I was out at a club one night recently in our nation’s capital, and I stumbled upon a young man wearing a shirt showing the faces of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, that said “Bros before Hoes” in a patriotic red, white and blue. In my semi-inebriated state, and being a hardcore Obama supporter myself, I spoke briefly with this guy about his shirt and asked to have my picture taken with him. I’m sure all the feminists out there are gasping and tsk-ing me as they read this! So after the alcohol wore off, and I came back to my normal overly-analytical state of mind, I wondered to myself, “why did I find so much enjoyment in this shirt?” Yes, it was a play on a common slang phrase, intended to be comedic, but is that what the 2008 Democratic Primary has come to be about?
Everyone, from the major media outlets to the girls and boys working in the auto repair shops, is talking about the precedence of this race. It’s obvious that either win will be monumental for the civil rights of one of two traditionally marginalized groups. But does that mean that support for one implies a prejudice towards the other? Am I less of a feminist because I support Barack Obama while criticizing Hillary Clinton? Do I support him because of some latent, hidden, internalized sexism instead of my belief in his individual capability as the leader of our country? Is this less of a race about ideas, plans and ideals, and more of a race about Race and Gender?
I would like to say that my criticism of Clinton is not a small blow to feminism or my feminist ideals. I would like to believe that we are far enough along in ingraining feminist consciousness in all Americans that gender isn’t an issue in a debate like this and only individual qualifications and stances are important. But then later that same night out on the town, I got into a discussion with one of the girls I went out with. She explained her reasons for why she didn’t like Clinton, and she blew me away. She felt that no woman should EVER become President because she believed that as soon as a stressful situation occurred, like 9/11, any woman would just break down and begin to cry.
So maybe in everyday America, this really is a race about sexism. And I’m starting to think that maybe I should start to show more support for a woman who is trying to play hardball with the big boys down in D.C. Now, don’t go thinking this Obama-girl doesn’t love and support her favorite political candidate since the 2004 DNC! Heck, I’ve changed my voter registration from the Green Party to the Democratic Party so I CAN support Obama when the race comes to Pennsylvania. But, it’s time to tone down my angry criticisms of Ms. Clinton. I have earned a new respect for the woman who has fought so hard to get so far.
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But I must also say this, just because some random chick can't see beyond her own sexist opinions doesn't mean that Obama is not a good candidate. The same for hilary. Sometimes I feel like this race has become stuck on the question of who has it worse? Blacks or women? The group that has been most underpriveledged gets the vote. what happened to policy? I understand completely where you are coming from. I just hope that they decide to run on the same ticket.
I can't say myself that I hope they run on the same ticket. I disagree with some of Clinton's track record, and sometimes with the way she runs her campaign. Now if Carol Mosely-Braun was running again, I'd sooo be rooting for her to get picked as a VP to Obama. That woman was intelligent, passionate and sincere. She would've made a great president.
~~Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilites.~~
Gregory David Roberts
I just really like Clinton's policy on stuff like healthcare and education. I think they would keep each other in check.