In a published article by The Washington Post's Lois Romano, Hillary Clinton briefly hit "sexism" in media coverage of her campaign as "deeply offensive to millions of women," but she went much further, as a transcript of the entire interview now makes clear.
Clinton criticized the "vitriol" from "misogynists" and said that the race factor was often discussed but not gender, adding "[E]very poll I've seen show more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman to vote for an African American, which rarely gets reported on either." She expressed amazement "that we would have a presidential campaign in which so much of what has occurred that has been very sexist would be just shrugged off."
She is fresh off a landslide win in West Virginia in which surveys revealed that race played a key factor, and that appears to be true, as well, in the results from Kentucky.
While some of the quotes have already surfaced, here is a full transcript of the Sunday interview sent to E&P this afternoon:
Q. One of the stories that has been well documented over and over again is basically how you've been treated by the media. Can you talk about that a little bit, because I get the idea that it's really pissed off a lot of women.
A. "I think it has. I think it's been deeply offensive to millions of women. ... I believe this campaign has been a ground breaker in lots of ways, but it certainly has been challenging given some of the attitudes that have been forthcoming in the press, and I regret that because I think it's been really not worthy of the seriousness of this campaign and the historical nature of the two candidacies that we have here. But I don't really stop to worry about it because there's nothing I can do about it."
Q. Are women going to be upset if you don't get the nomination?
A. I have more voters now than my opponent. I have more popular vote, more people voting for me.
Q. Counting Michigan and Florida?
A. According to ABC, and I think it's a fair way to total it up because my name was on the ballot they voted for me. But in any event, it's one of the closest races we've ever had and I think that a lot of people are deeply invested in their candidates, so there will probably be disappointment no matter which of us gets the nomination. And then it will be up to us to unify the party and make sure we are victorious in November against McCain.
Q. What's the scenario by which you could still win the nomination?
A. If people start asking themselves who's the strongest candidate against John McCain, because I believe I am.
Q. Do you think he can win?
A. Sure. I think he can win--I think I will win.
Q. But short of a scandal on his part do you see people coming to that conclusion?
A. I don't know, that's why we're not going to quit. We're going forward. We're going to give the people in the remaining elections the chance to vote, which I think is absolutely fair. And we're going to resolve Michigan and Florida, which has to be done sooner instead of later. And then we'll see where we stand.
Q. Do you think this has been a particularly racist campaign?
A. I do not. I think this has been a positive, civil campaign. I think that both gender and race have been obviously a part of it because of who we are and every poll I've seen show more people would be reluctant to vote for a woman [than] to vote for an African American, which rarely gets reported on either. The manifestation of some of the sexism that has gone on in this campaign is somehow more respectable or at least more accepted. And I think there should be equal rejection of the sexism and the racism when and if it ever raises its ugly head. But it does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by comments and reactions of people who are nothing but misogynists.
Q. Isn't that how it's always been though.
A. Oppression of women and discrimination against women is universal. You can go to places in the world where there are no racial distinctions except everyone is joined together in their oppression of women. The treatment of women is the single biggest problem we have politically and socially in the world. If you look at the extremism and the fundamentalism, it is all about controlling women, at it's base. The idea that we would have a presidential campaign in which so much of what has occurred that has been very sexist would be just shrugged off I think is a very unfortunate commentary about the lack of seriousness that should be applied to any kind of discrimination or prejudice. I have spent my entire life trying to stand up for civil rights and women's rights and human rights and I abhor wherever it is discrimination is present.
Greg Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher. His new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq.