P
Patriot Games
Guest
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/8/21/164717.shtml?s=lh
Will Americans Elect a Woman to the White House?
NewsMax.com Wires Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa _ A pair of Sen. Hillary Clinton's worst nightmares trudged
past a giant blue "Hillary for President" sign outside the Iowa State Fair
here with palpable disgust.
"Hillary can go to hell," said Alice Aszman, 66, a Democrat from Ottumwa.
"I'll never vote for her. I don't think a woman should be president. I think
a man should. They've got more authority."
Her husband, Daniel, 50, also a Democrat, agreed: "I think women should stay
home instead of being boss."
That's not what Clinton wants to hear from voters like the Aszmans, who
described themselves as "working-class." But there's also no question that,
even as Clinton, the New York Democrat, widens her lead in national polls of
Democratic voters, becoming the first woman president won't be easy.
Appealing to female voters as a sister-in-arms won't be enough to win the
White House, and a potentially worrisome gender gap has emerged in polls
between levels of male and female support for Clinton.
A July poll of likely Democratic caucus-goers by the University of Iowa
found that Clinton had 30 percent support among women and 18 percent among
men. By comparison, there was no difference in gender support for Illinois
Sen. Barack Obama, who got 21 percent from both men and women.
The same poll found that 32 percent of women strongly agreed that Clinton
was electable, while only 14 percent of men did. And 30 percent of women
strongly agreed that Clinton was the Democrats' strongest candidate, while
only 17 percent of men did.
Clinton brings special baggage to the campaign, demonized as she was through
the 1990s by conservative talk-show hosts haranguing the white male voters
whom Clinton must woo now. That's one reason why Clinton has the highest
"disapproval ratings" among Democrats, ranging into the mid-40s in national
polls.
She addresses the unique nature of her candidacy at every campaign stop:
"I'm proud to be running to be the first woman president, but I'm not
running because I'm a woman," Clinton tells voters. "I'm running because I
think I'm the best qualified and experienced to hit the ground running and
get the job done."
At several recent campaign events in Iowa, many male and female voters said
they didn't care about Clinton's gender.
"This country's in bad shape. I think it's going to take someone with
Hillary's ability to get things done," said Roger Davids of Council Bluffs,
a retired Army noncommissioned officer whose years of service showed on his
weary face, wiry frame, and the aged tattoos festooning his arms. "I think
she's a doer. It's not all talk."
Davids called the United States "long overdue" for a woman. "Look at
Margaret Thatcher. She did a good job."
Nevertheless, several voters conceded there is a subtext of gender bias
apparent.
Some of it comes from women: "Women are their own worst enemy," said Sheryl
McConkey, 53, an inventory manager from Council Bluffs who supports Clinton.
One female friend told McConkey, "How can she manage the country when she
couldn't manage her own husband?"
But polls show women are Clinton's "natural constituency ... much more
likely to support Hillary Clinton than men are," said David Redlawsk, a
political scientist at the University of Iowa. "Some of it is just who
Hillary Clinton is and people's responses to her. Some of it is ... some men
still won't vote for a woman, no matter what they tell a pollster."
Charles McConkey, 52, of Council Bluffs, is a maintenance mechanic at a pipe
foundry. He's undecided, but considering Clinton: "There's no doubt in my
mind" she's capable of being president.
But he added, "I know a lot of people who won't" vote for Clinton because
she's a woman. "It's just stupid. They won't come out and say it. But a lot
of guys are just stupid."
Dick Applegate, 63, a retired steelworker from Waukee, agreed: "I think
we're ready" for a woman president. "But there's a lot of `em against it. A
lot of `em don't think it's time. It's an element."
That may not matter much in preliminary rounds. In a caucus, candidates must
simply identify their most committed supporters and get them out. Turnout in
Iowa's Democratic caucus will likely be 20 percent or less of registered
voters, evenly split between men and women. A small subset of hard-core
supporters - that "natural constituency" - can take a candidate a long way
in a crowded field.
In New Hampshire, the first primary state, female primary voters outnumber
male voters by about 60 percent to 40 percent, so a similar gender gap there
is no problem, said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New
Hampshire Survey Center.
In a general election however, it could be a major problem, because men
traditionally vote for Republicans at a higher rate than women vote for
Democrats.
"She has to be careful the men don't split against her more than women split
for her," Smith said.
Clinton is trying to close the gender gap in several ways. She runs on a
theme of "strength and experience" aimed more for the general-election
audience.
"I think she's got the leadership ability. She shows that in the debates,"
said Arthur Henderson, 70, of Council Bluffs, a retired car maintenance man
for the Union Pacific Railroad. He's undecided. "She don't take the rear
seat to nothing."
Her meld of populism and responsibility also could appeal to wary males. Her
first television ad of the campaign, aired this month, swiped at the Bush
administration, claiming it ignores the daily struggles of average
Americans.
Her stump speech squarely targets economic angst, which cuts across gender
lines. She promises to end the "the steady and slow erosion of the American
middle class ... it's not rich people who made this country great. It's the
middle class!"
She offers no free ride, challenging listeners to "roll up our sleeves and
get to work. ... We are living off the investments and the innovations of
previous generations of Americans. What is it we will do to get our country
on the right track?"
Finally, Clinton's underrated retail politicking skills may help win over
skeptics of either gender. On the trail in Iowa, she won easy laughs by
displaying humor and empathy.
In Waukee, she impishly exclaimed "Ooh, I feel like Oprah," as she waded
into the crowd with a microphone. At the State Fair, she announced "I'm
gonna eat my way across the fair," and did just that, ingesting an
impressive array of Midwestern soul food.
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Clinton supporter, said in an interview that
he thinks Clinton will be able to overcome gender-based doubts because of
the personal nature of politics in early-voting states such as Iowa and New
Hampshire.
"The more people get to touch her and see her and hear her, the more they
know she sees them," Vilsack said, echoing Clinton's TV ads. "There's been a
concerted effort to mischaracterize her. That's why when people do meet her,
they're so impressed, because she's nothing like what people have tried to
portray her as."
Will Americans Elect a Woman to the White House?
NewsMax.com Wires Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa _ A pair of Sen. Hillary Clinton's worst nightmares trudged
past a giant blue "Hillary for President" sign outside the Iowa State Fair
here with palpable disgust.
"Hillary can go to hell," said Alice Aszman, 66, a Democrat from Ottumwa.
"I'll never vote for her. I don't think a woman should be president. I think
a man should. They've got more authority."
Her husband, Daniel, 50, also a Democrat, agreed: "I think women should stay
home instead of being boss."
That's not what Clinton wants to hear from voters like the Aszmans, who
described themselves as "working-class." But there's also no question that,
even as Clinton, the New York Democrat, widens her lead in national polls of
Democratic voters, becoming the first woman president won't be easy.
Appealing to female voters as a sister-in-arms won't be enough to win the
White House, and a potentially worrisome gender gap has emerged in polls
between levels of male and female support for Clinton.
A July poll of likely Democratic caucus-goers by the University of Iowa
found that Clinton had 30 percent support among women and 18 percent among
men. By comparison, there was no difference in gender support for Illinois
Sen. Barack Obama, who got 21 percent from both men and women.
The same poll found that 32 percent of women strongly agreed that Clinton
was electable, while only 14 percent of men did. And 30 percent of women
strongly agreed that Clinton was the Democrats' strongest candidate, while
only 17 percent of men did.
Clinton brings special baggage to the campaign, demonized as she was through
the 1990s by conservative talk-show hosts haranguing the white male voters
whom Clinton must woo now. That's one reason why Clinton has the highest
"disapproval ratings" among Democrats, ranging into the mid-40s in national
polls.
She addresses the unique nature of her candidacy at every campaign stop:
"I'm proud to be running to be the first woman president, but I'm not
running because I'm a woman," Clinton tells voters. "I'm running because I
think I'm the best qualified and experienced to hit the ground running and
get the job done."
At several recent campaign events in Iowa, many male and female voters said
they didn't care about Clinton's gender.
"This country's in bad shape. I think it's going to take someone with
Hillary's ability to get things done," said Roger Davids of Council Bluffs,
a retired Army noncommissioned officer whose years of service showed on his
weary face, wiry frame, and the aged tattoos festooning his arms. "I think
she's a doer. It's not all talk."
Davids called the United States "long overdue" for a woman. "Look at
Margaret Thatcher. She did a good job."
Nevertheless, several voters conceded there is a subtext of gender bias
apparent.
Some of it comes from women: "Women are their own worst enemy," said Sheryl
McConkey, 53, an inventory manager from Council Bluffs who supports Clinton.
One female friend told McConkey, "How can she manage the country when she
couldn't manage her own husband?"
But polls show women are Clinton's "natural constituency ... much more
likely to support Hillary Clinton than men are," said David Redlawsk, a
political scientist at the University of Iowa. "Some of it is just who
Hillary Clinton is and people's responses to her. Some of it is ... some men
still won't vote for a woman, no matter what they tell a pollster."
Charles McConkey, 52, of Council Bluffs, is a maintenance mechanic at a pipe
foundry. He's undecided, but considering Clinton: "There's no doubt in my
mind" she's capable of being president.
But he added, "I know a lot of people who won't" vote for Clinton because
she's a woman. "It's just stupid. They won't come out and say it. But a lot
of guys are just stupid."
Dick Applegate, 63, a retired steelworker from Waukee, agreed: "I think
we're ready" for a woman president. "But there's a lot of `em against it. A
lot of `em don't think it's time. It's an element."
That may not matter much in preliminary rounds. In a caucus, candidates must
simply identify their most committed supporters and get them out. Turnout in
Iowa's Democratic caucus will likely be 20 percent or less of registered
voters, evenly split between men and women. A small subset of hard-core
supporters - that "natural constituency" - can take a candidate a long way
in a crowded field.
In New Hampshire, the first primary state, female primary voters outnumber
male voters by about 60 percent to 40 percent, so a similar gender gap there
is no problem, said Andrew Smith, director of the University of New
Hampshire Survey Center.
In a general election however, it could be a major problem, because men
traditionally vote for Republicans at a higher rate than women vote for
Democrats.
"She has to be careful the men don't split against her more than women split
for her," Smith said.
Clinton is trying to close the gender gap in several ways. She runs on a
theme of "strength and experience" aimed more for the general-election
audience.
"I think she's got the leadership ability. She shows that in the debates,"
said Arthur Henderson, 70, of Council Bluffs, a retired car maintenance man
for the Union Pacific Railroad. He's undecided. "She don't take the rear
seat to nothing."
Her meld of populism and responsibility also could appeal to wary males. Her
first television ad of the campaign, aired this month, swiped at the Bush
administration, claiming it ignores the daily struggles of average
Americans.
Her stump speech squarely targets economic angst, which cuts across gender
lines. She promises to end the "the steady and slow erosion of the American
middle class ... it's not rich people who made this country great. It's the
middle class!"
She offers no free ride, challenging listeners to "roll up our sleeves and
get to work. ... We are living off the investments and the innovations of
previous generations of Americans. What is it we will do to get our country
on the right track?"
Finally, Clinton's underrated retail politicking skills may help win over
skeptics of either gender. On the trail in Iowa, she won easy laughs by
displaying humor and empathy.
In Waukee, she impishly exclaimed "Ooh, I feel like Oprah," as she waded
into the crowd with a microphone. At the State Fair, she announced "I'm
gonna eat my way across the fair," and did just that, ingesting an
impressive array of Midwestern soul food.
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Clinton supporter, said in an interview that
he thinks Clinton will be able to overcome gender-based doubts because of
the personal nature of politics in early-voting states such as Iowa and New
Hampshire.
"The more people get to touch her and see her and hear her, the more they
know she sees them," Vilsack said, echoing Clinton's TV ads. "There's been a
concerted effort to mischaracterize her. That's why when people do meet her,
they're so impressed, because she's nothing like what people have tried to
portray her as."