http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/how-could-hillary-clinton-lose-213233
In preparation for the Democratic debates on Tuesday, this Politico article considers factors that can sway voters away from Hilary, and mistakes the Democratic presidential nominee could potentially make on her road to the election. Such factors include the build-up of a so-called "I love her but I know she can't win" sentiment, rivalry on issues with fellow candidate Bernie Sanders, and potential nominee Joe Biden, who the article seems to frame as Hillary's foil.
I thought some of the criticism the article stated on Hillary was interesting. For instance, the article claimed, "she keeps making prove-you’re-not-a-robot gaffes that make her seem weird, clunky and in need of the next round of “It’s a whole new Hillary!” reboot spin that produces the same old Hillary, over and over." The comment insinuates Hillary has to put on a deliberate front to ensure voters she is a warm candidate - and it's criticism I've never seen thrown at male candidates. Furthermore, the article framed Biden as a real threat to Clinton, because he's "got many of the soft skills Clinton lacks in public: charisma, humor and approachability." Both of these comments focused on the characters each candidate portrayed, and how voters would respond to them, which I found to be a fascinating take on candidates.
The observation that the need to be 'warm,' and 'approachable' is only being applied to female candidates is spot on. I read an article a year ago about the differences between the way female candidates (Hillary) and male candidates (everyone else?) are treated by the media and questions like 'will Hillary becoming a grandmother affect her ability to act as President' are never directed at male candidates. It's time for the media to re-evaluate the disparity between the way male politicians and female politicians are treated.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Hailey that the opinion of female candidates having to be soft and warm in order to win support is very sexist and offensive. Furthermore, Biden is not a threat to Clinton because he hasn't done anything to actively win over the voters' hearts. This article makes me think we will never be entirely free from gender stereotypes in any professional field, and it makes me angry that no matter what track record a woman has, if she passionately speaks up for what she believes, she's seen as catty and cold.
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ReplyDeleteI liked that article. I didn't really see how it was being sexist or whatever but that's just me. What I really liked about the article was the amount of objectivity that it placed on the Democratic nomination. I thought it thoroughly explored all the ways that Hillary could lose, especially with the introduction of Joe Biden into the race. It put Hillary's campaign into a different perspective as it criticized her and proved that she is not impervious against defeat this election season.
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