Yes, it would have been nice to have finally broken the gender barrier. But it was never going to be. A Clinton nominee would have meant a McCain presidency. Too much of this country thinks very little of Hillary and her experience in elected office is less than Obama’s. So for all you that were hoping for Clinton, get over it and move on.
And where should you move to? Well, Obama, of course. What choice do you have? Well, yes, McCain is a good candidate and yes, he has picked a woman running mate. But be honest with yourself: why were you for Clinton? Was it for her positions on health care? Or maybe the Iraq war? Or maybe on tax cuts for working class? While Obama’s positions may not be as liberal as Clinton’s, McCains are far more conservative. Therefore, your nearest ideological choice is Obama.
There are former Clinton supporters that have banded together to back McCain. These people are idiots. If they truly believed in Clinton’s policies and platform, they would have to get on the train to conservative town, pass on through nearby Obama-ville, and keep on motoring to distant McCain-town. And again, while I too would like the gender barrier broken, I don’t believe that is a sufficient sole qualification for President.
Therefore, you former Clinton supporters need to actually focus on you believe in, besides a President with lady parts. Things like the economy, the war, health care. Figure out what you think about those issues and then vote accordingly.
Are they voting _for_ a woman candidate or _against_ a black candidate? I would venture a guess (sadly) that for much of white-America, a white female (like themselves or their wives) is far less “scary” than a black male. Sad, but I fear true.
Excellent point, beej9. You may be right about that. Hard to believe that people could be boldly racist, though they may not even realize it themselves.