s health care plan.
The stronger (and more radical) Right believe that Hillary was the actual power-behind-the-throne in some strange Cheney-esque fashion and actually did horrible things like ordering murders of opponents (i.e. Vince Foster) and ordering lackeys to steal documents (like Sandy Berger) to protect her secrets, but I think that’s the lunatic fringe.
But IANA Conservative, so these are just opinions on why…
I also dislike her because of her Iraq vote - not so much the vote, although that was stupid, but the Bush-like inability to admit error or refusal to admit that her vote was based on biased intelligence.
Much of what I’ve seen here so for is more appropriate to the selection of a homecoming queen than to the election of a president. Remember we seem to have gotten the present occupant because he was seen by many as a Christian gentleman and the sort of guy you could sit down and have a beer with. I conclude that much of the hostility toward Senator Clinton is just the product of superficiality and an instinctive animosity toward a strong woman. The faction that models their political views on old John Wayne movies will never accept her.
The irony is that some of the Hilary-bashers claim to be ready to move to Canada if she is elected. Why they think things will be better in a country with a national medical system, relations with Cuba, no good opinion of the occupation of Iraq and all the repressive behavior that has gone with it and a pretty open immigration policy is beyond my understanding
Well in my case it certainly is not because she is a woman, there was a time when I might have voted for Boxer, or Ann Richards, maybe even Shirley Chisholm. I simply am no longer willing to vote for someone who does not support the positions that I support. I voted for Nader without regret and will probably vote for Kucinich or Edwards in the primary. What finally did it for me with Hillary was the way she turned on John Kerry when he misspoke saying that those who did not learn anything in school would find themselves in Iraq (or some such statement) which was interpreted as a slam against the educational level of the military. In spite of the fact that his intent was clear, since the actual speech had been sent to the N.Y. Times (I think) the day before without the mistake, Hillary still thought it necessary to slam Kerry for ostensibly failing to support the troops. This complete lack of loyalty to a felow democrat on an issue that had zero relevance was disgusting and convinced me that she does not have the integrity to be President. I am not comapring her to anyone else that might also lack the required qualities, I am just saying why I think she is not the right person for the job.
Amen to denquixote’s comments. She wasn’t alone of course, his “friend” John McCain also joined the chorus. What have we come to that anything but constant verbal fellation of the troops is cause for condemnation?
FWIW, I associate female heads of state with smallish social-welfare states such as Norway, or turbulent Third World countries such as Pakistan. A Maggie Thatcher figure leading a rich powerful nation is as much an anomaly as a Carly Fiorina getting to head an established megacorp. Maybe more so.
At the top of the will never have a woman leader list I put Russia, unless they have another Catherine the Great hiding in the apparat learning the ways of exercising brute force.
I personally think Hillary will make a decent president, and if it gets Bill back in the White House…Bonus.
But if she does not get the nomination I will vote for whichever Democrat does. At this point I will vote for an escaped felon crack whore before I will help get another Republican elected to anything.
Because she was the de facto co-President, because she believes a woman’s place is in the House and the Senate and because she managed to keep her marriage intact and raise a wonderful child through all of it.
In short, because some people think there’s no way in hell a woman can be a successful career woman and still have a working, loving marriage and motherhood. They hate Hillary for “having it all” and being successful at it. There’s no real proof that she has failed at anything, so they have to hate it for her success.
I don’t like Hillary because I find her to be smug and condescending, a fake liberated woman who rode her husbands coat-tails (while steering him the direction she wanted to take) to a position of power and then, by not condemning it, condoned her husband using his power to sexually harass women. I don’t like her policies, and especially don’t like her superior attitude when she discussed them. She’s far too conservative for my liberal side, and far too liberal for my conservative side. She offers nothing I want in a president, and has shown me no indication that she cares about anything except her own agenda. I would have a little respect for her if she got to where she is on her own, but without her governor and then president husband, she’d still be (I think) a relatively unknown Arkansas lawyer.
Granted, most of that applies to the current president and the majority of candidates past and current - Bush sure wouldn’t be where he is without his daddy, but I don’t like him nor do I like any of the dems or repubs that actually have a chance. Politicians sicken me, Clinton is a politician, Clinton sickens me.
Good grief. I think you are projecting your personal issues on to the rest of the world. There are many female leaders that I admire, but Hillary and Carly (Fiorina) are not on the list. Hillary is proof that you don’t have to be a man to be an opportunistic politician, devoid of character and integrity.
If you know her political positions and still don’t understand why a conservative wouldn’t like her or worse, assume they don’t like her because she is a strong woman then you don’t understand conservatives very well. Of course some people don’t like her because she is a strong woman, but to think that the majority of conservatives think that way is just silly.
What I don’t understand is how any anti-War Democrat can support her.
I’ve heard more neo-con weapons grade balonium about Hillary Clinton than about any other single subject. Probably because they’ve been shovelling it longer. The right really hates her. I had one guy actually tell me that he heard Hillary say she was in favor of abortion up to three months after birth. I had him repeat it, he wasn’t kidding.
I’m not a big fan of her because she seems the same as every other soulless whore in DC, completely willing to do or say anything it takes to get just a little bit more ahead. Not that we’ll have a big variety to choose from come the election.
Hillary’s being hated by the right would normally be a selling point in my eyes. Unfortunately I can’t stand her; I’m repulsed by her hawkishness and (to paraphrase Mary McCarthy) don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth, including “and” and “the.” If she wins the nomination, as appears likely, I probably won’t cast a vote for President this time.
Not that my vote is worth two shits anyway, as I eke out a life of quiet desperation in one of the reddest of red states.
If she had run to be Senator from Arkansas I would have more respect for her. But she lost me when she moved to New York to position herself politically.
Can’t say that I hate her, though, at least no more than any other professional politician.
I feel the exactly the same way. I could have written this post myself. The only difference is that I am right of center instead of left.
This is the heart of Hillary’s unelectability. The left will support her, as will those who will vote for whoever is the anti-Republican. However, look to the middle, multiply Khadaji’s (and my) feelings by a couple of million and watch her go down in flames next November.
