Race, Religion, Gender Didn’t Matter

If Obama beats Clinton it’s because the media has chosen to keep a halo around Obamas head instead of reporting real news or instead of reporting anything “bad” about him for one day and moving on. If the KKK had come out and said they supported Clinton and if she said she denounced what they stood for when asked if she would reject their support that would have been on the front page of every news paper in the US but let Farrakhan say he supports Obama and we get a lame excuse from Obama instead of just saying YES i reject his support and that doesn’t make it very far in the Media. Or lets talk about Obamas relationship with Ayers or does the media once again want to pretend Obama has nothing to hide? It’s a discrace the media is so afraid of being called a racist by not going after Obama the way they don’t hesitate to go after any white man or woman. When did reporters stop investigating and reporting real news?

Yeah, whatever, Matthew. Spoken as a true republican white man. Totally unaware that bias against women exists in politics, and pretty much everywhere. Hillary is hitting the same glass ceiling we all hit, in the workplace, in government, in the community. Women are just simply viewed as less able to lead. We can’t make any mistakes, or it’s used as a reason NOT to promote us, not to give us the big project, or not to vote for us. A man, can make mistakes all day, and be forgiven. We’ve seen this over and over in this election.. the media fawning over Obama, ignoring his missteps while playing every one of Clinton’s ad nausium. And you know what, american women see it in the workplace too. That useless guy you work with who does NO WORK and gets promoted while you do all the dirty work and get no recognition. It’s the same damn movie.
Women have to work twice as hard, to get half as far. We still make less money than men for the same job, and we aren’t equally represented in government, or in the levels of corporate power. Hillary Clinton is not perfect by a long shot, but she is more qualified than Obama. And if you think the fact that she’s a woman, and that the media constantly badgers every mistake she makes isn’t a factor.. well, you are DREAMING.
Not that I wouldn’t expect this from you, or any other GOPer. They like to tell women that inequality doesn’t exist, and it’s a GOOD thing that women are never trusted with power in the GOP. How many GOP senators and congressmen are women? Only a few. How many female presidential or VP candidates have the repubs had? That’s right.. ZERO. And it will stay that way. White men still control this country. And in this election it’s clear… white men would rather have a black man as president than a woman. Even polls back me up.. look them up. Women are supposed to somehow ACCEPT our second class position in this country. Accept that a man, any man, even one with NO experience, will be chosen over the most qualified woman. The world is watching, and my international friends are STUNNED by this election. We have lost SO MUCH crediblity.
Sexism is still tolerated here in the USA, while racism is not. That’s the bottom line.

Did you both think of that on your own or take it from Mr. Penn’s talking points? BOTH campaigns internals show a tight race in both TX and OH, Obama advantage in TX, and Clinton advantage in OH. Nobody knows how the late deciders will go. We do have REAL evidence of 11 straight Obama victories, including a 17% win in Wisconsin — supposedly country more friendly to her campaign. The journalists are reporting what the see. Stop this irritating whining and accept the reality — the voters thus far have favored Obama over Clinton. Let’s get real! Sorry, was that plagiarism?

Well, when the major media outlets and reporters are basically being Obama’s public relations spokespersons it certainly makes it easier for people to vote for Obama. But in real life where you constantly hear, especially men, calling Hillary Clinton that “B–ch” with such heated anger behind it, one has to wonder what that is all about. It seems that even the most racially prejudial white man would vote for a man, even if they are racially predjudice against that man, rather than vote for Hillary Clinton. Now, personnally speaking, I like all the candidates running and feel that whoever Americans pick as the next President none of them could ever mess up the country as much as our current President Bush has done. But lets face facts and reality, the media is all over promoting Obama and singing his praises and basically being his greatest public relations advocates. I don’t see that happening for either Clinton or McCain or any other prior candidate in this race. But I worry that once the race is narrowed down to just two candidates then the media might change their tune and start printing more negative press about Obama. So then I would wonder just what was the true agenda of certain media execs, to make certain Hillary lost and then switch their support to the Republican candidate, or just to make certain Hillary didn’t get in to office? Of course, in your opinion, maybe all women who take a stance against your article and opinion are just “B–chs” themselves.

SB,
Don’t try to tell Obamacans that clinton’s voters won’t come over to his camp. He’s already declared publically that we are all in his corner. Arrogance? Maybe.
And Matthew- you have a daughter, right? Ask yourself this question, would you want your daughter to be subjected to the hatred and negativity Hillary has been subject to? You know, that’s the world you are sending her into, right? And by denying sexism, you are saying she won’t ever come across it. You aren’t preparing her or yourself for the realities. Think about that.

Mr. Dowd,
Are you by any chance realted to Maureen Dowd of the New York Times? You certainly have amazingly similar views/biases.

An opinion: you sound like a shrew. No let me rephrase: you are a shrew. You must be so charming to be around. Racism and sexism exist first and foremost in the minds of the bitter, resentful, and failed. What easier way to blame all your failures on how you think others perceive you. In this country if you have ovaries or excess pigment in your skin you can write your own check. And what’s all this venom against GOP? It’s the Dems that are grappling with which “victimized” candidate they should stand behind: the black man or the white woman. You see, the Dems perpetuate this kind of victimhood and it is biting them right in the behind. Take your bitterness elsewhere and get a life. God there is nothing more distasteful than someone who is so quick to point the finger at others without first looking in the mirror.

Hillary went negative as the fighter she is and Obama stayed positive. Obama played a shrewd game and has topped Clinton. Plus, there’s probably a majority of people in this country that don’t want the Clintons back in office. It’s not all her fault. It’s mostly Bill’s fault. The Republican attack machine is already painting Obama as a Muslim ready to let America be defeated by Al Qaeda. This is what they do best so Obama had better be prepared to fight back and fight hard. Play up the lobbyist thing on McCain.

Shrew. Another deragatory name to use against a woman. Thanks for proving my point.. stop to think. Have a strong opinion as a woman? You are a shrew. Or a B*&^%, or worse. And again, how many women are in high positions in the GOP? Compare that to the democrats. Proof is in the pudding, pal. ARe the democrats perfect, no, far from it, they’ve proven in this election they have gender bias as well.
Is gender bias the only factor in this election, no. But to claim somehow that it’s not a factor, is just ridiculous.

Sean, I emailed you after the 2004 race and told you the republican’s better start working then to find someone dynamic and good looking for 08, because the media would stop at nothing to get a demo in, it is all over the Supreme Court.
You pushed the Giuliani machine, not Romney till it was too late.
I’m probably more conservative than you, but talk radio left us like Reagan talks about the democrats leaving him. You and Boortz keep harping about the rich paying most of the taxes, even though my ancestory had their blood spilled so that these companies and exucutives could make all this money, i guess we don’t owe them and their linage anything for giving their lives. You didn’t fall in with Romney till it was too late. Boortz whom i used to like blames anti-abortion zealots, i blame you guys for hanging in with the big money machine till it was to late BIG BUSINESS, low wage scale, illegal imm.. Boortz and you didn’t really give a rip about immigration till you felt the growl of the silent majority. We the people want a person that cares that a company and their dupes are not conspiring to ship our jobs across our borders as well as flooding our jobs with cheap labor, Obama seems too, all we get from you and Boortz as well as others is “the top 1% pay 27-37% of the taxes, as far as boortz is concerned anti-life, it’s to bad that he didn’t have to worry about his mom aborting him, i consider him to be a hysterical @ool, now.
You need to think about your base and whether you’re loosing yours.
Maybe we need a good house cleaning the hillbilly and McCain are the same old machine. Looks like Obama is it, like spit.
It’s to bad about the Supreme court, I guess Boortz will get his wish, but i as male think that my body is mine and that i should not have to register with the selective service for war to die for somebody that might want to abort me, like Boortz.

An opinion:: (Post 8:57) You’re right. Gender bias is a factor. I have 2 friends who were upset with me for changing my mind and switching to Obama. They both told me that I was a “traitor” because they want to see a woman in the WH before they die.” I agree with you, that’s ridiculous!

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A single factor accounts for all the unexpected features of this election. Human beings always keep an eye on the NEW guy. Hillary was as familiar as the kitchen. Obama was unfamiliar. So everyone watched him. Just that simple.

I got the feeling that the Clintons are now preparing to accept their debacle and setting the media for the blame later. Hill’s continued whining on her campaign stump will not earned her any more votes and might even turn-off her potential voters. If she is that smart, and I don’t believe she is, then her stump should not be about whining. Her accusation of media bias did not reflect reality and their continued delusion that they are well loved and very popular. Bloomberg’s announcement of not seeking the presidency is actually a concession that his candidacy is co-terminus with Hill’s run, because he just can’t let Hill become the president. Another thing that the Clintons didn’t know about is that they are suffering from MADD – Media Adulation Deficit Disorder, resulting in her becoming a Whiner !
With Super delegates now slowly trekking into Barack’s camp, it is very likely that she will again suffer another humiliating defeat in Texas and OH next week. Lewis have officially switched and this would have a net effect of 2 on the delegate count.

Dowd’s premise that race, religion, gender is baloney. It is obviously important to the media, if not the people because they haven’t shut up about it since these primaries began. Media focus does have great influence on who is viewed by the public. Hillary and McCain were best known by the public causing Hillary to be named by the Democrats early on. Obama only really became an important factor when he won Iowa where Democrats are independent minded. Iowans were greatly attracted to his oratory, giving Edwards a second place and Clinton third because she did not campaign there as vigorously as she should have. Edwards was ignored totally but Clinton got serious and won New Hampshire getting her back into the campaign. Soon, there was Oprah’s widely publicized tour and media accusations of race baiting by Bill Clinton followed by Kennedy’s endorsement. Horrible negative media coverage had disastrous effects for Hillary! Understandably, the blacks took notice, abandoned Clinton, and went to the polls in droves bringing Obama wins in the red states. By then the press began to rave about his fabulous wins, focusing more attention upon Obama, never mind that these red states will inevitably vote for the Republicans. Clinton had fabulous wins in New York, California, Massachusetts and New Jersey plus other important states. Rather than calling attention to her impressive wins, the media had little to say about it, focusing instead on the number of states Obama had won. After that, they either ignored Hillary or talked incessantly about her losses. There was a cumulative effect in play in Obama’s favor.
It has been distressing for Hillary and Edwards fans watching Obama garner all the attention of the media. Now the press talks about his inevitable nomination BUT Texas, Ohio, and other states haven’t even voted. Obama has about 100 more delegates…he is not inevitable as Dowd suggests. It is heartbreaking to watch fine candidates suffer because the press dislikes them or ignores them!

I totally agree. And I’m a woman. I’ve watched the coverage of the democratic primary on what nears obsessive behavior. I think that Hillary has been cut more slack. No one talks about her being a woman except to say that she’s suffering from gender bias. Personally, I don’t think she’s woman enough to be president. She’s not person enough. But if we were to actaully have a sea of change because a woman was in the white house, it wouldn’t come with her. Half the time she’s riding her husband’s coattails. The first woman to be president should get there on her own. And it will happen. But with Hillary: her message is muddy, her personality is unclear (Read: schitzo), and she’s a polarizing figure – having nothing to do with her sex.

An Opinion: You did not state your gender, so why would you equate “shrew” with a misogynistic phrase?
I’m sure white women everywhere are just as opressed as black women. I mean nooses placed in their offices, racial epithets, most of their male relatives in hopeless situations, a history of chattel enslavement, a 400 year struggle for equality…
Wait, oh yeah, none of that is true. White women have been participating in American democracy longer than black women. The women’s suffrage movement in the South was framed around the argument that white women voting would ensure white supremacy would last forever.
I’m sorry, I just don’t buy the whole “women are oppressed more than black people.” Just ask a black woman.

While these factors are not reasons why some candidates are failing, they are clearly the reason why some are succeeding. Nobody can say that Obama’s success is not due to the African-American population of several states gathering to him, and anybody who think s about it must realize that Hillary’s high polling numbers last year before the campaigning started were expressions of solidarity by women. Obama and McCain ignore these ethnographic facts at their own peril in the future; both need a woman in the vp slot going forward or else risk losing in November if their opponent has a woman as running mate…

Race and gender DID matter in the democratic primary – just not in the way you portray it. Race was used against the Clintons (not Obama) beginning with Bill Clinton’s fairy tale comment. It had absolutely nothing to do with race (and everything to do with Iraq), yet the media edited those comments, portrayed them as racist and the Obama campaign exploited that angle to disparage the Clintons. This tactic was used over and over again to drive support away from Hillary Clinton and toward Obama. Then, of course, there were the numerous articles and pundit comments using terms such as “pimping out” or “shrill voice” and “fashion choices” when describing Hillary’s campaign, while no mention was ever made of Obama’s arrogant chin up and head tilting during every debate, his often his lack of substantive message during most of the primaries, his use of his predecessor’s words and his association and support from Big Pharma, Coal and Nuclear Energy companies, and his affiliation with shady characters (Rezko, Sinclair, etc). If these same issues had been linked to Clinton (and some similar items have been portrayed in the media) you pundits would have had a field day disparaging the Clintons. I find it disgusting and shameful. I once thought I would have no problem supporting Obama if he won the democratic primary. Not anymore. I won’t vote for either McCain or Obama. Once again, I feel I’ve been cheated in terms of choices for the Presidency. I will write-in my vote in November.

Even my own distant relatives seem to take guilty pleasure in sending out Obama- Moslem – anti-semite- unpatriotic
spam and slanders in emails. Some people enjoy being naughty and setting free the murky world of hate, fear and paranoia that floats in their unconscious mind. The same thing occurs in the internet blogs where people hide behind their avatars and web name personas.
I think the best way to handle this is to also use email and the internet to spread factual and substantiated real articles that report facts and events and discredits the subterranian rumor mongerers.

newz4i, Hillary wants to put Obama in the same sinking boat she is in, when it comes to her authorizing a preemtive war in Iraq. The fact is, Obama spoke out against the war when he was on the stump running for U. S. Senator of Illinois. He asked to be judged on that very issue. And in the last debate, he explained that once a truck is stuck in a ditch there are only so many ways you can get out of it hence his current voting record. He went on to say though, that HRC’s vote, was facilitating and enabling George W. to drive the truck into the ditch in the first. place.
Let us remember that knowing the same information then that HRC had and knew then, many Senators and Congressmen did not vote to authorize the war.

“the media! the media!” … what a bunch of whiners. Guess what, the media haven’t been biased. They’re reporting the facts: Obama is winning. And sorry, they haven’t been biased. If anything, they understate the enthusiasm for his campaign and message.
Hillary and George Bush are cut from the same cloth on this: he says “Iraq is just dandy, it’s just those traitors in the media who insist on reporting bad stuff…” I guess they want doglike submission from the 4th estate.

Clinton has run a foolish campaign with a bad set of enablers like Terry mcAuliffe etal. Clinton would cover for the 911 commission, bush war lie, cash collector contractors, illegal wiretapping, torture suckers, INVESTOR class tax crimes and welfare assistance, the whole gamut, you add your own pet peeve…

Gender dooes matter at least in the minds of many middle aged people,They believe that a woman should be home rocking the cradle and only a strong man should be allowed to lead.If we are looking for strength and commitment look no further than Hillary she has displayed unbelievable strength and grace dealing wiith her personal problems (bill)and the bias of the press who take every oppurtunity to take her to task over the smallest issue while virtually ignoring faux pas of Obama.Look at his voting record Less than stellar.We do not need a rock star in the white house ,we need a person that can make the hard decisions and work in a bipartisan fashion to solve problems not make promises they may not be able to keep .as much as we like to hate them who do you think provides jobs?corporations! agreed they need a little more restriction but not to the point they can’t function and grow.I suppose if you are are on the lower end of the middle class you will be satisfied to let someone else do the labor and you eat the gravy. Lastly the president is the most visible ambassador of the United States He and his Or her family must display Unwavering comittment and honor to its Laws and tenets.I distrust anyone who has not been proud of their country or will not render proper respect for its symbols.or is a member of a group that advocates antisemetism or racial preference,(sorry Obama) rb 1 !

History will look back and report on the 2008 Elections:
*Gender DID matter
*Race DID Matter (in a confused way because we wanted to forget that the first Black President was Black AND White in order to acknowlegde such progress)
*Obama was given a pass by sympathethic liberals and apologetic conservatives in the aftermath of BUSH.
It wasn’t that people realized Clinton was a woman, it was that they realized she was a Clinton and emotionally over-reacted.
Mark my words…

I am speechless! You get it! That’s EXACTLY as I was feeling, while watching the SC primary. I was watching the race-baiting and WISHING I could vote for Obama! I’m a white Canadian Woman in Hillary’s bracket…but as I got to see more of Obama through TV and debates, I liked what I saw. And the more I saw, the more I liked. Obama doesn’t play the “GAME”. When he’s wrong, he admits it…when someone else is right, he can concede…he’s open to compromise because he’s rational. He’s a Public Servant not a Politician. The “CHANGE” is all encompassing. It’s deprogramming our leaders, and speaking honestly, the good and ugly. It’s about ALL Americans not just certain slices. He tells us if WE STAND UP together, in great numbers, and send a STRONG message to Washington that the People are taking their Government back, and anyone who does not have the American People’s interest at heart, and wants to play the old games, will be rejected! The People want things done, and most are willing to compromise. Obama embodies that desire.

How can you say that religion and gender does not matter. Look at what happened at Romney and look at what people have done to the Hillary (as a woman). RACE MATTERS in this election. Look at what Obama’s camp did to the Clinton’s. His camp made them look like racists and any others that questioned them. Bill Clinton fought for any and all minorities and look at what he got in return.

Sorry Dowd the reality is that race mattered quite a bit to obama and he played the game masterfully, to bad the media won’t cover the truth.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=aa0cd21b-0ff2-4329-88a1-69c6c268b304
The New Republic
Race Man by Sean Wilentz
How Barack Obama played the race card and blamed Hillary Clinton.
Post Date Wednesday, February 27, 2008
After several weeks of swooning, news reports are finally being filed about the gap between Senator Barack Obama’s promises of a pure, soul-cleansing “new” politics and the calculated, deeply dishonest conduct of his actually-existing campaign. But it remains to be seen whether the latest ploy by the Obama camp–over allegations about the circulation of a photograph of Obama in ceremonial Somali dress–will be exposed by the press as the manipulative illusion that it is.
Most of the recent correctives have concerned outrageously deceptive advertisements approved and released by Obama’s campaign. First, in Iowa, the Obama camp aired radio ads patterned on the notorious “Harry and Louise” Republican propaganda from 1993, charging falsely that Senator Hillary Clinton’s health care proposal would “force those who cannot afford health insurance to buy it, punishing those who won’t fall in line.” In subsequent primary and caucus campaigns, the Obama campaign sent out millions of mailers, also featuring the “Harry and Louise” motif, falsely claiming that Clinton favored “punishing families who can’t afford health care in the first place.” A few bloggers and columnists, notably Paul Krugman in The New York Times, described the ads as distorting, but the national press corps mainly ignored them–until Clinton herself, seeing the fraudulent mailers reappear in Ohio over the past weekend, publicly denounced them.
The Obama mass mailings also attempt to appeal to Ohio’s labor vote by claiming that Clinton believed that the North American Free Trade Agreement, signed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, was a “‘boon’ to our economy.” More falsehood: In fact, Clinton had not said that; Newsday originally applied the word “boon” and has now noted the Obama campaign’s distortion. In this campaign, Clinton has called for a moratorium on all trade agreements until they are made consistent with labor and environmental standards–and account for the effect on jobs in the United States. Obama makes a big deal about how Bill Clinton signed NAFTA. But he fails to mention that, within the councils of her husband’s administration, Hillary Clinton was a skeptic of free trade agreements, and as a senator and candidate she has said that NAFTA contained flaws that need to be rectified. Ignoring all that, the Obama flyer features an alarming photograph of closed plant gates, having no connection to any action of Senator Clinton’s, as well as the dubious quotation about her from Newsday in 2006. Newsday has criticized “Obama’s use of the quotation” as “misleading … an example of the kind of slim reeds campaigns use to try and win an office.” Obama, without retracting the mailing (and while playing to protectionist sentiment in the party) said only that he would have his staff look into the matter–long after the ad has done its dirty work.
Misleading propaganda is hardly new in American politics –although the adoption of techniques reminiscent of past Republican and special-interest hit jobs, right down to a retread of the fictional couple, seems strangely at odds with a campaign that proclaims it will redeem the country from precisely these sorts of divisive and manipulative tactics. As insidious as these tactics are, though, the Obama campaign’s most effective gambits have been far more egregious and dangerous than the hypocritical deployment of deceptive and disingenuous attack ads. To a large degree, the campaign’s strategists turned the primary and caucus race to their advantage when they deliberately, falsely, and successfully portrayed Clinton and her campaign as unscrupulous race-baiters–a campaign-within-the-campaign in which the worked-up flap over the Somali costume photograph is but the latest episode. While promoting Obama as a “post-racial” figure, his campaign has purposefully polluted the contest with a new strain of what historically has been the most toxic poison in American politics.
More than any other maneuver, this one has brought Clinton into disrepute with important portions of the Democratic Party. A review of what actually happened shows that the charges that the Clintons played the “race card” were not simply false; they were deliberately manufactured by the Obama camp and trumpeted by a credulous and/or compliant press corps in order to strip away her once formidable majority among black voters and to outrage affluent, college-educated white liberals as well as college students. The Clinton campaign, in fact, has not racialized the campaign, and never had any reason to do so. Rather the Obama campaign and its supporters, well-prepared to play the “race-baiter card” before the primaries began, launched it with a vengeance when Obama ran into dire straits after his losses in New Hampshire and Nevada–and thereby created a campaign myth that has turned into an incontrovertible truth among political pundits, reporters, and various Obama supporters. This development is the latest sad commentary on the malign power of the press, hyping its own favorites and tearing down those it dislikes, to create pseudo-scandals of the sort that hounded Al Gore during the 2000 campaign. It is also a commentary on how race can make American politics go haywire. Above all, it is a commentary on the cutthroat, fraudulent politics that lie at the foundation of Obama’s supposedly uplifting campaign.

Here is another perfect example of Media bias. As a woman, I am getting sick and tired of Hillary Clinton bashing and Obama praising by media.

I agree with everything obama says, hillary pushes the limit.

obama > hillary
obama any day hands down or mitt romney!

…and I read all the comments and I’m still laughing about the jerk who complained that the entire Clinton organization ate $1200 of donuts while in Iowa…a lot cheaper to feed volunteeers donuts than a real meal, Pal!
The Navy still “feeds’em beans”…cuz der cheep

houstonpress.com has a great article out today titled “Obama and Me.” It tells his background and how he got where he is today. Media will be held accountable if by some fluke this person becomes President. They cannot intelligently continue to hype this professional politician who steps on toes and has a 3 year plan to become President. The Media will be held accountable for this.

Perhaps if we all would spend less time focusing on the so-called ‘media bias’, we’d be less angry about it. There ARE other places to find out about the candidates. And, frankly, this whole thing is just another Clinton spin so there is someone to blame if they lose the nomination that they felt ‘destined’ to be theirs.

Where is the “wisdom of the crowds” who crucified Jesus? What an analogy! Obama is not Farrakhan’s “savior”. With many of the young fans who think Obama is their savior, they are looking for change. Many millions more of us are looking for change that is backed with real substance. Their blind belief in the word change does not compute with the millions of others who support someone else in this race, someone who has solutions for change. The races are not finished, and you are part of the media who do not want all the people to have their say. You want to finish someone off early when the race is so close? Who does that benefit? The race is close no matter what; the superdelegates can do what they are supposed to do, if so much pressure is not put on them now to say uncle now.
This a little like CNN and the rest of the media who falsely call themselves honest journalists telling the people in California before the polls have closed that their candidate has no way of winning, so do not go vote. Give me a break, and quit trying to decide who the winner is before the race is run. Instead, go to the racetrack and place your bet, and keep your fingers crossed that your horse does not break his leg.

HILLARY IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE THAT HAS THE KNOW HOW AND ABILITY TO DIG THIS COUNTRY OUT OF THE MESS IT IS IN, OBAMA IS A JOKE, HOPEFULLY THE PRESS WILL PUBLISH HIS ACTIVITIES WITH REFKO,SINCLAIR AND OTHER SCAMS HE HAS PULLED OFF OVER THE LAST 16 YRS. IN CHICAGO, I WOULD LIKE PROSECUTOR FITZGERALD TO QUESTION HIM AND SEE HOW HE WOULD STUTTER AND TELL MORE LIES, HILLARY SHOULD HAVE QUESTIONED HIM WHEN SHE HAD THE CHANCE, BUT WHETHER YOU NEG. PEOPLE LIKE IT OR NOT SHE HAS CLASS

MR. DOWD, IF YOU WOULD TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AT MATERIAL PRINTED BY THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES OF THERE INVESTIGATION THAT HAS GONE ON FOR SOMETIME INTO THE RELATIONSHIP OF REFKO WHO IS ON TRIAL NOW AS FEB 25TH AND HIS LONGTIME DEALINGS WITH OBAMA AND WRITE A COLUMN ABOUT SOMEONE LIKE THIS WHO THINKS HE IS PRESEDENTIAL QUALIFIED.

My oldest sister the university professor and her lesbian friend are committed Hillary backers and thought that a woman was going to get the WHITE HOUSE. Ellen Degeneres dropped in to back Hillary as well, the other day. At Christmas with my family together, my heterosexual sister with two great kids and a very successful home builder husband, made a statement about how Hillary was messing up and did not look like she would make it. When I saw my eldest sister, the University professor puff up like a mongoose and stare at my younger sister, I knew we had a most exciting president race that i am enjoying to no end….GO OBAMA…
a southern whitey DEM from NC loves you and your family

I wonder if Dowd ever have a mother?
Where he came from??
Even animals love their mothers.

What vitriol! I am amazed at the victimhood displayed around the candidacy of either of the democratic nominees. What should be glorified as an historic accomplishment by the party is turning into back biting because one person must lose this contest. A first will be established regardless of the outcome. Why would anyone sully this significant event by claiming a wrong? Also lets be clear about one thing neither of these candidates can point to any institutional bias. Both have a various times been the recepiants of glowing coverage, and have benifited from everything this country has to offer. By the way I apologize again as a white middle class male for all the ills in this country. Feel free to blame me for the sun going down on either candidates presidential aspirations.

Dowd is right on,
the TRUTH Hurts, obviously not many here can do the math. OBAMA WILL WIN TEXAS, and be very close if not WIN OHIO,

Alfonso,
Dont worry if Hillary gets the Nomination
the GOP will rip her apart with everything from Whitewater to stealing furniture from the whitehouse when THEY left. Thats the EXPERIENCE we are all waiting for!

Whats your point BOB!
WE have a choice of TWO CANIDIDATES , eventually one DEM.
How do we get the person WE NEED?

I’m sorry but the whole gender bias thing is an excuse. Hillary did not run a good campaign or send out her message she was trying to achieve and mismanaged her money saying it would be over on Feb. 5. (WHICH IS A FACT) We in America were seeking change from George Bush and Obama strung a chord with the American people as that candidate. END OF STORY.

“A single factor accounts for all the unexpected features of this election. Human beings always keep an eye on the NEW guy. Hillary was as familiar as the kitchen. Obama was unfamiliar. So everyone watched him. Just that simple.” Whoever wrote that is right except for one thing: there is the illusionist factor as well. Obama is the David Copperfield of politics.

if race doesn’t matter, why are 90% of african americans voting for obama? I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND IT, truly, and do NOT find it in any way ‘offensive’ or ‘untenable’ – just please don’t try to tell me that race hasn’t mattered. and as for gender, i truly believe that if hillary were a man who was ‘first gentleman’ for 8 years and a senator for 8 years etc (and barack obama was a white guy or a white woman), the media would be calling on obama to quit now and ‘save us’ from a ‘divisive battle’ (or is it merely a really competitive nomination process?)…

My point is that we already get what the majority (or crowd) as the author puts is, wants, by virtue of of a democracy – thus we already “follow the crowd” – thus not much of a point made by the author
We need a leader who does whats best for America, not supportive pieces of it, regardless of whether they are democrats or republicans – one who’d put America’s interest first – not Halibuton, or Hollywood, not Moveone.org or the NRA.

stop2think apparently didn’t stop to read the article…

Brilliant post, Mr. Dowd. I completely concur. It is all about message, connecting with the electorate and running a sound campaign. All this racist, sexist garbage or media bias doesn’t amount to a hill of beans. It is what it is and in the real world, we all have to succeed despite forces beyond our control.

WONKETTE,
YOu have the messiah complex, who deemed Hillary the Femanist pole bearer of the WORLD.
SHE IS THE ONE?
YOu are an OXIMORON, walking contradiction.
I beleive a woman should be PRESIDENT ,
NOT A CLINTON!!!!!
for now its
OBAMA 08!

The great thing about this election is not if Hillary Clinton loses, but if the last chance for an old, bitter, angry hate mongering feminist loses.
Because there will be many women presidents, but there will never a chance for an old school Battle-axe to have a chance again.
When this passes by, its gone for good! and good riddance!
The commenters speak for themselves. It ‘s obvious that Clinton’s true believers were fighting not for the positive benefit of America, but out of some deep seated, hatred and resentment, and quite frankly its embarassing to anyone of the younger generation….what a bunch of whiney, excuse makers. Go out and do something with your life instead of complaining all the time!

I just want to be clear: Dowd is wrong, gender, race and religion have all mattered a great deal in this election, as they do in life.
It’s just that they are only 3 things among many that shape this election. So the media is full of boys that hate Hillary and want to see her go down? Guess what – they’ll still be there if she were President so she has no choice but to succeed despite them. She’s managed her whole life to succeed despite sexism – why can’t she overcome it now? Because it’s not the only thing damning her campaign.
I voted for Obama in the NY primary because I knew Hillary would win regardless of my vote and I favor him because he’s a Gen-Xer like me. He has weaknesses, especially his healthcare plan, but I was really turned off by Bill – the idea of a co-presidency was wrong in the 90s and it’s wrong now. The campaign panicked, sent Bill out there, and it backfired. The charges of racism were completely overblown IMO, but just seeing him reminded me of all I wanted to forget about the 90s. Just when Hillary needed to stand on her own – just like she did in New Hampshire – she called in the IOU on Bill. Huge mistake – and not very feminist.
Plus I really don’t like the poll-driven campaign that Mark Penn has run for Hillary. She seems blinded by loyalty – and with Bush we’ve seen how disasterous that can be.
Hillary crippled her campaign before it even started by voting for the war – and the only reason she did so was because her advisors told her she needed to appear ‘tough’ because she’s a woman. Her failure to think outside the box – to assume the country is sexist rather than vote her conscious, damn the political consequences – is her fatal flaw. Fortune favors the brave.
If she had actually trusted Americans to judge her fairly, rather than assuming she had to behave a certain way because we are all biased against her gender, the nomination would hers.

My comments is that I am proud Obama is the top lead. I feel america has opened their heart and soul to Obama. He is a true leader. Even one of the greatest gospel singer in the united states has recorded a song for Obama Change Is On The Way By John P Kee. This song is an inspiration to all america. If you want to try for a better life for you and our future america which is our children and our children children vote for Obama . The choice is yours. I hope everyone will stop saying such cruel things about Hillary. She is human. I am still obama follower. I wonder how do some of you sleep at night for having such cruel thoughts in your heart. This is America we want change. Go Obama.

This whole gender bias argument will be mute in 8-20 years from now when a woman IS elected President of the United States because she has been through the ranks, run a good campaign, and demonstrated that she has the strength to handle pressure without resorting to personality changes. These same attributes would be needed by ANY candidate. If that person turns out to be HRC, terrific. But she’s not ready yet to handle Putin if she can’t handle Obama without embarrassing herself with sniping and mockery. She was a terrific candidate while she was ahead, but after Super Tuesday she started the down hill spiral and it wasn’t because she is a woman. It’s because she is Hillary. Oh, if she had only not panicked and kept to her stride.

Matt Dowd, WHATEVER! ……. My question is why is the media so adamentlry denying the fact that they give Obama a free pass on everything, and consistently demean Hillary Clinton. Even when she was good in debates, the media still couldn’t bring themselves to say anything positive about Mrs Clinton, but constantly praised Obama as if he’s the Pope. I noticed immediately after the debate the other night how ABC tried to down play Hillary while lifting up Barack. I’m so sick of the media trying to influence the voters. This entire election has become a three ring circus!

Based on several conversations with self-described evangelicals, faith made a difference with regard to Romney. McCain was not their first or second choice because he criticized their leaders (and them) as agents of intolerance. McCain was the enemy. Romney was not their first choice because he was not a “Christian.” Many voted for Romney nonetheless over their first choices Brownback and Huckabee because they liked his “values” and Huckabee and Brownback could not win.

The reason why people are not voting for Clinton is because of who she is as a person, not becasue she is a woman. I gave everybody in the field a chance to prove themselves, democrat and republican. My number 1 issue with Hillary is that she is phony. How can she say she is honored to be campaigning with Obama at the end of a debate, and the very next day lash out against him, make fun of him, and leak photos of him that invite bigotry? Then she says she is not being treated fair. Let’s get real, if don’t mind plagiarizing. She is running for PRESIDENT. Take it, and deliver it back if she must. And do it with some style. That is what the most powerful PERSON on earth must do, man or woman. She is also not qualified to be president because she does not have control of her campaign. Everything that her campaign does, is a reflection of her, like it or not. Her finances, her planning, her oraganization, and Bill. I see this as bad leadership. What about transparency? Where’s the money coming from? She should release her tax returns. Where’s the years of experience in the white house? Why doesn’t she release the white house memos? These are things that make me not trust her, and these are all things that disqualify her. It’s not the media, it’s not her gender, it’s who she is as a person. Not a president.

I agree and disagree.
Let’s face it. Racism and sexism do exist. But, they may not play as a dominent role as, say, 10 years ago. To most democrats, particularly the well-educated ones, though, this is much less an issue. That is part of the reason why Obama attracts well-educated democrats.
I also totally agree with Ed who posted at Feb 28, 2008 5:38:13 PM. Obama’s success lies in his vision and his ability to connect and excite people. Hillary’s failure can be a combination of many factors and her leadership style is an important part.
I think most democrates would agree with me that both Obama and Clinton are capable and are much better than our “decider” who has little or no respect to science, learning and knowledge (yet, claiming an “education president”, no kidding!).

I don’t think anyone can argue that gender bias is more than race bias – in Clinton’s case she was already known by voters going in so I think any negative reaction is based on who she is, not that she’s a woman. Even as Obama won primaries the Clintons stubbornly clung to the past way of campaigning – divide and conquer. Obviously voters want to move forward. Instead of relying on 35 years of experience she may or may not have Senator Clinton needs to focus on the future — there’s an over reliance on Bill’s popularity — people like him – not necessarily everything he’s done. She should be banking (and celebrating) the fact that voters want hope rather than giving into the fearmongering of the last 7 years.

I am a black woman asking america can’t u see. I don’t understand nothing has been said about what Obama is about. What change is he talking about? What has he done for his Community? I feel the Clinton’s has done far more than he’s done for the african-americans. And placing the race card on Mrs. Clinton shame on them. Every time she begin to fight back they call her rasist. And, he change her words around. I can’t believe that some women and some african-americans has simply turned their backs on Mrs. Clinton. This man isn’t right for the country. Hes not that perfect to not have a record. Everytime he explains his actions or reaction he soothes them over with a question. And, allowing him to get close to the White House will be a disaster. We need someone in the White House that we know. We don’t have to question funding or religion. We need some that is familiar with wrongs and rights. As a woman, I feel she has raised her daughter very well. Allow her to help us get through our worries of american being handed to someone we really don’t know.

Hillary did not leak that photo of Obama. Obama’s camp did it and then tried to pin the blame on her to make her look bad. Dirty politics. Change we can believe in. Right….

Hi,
I am a woman and I am supporting Obama.
I feel that if I would vote for Hillary
just because she is a woman, I will be
failing to the leaders of the social movement that diligently worked toward
getting the right for women to vote.
I will be practicing the very same
descriminatory, judgmental ideologies that others have. I am glad that I can see beyond gender and race when I cast my vote. I can absolutely identify and align my political and values with Senador Obama
vote.

I thought women had moved beyond this victomhood crap. If Barack Obama whined about the coverage he received before Iowa, and called it racist, the same people who are taking Hillary’s side would have accused him of playing the race card. If Obama had done what Clinton has done on several occasions, and made a blatant appeal for Black people to vote for him because it would be a wonderful thing for black people to see one of their own in the white House, he would have never lived it down.
The fact is, Hillary Clinton is losing for three reasons:
1. Her campaign is being run by a bunch of idiots,
2. She listened to these idiots and delivered the wrong message, and
3. Her husband went too far with his comments before and after New Hampshire.
When she looks back on this loss, and gets over the ridiculous notion that a Black man is being favored over a White woman in the American media, she will recognize that she has no one to blame but herself for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

I don’t agree that the media is biased against Senador Clinton because she is a woman. Tough, I have noticed on several debates that Senador Clinton tends to cut people off or go over her time during the debates including the moderators. There may be some of that.
However, in a hypothetical situation if the media were to be unfriendly toward her because of her gender; I believe this is one of the aspects that she would have to deal with it more effectively as the leader of the free world as she interacts with countries were women are not hold equally. It seems to me she is NOT illustrating that.

The politicians, ministers, and press did a whack job on Mitt Romney, talking about his Mormon religion on every interview, debate, talk show, and press conference. He did make misstakes in positioning himself to the right of Guiliani, when he really needed to be to the left of Huckabee, but he was never given a fair chance by the public.
I can’t believe that the nation would deny Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomiination because she’s a woman, though. Women make up a majority of the nation and an even larger proportion of the Democratic party. She would win if she just had the support of all the women, which she did have, but has now lost. Obama has a much larger handicap as a black man from Illinois, with a very small natural constituency and starting with no name recognition, than Clinton does.
Hillary’s negatives have always been very high, not because she is a woman, but because she claims “35 years of experience” being married to Bill Clinton, held onto his coattails to get to the Arkansas Capital, to the White House, flunked her test at pushing through her own flawed national health care program, and then moved to New York as a carpetbagger, where she could get the retiring senator to give her his job, even though she had no real qualifications, other than working as an attorney in a law firm during Whitewater.
She is not a great candidate because she has never done anything good for anybody. She had one opportunity to show strength and a sense of dignity, but she didn’t divorce President Clinton when he cheated on her, because she knows she couldn’t get to the Senate or the White House again without him by her side.
There are probably hundreds of women who are qualified to run for President, so don’t blame the country when the best you can offer is Mrs. Clinton.

Geez, Amazon Traveler, you are pissed!
Well, I think you left out a group to thank for all our freedoms. How about those troops who stand and fight every day for our rights? I’d like to thank them for what they do to ensure that people who have opinions can have them without being carted away in the night.
Women are greater than 50% of this country. It’s a little hard to argue for a minority existence.
Lastly, I am pretty sure men care a lot about women’s approval. It’s not like it goes one way only, unless of course you choose to only look at it one way.
If you are unhappy with your life, change it. If you are unhappy on behalf of women elsewhere, work to spread democracy and a stable economy in those areas. It’s the surest way to greater rights and freedoms for people.

You speak the truth as I see it. Labels no more define the candidates than the color of their eyes! While the media likes to “stir the pot” in regards to differences (it sells papers) the great thing about this country are how we all survive in spite of our differences.

Matthew, I hate to be the one to tell you this but you don’t “cover” this race.
You sit back in your easy chair and you opine, like most of the other white men who somehow manage to make a living off of this political campaigns.
“Cover” means you tell us something new or something factual.
Don’t you get the most important change in this election compared to others, Matthew? Opinions have become commodities, cheap, garbage. Everybody has one, and everybody wants to vent one. Nobody’s opinion is really all that much more valuable than anybody else’s, is it? Think about it.
Yours is just another commodity opinion floating around in the blogosphere. So, go to bed tonight, Matthew, and tell yourself that you’re mainly just talking to yourself, convincing yourself that you’re earning a real living by opining important truths.
What a F***king waste of bandwidth.

Don’t be ridiculous.
Religion mattered – people held Mormonism against Romney – arguably the most qualified candidate for the job – and he’s gone.
Race mattered – Barack is in this *because* he’s black, and only because he’s black. A similarly inexperienced white male senator (pick one, there are an ample number of cases to point to) would never have gotten this far.
And you can further argue that Hillary is still in it precisely because she’s a female, but that wouldn’t be entirely true (she’s running on Bill’s resume). Hillary on her own, without the name ‘Clinton’ to run under, wouldn’t have gotten this far, either on the merits or because of her gender.
But please – you can’t possibly look at the monolithic way blacks have voted for Barack so far, or look at his credentials and ask yourself how on earth does a wet-behind-the-ears guy like this make it this far – and have the answer come back anything other than “because he is black” (well, a bit of delusion on the part of his followers helps as well).

adele: When you thank those troops, try to include the over 40,000 women in those troops who are serving in Saudi Arabia who are never mentioned or thanked, but who sacrifice their lives and limbs in this so called war. Thank their families for the sacrifice their daughters and wives have made. We don’t hear about those heroes. And let’s be clear, they were ordered to war by George Bush. Further, that fight has little to do with “getting me my rights”, women long before me fought for those rights and little is said about their sacrifice. Nor does this “war” have little to do with preserving my rights but it has a great deal to do with “our oil” in “their desert”. I assure you that men think very little of what women think about them and suffer none of the humiliation that young women do in regard to looks etc. Percentages of population have little to do with who has and continues to have the “power” in this country. It’s the white boys. It’s misogyny. If you really believe that Hillary has been treated equally by the press, try to glimpse the truth through other media, it’s not ABC or the others. I have extraordinary happiness in my life and a large part of that is due to the total absence of reliance on men for approval or other necessities, something that few women attempt. I assure you that a great deal of my life is spent serving the cause of women wherever they are, something that more women should attempt. That’s something Hillary has done all of her life and something that Obama hasn’t a clue about. You got the pissed off part right!

It all matters. Race, gender, and religion matter, and religion comes in first. With some people it matters far more than with others. The fact that polls showed anywhere from the 20 to 30 something percentile for people who would not consider a Mormon for president must at least cause our nation to pause and reflect. Priding ourselves on living in a country founded on freedom of religion, this issue has to rankle a people with a belief in equality. We have improved on the race and gender issues, but still need work. There is a reason that religion and politics are subjects best avoided in polite company. We continue to allow prejudice to cloud our judgment.

Is this guy serious? The entire Dem campaign has been about nothing *but* race and race-baiting (mostly on the part of the Obama campaign and surrogates at CNN and MS-NBC who talk nothing about the racial aspect of the campaign day after day).
And someone’s going to say with a straight face that Obama would be getting 9 out of 10 black votes if he wasn’t black?
Sure. Race “didn’t matter” in this campaign.

One more tidbit. The world it at our door. Minorities will soon become majorities. America is a major importer but minor exporter. The dollar is weak. This election is not about who will lead but rather who will motivate “us” to become a true Democracy. Remember the definition of Democracy : Government by the People. George Bush’s purported spread of Democracy is hollow. The best way to spread “D” to the rest of the world is to lead by example. Vote! Vote! Vote!

botchki, maybe you weren’t around to take notice in the 90s when Hillary made that remark about how she “could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas.” I didn’t know she has cookie recipes on her web site, but at least it’s a sign she knows how to laugh at herself.

Stop it with this “media is biased against Hillary because she’s a woman” nonsense. The media doesn’t like her not because she’s a woman, but because she’s a self-serving opportunist who will do anything to win. Journalists — many of them women themselves — aren’t stupid. They know what Clinton’s about. She defended her husband against Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, and Monica Lewinsky despite knowing full well her husband’s penchant for messing around…. and instead falsely put the blame on some “vast right-wing conspiracy.” She’s devoid of morals. She will do or say anything to win. The people chose Obama over Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Joe Biden, and other more experienced white men because, rightly or wrongly, they simply buy into Obama’s change argument… they didn’t choose black man over white woman, they chose Obama the candidate over everyone else. And they rejected Clinton. I’m sick of this reverse-sexism nonsense from all these bitter female Clinton supporters. Is it any surprise they younger women are voting for Obama? Maybe the times are changing eh?

I’m not sure why posting recipes makes women laughingstocks, botchki. I happen to like cookies, and I may have to check her site to see if I want to bake up a batch.

Clinton lawsuit could cloud Texas caucuses:
http://www.star-telegram.com/news/story/502662.html
“AUSTIN — The Texas Democratic Party is warning that its March 4 caucuses could be delayed or disrupted after aides to White House hopeful Hillary Clinton raised the specter of an “imminent” lawsuit over its complicated delegate selection process, officials said Thursday night.
In a letter sent out late Thursday to both the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns, Texas Democratic Party lawyer Chad Dunn warned that a lawsuit could ruin the Democrats’ effort to re-energize voters just as they are turning out in record numbers.”
desperate

It’s completely idiotic to say race, religion and gender haven’t mattered in this election. All three have been a huge factor. How many times have we heard “Isn’t it historic that we might have an African American or female president?”? How strongly did Mormon voters rally around Romney? (90% of the Mormon voters in some states). The liberal media wrings its hands over the prospect of a woman, African American or Mormon LOSING because of his/her race, gender or religion. But if he/she wins precisely BECAUSE of those factors than it’s all A-OK. (And yes, I AM saying that Barack Obama is winning BECAUSE he is African American. Not just because African American voters are voting for him in droves, but because latte liberals like Ted Kennedy and various members of the liberal media suffer from white guilt and the smooth junior Senator Obama makes them feel good about themselves with his nonconfrontational style. Anyone claiming a WHITE Obama would be this close to the Presidency at this stage in his career is truly deluded or a liar). As far as Clinton losing because of her gender? It’s a factor but not the major one. She’s losing because of the liberal media’s reverse racism, not its overt sexism. That is, they’ve given Obama a completely free ride. And it’s bound to continue even when Clinton is gone. The liberal press is already gearing up to trash the “old white man” McCain in favor of their media darling and pet. Just look at the poorly sourced, fact deficient, and insinuation laden hit job the NYT did on McCain. Yet nary a word about Obama’s Chicago political machine connections. Never a word when Obama distorts McCain’s statements (while all hell breaks lose when Clinton distorts Obama’s comments.) There are PLENTY of areas where the press COULD scrutinize Obama. For example, what is his true record of bipartisanship in the Senate? (He says he’ll bring us all together but his record in a Senate is extremely partisan and left wing. He voted a non-committal “present” an absurd number of times in the State Senate. When has he shown the courage to stand up for his convictions over party loyalty or political ambition? Where was he during the Gang of 14 or the Immigration Bill? Where is this guy’s record of political courage and leadership? This is valid since he promises change and unity. What sort of track record does he have in those areas?) What are the implications of his (IMHO) absurdly naive foreign policy ideas? Does he REALLY have a record of superior judgment as he claims? (Not more than anyone else in the campaign as far as I can tell. Yes, he was against the war. So was I. But that doesn’t make my judgment automatically superior to anyone else’s. (Especially given the fact that neither of us were privy to the NIE report with all the intelligence info that the Bush Admin cherry picked to push for war.) Plus Obama said the surge was “wrongheaded”. Well, it’s significantly reduced the number of American fatalities in Iraq – so much so that the Iraq war has become less of an issue. I guess his judgment wasn’t so superior then.
What ARE his ties to the Chicago political machine and political MAKER Tony Rezko? (It’s a valid issue because Obama is portrayed as a non-politician, above the down and dirty politics of folks like McCain and Clinton)
I could go on and on. But the press isn’t interested in vetting this guy. Sad but true.

interferon: castration for rapist. Mandatory vesectomies for those who father children and dump them on the rest of us to raise. Now that is a “solution” or at least a beginning.

Renee, you have a strong argument here compared to the outraged above. But in Dowd’s defense, he’s saying that the -isms were not the deciding factors. Here’s what I see: If we erase the following factors Hillary would be nominee already. 1) Bill Clinton’s comments. He caused the Obama phenomenon more than anything else because Hillary lost the black support she had, that was still skeptical of Obama.They got mad, gave him a chance, then became believers. 2) Campaign mismanagement. Solis-Doyle like everyone else thought this was to be a cake walk. They wasted valuable resources & caused Clinton public embarrassment. How can a candidate running on EXPERIENCE, run out of money?
3) No plan post feb 5th. Clinton’s campaign has been a mess ever since. They have no clear message that resonates with the public. Just when one tactic might be getting some traction, another rabbit is pulled out of the hat and the trick loses its magic.
4) Going negative. How can a candidate with such high negatives, running against an idealist exposing unity, go negative. She received bad advice that was inconsistent. It made he look insincere quite often after civil debates.

At some point women must realize that Hillary Clinton, not America, let them down.

Thank you — I agree with all you have said.
Hillary said Obama is a blank screen, but what she should be seeing is a blank canvas with endless possibilities because people are involved, included — Obama is succeeding because his message is inclusive, not devisive.
A note on names — for the past 10 years or so I have been aware of John McCain and probably would have voted for him in 2000, I never knew his name was Sydney! — does that make him Jewish? Duh, no answer required.

It’s amazing that Clinton supporters are using gender as an excuse for their candidate’s demise. Even Clinton herself played the gender-card last night on Nightline. Americans will not support a candidate based on howls of unfairness or bias.
Obama would never cite race as a reason for losing. Obama respects the American electorate, in 2008, as a people who are smarter and more principled than those of the 60s, 70s, 80s, or even the 90s. He has faith in the American people, and they have returned the favor.
If a candidate resorts to fear and accusation to stay in a race, can you be proud to support that candidate? The fear-playbook is nauseating to us all at this point.
Clinton needs to stop muddying up the tone of the Democratic race. It’s not good for the party or America. This election is a referendum on ‘win-at-any-cost’ politics. Clinton supporters need to take a deep-look at where they stand on this.
We don’t need another ‘fighter.’ We need a Uniter. Clinton has proven this is not within her powers. Not even within her own party.

I would say that certain people do not care: those who are intelligent, objective, educated and evolved as members of the species… But we are still not majority by any means, as, unfortunately, there are still a lot of Neanderthal Americans who make choices based on gender, racial and religious criteria alone and will consider no other as ´swaying´. A case in point is that some would-be Dem voters in certain States say they feel they are “missing” a candidate because they have to choose between a black and a female. These people will vote for the white guy even if they have to cross party lines to do so because, in essence, the issues and the ideology are secondary or terciary criteria.
Actually, at one point, weeks ago, I did go so far as to say that Obama would win because he is male, and that Americans would sooner accept a black male candidate than a white woman… Still in all, with regards to Hillary, I now believe that the weight of this aseveration cannot be adequately established. She is losing the nomination because she has revealed herself as false, negative, unfeeling, arrogant and dirty in her tactics… and people have a hard time dealing with these flaws in character. Period. Her message is not appropriate, and her self-heralded ‘experience’ is so insignificant that it cannot compensate for the glaring lack of content. We don’t like the cereal, and, moreover, we don’t even like the box.
We may be the last country on earth, ironically, to have a female President or Prime Minister, but YES, there will be one in our lifetime. I just hope it won’t be THIS woman. I am a white female professional over the age of 40, and I have decided that, instead of abstaining in November, I will only vote for Hillary ‘in extremis’… just so McCain, the Dog of War, doesn’t win. That has been my priority Numero Uno since the beginning and it still will be when all is said and done.

This is all about the CANDIDATES as PEOPLE and what they stand for, and, whereas gender and race are not chosen conditions, religion IS, and I think it is an important criterium to a rational degree because it can and often does define them, very broadly, as individuals.
I would have a hard time voting for a Mormon (I have known many, and many former-Mormons), a Scientologist, an Evangelist or anybody else who has chosen to be a member of a sect or a spiritual community that nullifies the individual in favor of the group and upholds extreme, radical social views that tend to insulate them against the society and Knowledge as a whole.
A President of the USA that rejects Evolution and believes that the Bible is the literal Truth? Come on, people, Huckabee is 90% about his religion. That says A LOT about a person. Just about everything.
I would vote for a candidate who was Catholic, Jewish, Presbyterian, a Druid, whatever, as long as they are not using politics and public service as a platform from which to prostheletize.
I would never NOT vote for a candidate because one of his first or last names “sounds like” he may be from a certain religion. So what if McCain is named Sydney somewhere… Who cares if part of Obama´s name is Hussein? Lots of people are wielding these tiny details as weapons against candidates, and if people are stupid enough to change their vote or hate someone because of that, as far as I am concerned, they can just pack up and leave the country because they could give a damn about the essence of America and what it, supposedly, stands for.
What´s the deal with the Melting Pot? Do we have to fire up the heat below because there are still so many huge chunks floating around among a liquid mass that, in general, contemplates people as individuals with their Good, their Bad and their Ugly aspects? Nobody is perfect, and I challenge anyone out there to run for Public Office with no fear that some aspect of their life will be taken out and scrutinized under a TEM microscope to their eventual detriment. How freaking hypocritical are we? Insane…
I don´t need the Bible, the Coran, the Torah or some hick Congregation of illiterates who speak in tongues to justify my existence. We should take freely from all beliefs and people who tend to want to unite the States of America, and the country as a whole, to the Immense World that can´t live without us, and without which, we couldn´t live either.
I was baptized and raised as a Roman Catholic, come from an Italian family from the East Coast, in part, and would never have even considered voting for Giuliani! Amen.

My webpage is votemuff.com
Historically, the Republican party was formed as an abolitionist/anti slavery party.
It is the party that gave women the right to vote.
It is the party of the farmer.
It has always been a state’s rights over large government party, because it is closer to the people.
It was the trust busting party for the little business man, or women.
It was the conservative party.
Conserve trees and rivers.
VOTE MUFF< EVEN BETTER THAN BUSH!!!

Funny to look at old articles and predictions when things change eh?
Today, most of the national polls are statistical ties due to the margin of error but one poll shows Clinton truned things around and is up 7 points. Obama has lost 8 points in the last week due to the situation with Wright having such a significant impact. Clinton had already been gaining and the race was tight. She stayed above the fray and gave him a chance to do the right thing. Time will tell if he has permanently damaged his campaign.

WHY SHOULD THE USA VOTE A BLACK PERSON FOR PRESIDENT TO BEGIN WITH. WE NEVER HAD ONE IN THERE YET. SO LETS SEE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?? IT MEANS THAT THEY ARE WORTHLESS AND MEANINGLESS. THEY WILL DO NOTHING FOR OUR COUNTRY EXCEPT BRING MORE INTO THE WHITE HOUSE AND THE GOVERNMENT AND EVERYTHING. WE DONT NEED THEM IN THERE. THERE IS ENOUGH THAT THEY ARE RUINING NOW IN THIS WORLD. THE WHITE POPULATION IS GOING DOWN TO SHREADS, IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS THE WHITE POPULATION IS GOING TO BE NOTHING. BECAUSE THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD BY THEN ARE GOING TO BE MIX BREEDS. PATHETIC ISNT IT. AND GUESS WHAT THE WHITE MAN WONT STAND UP TO THEM, BECAUSE THE BLACK MAN YELLS RACISM. BUT IT IS OKAY FOR THE BLACK TO DO ALL THIS SH*T TO THE WHITE AND NOTHING IS SUPPOSE TO BE SAID. WANNA KNOW WHY, BECAUSE THE BLACK WILL CALL IT RACISM. IF ANYONE IS RACIST IT IS THE BLACKS, NOT THE WHITES. WE JUST KNOW HOW AND WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT. AND THAT IS NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, ASSAULT, DRUGS, AND THEY ARE WORTHLESS HUMAN BEINGS. NOTHING GOOD TO BRING TO THIS WORLD AT ALL. THE AFICANS OVER IN AFRICE DONT CONSIDER THE BLACKS OVER HERE IN THE USA AFRICAN AMERICANS, THE AFRICANS CALL THE BLACKS OVER HERE N*GGERS. THAT IS WHAT THE ARIFICANS CONSIDER THEM. THE AFRICANS DONT EVEN LIKE THE BLACKS OVER HERE AT ALL BECAUSE OF HOW AND WHAT THEY ARE ALL ABOUT. SO WHY VOTE FOR A BLACK PERSON TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT, THAT I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.

I doesn’t seem as though anyone has posted to this blog recently, so I might point some matters out which I found interesting and intriguing.
Matthew Dowd needs to start reading what he has written. I had difficulty discerning what some of the comments were about because they were so grammatically incorrect it was frightening.
Just because it goes away does not mean it stops existing. This includes people. Some people have the ability to talk their way out of any situation unless they are in contact with those who faced the same battle with them. I am an addict and a woman, and I voted for McCain because I do not believe children should be murdered. A child is conceived from the moment of conception. I know this not from my very right-wing, Roman Catholican (pre Vactican 2) backgrond, but rather from my own belief system and the way I felt like when I was pregnant with my own children.
Opinions are what they are. I was told recently that my addiction to cigarettes is part of my pain, and he told me I need to stop smoking. Is he right? Yes. Have I stopped smoking? No. Have a stopped talking to a woman who is recovering from addiction problems everyday? No. Has she told for whom she was voting? No. Has anyone told me for whom to vote? No.
I stopped listening or talking to news a long time ago. Did it make it go away? No. One of my children told me she voted for a certain candidate. I told her she did not vote for anyone because she is not of voting age. I told her she could make that decision when she was 18, and until she reaches the “legal” age, she does not vote. I also instructed her that when she has the ability to vote, no single person should tell her for whom she should vote. That decision is her own decision based upon facts and her own beliefs.
It is funny humans are inclined to gravitate toward people who hold the same beliefs and ideas. I think I just heard that somewhere in the very recent past. I know what I need to do recover from my own problems. It has to do with choosing to live in the solution and going with something that has the highest known recovery rate, not by going away for a set period of time for a set number of days. That only gives an addict a time frame in which to relapse. I have seen that with every person who has tried finding the solution when the solution stares him or her right in the face if the mirror is something that person can even face. I know I looked in the mirror this evening, and I did not like what I saw.
Why did I write this e-amail when I do not think Mr. Dowd will respond (and, no, Mr. Dowd is not related to Maureen Dowd, as far as I know)? For selfish reasons? Maybe. I know this is something I wanted to get this off my chest. Am I going to ask my opthomogist to prescribe marijuana for medical reasons because I have glaucoma? No. I am an addict. The problem is me. Am I going to start listening to suggestions from people who have suffered through the same misery I am? I already have. Do I let the fact that I am the only woman at a meeting deter me from going to that meeting? No. I have to go to any lengths. That means changing everything I have known about me, and I mean EVERYTHING.
Anonymous1212