Why are they sitting in a kitchen?

The daughter's comments on sexism make no sense to me.

She said in the interview that she is a feminist, as is her mother. She went on to say that she did not experience sexism as a child and neither has her daughter.

She also noted that there is a 'sense of equality' in the world today. Really?

How can one be a feminist and think this way? It's great that neither she nor her daughter experienced sexism in their own homes, which is what I presume she meant, but she seems extremely idealistic and a bit off base when it comes to 'equality' today.

God, great point about how having two excellent choices is lost to us once we choose our sides and become convinced that undermining the opposing choice is key to validating your own. Needless to say, both candidates are harmed in this process, and it only gives the parties we're REALLY opposed to a head start against us.

Also, I loved how both the mother and the daughter essentially said to the other, "Your candidate is great, but what's so terrible about waiting a few years for a black/woman president?"

That being said, I cringe when anyone references "hope" or "experience" as key to their choice for a nominee.

First, hope is meaningless. It's not a plan. It's just a feeling that, regardless of whether it is justified or not, has no real bearing on the outcome.

Second, Clinton only has more experience than Obama if you count the position of First Lady, which was not an elected position and gave her no greater amount of power than what Laura Bush has right now. Furthermore, McCain has more experience than either Democratic nominee, so using experience as your chief selling point is only going to hurt you in the end when you run against someone who has you beat in what you described as the most important thing a presidential candidate should have.

Also, I loved how both the mother and the daughter essentially said to the other, "Your candidate is great, but what's so terrible about waiting a few years for a black/woman president?"

uh, i know, i pretty much stopped listening after hearing the daughter say that. because that's clearly all that's important.

In the last few weeks I have really been resigned to the fact that America will not have a female president in my lifetime. It's been really sad for me to realize that.

I just don't know why we lie to little girls and tell them that if they work hard enough they can be president when it's clear they can't.

I'm so sick of this debate.

I'm a young woman and a Hillary supporter. I apparently don't exist, and I'm constantly surprised every time I hear of someone else my age who supports Hillary. Hillary's campaign does not value young people in the same way that Obama's campaign does. It hurts me that this is the case because I want so badly to be 110% for Hillary.

I voted for her, and I'll support her until the end, but I wish she tried harder with young people. The reason that young people like Obama is because he has targeted them. His campaign makes young people feel valued in a way that Hillary's does not at all. I went to a Hillary rally in Texas a couple of weeks ago, and when my two friends and I identified ourselves as college students, the people around us were surprised that we were there.

I think Hillary is, by far, the best candidate. But if she (and other "older generation feminists") want younger people to support Hillary's campaign, they need to make an effort. Recognize that we're important and make us feel valued. Don't tell us that we don't understand sexism because we're younger. Don't tell us that we don't respect the work of the women's movement. That's no way to get supporters.

Muchacha - I agree. What kind of a box did this daughter grow up in? Sexism is over and nothing to worry about?

And then she doesn't even offer a reason for voting for Obama, she only says "Clinton has too much baggage," and "Obama makes her feel patriotic." Come on. I am a Clinton supporter, but I can come up with plenty of reasons that Obama is a good candidate. So sexism is over, but the male is a better candidate because the female has baggage?

i wish more political discussion on television was this thoughtful.

p.s.

i love maria hinojosa, she hosts Latino USA on NPR. i listen to it every sunday before work

i wish more political discussion on television was this thoughtful.

p.s.

i love maria hinojosa, she hosts Latino USA on NPR. i listen to it every sunday before work

watching this debate as an Asian feminist is very interesting. like the mother said, its like being in a rock and a hard place. i was very impressed by obama's speech but when the media started critiquing hillary tears and her pant suit and all the sexist remarks. i felt the pain i always feel when any woman gets discriminated against. i think USA needs a woman president just to tell all of these sexist to shove it! but coming from southasia we have experienced that woman as a head of state does not really effect the status of women in the country. but i guess we can HOPE!

Robos A Go Go, there's a lot more to experience than holding an office.

Yes, in an actual elected position, they are pretty evenly matched. But Clinton was First Lady, and, like it or not, she was one of the few who actually did something with the position (as opposed to the 50s housewife we have right now, gag). It also means she had an inside look at how Washington and more importantly the Presidency works. The President's spouse is his main adviser and confidante. She's seen what the day-to-day of being President entails, she's dealt firsthand with the criticisms and personal attacks, she's had to deal with the people the President deals with, had to work with the press, she's dealt with scandals of both political and personal nature. She's even tried to implement policies, and sure, it was unsuccessful, but failing at something can quite often be an even better learning experience than succeeding.

The old '90s joke "I think we should all support President Clinton...and her husband Bill" existed for a reason. First Lady DOES hold power, even if it's not technically an elected position. Laura Bush COULD do something for the country if she wanted to (wasn't she a librarian? How about some literacy programs that actually work? huh?). But we all know that the repubs don't want their women to do anything useful, they just want them to make sandwiches and pump out babies. Or in Laura's case, make sandwiches and try not to look too drunk on TV.

kspitz, I know exactly what you mean. I'm 24 and a Clinton supporter. The big blue Hillary button I wear every day gets me a few odd looks, and I would bet the money I don't have that an Obama button in the same place wouldn't garner a second thought.

Abigail Pogrebin didn’t make any sense at all, and I voted for Obama. I also voted for Hillary as senator (so voting for Obama in the primary was kind of moot for me anyway. He wasn’t going to win NY). I have mixed feelings on this election as far as what will be more progressive for our country. I’m white and my boyfriend is black. What kind of world do I want our potential daughters to grow up in? Our sons? How will our country actually react if either HRC or OHB wins the presidency? These are the questions I ask myself.

Don't tell us that we don't understand sexism because we're younger. Don't tell us that we don't respect the work of the women's movement. That's no way to get supporters.

Amen. Kspitz, you may have made me into a full-fledged Hillary supporter.

Being young does not mean we don’t care, or pay attention to details. I don’t want my brother, who is in the National Guard, to go to Iraq (or anywhere, really, but he’s made his choice). I would like to be able to pay off my ridiculous amount of student loans, and not worry that I won’t have health insurance in a month because the economy sucks and I will be out of a job. It’s true that Obama is appealing to young people because he targets them, and these are our concerns- and more.

I just hope our country doesn’t wake up on Election Day and think: “Wait a minute… how did we let a woman/black get this far. McCain it is!� I could shake Abigail Pogrebin for thinking she’s been unaffected by sexism. What kind of crap is that coming from a self-professed feminist?

I don't know if Letty's claim that racism is mutable and sexism immutable is totally valid. Is that true? Or, is it true enough across the board to support a generalization like that?