‘It Was Insulting’: When Steinem Said Young Women Backed Sanders to Chase Men

NY times ^ | September 4, 2026 | Michael Kruse

[Morgana]

Remember the time the world’s most famous feminist implied that young women liked Bernie Sanders more than Hillary Clinton basically because they wanted to chase men?

Probably not.

But in February 2016, Gloria Steinem, who died on Wednesday, went on “Real Time With Bill Maher” and made a statement that seemed decidedly sexist.

Mr. Maher asked Ms. Steinem about Mr. Sanders’s outsize support during his presidential campaign from young voters — including young women.

“When you’re young, you’re thinking: ‘Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie,’” Ms. Steinem said.

It was, in retrospect, a weird time, 10 years and forever ago.

Conventional wisdom said Donald Trump would never become the Republican nominee, let alone the president, let alone twice. Conventional wisdom said Mr. Sanders, the democratic socialist insurgent and independent senator from Vermont, surely would soon fade in his race against Mrs. Clinton — seen as the Democrats’ inevitable pick, and probably the first female commander in chief.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: abortion; gloriasteinem; gloriawasajew; gloriawasjewish; jewhater; prolife

[Morgana]

I remember and she was probably correct.

[Texas Eagle]

About the only sensible thing she ever said.

[TigersEye]

Or it could have been because Sanders comes off like a harmless, impotent, annoying old man and Hillary comes off like Ted Levine in Silence of the Lambs.

Or not.

[Veto!]

Sanders was too ugly for any sane woman to back. Come to think of it, Biden was too.

[Jeff Vader]

fish going in search of bicycles, who’d of ever thought such a thing possible?

[xkaydet65]

In the 60s it was the opposite. Guys who werent nutty SDS typse joined cause unlike now the gals were hot.

[for-q-clinton]

I think it’s more that women actually hate each other.

[jmacusa]

Says a chick who was a Playboy bunny.