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

[terryb]

If i had the choice, between Clinton or McCain, colour me Green. No more wars, no more war mongers.

[Henry]

If McCain is the candidate for the War Party, one add will put the entire contest into perspective. All the opponent has to do is run the epsisode of John (the bad boy) singing "bomb-bomb-bomb bomb-bomb Iran" and it is contest over. This country has had enough of senseless murder of other peoples! If John thinks this is "cute" he's a sicko.

[happytrails]

I guess it depends on which white males you know. The ones I know WERE Clinton supporters until her votes enabling Bu$h. Then they split Edwards/Obama. Now they're all Obama all the way. But these are also men who were against the invasion of Iraq as soon as Bu$h started rattling his swords. And they are men who belong to Vets for Peace, emphasis on VETS. Unlike the coward/chicken hawk in the WH, they did their time.

[jake1az]

The white guys will never vote for a woman period.

[Simone]

I heard the white guy pundits talking about the white guys all the time. But then, I probably watch more pundrity than Crier does.

[desmirl]

If the white guys are true Americans, neither the race nor the gender of the candidate will matter. One hopes that 'white guys' will vote for the candidate that best promotes the solutions to America's problems.

[PhyloSeFiser]

Please Hillary supporters, pay attention: Politics is about getting people to rally to your cause. Hillary is still at about the same level of support she was at from the beginning. No one is rallying to her cause except those that were already there. Obama has gathered enough support to close a twenty point gap in just a few weeks.

This proves that Obama is, by far, the better politician than Clinton.

He's also tactically superior to Clinton. He was smart enough to realize that calling for a mandate in healthcare is political suicide in the general election. All the right wing has to do is talk 24/7 about how Hillary wants to garnish your wages and the entire right will rally to defeat her.

He is also better positioned in the general election against McCain because of his opposition to the war. The right will be able to paint her as being for the war when it was popular, but opposed to the war when it isn't. It's too easy to make her out to be a political opportunist. Not to mention all of the baggage she comes with. You think Resko is bad? That's nothing compared to the problems the Clintons have with shady money raising.

Please folks. Wake up before it's too late and we blow this opportunity. And read David Brooks' column yesterday at the NYTimes. It gives you a clear example of why Hillary Clinton is a lousy politician.

Go Obama.

[Goldie9]

ALL Hillary supporters should be worried about November -- it's not about winning the regular "Blue States" of NY, CA and NJ in November!

[LeonBNJ]

Go into the bars and workplaces of almost all working class men and there are still many millons of them who can never choose a woman as President, especially as a Democrat due to stupid sexism. Still millions more of them, along with many white women in rural and suburban areas would never chose a black man as President. Unfortuntally, McCain is seen as a 'real man' and get to play his survival as a POW attracting those groups.

[ChimpmasterDJ]

Hillary shouldn't worry about "white males"... She should worry about principled voters of any gender who have a modicum of brains and read her explanation of her vote against the Levin Amendment (she was either lying, or she has the reading comprehension of Dubya), and who know she voted against the ban of the use of cluster-bombs and land-mines on civilian populations.

Luckily for her, it appears that smart and principled voters are an insignificant minority.

[SaintJimmy]

This is one white male Democrat who won't be switching to McCain if Hillary wins the primary. McCain's "maverick" rep has lost much of its luster since 2004 when he started kissing up to Bush and the Radical Right.