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It looks like Hillary Clinton’s lackadaisical performance at last Tuesday’s debate has been made much worse by the post debate circling of the wagons by her supporters. Not that circling of the wagons is at all uncommon in politics; in fact it is to be expected. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on whose perspective you are prone to take, Hillary Clinton made a debate error worse by allowing supporters to characterize tough questions normally fielded by male front runners as a sort of swiftboating form of gender discrimination.

For instance, Geraldine Ferraro claimed that the tough questions were sexist and compared the “attacks” on the next hopeful commander of the world’s greatest military as equivalent to racism.

“John Edwards, specifically, as well as the press, would never attack Barack Obama for two hours they way they attacked her,” said Geraldine A. Ferraro, the 1984 vice presidential candidate who supports Mrs. Clinton. “It’s O.K. in this country to be sexist,” Ms. Ferraro said.

“It’s certainly not O.K. to be racist. I think if Barack Obama had been attacked for two hours — well, I don’t think Barack Obama would have been attacked for two hours.”

Former President Bill Clinton took it to another level by characterizing the “piling on” as swiftboating.

The week after Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign accused her rivals of “piling on,” those foes showed no sign of easing up. They even went so far as to criticize the former president, a strategy that comes with risks in a party filled with voters who admire him for resurrecting the party in the 1990s.

On Monday, in defense of his wife against political critics, Bill Clinton cited the “swift boat” television ads of the 2004 presidential campaign that questioned John Kerry’s patriotism and the campaign commercials in 2002 that suggested Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia was soft on terrorism.

But that game is even falling flat on liberals and MSM journalists that are tired of watching Hillary Clinton hem and haw in avoidance of tough questions that would force her to take a side. They are equally as upset at Senator Clinton’s propensity to take multiple sides on important issues; sometimes within the same breath.

I am not sure which is more significant, the nutroots whom she will obviously need on election day, or the MSM which she will need up until then. But given that the nutroots are much more prone to voice an honest heart felt opinion I think it is more significant when the MSM allows the criticism of this game to leak out so prominently.

Clinton herself kicked off the “woe is me” routine when her campaign accused her rivals of “piling on” when they took exception to her multiple answers to the question of illegal immigrants getting driver’s licenses in New York, and the release of her papers to the president during the two terms of President Bill Clinton.

Then of course, she went to Wellesley College, her alma mater, and talked about the school preparing her for the “all-boys club” of presidential politics.

She has asserted that the criticism wasn’t about her being a woman, but being the front-runner for the nomination. But her gender dance wasn’t lost on her supporters, who took the cue from their fearless leader and went into action on talk radio, on blogs and in political circles.

But no one has been as egregious and offensive as Ferraro, the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate in 1984.

In a front page story in Monday’s New York Times, Ferraro didn’t just play the gender card, she also combined it with the race card.

CNN political commentator Roland S. Martin then provided the golden quote that explains the problem with the victim game in terms that are starkly black and white.

Excuse me? How in the world is Clinton being discriminated against? She is leading all polls. She has raised more money than all the other candidates. She is leading likely GOP challengers in the polls, and Ferraro is mad because she’s getting criticized? Give me a break!

[~snip]

It is insulting for Ferraro and other Clinton supporters to decry the fact that she is being pressed on her policy decisions. For years women have always said that what matters are the issues, and not their hair, nails, pantsuits versus dresses or if they can bake cookies.

But now that she is getting some heat, Clinton is coming off as the woman who cries, “Don’t hit me because I’m a girl.”

And shame on Ferraro for injecting race into this. Do you recall Clinton calling Obama “naïve” for saying he would meet with Iran, Venezuela and Cuba with no preconditions? Did he respond by saying, “Don’t hit me because I’m black?”

All women should be disgusted with this blatant play on gender. Ferraro essentially said that all the men who are running against Clinton are sexist and they should be ashamed of themselves for questioning her. I suppose Ferraro wanted the race to be a coronation and Edwards, Obama, Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, Bill Richardson and Dennis Kucinich were supposed to step aside and sing “Hail to the Queen.”

But don’t be fooled. This is a crafty ploy by the Clinton campaign to further solidify their female base.

[~snip]

None of the men running have shown they are sexist. And none are racist.

You want the job, earn it. Go through the fire like the men. But don¹t try to play the victim. It’s unbecoming of a commander-in-chief.

As beautiful as that slap in the face is we can’t ignore the far left. The Daily Kos is holding their own revolt.

I have heard or read it all now.

Former President Bill Clinton is out stating his wife is getting swiftboated because of her poor debate performance?

Is the former President asking us to not expect Hillary Clinton to answer questions, given to her?

Is the former President asking us to accept Hillary Clinton’s non-answer stance?

I am here to tell you, Mr. President, the answer is no to all the above. - Swiftboating Hillary? Are You Kidding Me?

The nearly 1000 comments are even more brutal. Hillary Clinton’s bad day has turned into a bad week. I’m sure she’ll pull out of this one but make no mistake about it; Hillary Clinton is vulnerable. The veil has been lifted.

Hillary Clinton, Obama, John Edwards, Debate, Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, MSM, swiftboating, presidential politics

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