It is no secret that I like Hillary Clinton, and that I happily, proudly, almost giddily voted for her in our state's presidential primary. I think she is smart, tough when necessary, shrewd, passionate, compassionate, intense, well-spoken, well-read - namely, all the things I want in a president. That she happened to be a woman was just icing on my cake.
Was I disappointed when she didn't get the Democratic nomination for president? You betcha. But I am not so disappointed that I will vote for any woman. And if John McCain thinks that I will transfer my vote that will not get to be for Senator Clinton to Governor Palin, then I must look stupid to him. As far as I can tell, the only thing about which Governor Palin and I agree is a woman's right to color her hair any color she likes.
One of my favorite columnists, Leonard Pitts, said it far better than I ever could in his recent column, "Gov. Palin and Sen. Clinton 'could hardly be less alike'":
The notion that Hillary's women will automatically become Sarah's carries the implicit assumption that a woman is a woman is a woman is a woman, that disaffected female supporters of Clinton will flock to Palin because she has the right reproductive organs and never mind that, politically, the two could hardly be less alike. Never mind pro-choice versus pro-life. Never mind Iraq, Iran, gas prices, the mortgage crisis, failing schools. Chromosomes conquer all...
I believe that if I were a woman, even one who had supported Clinton, I'd still be insulted at this notion that any woman will do, affronted by this attempt to manipulate my hunger for history.
Indeed. And while I have long respected Senator McCain, he just fumbled the ball big-time with me. There was never a possiblity that I might vote for him - too many ideological differences for me to do that - and naming Governor Palin to his ticket certainly does not improve his chances with me. I am left, however, feeling slightly offended and belittled. And it takes a lot to offend me.
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