Things I Blame For Hillary Clinton’s Loss, Ranked
I know this is going to piss a lot of people off, but so be it.
12/05/2016 11:46 am ET | Updated 20 hours ago
Max Weiss


Here is my response to the Slate article, “So We’re Still Blaming Jill Stein and James Comey, Huh?”

This is a partial list of the things I blame, ranked.

1-199. MISOGYNY

This is why they chant “lock her up” and “Trump that b*tch.” It’s why people can’t quite put a finger on it, but they just don’t like the cut of her jib. It’s why they see her as shrill and scolding and corrupt ― not sufficiently warm, not the kind of person they want to grab a beer with. It’s why, following a tried-and-true pop culture paradigm — from Lady Macbeth to Claire Underwood — they see her as hungry for power and willing to do anything — even murder — to get what she wants. It’s why 2016’s answer to most election-related questions is, “It’s the misogyny, stupid!”

200. BERNIE SANDERS

I know this is going to piss a lot of people off, but so be it. I think Sanders, who fortified the recurring narrative that Hillary was a corrupt neoliberal and part of a rigged system, did more damage than anyone else. He turned millions of young people against Hillary — and countless independents, no doubt, too.

Yes, he ultimately campaigned for Hillary, but did so half-heartedly, through pursed lips and slumped body language, bashing Trump but rarely praising Hillary. One could almost see the thought bubble over his head: “This should’ve been me.”

201. FAKE NEWS

This, like almost everything on this list, is a subset of the misogyny. But these were among the stories that were circulating on the web — and that people believed — about Hillary Clinton during the campaign.

She’s got Parkinson’s or MS and is covering it up.
She has a body double, whom she trots out when she is too ill to appear in public
She murdered a DNC staffer, among many others
She exchanged “signals” with Lester Holt from the debate stage.
She runs a child pedophilia ring out of pizza parlor in D.C. (And as we saw this weekend, this kind of fake news can have real consequences.)
I could go on…

202. JAMES COMEY...

Things I don’t blame:

1. HILLARY HERSELF.

She won every debate. She came up with well thought out, concrete plans to govern. She carried herself with dignity and grace, despite all the endless, misogynist shit that was hurled at her. She was nothing short of heroic.

2. IDENTITY POLITICS

Because seriously, fu*k that.