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| How About That Gender Bias?
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It could be the United States is more ready for an African-American male that it is for a woman to be president. The truth is a more qualified woman than Hillary Clinton to be the U.S. president is not likely to come along for another generation or so -- unless the Republicans should consider Condoleeza Rice, which certainly isn't happening on this go-around.
Gender bias, of course, is very difficult if not impossible to measure in the electorate. But it is undeniably playing some role in the current contest between Clinton and Barack Obama, probably a significant one. And certainly Obama did not get into this race because of a personal gender bias. But it's possible he may have seen this as a factor that could help open the door to his candidacy. And no question, he does offer a male alternative to liberal left Democrats.
Secondly, how many of Obama's financial and other backers might be in his corner because of a gender bias against Hillary? Perhaps more than we realize.
Barack Obama did not get into this contest to be a spoiler. Judging by the effort he has put out, and the smart, effective campaign he has waged, it's clear he's putting all his horses in the race to win -- to win it all. But he could be viewed as a spoiler if he gets the nomination and then gets trounced by John McCain. It's impossible to call the race this early, but it's conceivable McCain could win by a healthy margin -- say by getting 55 percent of the popular vote, to 45 percent for Obama. That is a best case scenario for McCain, but it could happen.
If Obama should pull off an upset and win the presidency, some of his supporters could be disappointed. Obama's radical Democratic supporters are calling for change at all costs. But we live today in quite a precarious world. Any perceived weakness or indecisiveness by American leaders could have disastrous consequences worldwide. What if under Obama America becomes involved in a world war? We are not that far from such an unfortunate scenario right now. That could well be more than many of his supporters have bargained for.
Obama's supporters see a big need for change in the United States. Does Hillary Clinton promise enough change to bring over some of the undecided?
Certainly a Clinton presidency, one the nation could probably accept quite easily, would promise change, if not change at all costs.
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Posted by stlouisinsite on 2008-03-03 12:07:58 | Rating: | Views: 64
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You said:
Gender bias, of course, is very difficult if not impossible to measure in the electorate. But it is undeniably playing some role in the current contest between Clinton and Barack Obama, probably a significant one."
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That may or may not be the case. Don't forget that millions of Americans -- Democrats, Republicans and independents -- strongly dislike Hillary Clinton personally. While she might be more "qualified" than Mr. Obama, to millions of people, Mrs. Clinton simply isn't as likeable. I think this is much less about sex or race and more about (pleasant) personality. Obama has one and everyone can see that. Mrs. Clinton is trying to convince people that she has a heart.
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Posted by sean_barr
on 2008-03-03 12:41:20
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