Guest Blog: The roller-coaster ride of supporting Hillary

I posted a link to our media petition in my last blog. Here is an article by local resident Mary Magee on the subject. The link to the petition is at the bottom of the article.

"I support Hillary Clinton in her run for President. I believe in her candidacy because I’m a woman, a baby boomer, and an admirer of the Clintons and the service they have given this country so far. Supporting Hillary has been a roller-coaster ride, especially since October. Media coverage of her, in all its forms has been disappointing.
With rare exceptions, nothing Hillary does is treated in the media as anything but suspect. If she’s tough, she’s called inaccessible. If she’s emotional, she’s weak or phony. If she gives nuanced answers, she’s incompetent, or worse.
The MSNBC debate on October 30, “07 made me furious as I saw newsmen, Tim Russert, Brian Williams and Chris Matthews, lead the charge against Hillary. The “moderators” were in attack mode. (And no, they don’t do this to both parties equally. If you want evidence, go to www.dailyhowler.com and look at Bob Somerby’s archives for 11/2/07).
More upsetting was the fact that John Edwards, Chris Dodd and Barack Obama followed MSNBC’s lead and went after her, painting her as untrustworthy. A charge taken right out of the opposition’s play book. It’s a trend that has continued in subsequent debates.
I should add that MSNBC reporters Williams, Russert, and Matthews, were hand-picked by Jack Welch, a conservative media mogul who supports Bush, and expects his journalists to attack Democratic frontrunners. They ridiculed Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. We’re all living with the consequences.
Predictably, there was a media frenzy after the October debate, most of it anti-Hillary. Kathleen Parker of the Orlando Sentinel had three columns published within eight days, all mocking Hillary and accompanied by demeaning cartoons.
In the November 15, ’07 Nevada CNN debate, Hillary fought back and I was elated, until I read two columns by Maureen Dowd from the New York Times. On November 16, ’07 she wrote, “(Hillary) may hope that we’re all evolving into a kingdom of queen bees and their male slaves.” On November 18, ’07 she referred to Hillary as a “dominatrix,” who cracks the whip at “Obambi.”
I’m sure these sexist and racist remarks were encouraged by her friend, Chris Matthews, himself a major misogynist. I kept wondering where our other women columnists like Ellen Goodman and Tad Bartimus had gone.
As the right-leaning media ridiculed Hillary, those on the left passed her by. Progressive talk radio touted Edwards and Obama, especially host Ed Schultz, a kind of liberal Rush Limbaugh. Big Eddie, as he likes to call himself, twists everything Hillary says or does, than is enraged when she doesn’t come on his show.
In the midst of the fray, a ray of light came from an amazing person. On November 19, ’07 Leonard Pitts, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald wrote a response to the McCain supporter’s horrible comment, “How do we beat the b….?” Pitts, an African-American pointed out that sexist slurs are no more acceptable than racial slurs. A rare acknowledgement that sexism is playing a heretofore unmentioned role in the campaign. His point was recently reinforced by Gloria Steinem in her January 8, ’07, New York Times article.
Iowa’s results were upsetting, but Hillary’s debate performance just before the New Hampshire primary was awesome. Her win there surprised all the pundits. As I savored the post-election coverage, I switched from CNN to MSNBC and watched Chris Matthews and Tim Russert squirm while Keith Olberman applauded Hillary for her win.
I respect Hillary because she rebounds in spite of the discrimination she faces. She keeps fighting for what she believes. We should all have that much courage."
Reach Mary Magee at marymagee@harbornet.com

Here is the link to the petition:
http://stage.citizenspeak.org/node/1224