I was just over at Hillary Clinton's website, surfing through the comments on her blog. Far too many to count were saying "I respect and love Hillary, but I won't vote for Obama." WTF? I think that the mask has been ripped off of something that has been hidden in the Democratic party for a very long time; it is beyond my capacity to analyze - is it frustrated privilege, taking their ball and going home? Is it venting that will release loud noises and gouts of steam, and then calm down? Have these people actually ever been supporters of democratic ideals? I think what worries me the most is the ahistorical, unreflective approach taken by these people. Have they never faced adversity in their lives, or had to settle for less than the whole pie?
I fear that Barack Obama will have to do without the support of a significant fraction of the women's vote that the Democratic party has been accustomed to relying on. I think he can still prevail, but does this mean that the party should direct more efforts to winning these people back, or focus on voters who are attracted to a new coalition? I don't want to spend another 30 years trying to woo these disaffected voters, the same way that so much time was wasted trying to recapture the so-called "Reagan democrats." But I make no claim to special insight, I just want to raise it as an issue for consideration.