Geraldine Ferraro’s Shot Across Obama’s Bow
20 May 2008 12:33 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
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It was unmistakable.
It’s been bubbling for months.
It’s reached the start of a crescendo recently.
Now the first female vice presidential candidate in U.S. history, Geraldine Ferraro, just hinted that she may not
vote for Obama if he’s the nominee. It’s quite a signal to send.
… .. Some even accuse Mr. Obama of chauvinism, pointing to the time he
called Mrs. Clinton “likeable enough” as evidence of dismissiveness.
Nancy Wait, 55, a social worker in Columbia City, Ind., said Mr. Obama was
far less qualified than Mrs. Clinton and described as condescending his recent
assurances that Mrs. Clinton should stay in the race as long as she liked.
Ms. Wait said she would “absolutely, positively not” vote for
him come fall.Ms. Ferraro, who clashed with the Obama campaign about whether she made a
racially offensive remark, said she might not either. “I think Obama
was terribly sexist,” she said.Cynthia Ruccia, 55, a sales director for Mary Kay cosmetics in Columbus,
Ohio, is organizing a group, Clinton Supporters Count Too, of mostly women
in swing states who plan to campaign against Mr. Obama in November. …
Don’t think Clinton’s female supporters aren’t listening.
The Boston Herald writer Margery Eagan called it: “throwing principles out the window because they can’t get their own way.” Newday
called the potential protest “an act of political immaturity.”
One thing is certain, Senator Obama has made a mess of this, as has his campaign.
Early on, arrogantly pronouncing that he could get the vote of Clinton supporters, while
he wasn’t sure she could get his was the starter, with Mrs. Obama making it
worse with her remarks. Obama’s supporters didn’t help either, attacking Clinton supporters with profanity and worse.
There long ago began a hardening of hearts and attitudes on the Clinton supporter side, with
women now determined to stiff Obama if he’s the nominee (taking myself out of the equation). But they’re not
just going to sit out the election. Many of Clinton’s supporters are planning
to vote for John McCain. It’s hard to believe, I know, but it’s a fact.
Oh, and about principle, Eagan is wrong. It’s all about principle. Clinton’s supporters don’t understand why the woman with the big vote total is being pushed out. Brokering a nominee who refuses to count Michigan and Florida is not their idea of democracy from the Democratic Party, which they’ve supported for decades. Barack Obama stands for everything they’ve come to loathe this primary season, the sexism, his silence about it, his own complicity in it, the disrespect of Senator Clinton, the list is indelibly marked in each Clinton supporter’s brain.
There are many in the pundit class pontificating that all this rancor from
Clinton supporters will go away (if Obama is the nominee). That it’s just the
way people feel today. They couldn’t be more wrong. I should know, because few
people have easier access to what Clinton’s voters are feeling and saying than
me. Frankly, after what I’ve seen this primary
season, I don’t blame them. It’s not like Senator Obama has made any effort
towards them at all. Oh, he’s now asking his supporters to play nice with Clinton’s 17 million plus base, because he’s going to need them (if he’s the nominee). I’m afraid it may be too little, too late.
