The Gender Card
Posted by wpcomimportuser1 | Email This | Permalink | Email Author
Speaking at her alma mater, Wellesley College, yesterday, some think Hillary Clinton dropped the "gender card" with comments like this one:
"In so many ways this all women's college prepared me to compete in the all-boys club of presidential politics."
Clinton's new video, "The Politics of Pile On," also seems to play the "poor me" angle, as a bunch of men ganging up on the woman. On the Today Show this morning, Matt Lauer asked Barack Obama that very question: Could your attacks on Hillary be considered anti-woman?
Which brings us to Mitt Romney's new ad, "Experience Matters":
At least one leftwing blogger -- no other than the "Thought Leader" himself -- thinks Romney's comments are "coded sexism." (Profanity warning.)
Clinton would be unwise to follow this tack, and, aside from her speech to an all women's college, I think notions of her playing the "gender card" are a bit over hyped. But what Clinton shouldn't be doing is playing the "poor me" card, as her video implies. When you're a 20-point frontrunner and leading in all the state polls, no one is seriously going to entertain the idea that you shouldn't be the prime target.
UPDATE: Kathleen Parker's column hits all the same notes.

