To some Democrats, particularly those who supported Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama's nomination still doesn't feel right. There are a great many Democrats who don't know Obama's position on net neutrality and who don't pay too much attention to voting records -- even votes related to the Iraq War. To those Democrats, Hillary Clinton was next in line for the party's presidential nomination. And to them, Obama cut the line.
What's worse, Barack Obama represents another in a long line of men who got the top spot over a woman, despite the fact that the woman, in the views of many, was more experienced and more qualified.
To many women voters, as well as to union workers who believe that seniority matters and to seniors who believe that experience has value, the Obama nomination doesn't make sense. To them, it doesn't matter that Obama was right on the Iraq War, or that he put together a winning campaign, or that he represents "change we can believe in." To them, Obama cut the line. And that's just wrong.
But he can make it right.
For Obama to win the support of union workers, seniors, and women -- on a massive scale -- he has to acknowledge that seniority matters, and experience matters, and women's rights matter. How do I know this? I grew up in a Rust Belt state and talk to a lot of old shop workers and women, and I just had dinner with a Hillary Clinton supporter who's kind of pissed off. I'm paraphrasing, but the gist of it was ....
"As a woman who works in a support role, I do your work for you. I make you look good. But you get the big salary and the promotion. I get passed by. I take time off to bear children and raise a family, and to you, that counts for nothing."
"Well, raising children matters. Motherhood has value. Experience very often beats an Ivy League education. And if you don't recognize that, then you're a friggin' idiot -- or sexist, or ageist."
Barack Obama is the superior candidate, and yet 18 million people voted for his Democratic rival. Why? Because to many voters, Barack Obama cut the line. And because raising children matters. Motherhood has value. Experience very often beats an Ivy League education. And if you don't recognize that, you're a friggin' idiot -- or sexist, or ageist.
If Barack Obama wants the full support of women in this election, he'll need to let them know that he cares as much about women's rights as he does about education or the environment. He'll need to speak out on women's issues. And the next time some member of the media calls Hillary a bitch, he'll need to stand up for her -- and for all women. And he'll certainly need to make clear that any judges he appoints, especially Supreme Court justices, will recognize women's rights.
If he wants to win the full support of blue collar workers, especially union guys, he's going to have to show them that things like seniority and experience have value. He may need to publicize some of the experienced advisors on his team and make them more visible members of his campaign. But he's going to have to show them respect, and acknowledge the value they bring to our society.
As much as the 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance need support in Washington, so do the seniors who get laid off for a younger worker, and so do the women who get passed over for a promotion. They need hope too.