A Taxonomy of Hillary Haters
Why do so many people love to hate Clinton? David McNew/Getty Images hide caption
Hating presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has become such a national pastime, writer and radio producer Jack Hitt invented a verb for it: "hillarating."
After her victory in New Hampshire, the former first lady and Democratic senator from New York appeared with a maniacal expression on the front page of one New York newspaper under the headline "Back from the Dead."
TV anchormen spend minutes of airtime poking fun at her looks. On the streets, feminists apologize before supporting her in a gossip session. Artists have created racy sculptures of her.
"I am very clearly someone who's gone through a tremendous amount of criticism," Clinton tells NBC's Meet the Press. "That's fine; I'm more than willing to shoulder that."
Hillary haters see many types of Hillary Clinton, according to Hitt. There's the "Dianne Feinstein" Hillary, a centrist hiding as a liberal. The "Tammy Wynette" Hillary stayed with her husband after the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Then there's the "Lady Macbeth," the "Lisa Simpson," and the cold and experienced "Ms. Frigidaire."
What is it that leads people to make a sport of hating Hillary Clinton? Is it her politics, her gender or her personality? Hitt says there is no single reason. As he writes in the current issue of Mother Jones, "No part of her life, however sacred, is off-limits."
On our blog, an open thread: Why do so many people hate Hillary Clinton?