Sexist insults or just plain insults?

Booman has an interesting diary where he challenges posters to provide specific instances of sexism. Over at shakesville a blogger by the name of Melissa McKewan provides what she says are 93 examples of sexist and misogynistic attacks on Hillary Clinton. The current front page picture says a lot about what I think is wrong with many (not all) the accusations of sexism and misogyny against Clinton. It shows a photo of Hillary leaving a building after a campaign event through the service entrance. The implication being that Reuters (the news organization that took the photo) is trying to portray Clinton in a subservient role.

Below the fold, I try to explain why I think these people just have it wrong.

Picture One I would agree, is in fact sexist. It shows a Hillary doll as a nutcracker.

The question that comes to my mind is-who made this? Where is it being sold-exhibited? Has this been widely circulated on pro-Obama blogs? Has it been on Booman? On Kos? On Talk Left? On Huffington Post? If it has, I haven't seen it.

Number Two recounts a story from last fall that reports on an interview Hillary Clinton gave with the advocate, wherein she proclaimed that she isn't a lesbian. Why is reporting on this story "sexist": well, because it shows an "ugly" picture of Hillary, thus according to Melissa McKewan reinforcing the image that only ugly women are "dykes". I hasten to point out that it is Melissa McKewan-not the newspaper article-that brings this issue up and uses the word "dykes." But the implication is that the media is trying to create some kind of coded implication that Hillary is an "ugly dyke" (again-not my word).

McKewan continues on in this vain. If you are angry with Hillary Clinton and want to punch Hillary the candidate or Hillary the person, then you want to punch Hillary the "woman" and are therefore guilty of wanting to commit violence against women.

Some of the other examples McKewan provides do notably feed into gender stereotypes such as comparisons to Glenn Close. Others, I'm not so sure about. If you compare Hillary to a beast that is repeatedly stabbed but keeps coming back, is that automatically misogyny?

To find out what is acceptable and unacceptable to say about Hillary, I asked my wife (OK-admittedly not a scientific sample since my wife's dislike of Hillary makes me look like a sycophant). But, that said, my wife is not the kind to take kindly to men being condescending, misogynist or sexist (nor should she).

Politicians (and many other people) who run for office get unfairly caricatured all the time. They get compared to all types of bizarre creatures. Much of what I have said about George Bush or what I have said for that matter about Jeane Kirkpatrick or Maggie Thatcher back in the bad old days wasn't particularly complimentary.

If I say of a male politician: he's an mf'in prick, asshole, dickhead...or I caricature specific features I am after all using male specific pronouns.

So, if I use gender specific insults against Hillary is that misogyny or sexism? If I pick the most negative attributes of Hillary's personality why is that unfair? Am I really treating her any differently than I would a male politician.

And finally, there is a point that Melissa McKewan doesn't explain. What is it when Hillary employs sexist rhetoric against a male. Here's how this works.

When men want to insult each other we call each other a wussie (or other names that rhyme with wussie). Feminists, have I think rightly pointed out that the habit men have of insulting each other by in essence accusing them of being too "feminine" is a practice of gender norming. It's a way to make sure that men don't go "soft" and "nurturing" and start acting "feminine".

But when you get right down to it, hasn't Hillary stooped to gender norming by calling Obama "soft"? Isn't that the whole point of comparing smart and intellectual to being "elite" and "effete"?

So, what is the appropriate boundary in political discourse when you want to insult a politician? Do you have to use gender neutral insults? And if so, what are they?