Here is part of the NPC Statement on Gloria Steinem.
Gloria Steinem, who supports former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, recently made controversial statements (or misstatements) in which she suggested that young women who support Bernie Sanders are doing so not out of well-considered political judgment but because they are thinking “‘Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.’”
Steinem serves as one of eight Honorary Chairs of Democratic Socialists of America (along with Cornel West, Barbara Ehrenreich, Frances Fox Piven and others) based on her work for DSA in the 1980s and ‘90s and one of its predecessor organizations, Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee. While we appreciate Steinem's pioneering work in the feminist movement and view her as a major figure in the history of feminism, we were very disappointed by her disparaging comments about female Bernie supporters, many of whom are active DSA members. Her views do not reflect those of the DSA leadership.
The National Political Committee of Democratic Socialists of America views Steinem's remarks as demeaning toward the many dedicated female activists (young and old) who are active in the Sanders campaign because they recognize that Senator Sanders' political program supports feminist and democratic aims more so than the platform of Hillary Clinton.
What is hard to understand is that Steinem did not understand this when she made this statement. It seems to say that even among people who are nominally in touch with Democratic Socialism the influence of the system has clouded their thinking and blinded them to the real meaning of what Bernie is building.
Furthermore, as a feminist she should understand that
DSA members individually may and will vote as they choose, but DSA as an organization is actively supporting the Sanders movement. Senator Sanders is fully committed to publicly funded childcare, paid parental leave and a truly universal health care system. Senator Clinton has rejected these feminist policies. She also backed her husband's welfare reform legislation, which had extremely negative effects on the lives of millions of low-income women and children. We find these facts to run counter to the argument that she is the only feminist choice.
American politics suffers from such shallow interpretations of feminism and socialism. We are struggling to rise above the level of discourse that has obscured the real issues and divided us as a people for so very long.
This is not an easy task and Bernie is doing wonders. It is up to the rest of us to first make sure we understand what his movement is all about and then to help others understand.
Bernie has asked again and again for us to no sink back into politics as usual with all its divisiveness and to not allow the old style to create still another smokescreen hiding the man behind the curtain.
It is very important to understand that the man behind the curtain is a symbol for a system rather than a person. It is the key to what is happening and all of our political history revolves around the way the system has successfully blinded us to its hold on us and had us chase ghosts rather than confront it.
Steinem and others have not seen through the smokescreen and are basically laughing at the threat to the system. They see Clinton as a way of getting back for the years women have been so systematically excluded from the real places of power within the system. Unfortunately, Clinton is no where near the first woman who has seen the way to get power as being one of them rather than by changing the system.
It is time to break free from the limits the system has created for us. We are not bound by them unless, as Steinem seems to be, we submit to them blindly and buy into the system’s seductive offer of power.
Once you break free you can not go back. It is exciting to be there. You no longer need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind is blowing.