Erica Jong on Hillary Clinton’s tears
So I was in the other room while Miguel was watching the New Hampshire debates, and the one thing going through my mind, just listening to the candidates, was, I can’t believe how emotional John Edwards sounds. I mean, he really got worked up about it.
Later, I read that Edwards himself was critical of Hillary’s tears, wondering if she had the emotional fortitude to withstand the trials and tribulations of the presidency.
I thought they both were either practiced politicians or maybe actually passionate about their positions, one or the other. It’s interesting to me, though, how Hillary is instantly criticized, but it’s just another debate in the life for John Edwards, or Obama or any of those candidates.
From Erica Jong:
“It’s the tears. She pretended to cry, the women felt sorry for her, and she won,” said Bill Kristol. So did his page-mate Maureen Dowd, that fierce feminist. So did many of my friends.
Why is it ok for men to get misty and not for women? Why is it assumed everything HRC does is scripted? Why is she seen as bloody Lady Macbeth while Obama is seen as darling Cordelia? Why is a man more sincere than a woman? Why? More…
Oh my goodness I was having this VERY discussion with people in my office today and suffice to say it did not leave me a happy Panda. Bastards.
it’s a man’s world, no?
This discussion has actually changed my life of the last four years in a very significant way.
And you know what? There weren’t even any tears! Her voice quivered a little bit. Big whoop. She goes back to the same ol’ political blah blah about why she’s the best candidate. That’s what all the candidates do. It’s politics.
Listening to the New Hampshire debates, I thought Hillary sounded the strongest, but I like Obama as well. I was surprised later to read about how that was supposedly a “bad day” for her, and that those tears landed her the victory. I don’t believe that.