Choice for Hillary Supporters Never Clearer

The choice for Hillary supporters has never been clearer. Thursday night,
Barack Obama found his inner warrior - and on Friday, John McCain found,
well, just a woman.

As a Hillary supporter, I watched Obama's acceptance speech with hope and
trepidation. I thought I wanted to hear certain things, primarily an overt
commitment to women's issues. And, quite honestly, I was firmly in the "if
McCain picks a woman, it will be hard" camp of reluctant Obama supporters
and imaging myself writing "the Supreme Court, stupid" on my hand when I
went in the voting both to keep me focused. However, when Obama finished his
speech, I realized that what I really needed from Obama as a candidate was
something different from what I thought I wanted.

On Thursday night, I finally saw the part of Obama I had been without
conscious awareness waiting for: I saw the warrior. I saw the loving but
ferocious father committed to protecting the rights of his (and my)
daughters. I saw the man who, as he finally said, "gets it" and understands
that change is a fight, not just an idea. Up until then, Obama had felt to
me like someone coasting in the wake of the efforts of progressive activists
like me and taking the ride for granted. It wasn't that I felt he "owed"
older-generation feminists and other women who supported Hillary anything.
It was that I felt he did not understand that the fight was not over.
Hillary Clinton was my warrior, and, with his lovely words and pleasing
ideals, Obama didn't seem to have it in him to take up the sword that I know
will be necessary.

A truly gifted leader must offer both the chalice and the sword. He or she
must combine the best of feminine compassion and wisdom with the best of
masculine ferocity and judgment. Up until Thursday, Obama had offered up a
great chalice: one full and brimming over with hope and promise and
compelling ideals. This quality attracted many supporters, who during the
testosterone-poisoned years of the Bush Administration had grown thirsty for
something more. But many Democrats needed to see something different to feel
confident voting for him as President.

For the first 10 minutes of so of Obama's speech, I was worried. I thought
to myself, "Oh no, this sounds like the same old Obama." But then, when he
warmed into it and found his inner alpha, Obama revealed to us a different
part of himself. It was not just his words - although those were good too.
It was the way he carried himself and the way he delivered those words.

When Obama emphatically said "ENOUGH!" and began to demand that the
Republicans own their failures, I grew hopeful. When he talked about
watching his mother argue with insurance companies while she was in bed
dying of cancer, I felt his quiet, appropriate and protective rage. When he
looked straight into the camera and committed to fighting for equal pay for
equal work "because I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities
as your sons," I believed him. And when he called John McCain out to have a
debate about who has "the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next
Commander-in-Chief," I trusted him to be capable of holding his own in such
a debate. Through his demeanor, Barack Obama did what no other person,
including Bill or Hillary Clinton, could do for him: he proved he has what
it takes not just to inspire but to protect and defend all of our lives and
rights.

If, however, as a fellow Hillary supporter, you were not ready to back
Obama's candidacy after watching his acceptance speech, then you need only
to consider John McCain's nominee for his running mate to know your choice
is clear. In a revelation carefully timed to draw attention away from
Obama's nomination, the McCain campaign announced on Friday morning that
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is McCain's selection for his nominee for Vice
President. "Palin who?" you might ask. Exactly. I don't want to get into
bashing this poor woman because she will get more than her fair share of
that treatment from others.

But suffice to say, her record is thin, and she's on the extremist end of
the conservative spectrum. She's anti-choice - although she touts as an
accomplishment having made a choice not to terminate her own pregnancy when
she found out that her child had Down's Syndrome. The irony that she was
free to make that decision seems lost on her and her defenders. About all
there is good to say about her that might appeal to Hillary supporters is
that Sarah Palin is, indeed, a woman.

It's an insulting and ugly move by the McCain camp that reveals a lot about
what a potential McCain administration might be like. It reveals that the
Republicans simply do not get that women supported Hillary Clinton, yes,
because she was a woman AND because she was qualified. It reveals that
McCain does not understand that to nominate a woman completely lacking in
qualifications is a form of objectification. Make no mistake about it, the
choice of Palin reveals that McCain and his advisors do NOT care about women
or women's issues but are more than ready to use them, and to use Palin
herself, to meet their own needs. That's an old story, isn't it?

Hillary supporters know that it's time for a new story now, a better one for
all of us. So, to paraphrase Bill Clinton: Thanks, but no thanks, McCain.
We'll be voting for Obama/Biden in November.


Leah McElrath Renna is a professional psychotherapist and a Managing Partner
of the communications-consulting firm, Renna Communications.

Comments

[BurnetO]

Bravo! Eloquently said. Thank you for putting this experience into words so clearly.

[Evanston]

Here's something. I think Govenor Palin is one of the most unpatriotic, unresponsible public servants I have ever seen. How can this woman who claims to love this country put herself in the possible position of being the president of the United States? SHe should have gracefully turned down this offer.

Last night I was all psyched up to go after Mit Romney, gosh, this is no fun. This is like shooting fish in a barrel.

The whole thing is insulting. Every time I think about it, it only makes me even angrier. The pandering the arrogance, the disregard for our Country's future.

When she returns to ALaska to complete her FIRST TERM as Governor, I would like to think those that elected her will re-think their decision in 2 years.

One more thing, I hope I'm not too off topic here (the whole thing has left me off kilter!) I was watching CNN and it's the first time I have seen James Carvel SPEACHLESS! He was flabergasted! Stunned, shocked. I guess he reflected how I felt!

[FindlayDemocrat]

I'm still in shock. I just cannot believe McCain would do this. It makes me angry to think that McCain believes women will fall in line with him and betray their own ideology just because he picked a Woman for VP. I mean, She is NO Hillary Clinton. I voted for Obama in the primary, but the thought of Palin becoming President scares me to death! Thinking of Hillary facing Putin gives me confidence...But Palin? OMG, what a terrifying thought. I just can't see Palin as commander-in-chief. Hillary, definitley. Are these Republicans really that dense? The truth is, for Democrats, the choice between Hillary and Obama was a choice between two outstanding candidates...that's why the primary went into June, for God sakes. That's why so many votes were cast for both of them. But to just pick a woman in the hopes of stealing a few votes is not only a transparent political ploy, it shows McCain uses eyebrow raising tactics in the midst of stress...That's the scariest part of all.

[bluevillage]

For McCain, the choice of Palin is not a game-changer, merely a dame-changer. The 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling were VOTES, they were EARNED. Palin is merely a pick, by one man, who hadn't even met her more than once. This was a rash decision. The Repub ticket is now doubly unsafe.

[krypt0n1an]

OK, nice opinion article but "Testosterone poisoned?" Yes the Bush administration is toxic but I think that exaggeration / word choice is kinda insulting.

[tel8034]

Great Article ..................

You are so right .............. While the Republicans WILL argue that Palin chose to keep her baby even after learning that the baby would be born with Downs Syndrome, rather than have an abortion, it was so correct to point out THAT CURRENTLY WITH THE LAWS AS THEY STAND, PALIN AT LEAST HAD A CHOICE IN MAKING HER DECISION................ NO MATTER IF WE AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH HER CHOICE............ THE CHOICE WAS HERS.

McCain/Palin are hell bent in seeing that ROE vs WADE is overturned by ensuring that the Supreme Court bench is filled with pro-lifers.

If that happens WE WON'T HAVE A CHOICE AT ALL ......................

ISN'T BEING ABLE TO MAKE OUR OWN CHOICES IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR OWN LIVES, THE ACTUAL HALLMARK OF DEMOCRACY?

[lynnn]

Palin is against birth control period! She's beyond extreme.

[SeriousBlack]

Eloquent post, Ms. Renna. Very well said.

[Johnnn]

I would think Elizabeth Dole would have been a better choice, but except for her youth Palin is a brave move by McCain.
Then again Obama is young too, and Bill Clinton put that issue to rest for me this week. Same for experience. You will not win all the Hillary supporters but keep trying.
On Obama's speech this week, it's the first speech by him that I liked. Otherwise, he's not my cup of tea. I think Obama's chances hinge on two things now: Bill Clinton and Hurricane Gustav. If I listened to Bill Clinton long enough I might be convinced to vote for Obama. Obama's not doing for me yet, but he's getting better.

[rgersmrk]

Wow, great article. I think you really nailed it about why McCain made his choice and how it IS an insult to women everywhere.

[PumaAnn]

I agree. Never clearer.

Vote the party that delivers.

[Johnnn]

Hello PumaAnn. :)

[MegWe]

Leah,
As a 53 year old white woman, and ardent Obama supporter, I deeply appreciate your post. It has been so heartbreaking for us in the other camp in the last months watching Hillary supporters deal with the loss. I can only imagine how it would have felt had it gone the other way. Many of us tried to reach out, but with my Hillary friends, it was always awkward at best. I wanted to share my deep belief in Obama, but the words seemed empty in the face of all that has happened. So it is meaningful to me that you have now seen in him what we have known all along. We need to thank Barack for this.. and Hillary. Together they crafted the convention to foster this unity in a deep and meaningful way. And McCain's choice today can only serve to solidify our party.

[RGray]

Lovely response, MegWe. I concur.

[nomac08]

MegWe, great post, I totally agree.

[LeahMc]

Meg,

Thank you - and everyone else - for your feedback!

I didn't get into this in this piece, but I also believe that Obama's continuing to show this wholeness of self is VITAL to our efforts to win this election and to draw the curtain back on McCain's false persona as a benevolent warrior.

With all due respect, I respect his service in the military and recognize that he was a POW, but his policies and temperament will endanger our nation, not create safety.

Leah McElrath Renna

[nomobull]

the warrior was always there . you just chose not to see. a good warrior will fight just for the love of fighting,a great warrior picks their battles and fights with honor and truth.

[FindlayDemocrat]

Yes, nomobull, you are right. It takes some people a little longer to be able to see the true honor within him. I viewed Obama as a leader with conviction and a desire to do good and be trusted from day one. Others fell prey to the media's unfair assessment of him. But now that he has been fully vetted by the press (and I do mean FULLY), I think a lot more people are able to peer in and see the champion for human rights and equality that are balanced out with intelligence, that makes up this complex man.

[bluevillage]

I agree. Obama was fierce in the primaries. It was the fierceness in his eyes that was so attractive (see especially the speeches to the Dems' Jefferson-Jackson dinners in Iowa and NH). He's been holding his ammo for when it matters.