Reply #9: I decided to support Obama... [View All]

[ThatPoetGuy]

but it wasn't an easy decision. What made it difficult was the sexism.

Here on DU, many Obama supporters use gender-hostile words indiscriminately; Hillary is a "bitch," some would say, and when people would call those comments sexist, other Obama supporters would say, "You Hillbots see sexism everywhere." Except I've never been a Hillary supporter. I was for Edwards, now I'm for Obama, I just don't want to buy into the gender-hostility of the hate-Hillary brigade.

Obama's own camp was out there steadily spreading this. On tv, his paid surrogates would go into interviews, and describe Hillary's weird laugh as a "cackle." I thought it was more of a "guffaw" myself. It was undeniably a weird laugh. But "cackle"? Who cackles? Oh right, witches cackle.

Obama himself went on SNL for a sketch where Hillary was called a witch repeatedly. A "scary witch." So -- was that saying she's an ugly old woman? Was it saying she has evil powers and wields them towards harm? Was it saying she should be burned at the stake?

All this is beyond sexism. Obama's campaign spread the hatred and fear of women. Most of his supporters don't care.

And I, in order to support him, have to keep looking back at his record -- it seems like he was a damn good man before this campaign began, and I'm hoping he's still a good man at the end of it.