A lot of people, particularly the rightwingers, HATE Hilary. I get emails on a regular basis from people who I view as fairly middle-of-the-road, all containing Hilary jokes. I usually respond with a Bush joke, but, I don't think its the gender thing in particular...it's Hilary.

However, I do think it is very hard for a woman to express herself forcefully, and not be called a bitch. This applies to any woman in a position of power, and is definitely a vestige of the woman's-place-is-in-the-home mindset.