

Because words have power, and when it comes to accuracy and inferences, it’s better to stay quiet than say something that you may not be able to apologize for.

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper's remarks prior to Hillary Clinton's campaign appearance Monday in Wilmington have been called "awkward."

Especially concerning was the senator's reference to the Donna Summer song "She Works Hard For the Money."

If Hillary Clinton were a man, would a U.S. senator lead a crowd in singing a song titled, “He works hard for the money?”

We think not.

And while Hillary Clinton probably does work very hard at her job, and earns her paycheck just like any other hard working woman, or man, the insensitivity, along with the insinuation, that Clinton has been “bought by Wall Street” is why Monday wasn’t one of Sen. Carper’s finest moments.

The irony of the entire situation is that Donna Summer’s 1983 smash hit, was written about an overworked bathroom attendant that Summer actually met. She’s even named in the song (Onetta). The music video wound up being the first by a black female artist to be placed in heavy rotation on MTV.

The song made history and punched through the glass ceiling. Clinton could do the same if she is named our first female president.

Thirty-three years after its debut, “She Works Hard for the Money” carries several connotations. Some even associate it with prostitution. But in this context, the Carper's use of the song, no matter the intention, comes off as patronizing and old-fashioned, especially when describing a former senator and secretary of state.

When the first legitimate female candidate for the presidency of the United States is running a campaign that has raised as much if not more money than her male counterparts, using a song that has the lyrics, “And she's looking real pretty/She's waiting for her clientele/She works hard for the money” is insensitive, no matter the intention.

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