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FINALLY, someone has stated clearly and concisely what I've been thinking for weeks. I am so sick of reading claims of sexism about someone whose experiences as 'wife of' have largely slipped by unquestioned. (If she hadn't lied about Bosnia, would anyone have dared point out that 'First Lady' is not technically a position of legitimate political power?) I might add: Hillary's supporters threatening to vote McCain? REALLY?!! If women are driven to McCain, we will need a companion book to What's the Matter with Kansas? and it will be called What's the Matter with Women? Is the gesture of protest REALLY worth wreaking havoc on the Supreme Court? Hillary supporters are really that comfortable risking reproductive rights? And I'm meant to believe that they are intelligent women 'defending' our gender? Use your brains, people! Honestly, I'm embarrassed when I read about the angry Hillary supporters. Thanks for this article-- I agree completely.

Well said and bravo. If Obama's team had run a sexist whispering campaign against Clinton like the racist ("hard working white Americans," Jeremiah Wright) whispering campaign Hillary ran, Clinton Supporters Count Too might have something to complain about.

As it is, it sounds a lot like 'our candidate is losing and it's not fair and we wanted a woman president' sour grapes.

A VOTE FOR OBAMA IS A VOTE FOR A NATION ON A TIGHT ROPE THAT SEEKS THE HELP OF that potential intern...(THEN, POWELL AND CONDOLEEZA RICE) WOULD BE A BETTER OPTION.OBAMA FOR NOW HAS AN EDGE DUE TO RACE AND POPULAR YOUTH CULTURE...(MATHEMATICALLY, SNOOP DOGG WOULD BE A BETTER OPTION)...RHETORIC DOES NOT MAKE THAT FLAMBOYANT AUTOMOBILE SALESMAN A GOOD DRIVER, AND SO ALSO PUPPETEERS AND A PERFECTLY ORCHESTRATED CAMPAIGN DOES NOT NECESSARILY MAKE A GOOD PRESIDENT...YOU DON'T DIALOGUE WITH THREATENING TERRORISTS.OBAMA NEEDS AT LEAST 4 MORE YEARS OF SCRUTINY AND SOME TIME TO ACTUALLY BUILD A POLITICAL SUBSTANCE..NOT JUST THE MOTIVATIONAL RHETORIC OR THE MASS APPEAL OF THE NEWEST GANG ON THE BLOCK..SHOULD DICTATE A RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE.YOU CAN'T JUDGE AN EMPTY BOOK,...WHEN SOME CHAPTERS ARE WRITTEN AFTER THE HYPOTHETICAL 4 YEARS...AND HE SCALES..MAYBE THEN OBAMA WOULD BE THE GREATEST PRESIDENT AMERICA EVER HAD AFTER JEFFERSON, I HOPEFULLY WISH TIME DOES NOT PROVE OTHERWISE. BUT FOR NOW..SUAVE DIPLOMACY DON'T MAKE THE BEST POLICIES...HE'S NOT JUST READY!THE FORCE THAT CREATED OBAMA...WOULD DESTROY OBAMA! SEN OBAMA IS NOT JUST A DEMOCRAT, HE IS A REVOLUTION WHOSE TIME IS NOT YET RIPE.....GETTING RID OF ALL HAZY LINKS SO HE CAN BUILD AN INDIVIDUAL POLITICAL SUBSTANCE WOULD BE A MUCH WELCOMED DEVELOPMENT....OR ELSE THE REVOLUTION WOULD DE-EXIST PREMATURELY...LONG LIVE SEN OBAMA..

This victim card, blaming her loss on sexism, is the last one she can play. Not one to take responsibility for anything, shes going out in style. Her style.

alex w. - i think you are an ape. she was not referring to your point in any way, shape or form in this article. she was talking about hillary being a sore loser. oh i'm sorry. are you crying? here, chimpy wan' banana?

Yep, the American people are so sure we're on the right track that Obama would have no chance of winning were it not for the Clinton adminstration

Wow. I am so glad you are procreating. This country clearly needs more Benediktine brains.

The major reason there aren't more women in elected office is because so few women run. When they do run, studies show that they are at least as likely as men to win. Unfortunately, few women are aware of this, and few take the risk.

Hillary could have used her candidacy to address this problem, and truly move women forward in politics. She could have said, "Look at me. I beat out several highly qualified, well-liked white men and came in second out of a field of eight. Americans will vote for a woman -- they've been doing it for decades now. All you need to do is show up and work hard every day. If half the candidates this year had been women, the odds are that our next president would be a woman."

Instead, she chose to play the victim, telling women (incorrectly) that the deck is stacked against them. She has effectively chosen to discourage women from running for office, exacerbating the true problem. It's an approach that's good for her and bad for women. She is not a feminist leader -- she has chosen to set women back for her own personal gain.

Thank you. I was beginning to think I was crazy, but you expressed exactly what I've been feeling. Hillary Clinton lost. She lost for many reasons, but lost she did. Women can run bad campaigns and say stupid things and make bad decisions the same as any man. And she did all of those things. Sadly, she did face sexism, but I hope that she won't fall into the "I've been a victim" trap. Portraying women-as-victims is hardly helpful to the cause.

Alex W,

Oh yes you are so right! Bill Clinton should get the nomination, oh wait, he's not running, his wife is.

Sure sexism is alive and well, but so is racism. Which is worse? Both. Which candidate has suffered more due to their respective "ism"? Both. But the only one making a big deal out of it is Hillary. She didn't lose this contest because of sexism, she lost this race because she ran a poor campaign, didn't have a clear and consistent message, and is too divisive. Maybe I'm too young (49) to have the same view of sexism as Hillary's generation. But I just don't get all the zealous followers who say it's Hillary or no one... or even worse, it's Hillary or McCain. Why take out Hillary losing on Obama and the country by voting for McCain?!? I've been following the campaign pretty closely since before the Iowa vote and I never saw, read, or heard any misogynistic behavior coming from Obama or his campaign. Again, I just don't get it. And personally, I find Hillary blaming her loss on the media and sexism to be offensive. How about some personal responsibility?!?

Actually Bill Clinton probably hampered Hillary's effort. But I agree that his polarizing triangulation style of politics and lack of character, magnified by the Bush Administration, are exactly why Obama will have a great chance against McCain.

What self respecting woman considers her lady parts aching for a woman president as any sort of argument?

That's the whole darn point. Women are MORE than their appearance--more than their "lady parts."

I think a lot of women might be out of touch, possibly skipped a few history classes, women's right's classes, sociology classes, and women's lit classes.

Well, it's my soul that yearns for a woman president, and certainly not my lady parts!

Thank you, AB, for stating it so clearly. HRC is an embarassment to this 52-year old woman. Demagoguery seems to be Hillary's strong suit.

Wow, Alex. Bill Clinton inspired so much trust on the part of Americans in a Democratic administration that it's a shame they allowed Bush to just barely squeak through and beat his successor in 2000. Yes, now they're learning. Eight years later a Democratic nominee's chances look good, not because Clinton's poor impulse control led to the ascension to power of an incompetent Bush, leading, in turn, to a clear shot for Democrats once again, but because Bush never really came to office and they're just thinking about the confidence Bill Clinton inspired in the ability of Democrats to succeed politically (except when it came to small things like losing both houses of congress, ruining a national health care initiative, capitulating to calls for welfare reform and pushing the DOMA, the Rwandan genocide, etc, etc.).

Keep your head in the sand. Or as you call the "Imaginary" war on women is the most ignorant statement I've ever heard.
Are you a moron Alison? Clearly poor Elizabeth Nelson was in the same insidious classroom as you and both have no clue what's going on in the big world around you.

Sad fact. Historically women have been just as angry and sexist toward their own gender as men. Women who hate themselves project it onto other women so they can assuage their own pathetic guilt.

Women would rule the world if they had each other's back. Alison, I am not ashamed or afraid to call out folks like you. You are an embarrassment. Hillary is by far the superior candidate. Remember this: I don't ever want to hear you complain about a smaller office, lower pay or condescending remarks from a male boss. You voted for him stupid!
West Hollywood, CA

What a pathetic little article. Hillary deserves the nomonation period. Please, America experienced one of its most prosperous eras under the Clintons. You liberals are too blinded by your pathetic socialism to realize that this country is more centrist that it is to the right or the left. Allison Benedikt, what kind of car do you drive? How much do you make? How much do you contribute to charity? I bet you are just like Ariana, all talk no substance. Do you know that she pays less than $1000 in Federal Taxes for the millions that she makes??? STOP THE HYPOCRISY. This country needs a competent politician, YES, POLITICIAN....not a messiah. Get back down to earth and drain that cool aid down the sink....in the words of your candidate...SWEETIE!!

Excellent article. I think people get so emotional and reactionary with their candidates because each candidate is to many people a "brand" that they see as representing themselves and what they stand for. For some reason or other the Hillary brand has been branded as the "everywoman" as opposed to the multi-millionaire iran-obliteration-threatening machivelian that she is.

The Democrats are just spineless idiots. There is no way Hillary Clinton should be the first woman president. The second woman president, maybe. But the Dems should have done their Constitutional duty and impeached Bush and Cheney, which would make Nancy Pelosi the first woman president, TODAY. If Clinton had led the fight to make that happen, I'd joyfully work towards her 2008 election as the second woman president. As it is, she's just another Bush-supporting politico and I'd rather elect someone who opposed Bush's war from the beginning.

I started excited and now yo estoy sad.

Actually, Alex, I'm pretty sure it's the 8 years of W that's going to be Obama's advantage (or would've been Hillary's) over McCain. For all this talk of "Hillary's found her voice" (no, really, this time), the people that voted for her in February would've found this voice too much to stomach.
And the people voting for her on the basis of Bill's 8 years are expecting to go back to a time that won't happen again.

I wonder if the Clinton supporters forgot that many Democrats promised to move to Canada if Bush won in 2004, but few (if any) actually followed through on their promise. I suppose this is my way of saying "I dare you."

Thank you!! There's hope for the women folk yet.

If Hillary Loses, vote McCain in Nov.
then Hillary in 2012. Don't let these Obama cultists take over our precious country.

I think the purpose of this article is to suggest that sexism and racism are not in isolation from one another- these past few months have brought out the worst in people- both candidates have been subject to bigotry, but one candidates grievances are no worse then the others. This is a great article- we have to realize that these isms exist in our society- and it is by changing our collective mindset that, eventually, we will overcome.

Excellent post and things that need to be said and said again. I'm a professional woman of HRC's generation who started out supporting her. I am now an Obama supporter, thanks largely to the nasty, devious way in which the Clinton campaign has been run. And now? Well, it's time for Hillary to go. And while she's waiting for just the right moment to depart (after all, this is all about her) it would certainly be helpful if she could avoid undercutting the Democratic nominee. As to those who intend to vote for McCain if Hillary doesn't get the nomination-Who in the hell are these people? Do they really want McCain appointing the next two or three Supreme Court justices? For spite? Wow. Just wow.

I think Hillary Clinton supporters are playing the classic spiteful "bitch" card by threatening to vote for John McCain. It is only a scare tactic meant to stir up the superdelegates and some gullible people that would buy into that Bullcrap. If they are actually serious about doing what they say then they are just cutting off their nose to spite their face.

Hillary is not losing because of her gender and she is not losing because she is running against a black man either...Her mouth is why she is losing..hers and Bills mouths. Their is no trust for her with alot of people. They hide their documents from the public until 2012..why? Is there something you don't want people to see? She lies 3 times about sniper fire and then Bill lies for her about that subject. She sold her healthcare plan out in the 90's and since then I have only seen the insurance companies drive up healthcare even more..good job greedy Hillary! She is divisive and a sore loser who will do anything to win, even claiming votes in states in which she agreed that their votes would not count and signed them off. Now they matter?..Hypocrit! She used street money to "hire" people of certain ethnicities to go knock on doors and hand out fliers and bought votes...how commendable..that is probably what put her in the red in funds. Not to mention countless scandals in her days prior and while in the whitehouse..etc.

Her lack of character and honesty and dirty tactics and a "me me me" attitude is why she is losing and a loser in many people's eyes. I guess her supporters are a reflection of their candidate.

It is SO unfair to women that Hillary isn't being nominated, just because she didn't win! She's entitled! All men are mediocre and can't run a country! Obama's an empty suit and a muslim and won't pledge allegiance to the flag and is the anti-christ and injected racism into the campaign!

To Queermajic and Alex,

It is not possible that either of you are feminists, only trolls (probably members of the young republicans). I am an ardent feminist, and can detect a fake (or brain-dead) one very easily.

To understand the pro-Hillary die-hard supporters, I would suggest watching the Geraldine Ferraro interview on NBC yesterday. It really shows what the issue is about.

In response to the question "what exactly has Obama done which is sexist?" Ferraro at first didn't answer at all about him, only saying that she would have supported any of the worthy democratic candidates (listing all but Obama)but thought it great to have a woman candidate--so that is not sexist. (no one accused her of being sexist, so it was an interesting revealing moment).

Then Ferraro proceeded to describe how Obama was dismissive of Clinton, citing two examples--the Jay-Z imitation after the Philly debate which he lost, and his "annie oakly" joke about her new-found love of guns in Pennsylvania. But the most interesting part was when she said that the Jay-Z moment (which she clearlly didn't understand) was just like her husband used to do when he disagreed with her. That is it, right there--these hardcore Hillary supporters are projecting their anger at their husbands or some other male figures onto Obama.

The great irony is that these women are now threatening to run to vote for McCain. You would think that they would at least write in Hillary's name if in fact voting for a woman is what this is all about. It is very revealing that instead this is about punishing Obama for the hurt they have suffered from males.

The greatest irony is that the Clinton campaign has been extra-ordinarily dismissive of Obama and his supporters. This dismissiveness (and arogance)is what made me change from initially wanting Hillary as president and Obama as VP.

Allison,
All I can say to your naive article is that you have been one of the fortunate ones to not have experienced mysogyny thus far in your life. I am a woman modern dance and ballet choreographer who has worked in the most prestigious ballet companies and schools. My work, knowing it is %100 supported by audiences, was never allowed to be promoted. After years and years of trying. Why? Men control who becomes successful. Men are in power in dance. The woman are conveniently stuck in the studios. There is a huge, thick glass ceiling in ballet when it comes to producing and promoting creative, intellectual choreographic work done by women. Woman, in dance, are meant to "stay in the studio, don't talk never mind have ideas; just dance, shut up and and look beautiful". It is easy for you to write the above because possibly you have never REALLY experienced the helplessness caused by blatant mysogyny. I think you need to do more research before you mouth off so.

Great post. Why can't people see that?

I'm a 60-ish female Independent... working all my life in an engineering profession. Sexism--tell me about it! (When I wanted to go to college, my state university wasn't even open to women.) So dammit, I hope to live to see a woman as President. But while I deeply sympathize with HRC, for all the catty (and yes, sexist) comments she's had to fend off, I also find her manipulative--and as having run an incompetent campaign. I wouldn't vote for that in a man.

I am a black female and i would love to see a women take president in the states, and i agree with you women interms of boycotting when sexism is involved, but you need to realize who your supporting.
With all the problems and underhand tactics the the clintons has been through, such as NAFTA, free trade and scandal with in their party, they were the reason for all factors being removed from areas in the states with the free trade, her call on the war, she even went after obama in relation to ayers and the pastor, and she had closer ties with ayers then obama did, and there are even photos of the pastor with bill.

My point being that yes it would be really super to have a women, just not this women, our time will come when we will be in office and we will be able to stand tall with that women and be so proud, but if she gets in again and pulls the same wool over everyones eyes, how will you be able to stand and be proud that you were part of the election. We all know right now she will say anything to be elected, and also why is it that the educated white women are going to obama is it because they cant be fooled by her. That is another thing, if i was voting for a women and there was a trend of all low income, less educated women is all that is voting for this person i would want to speak to someone with some education to find out what they know. I really truely believe that if this was another women running she would have won this election, some people dont forget what happen when they were in office. This is not a put down to anyone, i just dont understand why fight for someone whether it be a women or man if there baggage is bigger then state there in.

if you were a judge and you were able to through someone in jail you have a man and a woman, and the women has a record a mile long and continues doing crime and the man has 2 offenses by association are you throwing the man in jail cause of his association and letting the women walk because you like her or are you going to think fairly about the situation. I really believe you really need to shake your head set down with some people who are not involved in this and really think things through, because your thoughts are so tarnished.

If Senators Obama and Clinton were both white men, Obama would have won 75% of the vote nationwide. This is because he is more honest and articulates a much clearer and more positive vision of the future.

HRC always has some excuse, today it's sexism. Barack Obama has faced racism, threats, Wright, false muslim attack and everything their campaign could think of to throw at him. Yet he's always respected HRC as a woman. She did not do the same with him - so is she a manbasher? Clinton rode in on the Former PResidents coat tail and thought she was a shoe in to win. The ugliness she showed - turned people away, not her sex! I know MANY women who will support BO and we just have to register millions more to vote who will support BO in November.

To me this election is not about any candidate's race or sex, it's about CHANGE. I'm old enough to have voted in nine previous presidential elections, so I am wary of believing anything that any of them say in the course of the campaign, but in the upcoming race I see only one candidate who offers any real chance for changing the way things work in Washington. Do I believe that Obama can change things radically? Not really, but he alone offers a CHANCE for change. For that (slim?) possibility of change I will vote for Obama.

Great article, love the attitude.
Amazing that people will put themselves and a nation at risk of greater evil in a sad attempt to make a point! Voting for McCain because Hillary lost the nomination is one of the most self destructive moves I’ve heard in a long time. And these are the women leading the movement for a better America for women!? Please. Do you actually think all those “white working class Americans” are voting for Hillary because she’s a woman!? NOT! They are voting against a black man. Get over the gender/race issue and get on with Character/Issues based elections.

It’s time for the divisiveness to end! Our ego based, fear mongering politicians and government are taking this country down. Fear is the way ego maniacs control the masses.

Point to note: in West Virginia where HRC “won”…exit poles showed that only 36% of HRC supporters will vote for Obama if he wins the nomination and that 52% of Obama supporters will vote for HRC if she wins the nomination. That alone is evidence that Obama is garnering support for a new kind of collaborative America and HRC is all about HRC!!!

When the right person runs for President that happens to be a woman, she’ll get my vote. For now and for always I’m voting for the best person for the job!!! And I believe Obama is the right person!!!

Be advised though, this country is in need of some radical change!!! A leader can provide the direction, the people have to follow suit and do the work and probably live through a little discomfort to get to the greater good. Nothing this big turns around on a dime without some extreme effort on the part of a large team! Collaboration is the way to change! It’s the way to Peace!

I don't see Obama raising issues about gender to advance his campaign. That would be a tragic political mistake on his part. However; I do see Sen. Clinton raising racial issues to advance hers. Which, in my opinion; was a tragic and major political mistake on her part. She and her husband alienated the Black vote. I will not enumerate her mistakes here. If you are open minded enough; go research for yourself. Just by her very refusal to acknowledge Sen. Obama’s accomplishment is further driving the negative sentiment African Americans have developed for the Clintons. And to act like it doesn’t matter who she offends (his 17 plus million supporters) is astonishing to me. I think in large part Sen. Obama has treated Sen. Clinton with respect at every turn and her supporters are making flimsy excuses to not support him. What is really going on? Obama is surrounded by women in his life. He has a strong career woman for a wife and two daughters. Do you honestly think that Michelle Obama would not have checked him, if he was sexist? Do you?

In other words, I'm tired of hearing this mindless tirade of some people blaming everything under the sun for their failures. As a Black man, I've been given every excuse in this world to fail, it's drummed into our heads and reinforced by the media, corporations, and institutions daily - but I refuse to be a victim. I don't put constraints on abilities nor my upward mobility. I also don't look to institutions to affirm my worth. I have a beautiful family, a nice home and we spend precious time together. I am affirmed by my decisions and how I chose to live every day no matter what is happening. No title or position is worth betraying your values or your beliefs. This is why I broke with the Clintons. They threw all the good will of the African American community they had built up over 20 or so years of service and threw it in the garbage. She didn’t even blink when face with losing her precious Presidency. She sold us out. And then (the Clintons) thumbed their noses at our leaders and said we don't need you, because we got Latinos. It was simply astoundingly sad to watch. Obama looked at it differently. He basically said that it is a question of whether or not he should win. And if he could not win on principle, then he doesn’t want to win. I respect him for his conduct during this campaign as a person, period.

This is why I admire Barack and I have become so disappointed in the Clintons. Women can lose when they get on the field fair and square. Women do make mistakes. Women have suffered just as others have suffered. But who keeps score and who says it's your turn at someone else's expense. Isn't this the whole point?

You know what this "I'll vote for McCain unless Hillary is the nominee" reminds me of? It reminds me of the old.."I'm pissed so I ain't gonna put out" routine.. a typical woman stunt that has been around for years...lmao

You women that are supporting Hillary just because she is a woman are basing your argument over the most petty things. Aw! people said something about her clothes, told her to go iron a shirt, Obama called someone sweety..geeez!

Take your blinders off and take a really good look at this woman's character. She wants to act like she has a strap on on and then cries and whines that men are picking on her.

Actually..I think it all equates to a bad case of "penis envy"!

The reason that I, as a woman, cannot support Hillary is that she has not accomplished one thing on her own since she graduated from Law School. Every single job, from the Rose Law Firm to her carpetbagging Senate seat, has been given to her because of who she married. We would not even be talking about her as a Presidential candidate if her last name was not Clinton. Without him, she would be a second rate professor at a third rate law school. I want a woman President, just not THIS woman President. Go away Clintons, we are tired of the drama. You had your chance - eight years in fact. It's someone else's turn.

Oh, and Hill - you are not working class by a long shot - never have been, never will be. Don't insult our intelligence and condescend to us. Also, if being First Lady qualifies you for the Presidency - then Betty Ford, Rosalyn Carter, Nancy Reagan and Barbara and Laura Bush are all equally as qualified.

Everytime I see one of these "bad/stupid girls vote for Hillary," essays, it strikes me as the literary equivalent of female mud-wrestling. The main difference is which group of men is the beneficiary. The Bud Light-drinking Spike TV watcher prefers the less intellectual mud-wrestling, while the Micro-brew-drinking Prius driver benefits more from women attacking each other on the way to the voting booth.

Hi: please join us at www.clintonsupporterscounttoo.org. Together we can take back this country and change the course of history

Yes, it's really interesting that Hillary's feminist supporters keep pointing to Bill Clinton's presidency as proof of her credentials. I thought feminists wanted to win on their own merits?

And I love the Geraldine Ferraro assertion that Obama is "terribly sexist" because he brushed off his shoulder to symbolize that he wasn't going to let all the negative press and attacks from Hillary and McCain get him down.

Please tell me how that was sexist?

They are fishing fishing fishing. And you know what they're all doing? They're giving talking points to the real sexists because the real sexists are sitting there thinking, "Oh wow, there those feminazis go again, making it all about them and acting like they have permanent PMS."

Hillary's best chance to confront the perceived sexism would have been to gently remind her surrogate James Carville that she DID NOT NEED COJONES, her female parts were more than sufficient for the job.

Here is something to think about, perhaps the reason that some do not like or will not vote for Senators Clinton or Obama has nothing to do whatsoever with gender or race. Perhaps there are people out there that plan and simply do not like there politics, the same reason some don’t like the white guy running.

Fortunately for me, I was brought up by my parents to treat everyone as equals, no matter what skin color, beliefs, gender, or what ever. The only exception to that would be that my father taught us that men open doors for ladies, and acted like gentlemen in there presence. I believe that is more chivalry than sexism, but I have been told by some women that equal is equal, so now I will hold a door open for anyone. I judge people by there actions, not there genetics or genitals.

With that being said, here is my humble opinion:

I do not believe Senator Clinton would be the best choice for the leader of our country because I do not think she is honest and I do not think she has enough experience. I lived in New York when she ran for the Senate, and I found it disturbing and opportunistic that she purchased a house in Westchester County and went on a week long tour of the state, and POOF, she was a long time New Yorker and understood there needs. If the only open Senate seat in 2000 was in Alaska she would have bought a house in Juneau and been choking down seal blubber with the Eskimos. It is blatantly obvious she is power hungry and will say and do what ever she has to do to get that power. If her name was Bob Clinton, I would feel exactly the same. I will say that I do agree that she was not treated fairly by the press and that hurt her chances tremendously. I also think that she deserves her Michigan and Florida delegates because those voters should not have to be discounted because Howard Dean is a raging idiot. As for Senator Obama not being on the ballot, I think that shows a lack of political savvy, and he should rightly suffer the consequences of his own missteps. I have expressed these opinions to a female friend of mine who claims to be a “Yellow Dog Democrat”. I did not know what that meant, and I grew up in Chicago! Her reasoning for voting for Clinton…”she has a vagina”… her words, not mine. I am not sure which bothers me more, being a yellow dog or discriminating by biological plumbing differences.

Now, to be fair, I do not believe that Senator Obama is the best choice either. Its not that he has little experience, he has NO EXPERIENCE. Who could possibly believe that one year as a Senator has battle hardened someone enough to run the country. He hasn’t been in DC long enough to know where the closest bathroom to his office is. He is a great orator, but what he says lacks substance. Great campaign slogan, “Change you can Believe in”, but change what? He is way off the mark on everything I have heard him talk about, and I am particularly disturbed by his “economic fairness” rhetoric. I can tell you what economic fairness is, “as ye sew, so shall ye reap”. Being envious of others wealth or prosperity does you no good. If his name was Bernie Lowenstein instead of Barrack Obama, I would have the same opinions.

To be even more fair, I tend to lean right, and I am really having a problem choking down that Senator McCain is the best the Republicans could scrape up, this despite he fits quite well in my demographic.

What this country really needs is a good house cleaning in DC. Get these folk that have been embedded in congress for decades out of there. We need to start looking for a new type of legislator. No more lawyers, they just foul everything up. We need to start looking deep into corporate America for really great corporate officers and managers, people that know how to get things done and work within a budget.

Wow, Allison Benedikt wears an Obama lapel pin? Thanks for the oh-so-necessary disclaimer, mysterious VV editors.

The problem is that Barack Obama is not the right candidate for the Democratic party. Hillary Clinton understands that the Democratic party is the party of the people; whereas, Barack Obama appears to be totally oblivious to this notion. He talks about change as if everything the Democrats ever stood for is irrelevant. Well, he is sure wrong about that, and I don't appreciate his fighting techniques that add nothing to the debate. Sorry, Barack, you are going to have to do better to get my vote in November.

FINALLY

I am glad a woman has pointed out the sexists who vote for Hillary based on body parts. As a white guy Independent, I dislike Hillary before primaries for the following reasons:

- Supported serial adultery (I am amazed at the Clintonistas who ignore this...)
- Carpetbagging job in New York, promoted OVER hard-working New York female politicians

Nothing to do with her sex, and not misogynistic. I don't like or vote for male politicians who cheat on their wives (see McCain...).

My mother marched for women's choice in the 60s and 70s, and she hates Clinton. Not because she is a woman but for her political shiftiness and dishonesty.

If you don't like Obama over Hillary, fine, I can respect and understand that. But if a diehard sexist Clinton supporter votes Pro-Life McCain over a Democrat, then you are no less hypocritical than any flip-flop Republican (McCain...).

Final thought on experience: There are 100s of thousands of people in our country who could step into the Presidency and not kill our country.

Final thought on women politicians: I hope Barack picks a female governor as VP. Note that Hillary was supported by an incredible array of Democratic Party males such as Ed Rendell (little state near NY...), the Ohio Governor Strickland, etc. Don't roll out your misogynistic BS about a very capable political insider that Hillary is. She couldn't win with everything going for her. I will concede that Howard Dean definitely screwed her by removing all delegates for MI and FL. However, a FEMALE governor in MI broke the rules. For FL, we can thank the Republican VP nominee - but who cares about FL? They are a red state last 2 elections anyway.

Look Montalvo, Zac, Lisa etc. - I was talking about Primary's and the candidates' viability. Have you read Peter Beinart's recent essay in Time Magazine? Do you think any of the recent Democratic contenders had the skills/political approach to achieve what Beinart asserts that Bill Clinton achieved? Regardless of whether you agree with it, just think about the fact that Barack Obama will need to find some way of mending relations with Hillary Clinton's supporters. Oh, and my State's votes don't count in this Primary, by the way. But they will in the General, you can bet.

Well...I can't speak to any woman's "lady parts" but my gay, male parts are aching a lot of this. I understand that there are a lot of woman (and feminists) would don't like Hillary person. I get that and she is by no means the perfect choice (whoever that may be!) But one thing remains clear, when a woman (ANY woman), succeeds in something totally new she symbolizes somethings and doorway opens for all women....and yes!...for gay men like me who have spent there whole adult "out" lives responding to straight boys trying to understand gayness by saying "So? What's wrong we being 'the woman!'"

go hillary!

(to hell of course)