Spin Cycle

Clinton, in Kentucky, complains that her campaign has been victimized by rampant sexism in an interview with the Washington Post:

"In an interview after church services in Bowling Green on Sunday, Clinton for the first time addressed what women have been talking about for months, what she refers to as the "sexist" treatment she has endured at the hands of the pundits, media and others. The lewd T-shirts. The man who shouted 'Iron my shirt' at a campaign event. The references to her cleavage and her cackle.

" 'It's been deeply offensive to millions of women,' Clinton said. 'I believe this campaign has been a groundbreaker in a lot of ways. But it certainly has been challenging given some of the attitudes in the press, and I regret that, because I think it's been really not worthy of the seriousness of the campaign and the historical nature of the two candidacies we have here.'

"Later, when asked if she thinks this campaign has been racist, she says she does not. And she circles back to the sexism. "The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable, or at least more accepted, and . . . there should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism when it raises its ugly head," she said. "It does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by the comments by people who are nothing but misogynists."

There is, of course, another side to the story:

The cleavage incident was one story by one reporter in the Washington Post more than a year ago. The Iron My Shirt episode was one idiot in New Hampshire, looking for publicity, one time in 18 months. It's disingenuous to act like these were somehow pervasive. And let's not forget that she was allowed to get misty in New Hampshire, which would have ruined a male candidate, without paying a political price -- because of the argument that it was sexist to care about it.

What was pervasive? Some deepseated biases operating in Hillary's favor:

White people voting for her. Women voting for her. Being portrayed as more competent than Obama from start to finish even though she had failed at health care and ran a strategically and tactically deficient campaign that budgeted badly and ignored critical states. Being portrayed as more ready to lead despite having shown dubious judgment in her vote on Iraq. Being portrayed as more experienced than Obama based on eight years as First Lady.

Was it sexism that made the media regularly gave her the benefit of all those doubts?

Hardly.