This week, just in time for the panel on which I will be speaking at BlogHer (Race and Gender: What are the lessons of 2008) the political universe goes and plops down a gift wrapped race and gender intersectionality political issue for me to blog.

Jesse Jackson on Barack Obama * I wanna cut his nuts off!

Some observers have focused on the intra-racial aspects of Jesse Jackson's claim that in Obama's speeches on fatherhood, Obama is "talking down" to black Americans.

The added dimension to this comment that exposed some debate and division within the African American community, is the sexism in Jackson's comment about his desire to castrate Obama. Did Jackson feel comfortable directing his comment to Obama in part because Obama is black?

Racialicious guest contributor Luke Lee shares the case of Kim Ng. Ng was harassed at work by being "mocked her in gibberish-speak that was supposed to approximate Chinese" which she calls "the worst episode of sexism – not racism – she has experienced." Lee calls this intersection "racialized sexism."

Let’s say you’re a woman of color climbing the ladder in one of the most male-dominated “boy’s clubs” in America. You’re the assistant to the top spot and when at a meeting with others in your business, a man singles you out asking who you are, why you’re there, what you are and then proceeds to make fun of what he perceives to be your race. While that strikes (and rightly so) everyone as racist, Kim Ng makes an important point here in that when this happens, it’s also sexism. Or more so sexism than racism, according to Ng.

In this case racism is enabled by sexism and functions as a mask.

BlogHer Contributing Editor Snigdha Sen raises an interesting point about a recent so-called honor killing case: And Indian man felt his family was shamed when his son married a black woman and he had his son's wife murdered. If it had been his daughter who had married a black man, likely he would have killed the daughter. Though both would be an issue, ultimately sexism would be enabled by racism and as in the previous case the racism masks the underlying sexism.

During the primary Hillary Clinton was often ascribed masculine traits, seen as positive, through reference to her imaginary possession of male anatomy (testicular fortitude, cojones). Rather than, as with the Hillary Nutcracker, calling out the sexism inherent in the valuing of supposed masculinity and in ascribing strength to having testicles, some feminist supporters not only trumpeted these sexist descriptions of Clinton but turned them on Obama to make emasculating claims.

For example, Donna Darko wrote:

Of the comparable toughness between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Clinton adviser James Carville tells Newsweek: “If she gave him one of her cojones, they’d both have two.”

No, if she gave him one of her cojones, he’d have one.

I wonder if such commentary would be made if Obama were white (and before you get up in arms that I am accusing Clinton supporters of racism, I am not, please read to the end).

Obama's leadership style embodies qualities of collaboration and consensus building. Those traits are often seen as "female." As a result in Newsweek Martin Linsky wonders if Obama will be "the first woman president?" Ellen Goodman at The Boston Globe sees "the female style - modeled by a man."

Goodman notes the double edge of this sexist sword however:

Ilene Lang heads Catalyst, which surveyed more than 1,200 senior executives in the United States and Europe. This research calculated the tenacity of double binds and double standards. It showed how hard it still is for a woman to be seen as both competent and likable. And it led her to the conclusion that "What defines leadership to most people is one thing. It's male."

As for the Obama style? "Both men and women are much more likely to accept a collaborative style of leadership from men than from women. From women it seems too soft," she adds ruefully.

Feminist author, Courtney E. Martin points out in her post at Crucial Minutiae "Sissy Boys and Big Daddy President" where this apparent lauding of Obama's feminine style meets the troubling racist road:

Obama challenges traditional notions of masculinity and power; McCain reinforces them. One might argue that Obama can do this because of another gross stereotype–”the angry black man.” Because Americans are conditioned to see him as hyper-masculinized by virtue of his race, he has a little more wriggle room in which to try on the so-called feminine style and still be considered manly. It’s hard to imagine McCain ever being feminized, but we certainly saw that happen with John Kerry last go-round.

And that leads me to the answer to the question I posed - no, Obama's gendered critiques are not enabled by his race. While there clearly are intersections of race and gender inherent in the criticism and analysis of Obama, sexism has been directed to white male candidates, as well - white male Democrats that is. Remember the attacks on John Edwards about his hair? The attacks on John Kerry calling him a "pussy" while questioning his war record? Ann Coulter calling Al Gore and Edwards "fag"?

But the most interesting -- and important -- thing about Coulter's hate speech isn't that it is representative the of attitudes of her ideological fellow travelers.

It is the similarity between what Ann Coulter was trying to do by calling John Edwards a "faggot" and what countless "respectable" members of the "MSM" do every day.

Coulter's comments, of course, weren't about convincing people that John Edwards is gay. They were about trying to strip him of his masculinity, to feminize him -- and in doing so take advantage of the cultural stereotypes that equate strength with men and weakness with women to portray Edwards as "wussy" (her word).

The use of epithets like "faggot" to feminize and weaken seems largely self-evident, but for those who desire or require further discussion of this topic, bloggers such as Digby, Bob Somerby, and Andrew Sullivan have all made excellent points this week; excerpts of their work appear below. Glenn Greenwald, meanwhile, explained a corollary principle: "As critical as it is to them to feminize Democratic and liberal males (and to masculinize the women), even more important is to create false images of masculine power and strength around their authority figures."

It is important not only to not lose sight of why these attacks on men are sexist and as worthy of our attention as the attacks on Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. As David Mott at Dad's House points out, describing certain qualities as masculine and feminine and viewing them as positive only when performed by the "appropriate" gender, dehumanizes men as well as women:

As a single dad, I spend a good deal of time cultivating “feminine” qualities. When I’m taking care of my kids, I’m caring, nurturing, accepting, showing a softer side. While many of my male friends exhibit some of these same qualities, for the most part they seem more comfortable letting their wives carry the bulk of those traits. Raising my kids alone (the half time they are with me), I don’t have that option.

As Courtney Martin says:

It’s still a fascinating time to examine Americans’ perceptions of gender and power, even with our brave lady out of the race.

And, if you'll be at the BlogHer Conference and are interested in discussing issues of gender, power and race my co-panelists and I would love to talk with you at our panel.

Additional reading:

Liz Cox Barrett at Columbia Journalism Review: Media' Mixed "Nuts" (a.k.a. "A Base Phrase"-Gate)

liketheark at LiveJournal: Barack Obama, future transsexual "Because enforcing binary gender roles makes everything alright!"

Deborah Siegel at Girl w/ Pen!: Is Obama Leading Like a Woman?

Renee Cramer guest posting at Girl w/ Pen!: This Bridge Called Barack

Nordette: Jesse, Obama, Men, and Their Nuts

*Note: The title question is a play on Tina Fey's Saturday Night Live sketch where she declared "bitch is the new black!"

BlogHer CE Maria Niles discusses these issues at her blog PopConsumer