'Look What They've Done to Her'

How much anger is there among women about how Hillary Clinton hasbeen treated during this campaign? Some of the nation's leadingfemale politicians will tell you: quite a lot.

"From the beginning, she's been treated very badly," says ThereseMurray, president of the Massachusetts Senate. "No woman would haverun with Obama's resume. She wouldn't have been considered." ButClinton has been "demonized by the press and the talking heads. Howdo you get away with that?"

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) says she is regularlyapproached "by women of all races, of all ages, of all faiths. Theystop me, grab my hand and say, 'Look what they've done to her, wewere so close.' They wanted this for their daughters andgranddaughters. . . . It's so heartbreaking."

For Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.), the evidence that "sexismreigns supreme" lay in the wide availability of offensive anti-Hillary paraphernalia in stores and on the Internet. For BarbaraJohnson, president of the Minneapolis City Council, Clinton may havebeen the victim of "ageism" as much as sexism. The message, shesaid, was: "Your time is past, it's time for somebody new to takeyour place."

Many women, said Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), "knew we hadmade many strides. They asked, 'Aren't we past this? What's goingon?' They're not happy with what they see as sexism, permitted bythe media and in some cases encouraged by the media."

If there is good news for Barack Obama in any of this, it is thatthe rage felt by Clinton's female supporters is directed in largepart toward the media. "The anger is aimed much more at you all,"said Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts of Rhode Island. Added Murray:"Obama wouldn't have gotten to where he got today if it weren't forthe bias of the male media -- no offense."

It's true that campaigns and political movements use anger as abargaining chip. The message is: Appease us or we will causetrouble. The Clinton campaign is hoping that such rage willstrengthen its hand in the battle to seat pro-Clinton Michigan andFlorida delegations at the party's national convention, even thoughthose states held early primaries in violation of party rules.

But the conversations I had this week with prominent femalepoliticians from around the country who support Clinton suggest thatthe fury and disappointment is more than short-term maneuvering. Inmany cases, it is rooted in the empathy of women who themselvesbroke gender barriers at various levels of politics.

Murray, for example, is the first woman to lead the MassachusettsSenate. Hooley was the first woman on the City Council in West Linn,Ore., and the first woman elected a commissioner of ClackamasCounty. Johnson says proudly that she is the second woman to serveas president of the Minneapolis City Council. Her mother was thefirst.

Clinton "is striking a chord among women who have been involvedin politics for a long time and who have been waiting for a longtime," said Nancy Kopp, Maryland's treasurer.

Female politicians feel for Clinton as someone who regularlyfaces questions that male politicians would never be asked. When areporter queried Roberts about "my brand of lipstick and what colorwas it," she revealed the vital information -- "Revlon Number 235"-- but noted that "some of my supporters were offended that sheasked me."

These are professional politicians, so they know that Clinton ison the verge of defeat because of her campaign's organizationalmistakes, its failure to take Obama seriously early on and thedifficulties created by her husband's presence. Roberts points to anage split among women, noting that her 19-year-old daughter,Kathleen, is a staunch Obama supporter. Obama, Kopp said, clearlyhas a strong appeal "among younger women, though that's true amongmany older women, too."

Indeed, Obama has the support of many prominent female electedofficials, notably Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and AmyKlobuchar of Minnesota, and Govs. Janet Napolitano of Arizona andKathleen Sebelius of Kansas. He won significant female support inthe primaries, carrying a majority of the women's vote in 13 statesand splitting it evenly with Clinton in Wisconsin.

Nonetheless, even these very pragmatic female politicians whovery much want a Democrat to win the White House are looking forsigns of "understanding and respect," said Kopp.

"It's a campaign, someone wins, someone doesn't win, that'slife," she said. "But women don't want to be totally dissed."

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