|
 Fall
2007
Hillary Clinton:
Two X-Chromosomes Do Not A Feminist Candidate Make!
As the
card-carrying Radical Woman, I’m told I should be overjoyed that a
woman might be nominated for president. My response is actually the
opposite: underwhelmed! After all these years since
Geraldine Ferraro made history in the VP spot, it’s more than way
overdue. And then who do we get? Hillary Clinton!
Clinton’s nomination would be a milestone. And I
certainly defend her against all the idiotic sexist attacks she’s
facing. But I have no tolerance for her conservative misleadership
and opportunist sellouts. There is no excuse for her anti-union,
anti-immigrant, and pro-war actions and her compromises with the
religious right.
The media and the Democrats expect droves of
women to vote Hillary — the female Anybody-but-Bush option. But if
we can keep the truth from being air-brushed out of the picture, my
sisters will not be so gullible.
The Transformation of
Hillary Rodham.
Growing up a fervent Methodist and Republican,
Clinton worked as a teenager for Barry Goldwater for President. He
is the granddaddy of the modern right wing. During her freshman
year at Wellesley College, she was president of the Young
Republicans Club. She did her best to stifle any student protests on
campus.
Political winds shifted. The impact of the civil
rights and peace movements led Hillary to support anti-war liberal
Eugene McCarthy in her junior year. However, she disapproved of the
student uprisings after the National Guard shot down anti-war
protesters at Kent State.
“Following her heart,” she set aside her first
career at the Children’s Defense Fund. And she follow Bill Clinton
to Arkansas. She became an attorney at a Southern law firm that
represented such corporations as the notoriously anti-union Tyson
Foods.
Hillary’s Arkansas résumé includes: six years on
the board of Wal-Mart; shady Whitewater real estate deals; making a
fortune representing Coca-Cola against disabled workers; and
defeating a lawsuit for utility ratepayer relief. As chair of the
Arkansas Education Standards Committee, she sold out the
Arkansas teachers’ union to make a name for herself on “education
reform.”
The legacy of the Bill Clinton presidency
includes the death of welfare as we knew it. And he attacked civil
liberties under the guise of stopping terrorism — remember the
Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act? Don’t dismiss
the First Lady’s role on these issues.
Hillary and Bill Clinton are the ultimate
political insider couple. And she was an integral part of his
presidency. Bill’s staff has said he would suddenly line up with her
on major policy questions if he was trying to atone for sexual
indiscretions.
Not A Feminist, Not Even
A Moderate
Seeking “common ground” with anti-abortion forces
and waffling on the issue of late-term abortions are certainly
enough to disqualify Clinton as a feminist. Yet NOW jumped on her
bandwagon. Apparently they have yet to learn that chromosomes do not
a feminist make!
But Clinton only sounds feminist when it won’t
harm her general election strategy. She appeals to religious
independents and moderate Republicans while taking women’s votes for
granted.
As First Lady, Clinton’s high-profile bid to
usher in universal healthcare was an exercise in jump-starting her
own political career. The plan was doomed to fail by her elitist
refusal to collaborate with individuals already working on the
issue. Even more key was her unwillingness to launch the necessary
fight with the healthcare profiteers. In the end, the woeful HMO
system was only strengthened. And today the medical industry is
donating more to her than to any other presidential contender.
Senator Clinton sits on the Armed Services
Committee, which oversees funding for the military. She voted for
the original Iraq War resolution. Five years later she still
justifies her action. A lot of her time is spent cozying up to
generals and Republicans and attending weekly Senate Prayer
Breakfasts. She defends Israel’s occupation of Palestine. She wants
to get tougher with Iran. And she promotes a gradual redeployment of
U.S. troops from Iraq to other “hot spots.” She chided rival Barack
Obama for “naively” ruling out (sort of) the use of nuclear weapons
in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The idea of H. Clinton in the White House
horrifies me even more when I think about immigrant rights.
Clinton wants to bring the 12 million
undocumented workers “out of the shadows and into the sunlight” — so
she can see who they are. Then, after the supposed terrorists and
undesirables are locked up, the rest can pay thousands of dollars in
fines, be deported, and get in line for a handful of visas to return
to the U.S. Some pathway to citizenship!
Putting forward such views and still portraying
herself as a history-making maverick is an act of artful dodging.
She consults her pollsters, minister, and small circle of devoted
disciples before speaking on any crucial issue. She says high-minded
things in vague language to appeal to all sides. She describes
herself as a “mind conservative and heart liberal” and a “moderate
progressive.” And she believes in politicians “living out their
faith in the public square.”
Clinton has been strategizing toward this moment
from the day she moved into the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. An
outsider with the drive to unseat the old boys’ club? Give me a
break!
Who Gets My Vote?
The only candidate I’ll support would be a
true outsider to the electoral system of one party with two
faces. I want a genuine advocate for low-income and poor women,
people of color and immigrants. I want someone who stands for ending
imperialist wars and occupations, opening the borders, guaranteeing
reproductive and gay rights, and instituting 24-hour free childcare.
Someone who would lead in building a movement to nationalize
healthcare, transportation, communications, and energy under
workers’ control. In short, someone who represents what feminists
and other better-world activists have been fighting for all these
years.
I’ll vote for the most feminist, anti-capitalist,
anti-war candidate I can find, regardless of gender. And if nobody
with those qualifications is running, I won’t vote — but will
continue to work for authentic electoral alternatives in the future.
What’s the point of prolonging the pain while increasing the profits
for Halliburton, Wal-Mart and Microsoft?
Lois Danks
lfdanks@yahoo.com
Port Angeles, Washington
Lois Danks writes for Freedom Socialist
newspaper. She has spent 42 years as a technology worker in
education, healthcare, prison, mental health and tribal settings.
She welcomes feedback. | 