Dowd is neither vapid nor an idiot, but she kind of is, personally, an odd bird, more than a little stiff necked. I may not always agree with her, but I absolutely respect what I see as her unyielding integrity. The thrust of the OP is more than a bit overblown out of context, though.
Here is Dowd's more fully fleshed out thoughts on the two contenders, from her now out book:
I don't agree with her about the "greed" part, but all the rest? Yeah. I agree with the ultra-tough on everyone Maureen Dowd that Hillary Clinton is a public-spirited idealist, meticulously steeped in policy details, yet with a discordant and self-defeating penchant for secrecy.
So, yeah, she's not perfect. She's ALSO miles ahead of the three other contenders -- Trump, Johnson and Stein -- who have spilled out of the clown car of American Presidential politics. Miles and miles ahead.