Monday, September 08, 2008

White Women Leaving Obama in Droves


Really, really bad news for the Democratic Party.

In the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, white female voters overwhelmingly prefer McCain over Obama.

Although Obama led McCain by eight point only days ago, after McCain selected Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska to be his running mate, Obama's lead with white women vanished faster than you can say, oops, looks like without Hillary on the ticket we really can't.

White women have moved from 50-42 percent in Obama's favor before the conventions to 53-41 percent for McCain now, a 20-point shift in the margin that's one of the single biggest post-convention changes in voter preferences. The other, also to McCain's advantage, is in the battleground Midwest, where he's moved from a 19-point deficit to a 7-point edge.
Without Party highlights a commenter's quote that perfectly summarizes the huge mistake Dems made by nominating Obama this year and the even bigger mistake they made by leaving Hillary off the ticket.

The Democrats thought this was a safe year in which to play internal power games. I don't blame Obama -- he's an idealistic, ambitious and confident man who was being told by powerful backers that THIS was his moment. But I do blame those powerful players in the Democratic establishment who saw him first and foremost as a vehicle for defeating Hillary and diminishing the Clinton's power -- while aggrandizing their own -- without giving serious thought to the handicap his unknown status and brief national resume would present in the general election.

Perhaps he will carry this off on sheer personality alone, or an unprecedented turnout among a younger generation of voters.

If he doesn't, his loss may have bad long term consequences for the party (and all the rest of us) but also, sadly, it may do long term harm to his once-so-brilliant political prospects.

Read it and weep. The Obama/Biden ticket is bad for country, the Democratic party, Hillary and her 18 million supporters and yes, even brilliant but clueless Obama. It was all about raw power and making sure the stake went straight to the heart of Hill and Bill.

Oh, and more thing; how's that pool working out for you, Jeralyn??

Comments:
Let's say I take as a given that Hillary Clinton would have been a better choice than Obama. We can have that argument to the end of time, though, and it doesn't change the reality of the here and now.

Do you truly believe that America will be better off in four years with McCain/Palin than it would be in four years with Obama/Biden? Would the feminist movement really be pushed ahead with Sarah Palin at the tip of the spear? Would progressive causes really be better off in four years with McCain at the helm?

I can understand your frustration, anger, and utter venom towards Obama and his campaign. I really can. But, good gracious, is it really worth four more years of divisive, invasion, militaristic, anti-choice, jingoistic Republican leadership running on a platform that is the antithesis of nearly everything Hillary Clinton was running to support to prove your point?

Continued focus on media spin with national numbers (that have no bearing on who actually wins--re: Gore in 2000) distracts those of use who support and pursue progressive causes from the real task at hand. We need to elect the candidate who is going to support, encourage, nourish, and advance progressive issues. So ask yourself, HL, is that the McCain/Palin ticket or is it Obama/Biden? If you can, with good conscience, state that McCain/Palin is a better advocate for you, for your beliefs, for you your causes, then I wish you the best.

Gloria Steinem had an excellent op-ed piece in the LA Times last week (available at http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-steinem4-2008sep04,0,7915118.story). It's worth reading.
 
TPWB: When the crux of the argument is "vagina trumps penis," even if the organ belonged to Ann Coulter, they'd still support her.
 
John, you're showing your sexist pig side.(

I would not have supported a McCain-Hutchison or a McCain-Dole ticket. And to date, I have NOT fully made up my mind. For the first time EVER, I am the "undecided."

Arguing that any female thinking of voting for Palin is doing so because she has a vagina is like arguing that any black voting for Obama is doing so 'cause he has an Afro. Or at least he did when he was young. Totally inappropriate.

Get a clue, John...
 
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