Breaking the Glass Ceiling: By the Numbers in Text, Annotated--Even Categorized!
For those of you with a wodgy cursor:
A. THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
There is only one scoreboard that matters in presidential politics. That's the Electoral College. It doesn't matter who wins the polls, or the popular vote, or who is the most fun to have a beer with. The Electoral College renders the final and only up or down vote for would-be Presidents. Six (6) represents the number of electoral college votes for Arkansas. A Clinton has already won the State of Arkansas twice in Presidential elections. Can the former First Lady of Arkansas do what the Former Governor of Arkansas did? I don't know, but the opportunity might be there. Bill and Hillary returning to the state to campaign, even for a couple of days, could sway that entire state.
Eighteen (18) is the number of electoral college votes allotted to the State of Louisiana. Bill Clinton won all of Louisiana's electoral college votes before. Twice. I understand that it's almost as bad to attribute Governor Clinton winning a state in 1992 to Secretary Clinton winning it in 2016, as it is to attribute the former President's politics to the then-FLOTUS. However, one thing is different about my scenario: Bill Clinton will be an avid campaigner for his partner.
Seventy-two (72) was the number of electoral votes allotted to North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan in the 2012 Presidential election. President Obama won all those states in 2012 save North Carolina. Importantly, he won North Carolina in 2008 during that historic election. When history was on the brink, North Carolina became a part of it. When history became of less import, it reverted to a red state. The state has a recent history of accepting and then electing female Governors and Senators.
24,801,567. This number equals the votes cast in prior elections for Secretary Clinton for her runs in the Democratic Presidential Primary in 2008 and the United States Senate representing the State of New York in 2000 and in 2006. This number shows that Secretary can command the votes from enthusiastic voters. (Anyone who claims that HRC had no enthusiastic, even rabid, voters in 2008 was not paying attention at daily kos, or, for that matter, anywhere else.).
Three Hundred and Sixty-Five (365). This was what the electoral college scoreboard read for Senator Obama after all the votes were cast in 2008 in HIS historic race to become the first African-American President of the United States of America. Note that you need 270 to win. America WANTS to make history.
69,456,897, which is the national popular vote count for Senator Obama after all the ballots were cast in 2008 in HIS historic race to become the first African-American President of the United States of America. Like I said, America loves to make history.
Three Hundred and Seventy (370). This was what the electoral college scoreboard showed after all the votes for Clinton were cast in 1992. Scoreboards, as they say, are for winners.
One Hundred and Thirty-Three (133). Equals the sum of the electoral college votes for North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, which were won by Senator Barack Obama in HIS historic 2008 victory. History has benefited Democrats in the past.
One (1). There's only one Big Dog. (And, when breaking a Glass Ceiling, it can only help to have a Big Dog).
B. REPERCUSSIONS.
A "wave" or coattails history-making election in 2016 could have repercussions for Democrats. Good repercussions, for a change. Here are some of them: Plus Twenty-One (+21). The swing in the number of Democrats in the House of Representatives because of the historic 2008 coattails election. A swing of 21 seats in a 435-seat House might not seem like much, until you factor in the fact that the Democrats had a 37-seat majority BEFORE the 2008 elections. I don't just want to win the Presidency for Democrats; I want to win the House of Representatives.
Plus Eight (+8). This represents the swing in the number of Democrats in the Senate because of the 2008 coattails election. Remember that there were only 35 elections for the Senate that year. Democrats unseated five incumbents in that election, including sitting Republican Senators from Alaska and North Carolina. I don't just want to win the Presidency for Democrats; I want to win it all.
Cuatro or Four (4). This equals the total number of United States Supreme Court Justices over the age of 70. Choice is one Republican President and a 70-year-old-plus Justice of the Supreme Court from gone. The GOP has made a major push against Choice. Hillary will do everything in her power to put a stop to that.
One Hundred (100). The percentage of time Secretary Hillary Clinton has won the majority of the votes in any election for national office. Of course, President Obama, at the time, might have disputed the Michigan ballot. ; )
C. EXPERIENCE.
Senators like Marco Rubio will be asked what kind of experience he has had commanding people. They have a hard time winning the Presidency, in part, because of that. Then, there's the issue of Foreign Policy. Serving on a committee or two doesn't equate to being on the ground, helping to make the hard decisions. Twenty-Six (26). Secretary Clinton has experience with Presidential debates. 26 of them. She has immeasurable hands-on experience with Foreign Policy. Thousands have answered to her.
Eight (8). The number of years Hillary Clinton has already experienced in the White House. She is familiar with the procedures, and you can bet she was hands-on during her stay in America's Home.
Question Mark (?). This represents the number of times Mitt Romney smiled, grinned, or gave an I'm-a-quite-pleased-fellow-type look during his press conference immediately following the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, and it is dependent upon which youtube video you watch. I did screengrabs at the time because Romney's self-satisfied peacocky performance nauseated me and was so elementally Republican. Even the Fox News video on youtube shows a smiling Romney at least 7 times, at 5:28, 6:22, 7:05, 7:18, 7:24-7:27 (that was a long smile), 8:59 and 9:28. Other videos and still photographs show him walking out of the press conference with a big shit-eating grin on his mug.
Zero (0). The number of times President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton looked less than one-hundred-percent solemn during their press conference immediately following the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi. A Commander-in-Chief has to be able to handle good news--and bad news. Secretary Clinton has the temperament and experience to do both.
Nine-Hundred and Fifty-Six Thousand, Seven Hundred and Thirty-Three (956,733). It's the number of miles (approximate) that Hillary Clinton traveled as Secretary of the State for President Barack Obama. That's enough to span the globe 38 times. Again, voters want to elect Presidents who have experience. Who can match Secretary Clinton's Foreign Policy experience?
One Hundred and Twelve (112). This is the number of countries she visited as Secretary of State. Experience!
D. MONEY.
128,702,537 is the total approximate number of dollars spent AGAINST her in the 2008 Democratic Primary and both of the previously-mentioned Senate races. This does not take into account how much Rudy Giuliani spent of the $23.3 million he raised before he quit the senate election in 2000; nor does it factor in amounts spent by Republican PACs or SuperPACs during the early presidential primary and the two New York Senate races. Besides what Lazio and Giuliani spent in her first race for the Senate, other Republicans spent tens of millions of dollars to defeat her.
Two Billion Plus (+2,000,000,000). That's the approximate number of dollars to be spent by the GOP in this election. The Koch Brothers, alone, have pledged over 800 million dollars. These are the dollars that we can see, even if we might not know from whom they came in some instances. And, yet, we must not lose. What happens in the last month of the election when the Koch-puppet is within a few percentage points of, or leading, the Democratic candidate. Another 800 million is small change to them with the presidency within their reach.
Ninety-Three Million, Six Hundred Thousand (93,600,000). Total number in dollars spent by corporations in 7 of the largest advertising campaigns in the history of advertising campaigns (as of July 2014, according to therichest.com). These campaigns were for heavyweight advertisers like Pepsi, Honda, Chrysler and Guinness. Those 7 campaigns COMBINED amount to less than 1/20th of what the GOP is likely to spend in one year, for one election. And, like I noted in the preceding paragraph, if the Kochs smell blood....
Forty-Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand (47,500,000). Amount of money raised by Secretary Clinton (as of July 16, 2015). That doesn't include the 15,600,000 raised by Priorities USA, the same SuperPAC that supported President Obama during his runs. An average of $500,000 per day since her campaign started is a new all-time record. We need a candidate equipped to fight the bludgeon of campaign advertising and networking dollars that will be spent by the GOP. There's a bit of dissonance involved when a candidate proclaims Citizens United to be the absolute bane of Democracy--and then proceeds to allow Republicans bludgeon him with it. HRC will not allow that to happen. She'll be able to fight back.
E. MISCELLANEOUS.
Seventy-Two Million, Eight Hundred Thousand (72,800,000).. Fire up your Google search engine and type in "Hillary Clinton + Fox News," and you will get 72,800,000 hits ... so far.
Forty-Two Million, Six Hundred Thousand (42,600,000).. Do the same thing with teh Google and the names "Bill Clinton and Fox News." The Big Dog only manages 46,200,000 hits.
Eight (8). This number represents the current number of Benghazi hearings held by Congress, helping to inoculate Secretary Clinton. You can only cry wolf only so often. Moreover, it shows how much this lovely little grandmother has those angry old Republican male pre-lifers and gun-boners peeing their dungarees. That makes me smile.
28,775,195 is the approximate number of white, male, angry, republican voters who are peeing their pants because Hillary Clinton may become the 45th President of these United States of America. I based this number on the total number of Romney voters in 2012, then multiplied by the percentage of those who were male.
F. HISTORY.
Two Hundred and Thirty-One (231), which represents the number of years we've had an American Presidency without a Female President. It sucks to be us sometimes.
Two Hundred and Thirty-Two (232), and this represents the number of years we will have had an American Presidency without a Female President in 2016.
Zero (0). This will, hopefully, represent the number of years we will have endured without a Female Democratic President starting in 2017.
Nineteen Hundred and Twenty (1920). Women in the United States First Gained the Right to Vote that year.
Fourteen (14). That would be the number of years Golda Meir lived in the United States during which time Women did not have the Right to Vote. That's shameful. I obtained this number from a reading of the biography of Golda Meir, who came to the United States in 1906. When she arrived in America, she couldn't vote because of her age--oh, and because she was a woman!
Nineteen Hundred and Fifty (1950). This is the year during which Women in India First Gained the Right to Vote.
Nineteen Hundred and Sixty-Six (1966). And, this is the Year during which India elected their First Female Prime Minister.
Eighteen Hundred and Eighty-Seven (1887). First female mayor in the world. The first woman mayor recorded is believed to be Susanna Madora Salter of the United States who served as mayor of Argonia, Kansas in 1887.
Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Three (1983). First woman in space. Her name was Dr. Sally Ride. She had a magnificent career but left us too early at the age of 1961 because of Pancreatic Cancer. RIP, Dr. Ride.
Nineteen Hundred and Three (1903). First woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her name is legend, Marie Curie. She shared the prize with her husband, Pierre and another scientist.
Nineteen Hundred and Eleven (1911) Eight years after winning her first Nobel, Marie Curie won her second--and she didn't have to share this one. At that time, she was the only person to ever win Nobel Prizes in two different science fields. She remains the only person ever to do so.