Clinton Emphasizes Her Gender as Strategy

[babylonsister]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0207/2842.html

Clinton Emphasizes Her Gender as Strategy

By: Ben Smith
February 20, 2007 08:14 AM EST


COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Roberta Stokes said she cried Monday morning when she heard Hillary Rodham Clinton ask whether America is ready for a woman to be president. "That was emotional to me," said Stokes, 69, a retired teacher. "A lot of people don't understand that a woman is strong enough to do that." But Stokes said she'd also been moved when Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., came to Columbia last week, carrying the promise that he could become the first black president. "I couldn't make a choice right now on them," she said.

Clinton spent Monday morning before a mostly black, mostly female crowd in the South Carolina capital, and she seemed to grasp Stokes' choice clearly. Her pitch was equally clear: One pioneer at a time.

"I believe this presidential election is about breaking barriers," Clinton said. "This is the campaign and I am the candidate with the experience to break those barriers."

Clinton's tailored case to a black audience reflected her new directness in talking about herself as a woman and a mother. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reportedly took voice lessons to sound more like a man; Clinton has gone in the other direction since announcing her bid for the presidency, speaking more explicitly about her sex than ever before in her political career. And while the shift has the lofty aim of trying to change national attitudes toward women, it also reflects a cold, strategic reality.

"I like numbers. I like politics because it is about the bottom line," said Ann Lewis, a former White House communications director who has long been, among other roles, Clinton's liaison to women's groups. "Fifty-four percent of the electorate in November 2004 was women."

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[wyldwolf]

1. HOW DARE SHE play to the emotions of voters! HOW DARE SHE!!

[MadHound]

2. I was wondering when this strategy would start to play out.

I imagine that before all of this is through, partisan Hillary supporters will start screaming that anybody who criticizes Hillary, or even looks at her cross-eyed is a sexist freeper pig.

[Adelante]

3. Nothing wrong with it

Everybody emphasizes something about themselves as a campaign theme.

[welshTerrier2]

4. "this presidential election is about breaking barriers"

unless you're a gay person who wants to get married. on that barrier, Senator Barrier Breaker says "not so much" ...

[Tellurian]

5. Women ARE relevant as Leaders...Like it or NOT!

It's about time we come into the 21st Century and be seen as equals capable of handling jobs customarily held by men..

GO HILLARY!

[Larkspur]

6. Hillary is the wrong woman to be President

I would love to vote for a woman for President, but I will judge them the same way I judge the male candidates and for me Hillary is the wrong choice for President. Right now, I'm in favor of keeping the White House vacant for 4 years.

[Tellurian]

7. We can't afford ANOTHER 4 yrs of a vacant WH..

I don't know what LOVE has to do with anything.

I'm not thinking with my heart. I'm using sound judgment, knowing our
present leadership will have to be taken out of the WH with a shoe horn.

Hillary Clinton is the only one capable of extricating us from the siege of the WH pinkos..

I'm voting in the primary for HILLARY!

enough is enough!

[Cha]

8. Yep, I don't see any women

running for Prez this year who stand for Democratic Principles. And shillary doesn't even want my vote.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x264108

[babylonsister]

10. She doesn't want my vote either! nt

[Leilani]

9. Hillary Clinton is no role model

She's where she is because of her husband.

In New York Nita Lowey was the prospective Dem candidate for the Senate. When Hillary decided to run, Lowey was just removed; a contested primary was not allowed.

What other woman would have the field cleared for her?

And IMO, much of Hillary's support & appeal is really a yearning for Bill to return to the scene.

Thanks Hillary, but I'll pass & wait for a woman who did it on her own. And there are plenty of them out there.