On last night’s CNN Tonight, Don Lemon sat down with former governor of Michigan (and adamant Hillary supporter) Jennifer Granholm to discuss why younger women were supporting Bernie Sanders instead of Clinton for Democratic nominee. Lemon brought up former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s recent comment that young women deserved “a special place in hell” if they didn’t support Hillary for president, a comment which Lemon found condescending but Granholm said was misunderstood.
Lemon suggested this was Albright telling women to vote for Clinton solely on the basis that she’s a woman. Granholm, of course vehemently disagreed, saying that it was just a misunderstanding.
“No, she's said that line to say to women you’ve got to help one another in life, but this context, I know a lot of women took it as ‘you will go to hell unless you vote for Hillary Clinton’.’ That's certainly not what she meant.”
Lemon then argued that Albright’s line of attack relied on a sexist narrative that wasn’t true for most young women today. Of course Granholm didn’t like that one bit and argued back, claiming that women of all ages experience sexism “from the moment you come out of the womb.”
“Well I would say, the sexism is rampant no matter what your age,” she began, bringing up “rape culture” as an example of sexism young women face. Lemon tried to push back again but Granholm continued and Lemon eventually ceded to her argument:
GRANHOLM: “But young women would say, don't say that I haven't experienced it, because from the moment you come out of the womb— “
LEMON: [finishing her sentence] You experience it.
GRANHOLM: You experience it. It is part and parcel.
See a partial transcript from the interview on CNN Tonight February 8 below:
LEMON: Why do you think so many young women are supporting Bernie Sanders?
GRANHOLM: It's the question, right? For those of us who are supporting Hillary, especially in my generation, people wonder what's going on there that it's not that important. I think young women will say it's all about policies, it's not about the symbol of having a woman as president. And she wouldn’t say, Hillary Clinton would say, don't vote for me because I'm a woman, vote for me because I share your values, I've got policies, I've got experience, and you know, I happen to be a woman. But the thing that kills us though in my generation is that we've worked so hard to be able to have the privilege of pulling the lever for a woman whose values we share and who has shared our experience and is the most experienced person to ever run for president, and she happens to be a woman, and we've worked so hard for our daughters to be able to do that.
[Video clip]
ALBRIGHT: A lot of you women think it's done. It's not done, and you have to help. Hillary Clinton will always be there for you, and just remember, there is a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.
LEMON: First thing, quickly. Do you think she's saying you must vote for Hillary Clinton because she's a woman?
GRANHOLM: No, she's said that line to say to women you’ve got to help one another in life, but this context, I know a lot of women took it as you will go to hell unless vote for Hillary Clinton. That's certainly not what she meant.
LEMON: Ok, so the other thing is, she’s trying to guilt women, you know
GRANHOLM: [trying to interrupt] That’s, that’s—
LEMON:— it's an older woman trying to guilt younger women—
GRANHOLM: That’s how it’s perceived.
LEMON: So let’s talk about it. Because it can be perceived as being condescending to young women.
GRANHOLM: Right, exactly
LEMON: But young women have not experience the sexism in ways that older women have. For my mother, who has a master's degree and quite nearly a doctorate, could only be a secretary. Part of that is how she was raised but part of it’s race as well. Yes, there’s a glass ceiling, but it's a different experience that they don’t— they haven’t —
GRANHOLM: Well I would say, the sexism is rampant no matter what your ages, and young women have experienced that. This whole rape culture -- there is a whole different set of sexism issues that younger women are experiencing—
LEMON: But you know what I mean, I’m just saying—
GRANHOLM: In terms of volume because you've been on the Earth longer, and you lived during a time where, you know, women just stayed at home and they weren't allowed — you know, name the litany of things. As you get older, the older you are, the more you've experienced in terms of sexism. That is definitely true. But young women would say, don't say that I haven't experienced it, because from the moment you come out of the womb—
LEMON: [finishing her sentence] You experience it.
GRANHOLM: You experience it. It is part and parcel.
