This is seriously unacceptable:

BECK: I don't want to sound like the old ball-and-chain guy, but Hillary Clinton cannot be elected president because -- am I wrong in feeling, am I the only one in America that feels this way? -- that there's something about her vocal range. There's something about her voice that just drives me -- it's not what she says, it's how she says it. She is like the stereotypical -- excuse the expression, but this is the way to -- she's the stereotypical bitch, you know what I mean? She's that stereotypical, nagging, [unintelligible], you know what I mean? And she doesn't have to be saying -- she could be saying happy things, but after four years, don't you think every man in America will go insane? Is it just me? I mean, I know this is horrible to say, but I mean it not -- I would say this if she were Condi Rice and she sounded like that. Condi Rice doesn't have that grate to her voice. You know what I need to do? I need to talk to a vocal expert, because there is a range in women's voices that experts say is just the chalk, I mean, the fingernails on the blackboard. And I don't know if she's using that range or what it is, but I've heard her in speeches where I can't take it. [...]

BECK: Am I alone? Dan [Andros, producer]? Have you noticed that about her?  

ANDROS: Oh my gosh, she could be talking about how she's giving every American a million dollars, and I'm hearing, "Could you take out the garbage now, please?"

I strongly agree with Garance Franke-Ruta at TAPPED who notes that: "When Ann Coulter called heterosexual John Edwards a "faggot," the blogs erupted. But when someone calls the Democratic front-runner, who is female, a "bitch," we get total radio silence."  This is just as offensive, just as revealing of a bigoted attitude toward women, probably even moreso.  It is a clear attempt to imply that it's perfectly normal and justifiable to think that women have no place in politics because any time they grow powerful enough to be threatening, they must ipso facto be a stereotypical "bitch."

That such misogyny can come out of the mouth of a prominent political commentator with no apparent consequences is, frankly, disgusting.

You may not like Hillary Clinton's politics much, but if you let them get away with smearing her because she sounds threatening to their masculinity, you are doing a huge disservice to Democrats, progressives, women, and men.  We may criticize Hillary and we may or may not decide to nominate her, but she is part of our family, part of our society, a long-time and dedicated public servant, and an important example that women are powerful and meaningful political agents on their own terms.  And we will absolutely not stand to have her slandered like this.