Oh, for ef's sake!

I'm talking about the baby boomer women who are threatening to take their toys and go home if Hillary doesn't receive the democratic nomination.  First of all, this smacks the face of democracy.  Sorry folks, but when your guy or gal doesn't win, you suck it up.  And when you're talking about the primary, you not only gotta suck it up, you gotta rally around the one you didn't pick.  I didn't love or vote for John Kerry in the primary, but I hit the sidewalk to get him elected.  The alternative was, and is, too scary.

What is it with our party?  We'd rather stand for some principal than play to win, even it means running our country even further into the ground.  I don't want to say that we shouldn't thoroughly examine the impact of chauvinism (and racism, btw - yeah West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania I'm looking at you) within our party, but we gotta put that aside now and keep our eye on the prize.  Didn't we learn anything in 2000?  All you "they're all the same" 3rd party advocates who voted for Nader not because you actually thought Nader would be a good president sure have been eating a lot of humble pie lately.  Shall we do the same thing in November if Obama gets the nomination?  I think it's clear what a catastrophe that will be.  Anyone who says that they'd vote for McCain over Obama if Hillary doesn't win simply isn't a big-D Democrat, and what the hell are you doing voting in my primary and skewing poll numbers anyway?

Is there male chauvinism in the democratic party?  Of course.  Is the level of discrimination out of sync with the country as a whole? I don't think so.  Should the more liberal of our two parties be more inclusive of women? Yes, and I think clearly we are.  Under the banner of the democratic party women have made the largest leaps towards equality in the political arena.  Women get NO LOVE from the Republicans, especially those that pander to the Christian right.   And who are you going to vote for if McCain puts Mitt Romney on his ticket?  No, mormons aren't a misogynist lot.

More importantly, are the party elite intentionally trying to push Hillary out?  Maybe, but it's not because she's a woman.  It's because she's one of the more polarizing political figures in our nation's recent history, and we know that moderate republicans won't swing to her.  We also know a lot of republicans (and apparently democrats) won't vote for a black man, but Obama can make up for that by recruiting new voters.  

I actually used to like Hillary, and very nearly voted for her in the Virginia primary.  I never thought she deserved the vitriol that has been thrown her way since her husband's first presidential campaign.  But let me be clear, it's the republicans who are toxic, not the dems.  I know this from the giddy comments my dad often makes about her, talking points he regurgitates from Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh.  Even long after her husband left office, my dad was still going on about Hillary.  The republican base believes she's a communist, and a bitch.  They really believe she had Vince Foster killed and that she was the primary mover behind the Whitewater land deal.  Republican talking heads have nearly 20 years of experience trashing her.  That's more than Hillary can claim as her presidential experience.  Republicans hate her more than they hate Bill.  

They don't really love Obama either, but comparatively they've got very little to throw at him.  And they're once again fronting the oldest guy to ever run for office who will likely against one of the youngest (anyone else remember poor ole Bob Dole matched against Bill Clinton).  McCain's not nearly as out of touch as Bob Dole was, but they're going to have a tough time endearing McCain to Obama's teaming masses of young people.  

This is why Hillary can't be our nominee.  I'd love to see a woman move into the white house in a capacity that doesn't leave her organizing socials.  I'd even love to see Bill organizing the socials.  I really do think she's smart, capable, and would do a great job. But she can't win in November - she's not even winning the primary.

I've complained before that I think Hillary Clinton's campaign is actually setting women back.  I really loathe that she even hinted at crying on tv to make herself seem more sympathetic.  I hate it even more than a bunch of smooshy women fell for it, and handed her New Hampshire.  But all of her complaints about being asked the first question in debates, and being treated unfairly in the media only makes her seem whiny and definitely a sore loser.  Hello, the media always favors someone - look what they did to Al Gore and John Kerry.  Isn't it better to move forward with someone that's already a media darling?

Now Hillary's grasping for votes anywhere she can get them - unfair election in Florida and completely ludicrous election in Michigan - while her math conveniently leaves out caucus states like Iowa and Maine.  Freaking Iowa! Really?  *sigh*

Remember how much you really dislike Reese Witherspoon's character in "Election," but dislike yourself even more for feeling a little sorry for her?  This whole primary season is kinda like that.  Only this time it's not ironic, and thankfully no one is wearing pegged jeans.