Rachel Held Evans

Why does the religious right hate Hillary?

Usually it’s all I can do to strike up an interesting conversation about politics with my friends and co-workers. Most don’t follow the news that closely, and many in this traditionally conservative Christian town have already decided to vote for John McCain in the fall. But mention Hillary Clinton and all of that changes…

Suddenly everyone has an opinion. Guys roll their eyes and mutter under their breath. Women who rarely swear call her the b-word. I know several people who claim they will up and move to Canada if Hillary Clinton gets elected, (which I find a bit ironic seeing as Canada has just the sort of health care system both democratic candidates are promoting), and sadly, I’ve even heard it suggested that her assassination would be an act of God. Suffice it to say the mantra of “anyone but Hillary,” is a common one here.

So what’s going on? Why do these people hate Hillary Clinton so much?

(I suppose I should mention here that I voted for Barack Obama in the primaries. If Hillary Clinton is the democratic nominee, I will likely vote for her in the fall. Although I consider myself pro-life, I also feel strongly that we need to reform the healthcare system in this country and stop spending $200 million a day in Iraq.)

Of course, conservative Christians are not the only group of people opposed to a Hillary Clinton presidency. But I’d like to focus attention on the religious right because it is from that camp that I sense the most hostility.

Here are some possible explanations for the phenomenon:

1. Her policies. This is an entirely logical reason not to support Hillary Clinton. She is unabashedly pro-choice, and most republican voters would oppose her positions on universal health care, gun control, immigration, and the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Yet the religious right doesn’t talk about Barack Obama or John Edwards the way it talks about Hillary Clinton. I just don’t hear the same angry rhetoric directed toward other democratic leaders who hold similar political positions. One of my Republican friends voted for Barack Obama in the primaries for the sole purpose of voting against Hillary Clinton. Yet Obama and Hillary share nearly identical views. I can’t imagine that this is based solely on political platform.

2. Her past. Whitewater, “vast right wing conspiracies,” butting heads with congress over healthcare, representing New York without ever having lived there-I wonder how much these memories play into the attitudes of conservative voters. I’ll admit that Hillary’s history of secrecy and her reluctance to make her tax records public make me a little nervous too. (Haven’t we had enough secrecy in Washington?) When people refer to Clinton as a “polarizing” figure, I wonder if this is what they’re thinking about.

3. Her gender. I have a suspicion that sexism plays a more significant role in the religious right’s fierce opposition to Hillary Clinton than some would like to admit. I’ve always believed that the qualities it takes to become president of the United States-ambition, tenacity, political know-how-are not considered flattering qualities in women, as unfair as that may be. This attitude is perhaps amplified within the conservative Christian community, where women continue to face discrimination in the religious workplace and where the roles of women remain somewhat limited.

Let me know what you think!

Kedric

Comment
Reply #1 on : Thu March 13, 2008, 21:27:59

Hey Rachel. I only read this one article, but I'm sure I will read some of the others. I don't know how you'll interpret this, but while reading your article, I felt no stirrings of anger nor did my blood start to boil. (I'm afraid I cannot speak for anyone else.)

The reason is because of a lot of what I have learned while back in Florida and at RTS. We have learned quite a bit about how the Bible teaches God's people are to seek justice. It is because of the Gospel that we are to do this, not in spite of it (which is sometimes found in what became the "social gospel").

There was an article in Sunday's Orlando Sentinel (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/opinion/orl-steinmetz0908mar09,0,2807735.story) that had an interesting quote. It stated that African-American Protestants are overwhelmingly evangelical, but do not describe themselves that way. The story says that "'Evangelical'" often means to African Americans "a white guy who doesn't get it."

I think this started to hit me when Carl Ellis spoke at Bryan (at least I think it was him) because he's someone who would certainly be described as an evangelical, but not what we normally think.

One friend of mine here at RTS wanted Edwards to get the nomination and now that he's out, he's going with Obama. I'm registered Republican and voted for McCain and I'm really not sure how I'm going to vote in November. I can say that even if a Democrat is voted in, no one is going to move to Canada. And really, with the pro-life issue, having pro-life presidents has not moved abortion to being illegal. There are some things that change with new presidents, but mainly state and local gov't (IMO) are what really affect us.

It's funny, but I became a conservationist over the past year. It happened while hiking so much in Seminole County. Can't stand litter. If you look at my Facebook, you'll see I'm for supporting soil & water conservation districts, but Green Peace can go jump in a lake. :)

Gerianne

Re: Why does the religious right hate Hillary?
Reply #2 on : Thu March 13, 2008, 22:10:00

Rachel, I can't believe I'm just now discovering your blog. What have I been missing out on?! (Point of interest, how in the world do you say that sentence without a dangling preposition?)

I just want to say that I totally agree with you: her policies are identical to Obama's (so how they can argue so much is really confusing to me) and her past is pretty much identical to her husband's, so I think the main reason is the fact that she's female. I can tell you that your comment,

"This attitude is perhaps amplified within the conservative Christian community, where women continue to face discrimination in the religious workplace and where the roles of women remain somewhat limited."

is right on - I have a degree in Christian Ed/church leadership, and have been told that I can't be hired because I'm female. If the religious right still can't handle women in leadership roles in the church, a female president would be regarded as the Silver Surfer (the herald of Galactus, who eats worlds, in case you don't have a comic book nerd for a husband like I do).

Kristen Covington

Re: Why does the religious right hate Hillary?
Reply #3 on : Thu March 13, 2008, 22:15:35

I'm so glad you invited me to read your blog, and I'll leave my two cents while I'm here. While I would love to engage in a balanced, informed political discussion with the religious right that doesn't like Clinton for your numbers one and two, I'm sad to say that I think you've hit the nail on the head with number three. Sadly, not only the religious right but the entire country still overlooks gender discrimination in many cases. Certainly, though, nearly all Christian groups that vehemently make up the religious right deny women equality in countless areas. I'm sure some people don't support her for her policies or her past, but I think the overwhelming majority of people who viciously hate her are basing this hatred on her sex. There is simply no strong division between her and many other democrats to sustain any other argument, in my opinion.

Kudos to you on a great blog. I look forward to reading more!

Micah

Re: Why does the religious right hate Hillary?
Reply #4 on : Fri March 14, 2008, 13:42:50

D. Because she's simply not a nice human being. It's not just the right or the religious that dislike her... plenty of people feel the same way.

Including lots in the Obama camp.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2008/03/obama_campaign_skewers_clinton.html

barry

Re: Why does the religious right hate Hillary?
Reply #5 on : Sun March 16, 2008, 02:16:36

Yeah so everyone is like a black candidate and woman candidate, both breaking new ground, but the thing is that racism proper just doesn't much exist anymore. To be sure there is plenty of voluntary segregation and there is still misunderstanding and in some cases hatred between 2 groups, but what is left today is more accurately termed culturalism, for lack of a better word. Skin color and heritage are quickly all but irrelevant as long as a person assumes the culture of the people around them. Sexism doesn't have the same easy out—a woman assuming male culture is generally liked less by everyone (with small exception).

The point being that in most of the important ways, Obama is culturally white. He speaks and dresses and acts it. He was a successful lawyer. White people want their kids to be successful lawyers. What's not to like? So for many people, it doesn't feel too much like he is breaking the status quo; if you squint just right, he is a successful ambitious white man.

However, Hillary is either crying and exposing a feminine side that makes people uncomfortable, or she is wearing pant suits constantly and exposing a female trying ever so hard to be masculine, which equally makes people uncomfortable, in both cases just because there is no escaping that she is a woman, and like you said, there is no reconciling our views of what is presidential and what is feminine.

James Ludwig

Hillary
Reply #6 on : Sun April 06, 2008, 14:53:19

I despise Hillary Clinton not because of her gender but her lack of any semblance of personal morality or integrity. My church has women ministers and I a accepted Christ under my first pastor a female. So the gender bias is not the problem. While I would not vote democrat under any circumstance for a national election, I think Obama at least is sincere in his beliefs while both Clintons have shown themselves to be entirely disengenous in every way. It may be an exageration that they would choose a lie even when the truth was better. I am not a Republican but I will all vote Republican in any national election to keep the democrats out. Rachel being an English oriented person instead of math it is possible to see why you are swayed to the other side. It sounds nice but the facts and logical are that liberalism is idealistic while conservatism is more realistic. We all want the same thing in the end but disagree on how to get there. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. The facts are that your rights end where my nose begins. Democrats would force giving through taxes while it has be proven that conservatives actually give FAR more voluntarily.
Anything the government does costs more and works less. That is why the liberal way does not work.

Julie

attractive power
Reply #7 on : Mon May 12, 2008, 11:44:42

I don't know why I feel compelled to comment on a old post but here I go....

I think all of those reasons hit the nail on the head. I don't really "like" her either. For one thing I vote conservatively and she just isn't--not that I wild about McCain.
I also have a very conservative view of the women in leadership. For example I don't think women should be pastors. I did my senior thesis on trying to reconcile the ideas the woman in Prov. 31, Deborah, and the passage in the new testment that suggest a women shouldn't even speak in a Church meeting. The title of my thesis was "A Woman's Worth." I studied mainly a womens role in the family and church body but not in the rest of society--this is an ongoing learning process for me.

You said, "I’ve always believed that the qualities it takes to become president of the United States-ambition, tenacity, political know-how-are not considered flattering qualities in women, as unfair as that may be." On that note I have to say that the qualities that she used to get her where she is are not attractive to me. I assume that they aren't to others either, based on how "disliked" she is. What I am about to say is still part of my on going studying/learning. I think women can have an attractive power but I don't think it is found in the "feminist" culture. At at present I don't think it is prevalent part of the culture among Christian realm either.

As a result of the fall, I believe, that it is a womans natural inclination to rule over men. It isn't that I think women can't be powerful and godly but I think that when women try to be powerful in a way that emulates men it is unattractive and not godly.

I believe--and this bears more learning and growing on my part--that a woman is the strongest when her "gentle and quite spirit" are her strongest qualities and I think that is attractive power for women. I know I don't exhibit this at this point in my life but I hope to before I die.

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Evolving in Monkey Town

living, learning, and re-thinking fundamentalism in the town that gave it its name

Why does the religious right hate Hillary?

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