Percentage of Voters Say They Would Never Vote for a Woman, Regardless of Qualifications

Absolutely ! I agree. Obama can serve as a unifying factor for the country - whereas Clinton for many reasons is not in a position to do so - I am a dyed in the wool & tried by fire feminist - but not backing Hillary had nothing to do with that.

Mary Lou,

I am an Obama supporter, just to let you know.

But, I disagree that women want Senator Clinton to be President only because she is a woman. I don’t think there is anything sad about her passionate supporters. She has a long history of fighting for women and womens’ rights. She is not somewhere standing in the shadows in regards to her stance on Democratic Values. She and Obama have almost identical voting records. You may disagree with her. I have a few disagreements with her. But I do not doubt for a minute that she would fight for womens’ rights’ and that she is an incredible woman..

I totally agree with you. I don’t believe sexism has anything to do with my choosing Obama over Clinton.

Mary Lou From Maine, I hope we can agree to disagree. It is a matter of perception.

My theory is that any presidential candidate probably has few principles left. So I am hoping that, with a woman running for president, we don’t raise the bar for her and say that she must also “embody the Feminine Principle”.

I find Hillary a flawed candidate but the 43 male presidents have had their flaws. I find Obama a flawed candidate also but I would like a female flawed candidate to be President of the United States of America.

Mary Lou - I have often found on the WoW site — and in general here in New York City, where I live and work — that HRC “feminist” supporters a) define HRC as THE standard-bearer for what defines “feminism”, and, b) openly personally assault other women if we do not adopt her/their strict definition and HRC as the optimum representation of it.

Of course, that is divisive and toxic — as HRC is, herself. This is the Gloria Steinem/Gerry Ferraro dated model — and why the “Movement” itself is dated in its interpretation in modern society.

Instead of creating a collaborative, evolved model that embraces ALL perspectives regarding the feminist interpretation — that includes respect for differing ethnicities and a place for men, as well — our young openly MOCK HRC and the toxic, dated interpretations/definitions — as well they should.

After this Election is over, older “feminists” will have to take stock of THEMSELVES and the role they may have played in HRC’s failure(s) as well as how their own toxic/entitled communications and personal assaults of those who do not share their confining point of view — have FAILED women at-large and set us back.

Barack Obama is a real feminist and so is his wife. They are nobody’s VICTIMS and don’t feel entitled to anything they don’t EARN. They planned a superior Campaign and EXECUTED it. HRC planned an ascendancy, leveraging women every step of the way. Some of us will not be leveraged, nor do we buy into her sense of entitlement strictly based upon her sex. That is NOT feminism to some of us — and until our perspective is respected and accepted as part of the tapestry — an elite tier of 7-Sister women — will continue to be viewed as archaic and out-of-touch.

I was ashamed to watch Gloria Steinem and Gerry Ferraro over the last couple of months. I felt SORRY for them.

Our daughters cannot and will not carry THAT banner.

I agree Mary Lou. It’s not sexism but that Hillary is irredeemably contemptible. As Camille Paglia wrote in Salon…”Hillary with her thin, spotty record, tangled psychological baggage, and maundering blowhard of a husband, is also a mighty big roll of the dice. She is a brittle, relentless manipulator with few stable core values who shuffles through useful personalities like a card shark (“Cue the tears!”). Forget all her little gold crosses: Hillary’s real god is political expediency. Do Americans truly want this hard-bitten Machiavellian back in the White House? Day one will just be more of the same. I plan to vote for Barack Obama… because he is a rational, centered personality who speaks the language of idealism and national unity. Obama has served longer as an elected official than Hillary. He has had experience as a grass-roots activist, and he is also a highly educated lawyer who will be a quick learner in office. His international parentage and childhood, as well as his knowledge of both Christianity and Islam, would make him the right leader at the right time. And his wife Michelle is a powerhouse. The Obamas represent the future, not the past.”

Wed 6/4 Senator Obama will be the nominee and Clinton will be what she made herself today….totally loathed by all the stakeholders.

phyllis Doyle Pepe, You say, “Aren’t we lucky to have a male presidential candidate who speaks for women in that way.”

And I say, The only man I want to speak for me is when the ship is sinking and that bearded gentle soul points to the lifeboat and commands, “Ladies first.”