False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton

This essay collection edited by Featherstone (Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart) will be intensely engrossing for Hillary Clinton’s left-wing opponents —and for left-leaning readers still on the fence. The contributors, including Frances Fox Piven, Catherine Liu, and Medea Benjamin, track Clinton’s political career from her high school support for the conservative Barry Goldwater to her recent presidential campaign positioning herself as a feminist. The powerfully critical essays reject the “ruling class feminism” of Clinton in favor of a “left feminism rooted in an understanding of women’s material conditions.” They examine the neoliberal policies she’s supported, including Bill Clinton’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families act, which put a cap on welfare; the North American Free Trade Agreement; and the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. Based on this track record, Kathleen Geier argues that Clinton practices “business-oriented diplomacy.” Other contributors cite Clinton’s approaches to welfare, immigration, criminal justice, and education, while Medea Benjamin points out her aggressive posture as secretary of state, seen in Afghanistan and Libya. Each selection here is cogently argued, adding up to a damning portrait of both Clinton and American politics. (June)