As it stands, the last sentence strikes me as a non-sequitur.  The essay reads like the last sentence should be:
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That she struggled to put even him away is not a case of Hillary being "better" than others but rather  a case of her being a weak candidate who needed a man to protect her -- whatever she or her fan base may say.
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 My impression is that the author was not willing to face the inevitable heat and substituted -- or -- for -- rather  a case of --.