A lot is being said in the blogosphere about whether the supporters of Hillary Clinton will vote for Barack Obama or whether they will cross party lines and cast their ballots for John McCain.
Or whether they will take the third option and not vote. Some say there’s a fourth choice — Ralph Nader.
It’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of having your candidate lose. And easy to feel so disappointed that you might not be able to support the other guy. Trust me, I know.
Many say that about 20% of HRC voters won’t be able to step up and pull the lever for Obama. I say they’re wrong.
McCain’s positions on so many issues are the antithesis if what Clinton stands for — like fair pay, Supreme Court appointments and the war, just to name a few.
But many voters still need to be assuaged. Some say Obama isn’t qualified to be POTUS. Others say they had been so committed the Clinton that they just can’t bring themselves to vote for anyone else, regardless of how good they might be for the country.
I’m hoping that there won’t be many of the 18 million who became “cracks in the glass ceiling” who will stick to the idea of Hillary or bust, because the cost of another four years of a Republican in the White House is just too high, something we can’t as a nation afford to pay.
I am hoping that the women who say they won’t for Obama will sit with that decision for a while before they make up their minds. As someone pointed out to me today, “So, Obama is your third choice?”
Technically, yes. But my choice is to have Democrat at the helm in 2009, NOT a Republican. If we can accomplish that, I can live with my third choice.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I can’t imagine going from Clinton to McCain. I’m also a die hard dem., but come on people, McCain and Clinton are polar opposites!
You like bush? You like the war? You like gas prices? Vote McCain!
I’m sorry your upset Hillary didn’t get the nomination, but you are acting like your 5, taking your ball and going home.
Off my soapbox now.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I would like to believe they will, given time and a little effort from Obama. But I wrote about this on MSU and had a woman comment that she was going with McCain because Obama isn’t qualified or centrist enough (too liberal in her opinion).
Why do we do this? We want to be taken seriously and then we vote for POTUS based on our “feelings” thus branding ourselves yet again as not being able to vote rationally.
And I know that men can be just as ridiculous in their reasoning but they don’t get called on it nor is it thrown in their faces. That double standard again.
If we end up with McCain, I’ll have to move to Canada. Oh, wait, I did that already:)
June 13th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I think it would be good for the media to stand down on this question and let the race unfold. They’re forcing a reconciliation where one might naturally occur if they’d just keep their nose out of thins.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I’m a Hillary supporter who will switch to Obama. I don’t like Obama… but I won’t have another Republican. No way.
June 14th, 2008 at 6:53 am
And there’s the reason why I can and am considering McCain.
My goal is not simply to elect ANY Democrat. My goal is to elect the best person for the job. Any Democrat is better than any Republican is just not an idea I believe in.
I’m a wee bit tired of people assuming my reticence about Obama is related to anger or disappointment. I’m a lot tired of people saying “I’m sorry your (sic) upset Hillary didn’t get the nomination but you are acting like your (sic) 5…”
That is offensive and dismissive and while may describe SOME people who are refusing to vote Obama, it doesn’t fit us all.
I’m making my decision on who I believe will be able to lead this country successfully.
June 14th, 2008 at 9:44 am
I am a strong Hillary supporter, but the only way that I would vote for McCain is if I were to undergo a lobotomy. And even then, I think I’d be more likely to not vote. I have children and I consider it my responsibility to them to support Obama.
There are some websites that I visit, though, where the Obama fans were so obnoxious about Hillary, that for their benefit, and their benefit alone, I liked saying that I would support Huckabee if he were the nominee.
But yes, I do support Obama. He is not as qualified as Hillary, but the great news is that he is so much more qualified than Bush.
June 14th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Is it crazy that you were the first person I thought about when I heard she had finally conceded? I wondered how you would be taking the news!
June 14th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I met several of these women at the Texas Democratic Convention last weekend. I wrote about my impressions of some of them. http://www.blogfabulous.com/black-grandmothers/
Many people who are claiming they will vote for McCain believe Obama actually is a Muslim. (You can not imagine how many people in Texas believe those emails and there is a new one actually claiming he’s the Anti-Christ – so they believe they’d be picking the McCain over the Anti-Christ).
Lots of them in my neck of hte woods are racists who won’t vote for him because he’s black.
Also, many I spoke to believe they are asserting pressure on Obama to choose Hillary as VP. One woman said, “If it had been this close with Hillary in front Black folks would march on Washington and Force her to pick him as VP.”
I saw many shirts at the convention that said the only Vote they will cast will be for Hillary. VP is the only way to win them back. (Lots said they would write her in.)
June 15th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Hello. thank you for your comment on my blog (american in provence). I will try to vote from abroad, it may be difficult. I went to college in Virginia- VMI and UVA.
June 15th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Black people, men and women, have for decades, election after election after election after election, voted for white candidates that we didn’t necessarily like but reflexively understood were better than our counterparts. Even though we would have preferred candidates like Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm and others.
Even still, we, Black Americans, have been the most loyal Democratic Party voting bloc. Casting ballots for one white male Democrat after another, cycle after cycle after cycle.
This threat by Hillary women to take their balls and go home because the white woman didn’t get the nomination is proof positive that the racism problem in this country is not and has never been Black Americans but our white countrymen and women.
It’s sad that, considering the duty Blacks have done for the Democratic Party for half a century, that we are even having such a discussion about whether or not Hillary women will back Obama.
It’s racist arrogance, pure and simple.
I’ll bet none of you Hillary women reading this can imagine Black Obama supporters threatening to vote McCain if Clinton had won the nomination. Every white Democrat should be embarrassed by the behavior of white Hillary supporters right now.
June 15th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I think that it’s important to point out here that not all “Hillary Women” are threatening to vote for McCain. I truly believe that it is just a scant few as it is a loooong, crazy jump from Hillary to McBush. I’m not sure even a lobotomy would take me to the McCain camp. But I understand the anger from Obama’s faithful because I was equally as angry to hear Obama’s supporters state that they would never vote for Hillary were she to become the nominee. Sadly, there are people from all sides that are unable to move on from a tight race and do what I would consider to be the right thing.
P.S. My husband and I have had many conversations about how African Americans have been such a core voting base for the Dems. Believe me, that does not go unnoticed.
June 15th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
It was bittersweet when John Edwards dropped out. It was even more bitter and less sweet when Hillary Clinton did, too. But Obama? I can get behind him, and I will.
June 15th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
McCain is anti-woman plain and simple. He aligns himself with Bush on everything. His voting record speaks for itself.
He is completely anti-choice.
Vote for Obama and I promise, HRC will be the first female Secretary of Defense.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Marc – There was a big feeling at the convention that WOMEN – of all races – are the core driving force in the Democratic party and also their biggest core voting block.
I have to say that both blacks and women have been major influences – and gain nothing by minimizing the influence of the other. Do do so is ultimately self-defeating.
June 16th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Denise, I think there are many voters who share your thoughts. And it’s hard to feel that many Obama supporters can’t understand a different point of view.
July 5th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I wanted Mike Huckabee to win. Since he’s not there I will vote for McCain. I do not want Obama in office. Our country is shifting too much geared to appeasing the blacks as well as other minorities. We need to still focus on what’s best for the country. The USA is sill close to 70% white. I’ve had enough of everything being geared towards the minorities. I see nothing, but black athletes, black music, and black entertainment. Nothing positive is coming from this besides higher crime and poverty. I want to see things shift back to the majority of the population. BTW, please don’t call me a racist, because I don’t hate any race. I just want to see things done correctly. If there are 12 guys on a basketball team, wy isn’t the team compiled of 7 white guys, 2 black guys, 2 latino guys and one asian? This would be equality!
August 15th, 2008 at 12:47 am
This Hillary supporter will vote Mccain, and I am about to show you why when I paste a comment from another website to explain ….. there is a huge racial bias against Mccain, doesn’t matter the issues, they say so themselves,if you don’t believe me, here is the post… BTW, the person username is BlackAmerica back with a vegence??
(
“McCain, like everyone else is saying what he needs to say to get elected. Most black folks will vote Obama. I have even caught myself wondering what in the world Obama is thinking when it comes to energy policies. I will vote Obama simply because I support the idea of having a Black president, but I do disagree with some, if not most, of his resent energy propositions”) OK, I hope people are more rational than this, but what do you think??