Should Sen. Barack Obama emerge as the Democratic candidate, women have compelling reasons to support his candidacy. Here are my top ten:
10. Nearly half of women voting in the Democratic primaries already support Sen. Obama's candidacy. CNN compiled exit polling data from all the states that held primaries before West Virginia. Averaging the percentage that each candidate received from women voters in these states, the two Democratic candidates were only three points apart (46.6% for Obama, 49.6% for Clinton). Sen. Obama won the women's vote in 13 states, compared to 16 for Clinton -- and that's not counting the caucuses where he won decisively, including among women.
9. Support for Sen. Obama among women is not surprising. His stands on issues important to women, from fair pay to reproductive justice to support for paid sick days and paid family leave, are strikingly similar to Sen. Clinton's. He'll be not just on the right side but a champion for gender justice. Above all, he has shown his commitment and ability to galvanize grassroots movements -- the key to moving our agenda.
8. He has attributed his understanding of gender to the strong women in his life, including his mother, grandmother and wife Michelle. Having been raised by a single mother, he has insights into the lives of those who need food stamps to feed their families or have to choose between seeking health care or paying the rent. As an engaged father he understands the reality of work-life conflicts, but he also sees how these fall disproportionately on women, and how much more difficult they are for women without resources.
7. Our anger at the sexism that emerged in this campaign, from low-life hecklers to high-profile pundits, should stoke our determination but not determine our vote. At the same time, we must all oppose the racism that emerged in both blatant and coded ways and recognize that breaking that glass ceiling is also a blow to the Big Boys, one that weakens them and strengthens us.
6. Women can set an example of unity to build a stronger party that draws on the unprecedented turnout in the primaries among African-Americans, women of all races, young people and others who have too long been left out of political decision-making. Such a coming together will not only power an election victory, but lay the groundwork for significant social change in the coming years.
5. John McCain on the war: Sen. Obama's early judgment opposing the war in Iraq puts him in an excellent position to take on John McCain, who has not only supported the war from its onset but professed to having no problem should troops remain in Iraq for 100 years. Women can't afford a president who thinks "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" is a stance to brag about.
4. John McCain on the right to abortion: not only does he oppose it, he's pledged to fill any Supreme Court vacancies with justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade.
3. John McCain on health care: McCain voted against reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program for five years. His health plan provides $2 billion in tax cuts to the top ten health insurance companies, while allowing those companies to exclude people with pre-existing conditions.
2. John McCain on valuing families: When Congress was considering the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, McCain voted to suspend it unless the federal government certified that compliance wouldn't increase business expenses or gave employers financial assistance to cover any costs. He supports a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and campaigned for an Arizona constitutional amendment banning any legal recognition to gay couples.
1. John McCain on fair pay: He opposes the Fair Pay Restoration Act on the grounds that it will create too many lawsuits (this is like opposing OSHA inspections on the grounds that too many violations will be found). He also opposed raising the minimum wage and safeguarding overtime rights.
And did I mention John McCain?
Those of us who have been supporting Obama welcome the passionate, hard-working supporters of Sen. Clinton -- as we will support her should the campaign turn out differently than expected. Every woman angry at the way in which gender discrimination has robbed our pay, crimped our opportunities, devalued our work in the labor force and in the home, minimized our pain and trivialized the barriers we face, now has a great opportunity to determine the outcome of this election. We also have a great responsibility, to ourselves and the women who follow.
We do not rely on our husbands to get positions for us and certainly not to fight our battles. We have always been fighters...every women. I am tired of Hillary yelling that she's a fighter as though this is some kind of novelty for women.
She is setting such a poor example for our next generation of feminists. Her lack of character and integrity is appalling. I started out as a strong advocate for Hillary. Now that I have listened carefully to her and have watched her actions, I realized that she is indeed the empty suit and is a poor leader. She would be a terrible president. It saddens me; I had hoped for more. But, afterall, it she was not Hillary Clinton, former First Lady, and, instead, Hillary Smith, she would not be a presidential candidate.
I will have to wait for the first "woman" President.
How many of these people who say they won't vote for Obama voted for Bush? Twice? Such voters won't be much missed by the Democratic Party as they were only here to vote for the woman or against the black guy.
These people don't much care if Roe gets overturned or if any of the Democratic agenda moves forward. They were here for other reasons.
Just because Obama studders doesn't mean he doesn't think well on his feet. He means he studders when presenting his thoughts. And most of the stuff he studdered about had nothing to do with the presidency, anyway. He studdered about junk accusations, not policy.
But, again. Would you mind explain to me how Obama's "flaws" make him worse than McCain?
2 - I guess whether or not Obama is qualified is a matter of opinion. But I do hope your opinion is based on independent research and not Clinton's campaigning.
3 - If Clinton goes back to the Senate, who's more likely to sign a bill she's crafted? Pres Obama or Pres McCain?
This is about our democracy and, no matter what you think, Obama is winning fair and square.
If you can somehow justify to yourself that you can put a man in the white house who not only calls his own wife a vile name but would happily pad the Supreme Court with judges who want to take away our fundamantal right to control our own bodies, who is against paying women fair wages, who will take away health care from women and children, who will send the future of our nation (our kids) to war then please don't ever call yourself a feminist.
Some Clinton supporters with the mentaity of CindyV need to get over themselves and remember that this election isn't about them, it isn't about Hillary--it is about our children, our country, our place in the world, and our future.
How selfish this mentality is! No matter how wronged I felt personally I would never, in a million years, put my own feelings over the well being of my kids and all the other kids in this world who are relying on us to create a future for them.
Her health care plan also is horribly deceptive, benefiting HMOs and insurance company's far more than those who need but cannot afford health insurance. She wants mandatory health insurance and will offer some subsidy for the poor, but they will still have to pay for it. Direct health care, something no candidate has proposed , is the most effective. Reopen the clinics and community hospitals of the fifties and expand them and make them better. Medicare and Medicaid was a boondoggle to make money for private hospitals and doctors. Federal and state health care should have never entered into a support system for private profiteers.
http://www.thepersonalispolitical.com/2008/05/geraldine-ferraros-sexism-neo.html
Woman must vote for a Democrat no matter he or she.
To the women here, do you find it problematic that a long serving NY congresswoman with far more experience than Hillary Clinton had to step aside in the 2000 Senate race to clear the way for Hillary Clinton's run?
Do you find it problematic that women like Dee Dee Myers, who worked in the Clinton White House, told ABC that "Not only would Hillary sort of humiliate you in front of your colleagues or whoever happened to be around...Hillary tended to kind of campaign against people behind their back, and that was certainly my experience..."She was not happy with me, but she never confronted me. She would go call [then-White House chief of staff] Leon [Panetta] in and yell at him and then he'd have to call me in and say, 'Mrs. Clinton is really upset about X. You said Y, and she disagrees with that, and you know, she wants you to fix it,' or whatever."
To the women here, do you find any of this problematic?
In my mind, this race has nothing to do with race or gender. It has to do with issues such as health care, foreign policy, and economic issues that affect all of us.
Truly strong women play by the rules and make no excuses. Obama didn't beat Hillary. Hillary beat Hillary - like a two dollar mule.
There it is.
or...
The guy who called his wife a trollop and a c*nt in front of a room full of reporters?
Even if you hate Obama, please think about Ellen's arguements. If Ellen doesn't convince you, just keep saying to yourself, "McCain called his wife a c*nt. McCain called his wife a c*nt. McCain called his wife..."
Remember this: Senator Clinton began this race as the presumptive nominee ... and that wasn't just against Senator Obama, that was against qualified (white) men like Senators Biden and Edwards.
You can't think of any reason other than sexism why she lost the nomination? And you can somehow justify a vote against your own, your daughter's and your grand-daughter's interests as a reasonable act of protest against the glass ceiling?
I happen to think that Sen. Clinton's losing the race on her own merits is the ultimate expression of feminism: she asked to be judged equally versus the men, she was, she lost. I fail to see sexism at work there.
And if these feminists think they are so oppressed, let them visit some Islamic, African and Asian societies to see how good they have it.
I have sympathy for women's issues, but let's get real here. They are not the victims they portray themselves to be. Radical women's groups like NOW should realize that two wrongs don't make a right.
THIS Jewish American and "FORMER" Clinton Supporter AGREES!
Women control most of the wealth in the world. 80% of discretionary income is spent by women on themselves. (Just look at a Sears Catalog, or the shops in the mall. 80% is devoted to women - and they do not devote space for anything but making money). Most households are dominated and controlled by women - and always have been.
It is true until the 1980's, most men got to go to work and hand over their paycheck to their wives. Some refused to do so, and they were vilified. Were some men abusive and controlling? Absolutely. But so are many women. Who abuses and murders more children - women. FACT. Ever notice that male homosexuals are still vilified while lesbians ( Ellen, Rosie O'Donnell, Cynthia Nixon, Suzie Orman, Portia Derossi )are now mainstream?
Facts are stubborn things. Just because we may not hear them, accept them or like them, doesn't make them untrue.
Only when women are fully liberated will men be. That's why I have always supported the ERA.