Joy Behar: 'Sexism and Misogyny' Behind Hillary Opposition

People who oppose Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations do so primarily out of sexism. That's at least how "The View" co-host Joy Behar sees it.

Discussing NOW’s attack on Senator Kennedy for supporting Obama over Clinton on today's show, Behar implied anti-Clinton forces are after her because she’s a woman.

"They’re piling up on Hillary from every, every corner, including Maureen Dowd, women are against her in many, many ways. And you have to say to yourself why is she at the mercy of so much more scrutiny than others? And the hatred that’s coming towards her. Think about it ladies. That’s all I’m saying."

Sherri Shepherd agreed adding that it "feels like it’s boys club, like everyone’s just closing ranks on Hillary." Elisabeth Hasselbeck strongly disagreed noting that "it’s silly to place in that [boy’s club/girls’ club] category." Whoopi Goldberg sided with Hasselbeck and calling NOW’s stance "idiotic" and injected some common sense by including her own position as a black woman.

"And where does that, where does that leave folks like me? Are we supposed to vote gender or are we supposed to vote color? How about voting for the person who makes the most sense? [applause] That’s what I want."

The entire transcript is below.

JOY BEHAR: There’s another thing that we were talking about before about how the National Organization of Women is furious with Ted Kennedy for not backing Hillary. What do you think about that?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: Well, then it does become a gender issue.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: It’s an idiotic stance to take. I’m sorry. It’s an idiotic stance to take.

ELISABETH HASSELBECK: I agree. I think there are bigger, bigger fish to fry than that issue right there. I think that comes down to political support over any gender issue in terms of him jumping over and supporting Obama. I think they should focus on something more-

GOLDBERG: Well yeah, because then it sort of means that I have to make a decision. Is it a feminine or is it a black person? Is it feminine or black, feminine or black? Make up your mind! [laughter and applause] I mean it’s terrible!

BEHAR: Let me just read what they said. They said, they said "we are repaid with his abandonment," meaning Kennedy. "He’s picked the new guy over us. He’s joined the list of progressive white men who can’t or won’t handle the prospect of a woman president who is Hillary Clinton."

GOLDBERG: But they put a brother in the, in the, in office. What are they, what are they talking about? This is ridiculous.

HASSELBECK: I know. I don’t know.

GOLDBERG: I love you N-O-W but you are totally wrong.

HASSELBECK: Wrong issue, wrong issue they’re jumping on.

GOLDBERG: I’m sorry. Wrong issue. You fix- go after something else.

BEHAR: Can I say something on that said?

GOLDBERG: Yes.

BEHAR: I have to say only because I think that you need to watch the misogyny and the sexism that’s going on.

GOLDBERG: You also, you need to-

BEHAR: They’re piling up on Hillary from every, every corner, including Maureen Dowd, women are against her in many, many ways. And you have to say to yourself why is she at the mercy of so much more scrutiny than others? And the hatred that’s coming towards her. Think about it ladies. That’s all I’m saying.

SHEPHERD: It feels like it’s boys club, like everyone’s just closing ranks on Hillary.

HASSELBECK: I don’t know- hang on. I’m all about girl power. Like, I’ve been, you know, I’ve been on committees to make sure that, you know, women are equally represented athletically and in a system of education. But I also believe that this is more about politics. I don’t think that this move right here is about boys’ club, girls’ club. I really don’t think it is. And I think it’s silly to even place it in that category. I just do.

BEHAR: It’s hard to see sometimes.

GOLDBERG: But it’s not hard for me to see because I’m looking at it through two different eyes. I got the female eye and I got the male- the, the black person eye. So where does that leave me? You know.

BEHAR: The black eye.

GOLDBERG: I got the black eye. [laughter] And where does that, where does that leave folks like me? Are we supposed to vote gender or are we supposed to vote color? How about voting for the person who makes the most sense? [applause] That’s what I want. I’m waiting, whoever it ends up, because everybody’s been tip toeing around that fact that he’s half and half. Remember at the beginning of his campaign, everybody was saying "oh he’s not black enough, he’s not this enough." So everybody’s eating it. All of the new people are eating it. It comes down to the same thing for me.

BEHAR: But if I smell a hint of racism going on, I’m going to say that too. So I smell a hint of misogyny and sexism, so I’m saying it.

GOLDBERG: That’s okay.

BEHAR: So that’s all.

GOLDBERG: That’s okay, but I’m saying that I don’t think that N-O-W should say that Ted Kennedy’s abandoned them. He’s not abandoned his ideals about what he thinks is right. You know, I disagree with him on several issues, but he has never waivered from what he believed in and particularly for women’s issues. So this is the wrong tact to take.