Stumping for Clinton, Steinem Says McCain's POW Cred Is Overrated
AUSTIN, Texas-Feminist icon Gloria Steinem took to the stump on Hillary
Clinton's behalf here last night and quickly proved that she has lost none
of her taste for provocation.
From the stage, the 73-year-old seemed to denigrate the im****tance of John
McCain's time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. In an interview with The
Observer afterward, she suggested that Barack Obama benefits-and Clinton
suffers-because Americans view racism more seriously than ***ism.
Steinem also told the crowd that one reason to back Clinton was because
"she
actually enjoys conflict."
And she claimed that if Clinton's experience as first lady were taken
seriously in relation to her White House bid, people might "finally admit
that, say, being a secretary is the best way to learn your boss's job and
take it over."
Steinem raised McCain's Vietnam imprisonment as she sought to highlight an
alleged gender-based media bias against Clinton.
"Suppose John McCain had been Joan McCain and Joan McCain had got
captured,
shot down and been a POW for eight years. [The media would ask], 'What did
you do wrong to get captured? What terrible things did you do while you
were
there as a captive for eight years?'" Steinem said, to laughter from the
audience.
McCain was, in fact, a prisoner of war for around five and a half years,
during which time he was tortured repeatedly. Referring to his time in
captivity, Steinem said with bewilderment, "I mean, hello? This is
supposed
to be a qualification to be president? I don't think so."
Steinem's broader argument was that the media and the political world are
too admiring of militarism in all its guises.
"I am so grateful that she [Clinton] hasn't been trained to kill anybody.
And she probably didn't even play war games as a kid. It's a great relief
from Bush in his jump suit and from Kerry saluting."
To The Observer, Steinem insisted that "from George Wa****ngton to Jack
Kennedy and PT-109 we have behaved as if killing people is a qualification
for ruling people."
Other Clinton proxies, notably Black Entertainment Television founder Bob
Johnson and a New Hamp****re campaign chair, Billy Shaheen, have generated
controversies with their criticisms of Obama. By contrast, Steinem told me
the Illinois senator was "an intelligent, well-intentioned person." She
added: "I would like very much to see him be president for eight years
after
Hillary has been president for eight years."
But she also opined that "a majority of Americans want redemption for
racism, for our terrible destructive racist past and so see a vote for
Obama
as redemptive." Then, using a term for the mass killing of women, she
added,
"I don't think as many want redemption for the gynocide."
"They acknowledge racism-not enough, but somewhat," Steinem continued.
"They
would probably be less likely to acknowledge that the most likely way a
pregnant woman is to die is murder from her male partner. There are six
million female lives lost in the world every year simply because they are
female."
Steinem has been a Clinton sup****ter for several years-even though, as she
reminded me, she protested against Bill Clinton's welfare reforms outside
the White House. Her sup****t for the former first lady has become more
high-profile of late. She penned a January op-ed for The New York Times
backing Clinton and asserting that "gender is probably the most
restricting
force in American life." She was also one of the women's rights activists
who signed a Feb. 15 letter published on the Huffington Post that
insisted,
"It's time for feminists to say that Senator Obama has no monopoly on
inspiration."
Yesterday's event, billed by the Clinton campaign as "One Million for
Hillary with Gloria Steinem," was one of several appearances scheduled for
the veteran feminist across Texas as Tuesday's primary looms. It was held
in
a downtown music venue and was attended by around 200 people, the vast
majority of whom were women. Before Steinem spoke, two Clinton campaign
ads
focusing on female sup****t were shown, to applause.
In her speech, Steinem argued that there was a major ***ist component to
the
murmurs from some quarters suggesting Clinton should abandon her
presidential quest.
There is, she said, "a great deal of pressure at play for her to act like
her gender and give in." Several shouts of "No!" came from the crowd.
Steinem went on: "It's a way of reinforcing the gender roles, right? Men
are
loved if they win and Hillary is loved if she loses. . But maybe we
shouldn't
be so afraid of an open convention that actually decides something. After
all, it was an open convention in New York City that gave us Abraham
Lincoln."
Steinem's speech offered, Letterman-style, 10 reasons why she was
sup****ting
Hillary. Most were serious, though one of the more flippant was "We get
Bill
Clinton as Eleanor Roosevelt."
Steinem, like any good politician, also made sure to praise her
surroundings. True to her own spirit, though, she did so in less decorous
terms than any candidate for office would dare.
Other than Austin, she said, "there is no community in the whole world
that
understands how to include everybody, how to be serious and have a good
time
at the same time, how to be fan-****ing-tastic" quite so well.
UPDATE: The Clinton campaign sends over the following statement from
Howard
Wolfson: "Senator Clinton has repeatedly praised Senator McCain's courage
and service to our country. These comments certainly do not represent her
thinking in any way. Senator Clinton intends to have a respectful debate
with Senator McCain on the issues."
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