Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Opinion

Robert Schlesinger

Barack Obama and the White Women Vote—Democrats Just Don't Win That Group

September 09, 2008 02:16 PM ET | Robert Schlesinger | Permanent Link | Print

Reader Comments

You got it backwards

I am a black republican. I can say that because I have a brain. What's sad is how you nerdy guilty white liberals are always claiming racism on my behalf. But you have it backwards! If it wasn't for white woman voting for Obama, he wouldn't be in the race. When 90% of blacks are voting for Obama, just because he is black, there is your racism. But like typical white people, you nerdy journalist's are too cowardly to report that.

As for Sarah Palin, liberals only dislike her because of jealousy and the fact that she defines a real strong woman. Liberal woman couldn't do near what she has done in life and politics. She will be President after she becomes Vice President.It's over. Go home.

IdiotsForObama.Com

Palin because she's a white women?

It's a sad day in this country. If Palin and McCain are voted into office, we as women are in big trouble. They will insert two conservative judges and then this country will seemingly be led by dictatorship as our rights will be on hold for the next twenty years. It's hard for me to believe the polls and that white women are voting for her merely because she is a white women and not because they believe in her views. So if you say race does not play a factor, you are truly lying to yourself because I believe as a white women that we need to get the republicans out of the white house ASAP.

It's offensive that anyone thinks women are that dumb!

It's offensive to think women are going to be so easily fooled. I'm not distracted by a pretty little hunting, fishing skirt. Talk about a name dropper, now she's using God as a personal reference. As a Christian I'm appalled, as a Republican I'm frustrated. As an American woman I deserve better!

Sarah Palin has nothing in common with an average woman like myself. If anything she's more like Hillary Clinton. The idea that trotting her out will make a simple little white gal like me swoon is offensive. Men may be thrilled to vote for a pretty gal shooting her way across the Tundra but women aren't that dumb. If you want to woo this simple female, more substance and less self-riteousness would be more appealing. If not at least pick a good looking man.

Good luck keeping a handle on that barracuda if you win it Senator McCain.

How important are white people these days as a demographic?

Sorry, this will be my last post. I know we are still in the majority, but by how much?

Sarah Palin

I guess she grabbed the interest of people who weren't all that interested in the race yet. It's sort of like playing chess: if Obama had picked Hillary Clinton for his running mate I doubt McCain would have picked a woman, but now just her being female seems to be of prime importance, kind of like Elizabeth Dole.

Maybe two months will be enough for white women to lose interest in her. It's very much like playing chess: Obama's woes with Palin hark back to the primary campaign. Obama's not campaigning against Palin. He should ignore her as much as possible, it that is still an option. And maybe Oprah will return as a surrogate?

Maybe Hillary Clinton would have been preferable to Joe Biden, but there's nothing to be done about it now.

Fear of the unknown?

A family member sends me email concerning white christian right issues. Please get a grip and stop believing the myths expounded on in 'Birth of A nation". When are we going to stop being racist> And to the christian: you're commanded to love everyone, so what's with the email? Worrying is a lack of faith, right? Stop worrying me with your hatred.

women on women

Women could learn a lot about camaraderie from men. Palin's worst enemies now are women. Just look at the field of nursing, for example. It is 99% women and despite the shortage of nurses, this field is still regarded by many as a "paraprofession," thanks to women putting one another down.

It's not about women, or men

People, we really need to focus on who will do the best job. Ask yourself, "What are this person's qualifications?" Frankly, it shouldn't matter whether that person is a man or a woman. Gender is not a qualification or disqualification. Additionally, Sarah Palin isn't even running for President. If she has, in fact, given McCain an edge by swaying the bloc of white women voters, then it really speaks volumes about how gullible that sector of the population is.

I like Sarah Palin because of what she stands for, and let's face it, she IS more experienced than Barack Obama, who IS running for President. She is the governor of Alaska, so she has experience as an executive. In other words, the GOP's #2 is better than the Dem's #1.

The only thing I don't like about Sarah is the feminism side. Don't get me wrong. I'm not against women acheiving things, but I really don't like to hear her aligning herself with Hillary, just because they are both women trying to break through the glass ceiling. Do I align myself with some crazy from the other side, just because he is a man. NO!!! This is NOT a gender war. It's a battle about the best set of ideas to provide leadership for the United States of America.

Palin

Why would ANY women think that Palin is qualified to be Commander-in Chief of this country? She has said NOTHING about her position on the ISSUES and apparently is taking no questions from the media. I agree that she is putting women's issues at risk by joining McCain. I am a women of white color and I cannot believe that any "majority" of women in America would fall for this political ploy by the Republicans.

I am also sorry for her children. There is no way she can be giving them the attention they deserve and need. And, yes, I am saying that if you are a mother of FIVE children you are NOT the person to be in charge of running our country. Add that to the fact that Palin has no experience it is PROOF that MCCAIN is NOT THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD FOR THIS COUNTRY but rather hoping he will pull the wool over women's eyes and get himself elected President.

I'm also sorry for her pregnant teenage daugther and how her being pregnant was almost glorified at the Republican Convention. So much for "Family Values."

hey moms

I am a working mother of a special needs child. I work at home to be able to manage to doctors’ appointments, necessary PT and OT sessions, above and beyond what the school district allows, and yes I am pro-choice. That doesn’t mean I am pro-abortion, but pro-CHOICE I am also a soccer mom, a softball mom, and all kinds of other things mom. So are many of you.

I personally am not validated by Sarah Palin’s candidacy. What kind of advocate will she be for me and my son? She never said. I’ll tell you one thing, though. She is the beneficiary of some pretty decent health insurance provided by the state of Alaska. How many other disabled kids fall by the wayside because they don’t have the access to care that Trig will have? What kind of advocacy will she provide to fix that? How will she ensure that kids like Trig and my son get the best possible opportunities to be independent in life? She never said.

What kind of advocate will she be for my soccer-playing, softball and field hockey 7 year old A student daughter? I don’t want my daughter to be raped and be told she has to keep the baby. I don’t want the world’s leader in unwed teenage pregnancies to continue to teach abstinence only in many of its states.I want my children to have more opportunities than I had, not less. But college is getting less and less affordable and less and less money is given to familes to help them afford paying for their children’s college education. How is this being an advocate for working families? My husband and I are lucky. We have jobs that pay pretty well. But we fear that even with all our savings, we won’t be able to send our daughter to the best college she will want to go to.

Sarah Palin cites her executive experience. I do not doubt she has served in that capacity. The question is: how well? I don’t feel someone that has turned a city from a surplus to a deficit budget deserves a promotion, do you? We would demote any employee that ran our business into the red column. We have had to bail out Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae because of years of mismanagement! Can YOU imagine running a business so badly and still getting paid for it? Most of us would have lost our jobs years ago. The kids have been running the candy store! And yet, there seems to be no call to task for the party that allowed the Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiascoes to happen, because they consistently looked the other way.

I applaud and honor the long service John McCain has given our country. But he has done the US a grave disservice by picking a VP who isn’t a maverick at all, but represents everything the far right wanted on the ticket. If he were truly a maverick, he would have picked Joe Lieberman or Sue Collins of Maine, or Kay Baily Hutchinson..the ladies being smart, and more aligned to the “maverick” point of view. But he caved and played a cynical game thinking all women will vote for Sarah Palin because she is a mom. Well so am I and so are you, but no one is asking US to be VP…more’s the pity, I think :) Maybe they should.

In any event, the Palin pick cost McCain my vote. I was on the fence before, but anyone who thinks I am voting for a woman just because she is a woman cannot have any respect for me as a woman at all.

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Robert Schlesinger is a deputy editor at U.S. News and World Report and oversees all opinion editorial content. He is the author of White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters.

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