Just Any Woman Won't Do

I've always believed Barack was the best candidate for women. I had a number of friends who chose to support Hillary not just because they believed it was time for a woman president, but because they felt strongly about her positions and qualifications. We had robust conversations about the differences between our candidates on issues like health care, their ability to work across party lines, their record of support for civil justice, urban redevelopment, hunger relief, economic development, extending family and medical leave and protecting a woman's right to choose. What these friends made very clear was that they believed in Hillary not just because she was woman but in their opinion she was the best candidate.

When it became clear that Barack would become our party's nominee, Hillary's words rang true when she said, "the differences between Barack and I pale in comparison to the differences between Barack and McCain." My friends who had supported her in the primary and I agreed to work together because of our mutual interest in electing a president who will move our country in a new direction. That candidate is clearly Barack Obama.

Since John McCain announced picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, I have had many conversations with my personal circle of Hillary's most ardent supporters, and I am convinced that McCain is wrong if he thinks the selection of Sarah Palin will move a significant number of former Hillary supporters. Those women who supported Hillary, who believed that it was time for a woman as president and who may have even been disappointed when Barack didn't choose Hillary for vice president weren't supporting Hillary just because she was a woman. They believed Hillary was right on the issues, including a woman's right to choose, equal pay and civil justice.

In stark contrast, Sarah Palin adamantly opposes a woman's right to choose, she opposes stem cell research, and is wrong on the gun laws that will help keep our children safe on the street. Sarah seems like a terrific mother and a dynamic person but together she and John McCain are still wrong on the issues important to women voters and wrong on the issues that will bring the change America needs. Now it is our responsibility to ensure that we tell our neighbors and friends and women across the country that Barack is the candidate who will fight for women. Women must know that Barack is right on the issues important to them as mothers, wives, workers and citizens of this nation. That's what McCain and the Republicans don't understand. They just don't get that not just any woman will do.

Ertharin Cousin, President, The Polk Street Group, serves as a Senior Advisor to the Obama campaign.

Comments

[1will]

Obama doesn't care enough about women to put one on the ticket. The second most popular Democratic Nominee was a women. Who'd did Obama pick? A guy that barely got double digit approval.
Yep, Obama supports women as long as they aren't in power or emasculate him by being more competant than he is.

[jazzifay]

Hillary's failed campaign was of her own doing. Obama has always tried to run a clean campaign without all the negative old style politics we've been used to seeing and hearing. Clinton was proven to be a detriment to her own campaign by lying about her qualificat­ions/exper­ience. So don't blame Obama for not picking her. I too would like to see a woman POTUS one day. But I will not settle for just any woman. Character does matter.

[Missmn]

One thing has nothing to do with the other.

[sophia33]

Ertharin:

Well said.

McCain voted against equal pay for equal work. That is about as anti-woman as one can get. I wonder if Sarah Palin will make less than any other VP in history should (God-forbid) the McCain/Palin ticket win?

As for Roe vs. Wade, no woman wants to have an abortion. It is a decision that is usually thought out quite carefully. That said, women will have abortions. When abortion was illegal, woman had abortions. My father worked as an orderly in the early 1960's at a Catholic hospital. As I was growing up, he would tell me stories of women that would come into the hospital with catheters and hangers hanging out of their bodies. By the same token, there were women of privilege that went to that same hospital and had a "D & C" or went on "long vacation to visit an aunt". The hyprocrisy of the situation is what we would go back to. The reversal of Roe vs. Wade would hurt women of less means the most.

I also find it ironic that the same Republican party that opposed abortion and "explicit sex education" is the same party that opposed universal health. So once these children are born, what kind of health care coverage will there be for the mothers and children?

If Hillary had won the Democratic nomination, she would have done so being on the right side of the issues important to most women. Sarah Palin won't do.

[Missmn]

Barack Obama has been and continues to be the candidate for women, and for the working class, and for the middle class, and for those who are well off, and for the educated and uneducated: for anyone who lives in this country because he understands the problems that are facing the country. These problems include an unstable economy, tarnished world view, and overstretched millitary. It also includes an increase in teen pregnancy over the past eight years, an increase in Syphilis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and HIV/AIDS. These increases come with an increase in abstinence-only sex education.

Governor Palin brings to the Republican ticket her personal belief that practical family planning, which includes real sex education, availability of contraception, and safe and legal access to abortion services should all be abandoned.

[barackobama4prez]

This woman has a glass chin. I predict "PAIN FOR PALIN" when she debates Joe Biden.

[SeanGardner]

Thanks for a great post Ertharin.

What's especially disappointing with the puny number of disgruntled older white women who had their hearts set on Hillary, is that they are writing posts and sending vicious e-mails about Barack Obama in an effort to punish him and elect the McCain/Palin ticket which would eviscerate ROE v WADE, and spit in the face of GISWOLD v CONNECTICUT - two landmark Supreme Court cases that are the majority underpinnings of the reproductive choices so many women take for granted today.

To be sure, many of these "disgruntled, older white women" were on the front lines of the push to facilitate those those rights. And now, many of them will stop at nothing to see that Palin is elected - a woman who paints herself as feminist crusader and supporter of working families, but who, like McCain, opposes EQUAL WORK FOR EQUAL PAY, and would be comfortable with the appointment of conservative justices on The Supreme Court to overturn ROE v WADE.

I believe Obama has the numbers and energy and momentum on his side already...with or without these PUMA-fied folks. Its too bad because their anger won't even let them see just how infinitely better on women's issues Barack and Biden are over McCain and Palin.

[dapperd72]

Thanks for your refreshing commentary as I also recognized early in the primary process that Obama is a strident feminist in his own right & often took positions more reliably on feminists' side than Clinton. I further recognized almost as soon as I learned of McCain's choice that Palin is a low-brow attempt to manipulate naive die-hard Clinton supporters into voting for the GOP ticket. I prefer to give the majority of self-described feminists of either gender the benefit of the doubt that they're not easily fooled into this mentality, even if some women call CSPAN claiming to have campaigned for Hillary & now support McCain since he chose Palin. As far as I'm concerned, she's a lethal combination of Paris Hilton (intellectually), Ann Coulter (politically & aesthetically, as in looks that literally kill) & Ted Nugent (ethically, particularly regarding animal rights). Do we really want a female embodiment of Ted Nugent with the brain power of Paris Hilton (or worse) a mere heartbeat from the Presidency? McCain is dangerous enough, in contrast to Obama's wisdom, street sense & mature judgment. Let's finally wake up, America, before it's too late for any semblance of democracy to survive this lunacy.

[JMBrodie]

Comparing Sarah Palin to Hillary Clinton is like comparing Clarence Thomas to Thurgood Marshall.

It's about the quality of the person and the ability to do the job.

[speeddeeps]

amen

[ImpressedByHonesty]

Well put.

[112985]

compare Palin to Obama - who is the most experienced - Obama was a organizer !!!!! HA HA and ihe is sucking you people in - Just like Bill Clinton said -it a fairy tale people!!!! Obama is shocked himself that he could go this far - it never thought it was so many stupid people in the world to believe in him.

[SensibleAmerican]

Obama is the "best candidate for women" because Ms. Cousin says so
Obama will bring around change, because he says so
Biden is the "scrappy son of Scranton" because he says so ...
... does not matter if the track record may belie such claims but you see? They say so ...

The only person who has actually done something akin to and/or more than he says is John McCain! Words speak louder than actions, seems to be the new Dem mantra in '08!!

[ImpressedByHonesty]

Those aren't just words. They are backed up by, uh, listening, and, maybe... paying real attention... You will not see or hear this by Fix News or Limbaugh alone. Anyone with a google search and an honest heart can find these things out if they try.

McCain used to be a maverick. Oh except when he was one of the Keating Five. Oh except today when he cancelled his Larry King interview because one of his shills was finally put on the spot by a CNN journalist while blasting bunches of falsehoods. And except when he voted with Bush 90% of the time. Except when he voted 20 times against raising the minimum wage... and when he voted numerous times to give Social Security to private interests to further plunder the aged, and so on.

[SeanGardner]

You fool no one but yourself. Look:

John McCain voted against THE KING HOLIDAY.

John McCain voted against the interests of The Disabled Veterans of America and The Iraq and Afghanistan Vets and has received low marks from those VETERANS GROUPS

John McCain is against EQUAL WORK FOR EQUAL PAY for women like his own daughter

John McCain wants to overturn ROE v WADE and deny generations of women the reproductive rights and freedoms they deserve

John McCain wants to maintain the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2% while shafting the other 98% of the public in need of tax relief

John McCain has missed more votes over the past two years than any member of Congress.

JOHN MCCAIN and his selfish VP candidate PALIN are not ready for primetime.

[IndomitableLion]

What? So tell me, what has McSame done for women (positively)???

[112985]

AND WHAT HAS OBAMA DONE - BESIDE DISSED THE BEST QUALIFED PERSON THAT WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT HRC - HE PLAYED THE RACE CARD ON HER!!!!!!! PEOPLE WAKE UP I AM NOW A INDEPENDENT AND WILL VOTE MCCAIN AT LEAST HE HAS EXPERIENCE

[TNwriter]

McCain's selection of an unqualified woman is an insult to women. The title of your post says it all: "Just any woman won't do."

[112985]

same with Obama - just an organizer will do!!!! people don't be stupid - aren't you afraid Aeyers will bomb up more federal building. Oh but Obama is going to cut DOD - so all you GS employees start looking for another job because the defense will be cut under OBAMA- Taxex will be cut for lower income - will increase for business and people making big money - small business and business will just up prices because of the tax increase.

[mediadoc]

Ertharin,
Thank you for this commentary. I have heard your sentiment echoed by liberal and conservative women, Republican and Democrat, and working and stay-at-home moms. McCain's selection of Palin is sexist. Her accomplishments do not qualify her to become President if McCain dies He selected her to woo Hilary's supporters, implying that her gender alone equates her qualifications to Hilary's - that's an insult.
Hilary is a phenominal woman. Her achievements are outstanding and she will achieve even more in the future. It is regrettable that a select few of her supporters have taken her primary loss so personally. It was painful to watch her campaign go awry but it did and its over. Please move beyond your anger, focus on the big picture, electing the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden to the Presidency.
Finally, in response to the rabid and putrid remarks spewing from the mouths of Republicans, why can't you discuss McCain and Palin's policy recommedations for the country? You can see that the commentators on this page can articulate Obama's postions on women's issues and beyond. All you do is attack Obama with nasty one-liners and falsehoods. Why can't you communicate rationally on the issues? Would you want your children to speak with such hostility and so poorly about people they disagree with?