The cover of the New York Daily News, one of the fine journalism standards of this town, carried a headline that screamed in 64 point type "GETTING UGLY!" The cover also featured an unflattering photograph of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Well, it's getting close to election time and the political infighting is reaching its nadir.

Sifting through the papers when I got to work, I was horrified to see the headline referred to a snide comment made by Clinton's opposition, former Yonkers mayor John Spencer, in regards to her appearance. Specifically, he said, "You ever see a picture of her back then? Whew. I don't know why Bill married her." He backpedaled a bit, suggesting she had some "work done" and that she "looks better now."

Sen. Clinton took the high road and replied, " It's unfortunate that when you don't have anything positive to say about the issues that we can get off in some pretty swampy territory." She had to say that, of course, but I was was appalled. She's an accomplished politician, there are key campaign issues at hand and this asshole is dissing her looks?

I guess things haven't changed as much as I hoped. For all our accomplishments and progress, woman are still judged and valued by appearance. And it's considered acceptable. I doubt anyone ever said, "You know, that Tip O'Neill is a hell of a politician, but he should consider having microdermabrasion."

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised. The captains of industry are still mostly men and a lot of them are still members in good standing of the old boys club. When I look at a successful entrepreneur like Donald Trump, I admire his tenacity and shrewd business skills. But when he makes a comment to a woman, his language is patronizing and reeking of sexism. He embodies this archaic innuendo. He'd lose the front of his comb over if he ever took that tone with me.
A woman can compete on the world stage, yes, but she better look good when she enters it. In the industry I work in, there's still a lot of old boy attitudes. The former senior VP of our group, an old boy himself, enforced a strict rule that the women who worked in the organization had to wear skirts on sales calls and to trade shows. Pants were verboten. I cursed that sick sadist everytime I had to wear a skirt in Chicago in the middle of winter. I once overheard this man, our boss, having a conversation with an important client. The client said, "You have a lot of pretty women on your sales team." Our boss said, "I only hire pretty woman." I wanted to sucker punch him when I heard that. It wasn't so much the blatant sexism of the statement; it sent the message that we were successful in our work only because we looked good, not because we slogged our asses off to get there.

I worked for a time in the international market and found this attitude often prevailed overseas. Several clients felt it was perfectly natural to follow up a business dinner with a proposition to get horizontal. I often wonder how my successor in the job, an affable guy named Dave, responded when he was asked for a blow job after dinner. Just wondering.

I'm no flag waving feminist, but I hope they'll be a point when we're judged on our merits first. I've worked for the last twenty years straight and know I've earned everything I have now through hard work. We all have. Will attitudes change in our lifetimes?

As for Hillary, well, she'll have the last laugh. She'll easily win re-election to her Senate seat AND she gets to fuck Bill Clinton. Turnaround is fair play, no?