What About The White Guys?

As they analyze the Democratic primaries, pundits focus on women, African Americans and Latinos. What about the white male? In the privacy of the voting booth, where will the white men go in November? Hillary Clinton should be worried.

Look at the match-ups. Examine Democratic and Independent voters. Democratic women are not going to abandon their party regardless of the nominee. Nor will Latinos. African Americans may lose some enthusiasm without Obama. Young people, notorious for sitting on the sidelines, may as well. But what about white men? When given the choice between Clinton and McCain, I believe many moderate and conservative Democrat/Independent males will vote for the old soldier. His narrative, the maverick aviator, speaks to them. That may not be true if Obama is on the ballot. As he gains support among white males, the exit polls show the real hidden bias may be gender, not race.

As we examine shifting alliances and lay bets on the general election, my swing vote is the Democrat/Independent white male. To paraphrase Abigail Adams, "don't forget the laddies".

Read more Super Tuesday coverage on HuffPost

Comments

[RoseMerry]

We white guys are just fine, as long as Obama is true and does not betray us. The same as anyone else.

Obama says he for everyone. I want to believe.

[larry278]

We may have a situation where Obama has changed politics the way Joe Louis & his backers changed boxing. The day of a politician who will be called the great, white, male hope or that a given politician is fighting for the white, male vote is close-if not here already.

[theuniversal]

"As he gains support among white males, the exit polls show the real hidden bias may be gender, not race."

That's true if by bias you mean the bias of white women in blindly supporting the lesser candidate because she's a woman. There are at least 15 women serving as senators in the US Senate who had to work a hell of a lot harder than Hillary Clinton to get there. Withtout the fame and political network of her President-spouse, you'd have to wonder if she'd be there at all. Despite this huge advantage, she has run a campaign of incompetence and has been outmaneuvered and beaten by her much more skilled opponent.

[wayoutleft]

if you're a white guy and you don't vote in hil v mccain and the old coot wins because he carries 99.99999% of the nursing homes in florida or somewhere; what you will have done is replaced the counsel of slick, al gore, john edwards, barack, russ feingold, bernie saunders, the black caucus, et al., with a friendless doddering coot who wants more troops everywhere- and hardly anything else. that's what you will have actually done- as opposed to what you think you will have done.

[coalbanks]

McCain, Romney, Huckabee, Clinton - ALL are from the pre-Vietnam/ Cold War era with Obama an only slightly junior version. When does America geet some post- Viet Nam/Cold War candidates & ideas?

[tbone99]

You're absolutely right - this whole identity politics historical change is just another word for Hand it to the Repugs. When people who live in their urban enclaves on the coasts high up in the DLC made decisions they consulted did some very good drugs and decided it was a great idea and would make some fascinating media .

Just because someone can run, doesn't mean they should have.

[flatus]

I am amused to see commenters still considering Republican nominees. Wake up folks.
After this election cycle, Republicans will be fighting very hard to avoid extinction.
This country is absolutely furious with the Republican stewardship, if I may call it that, of the last seven years.
McCain? For goodness sake please stop calling him "Old soldier" or "War hero" etc. He is a man who by privilege of position manage to get and lose a multi-million dollar aircraft and INVOLUTARILY (heroes volunteer) spent some time in a prison camp.

[apcalc]

Democratic women will not abandon their party because of the nominee?

Better think again, buster.

I know a bunch of women , who will not vote for Obama . I doubt they will vote for McCain - that's just too much of a stretch. Disgusting that men will - if that's what they are made of, let 'em go.

Too much for their frail masculine egos to vote for a woman?

Jerks.

[wayoutleft]

please don't say you will vote for mccain instead of hillary. don't even say that. how would you feel if he got to be president and you had to listen to his military opinions and constant self-congtratulation for 8 years? hillary will be a different person once there isn't so much pressure. my state went 2-1 obama but no one at any of the caucus events would dream of voting mccain instead of obama or hillary.

[olephart]

"When given the choice between Clinton and McCain"

I'll write in Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich or John Edwards. The above choice is whether you like your War and Corporate run Government with hypocrisy or plain old stupidity.

[WorkingClass]

The corporate media have succeeded in making this election about race and gender. This thread makes me want to puke.

[BatedBreath]

Here's one rabid Obama supporter who used to say they I would vote for mccain before I would vote for Hillary. I have changed my mind now and will hold my nose and vote for Hillary. Like many others, my antipathy toward the Clintons revolves around having her husband in the White House again; I have nothing against Hillary herself.

[rovezaleeker]

When she (Hilly) tries to sound tough she comes across as an irritating old 5th grade teacher trying to get the class to quiet down. Just don't like her! and the cackle! Oh my God!!! the cackle! She sounds phonier than Liza Minelli at an A.A. meeting.

[RealistDem]

As a male, dues paying, blue collar union member, you remember us, the backbone of the democratic party, I cannot support Hillary Clinton. Tell me HRC supporters, how can you support unions and be on the board of Walmart which as a policy will not allow a union? What democratic principles was she fighting for on Walmarts board? And i still havent forgiven Bill for NAFTA.

I support Obama for being right on the War from day 1. And i will keep saying that Hillary cannot, now way, will never happen, win the general election. You have to pull independents and that person is Barack Obama. You want to come up short again in November nominate Hillary who will galvanize the republican base into a frenzy.

[Wiredwilly]

I'm a University educated " white guy ". I'm not Voting either.
As Rhett Butler said to Scarlet O'Hara,
" Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
This entire scam is an insult to America & Democracy.
What happened to Edwards, Kucinich & Ron Paul is revolting & I won't participate in a process similar to the " Democratic " process that brought Hitler to power in Germany. The candidates are irrelevant. What's happening is an attempt to exercise Dictatorial control over the Voting process by linking Electronic Voting machines made by Diebold ( who , through no coincidence also make ATM machines for banks ) to personal bank accounts and personal data, that can be used by the Corporate Dictatorship to identify and destroy citizens who Vote against candidates that support the Corporate State, which is almost exactly how Hitler so easily identified the Jews in Germany. Following the collapse of the German economy Hitler used IBM computers to compile enemy lists. Using National I.D. cards, they will soon be able to identify who Voted for whom, what that person has in the bank, find where they live, and if they Vote the wrong way, suddenly that Citizen disappears. Exactly what happened when Hitler rounded up the Jews. The Nazis knew exactly what house to go to & exactly the right address. They've been setting it up through the Census Bureau for years. Believe it. Clinton's women & Obama's African Americans are so involved in their own personal agendas, they are blind to the bigger picture that they are simply being used by a machine devoted to the destruction of Democracy itself. They can run all they want. Watch what happens if they refuse to participate further until paper trails are affixed to the Voting Machines.