Two articles in The New York Times today and tomorrow suggest that despite the historic candidacy of Hillary Clinton, the first female to lead in Presidential polling in a primary and general election, the best candidate for women this time around might actually be a man: Barack Obama.
"I’m sure that there was a woman somewhere who looked across the kitchen table at her husband and said ‘you know, I’m smarter than him, and I don’t know why he has the right to vote and I don’t.’ And she went to talk to her friends and stirring things up and mobilizing and marching until women were full partners in the process of American renewal." – Barack Obama, Stump Speech
Barack Obama’s platform specifically emphasizes a progressive stance on issues that are important to women voters, and has been vocal throughout his campaign about his desire to do right by women as President. The lengthly list on Women for Barack Obama emphasizes the many areas in which an Obama Presidency will benefit American women, with explanations for each. Here are just some of his positions:
Supporting A Woman’s Right to Choose | Preventing Unwanted Pregnancy |
Reducing Domestic Violence | Strengthening Domestic Violence Laws |
Fixing the Nation’s Healthcare System | Empowering Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS |
Supporting Research into Women’s Health and Stem Cells | Fighting Gender Violence Abroad |
Fighting for Pay Equality | Investing in Women-Owned Businesses |
Improving Child-Support Collection | Raising the Minimum Wage |
Supporting Low-Income Families | Improving After-School Programs |
Expanding Early Childhood Education | Promoting Women in Math and Science |
Improving Schools | Making College More Affordable |
One other issue it’s worth mentioning is Obama’s commitment to fighting women’s cancers. Obama is an original co-sponsor of Johanna's Law, which educates women about ovarian cancer. This issue is near to Obama personally, as his mother passed away from ovarian cancer. As a State Senator in Illinois, Obama led the fight to pass legislation that expanded insurance coverage for mammograms.
Obama has spent his life surrounded by strong women, so it’s no surprise that he should carry such an obvious feminist stance into his campaign. However, his vocal support of American women has importance beyond simply courting an important segment of the electorate. Many women have never experienced a man standing up for their rights and arguing that women and men are equal. The importance of such an overly feminist male candidate can’t be overlooked in the wider importance of helping women to stand up to fight – and vote – for themselves with confidence.
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Now, Clinton’s campaign is historic regardless of the outcome, and many women are eager to vote for her in order to fulfill a life-long dream of electing a female President. However, many of these women are coming to the conclusion that Obama is better candidate for their set of issues. In an article entitled Feminist Pitch by a Democrat Named Obama, many women who have switched their support from Clinton to Obama discuss this quandary:
Some of the women supporting Mr. Obama — politically active Democrats, women who pay attention to the glass ceiling in politics — admitted that they had to overcome a few pangs to close the deal. "As a strong feminist most of my life, the question always is, How can you not support the woman candidate?" said Jean Lloyd-Jones, a longtime Democratic activist in Iowa. "And I frankly have been torn by that."
In the end, Ms. Lloyd-Jones said she finally decided that Mr. Obama was the more progressive candidate, and her progressive instincts trumped her feminist instincts.
The important thing is, Ms. Lloyd-Jones can be true to both her progressive and feminist instincts in voting for Obama, because his platforms include many policies that will benefit all American women. Arguably, one’s feminist instincts should inspire him or her to vote for the candidate who will work the hardest for gender equality.
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Of course, we can’t talk about Obama and the women’s vote without discussing Oprah Winfrey’s decision to campaign for Obama in early primary states. Interestingly, the Times has a feature story on this in tomorrow’s Style section—not the part of the paper where one usually expects to find hard-hitting political analysis. I’m glad to see the article there, however, as it might help reach women who have stayed out of the race so far.
In The Oprah Party Wants You, Katharine Seelye suggests that Oprah’s endorsement will have a positive effect on the Obama candidacy.
Ms. Winfrey is adored by millions of women who might just as easily support Mrs. Clinton. In fact, if they voted in the 1990s, they probably voted for Mr. Clinton.
Of Ms. Winfrey’s daytime audience of 8.6 million viewers, 75 percent are women. More than half are older than 50, 44 percent make less than $40,000 a year and about 25 percent have no more than a high school diploma, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Many of these viewers fit the profile of a Clinton supporter, which is one reason Ms. Winfrey may be valuable to Mr. Obama.
Obama doesn’t expect Oprah fans to vote for him simply because she endorsed his candidacy. He hopes they will vote for him because he is the best candidate, not just for women, but for all Americans.
However, the "Oprah Effect" can be pretty powerful—she managed to sell millions of copies of Anna Karenina when it was featured on her book club, and an Oprah endorsement of a product or charity can spell record-breaking success. Of course, a political candidate is not a sweater or a school in South Africa, but Oprah represents a trusted voice, almost akin to a confidant for her audience, who welcome her into their homes every afternoon. I myself have a great deal of respect for Oprah in terms of her personal story overcoming abuse and racism to her tremendous charitable contributions. And in terms of reaching stay-at-home Moms, arguably no one is better than Oprah. Besides, how many other media outlets pitched towards women are even talking about primary politics?
What pleases me about Oprah’s endorsement is that it signifies a larger, more idealistic accord between the two:
Certainly, on a meta-level, there is a harmony between Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Obama, both in outlook and promise. They both speak of the politics of hope. They speak of change and spiritual renewal. Ms. Winfrey’s philosophy carries the promise of self-improvement, and her endorsement, by extension, could carry the promise of nation-improvement.
"Obama is a post-polarization candidate and Oprah is a post-polarization celebrity," said Ross K. Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers. "Whereas people like Barbra Streisand and Jane Fonda make you think of taking to the barricades, with Oprah it’s conciliation and brotherhood." (Ms. Streisand endorsed Mrs. Clinton last week.)
I’ve watched a lot of Oprah, and many of her shows focus on inspiring women and emboldening them to pursue what makes them happy. Her message can be relentlessly optimistic, reminding these women to be true to themselves. For a certain percentage of her audience, they may not hear that message anywhere else. Thus, connecting Obama’s historic candidacy to the larger message of female self-confidence and improvement is all the more powerful.
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No matter what, I’m thrilled to see Democratic candidates eagerly courting female voters. Women are a key portion of the electorate. According to CNN’s exit polling, women comprised 54% of the electorate in the 2004 Presidential race, and voted 51%-48% for John Kerry. (Men voted by an 11% margin for Bush.)
More recent data suggests that female voters’ support of Democratic candidates is increasing. According to CNN’s exit polling in the November ’06 House elections, women voted 55%-43% for the Democratic candidate. Interestingly, while White women voted 49%-50% Democratic-Republican respectively, non-White women voted 78%-21% for the Democrats. In 2004, the results were 52%-46% for all women, 45%-54% for White women and 76%-23%. So, this illustrates an increasing trend of women voting Democratic, especially among White women.
Most importantly, polling on the 2008 election suggests that women are supporting the Democrats even more: a July poll by The New York Times/CBS News said they were likely to vote Democratic in the 2008 presidential election by a balance of 53 percent to 27 percent.
Regardless of the outcome of the primary, this woman looks forward to voting for the Democratic candidate in 2008. Until then, though, my support for Barack Obama remains firm, not only because I think he is the best candidate for women, but also because I think he’s the best candidate for America.
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For more information, check out this video from the Obama campaign talking to real women about their support for Barack.
Alice Walker is in it, which I think is pretty darn cool.
For other great diaries on this topic, also please check out greenboy’s diary Oprah Endorsement puts Obama within single digits of Clinton and Adam B's diary The Smartest, Simplest Policy Proposal of The Campaign on Obama’s fantastic platform to fight domestic violence. Populista also has a great diary on Obama's Campaign Office in Alabama: he's taking the 50-state strategy to heart.