Pelosi: Clinton Camp Played Gender Card

ABC news ^

[Sub-Driver]

Pelosi: Clinton Camp Played Gender Card Nation's First Female Speaker Says Perception of 'All-Boys' Club' May Be Exploited By RICK KLEIN

Nov. 5, 2007 —

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, R-Calif., said Monday that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., hasn't been treated differently because she's the only woman in the presidential race, but added that her campaign appears to have been trying to exploit that perception in the wake of last week's Democratic debate.

Pelosi, the nation's first female House speaker, told ABCNEWS.com in an interview that she didn't agree with observers who thought Clinton was drawing particular heat because she's a woman.

"[Sen. Clinton] said it best: They're 'piling on' -- or whatever the words were -- 'because I'm the front-runner.' That's why they're piling on," said Pelosi. "If she was in third place, they wouldn't say, 'Let's go attack a woman.'"

Perception Matters

But in distributing a Web video splicing together her opponents' attacks -- and in raising money off her debate performance, with her campaign manager writing that Clinton "is one strong woman" -- her campaign appears to be exploiting perceptions of Clinton facing down a field of aggressive male challengers, Pelosi said.

"I think the campaign is trying to take advantage of another -- probably people who didn't even watch the debate, to say, 'Oh, they were really rude,' or something like that, and that has some salience," said Pelosi, who has said she does not plan to endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary. "You know, every vote counts." Last Tuesday's debate in Philadelphia has set off a wide debate over the role of gender in the presidential race.

[Caipirabob]

"Squats to Pee?"

"Alright, who told Hillary my secret Indian name?"

[packrat35]