by Blake Rogers
This is what we know: On Friday morning, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will be campaigning for the first time together in Unity, New Hampshire (note – the less than subtle choice of location). Irregardless of how she may really feel about having to now stump for her former rival, this is another thing we know: she will try to persuade her supporters, with Clinton-esque zeal, to unconditionally back the Obama bandwagon as it gears up its campaign against John McCain in the fall. Though political pundits and bloggers everywhere will be watching her every facial gesture for signs of insincerity, it’s her words that we must focus in on. Can she convincingly make the case to her die-hard female supporters that a vote for John McCain would be suicidal to the Women’s Movement?
Those of you who don’t know why Mr. McCain would be such a threat are not checking your facts. In his 25 plus years in politics, he has consistently voted against women’s rights and issues, whether related to health care, birth control, or equal pay. He supports overturning Roe v. Wade, and has vowed, if elected President, to appoint judges to the Supreme Court who agree with him (note – he only needs to appoint ONE of them in order to do this). Of course, as Planned Parenthood points out in their website, 51 percent of women voters in battleground states have no idea what McCain’s stance is on these issues.
“Who cares,” some Clinton loyalists may say, “I’m pro-life anyway. John McCain respects the women in his own life and has family values.” When McCain returned to the US in 1973 after his incarceration in Vietnam, he came home to find his first wife Carol had been disfigured by car accident, was broke, and had gained a little weight. No sooner than you can say “war hero,” Johnny boy was cheating on his wife with a young, skinny model from an über-rich family – his future second wife, Cindy.
“Who cares,” some more extreme Clinton loyalists may say, “at least he loves and respects his current wife. I mean, the guy stood by her even when she almost dead-ended his political career twice, once in the Keating 5 scandal, and again after stealing prescription drugs from her own non-profit medical organization.” In John McCain’s 1992 Senate bid, after his wife joked he was losing some of his hair, he responded, “At least I don’t plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt.” He did this in front of reporters and his own aides. Now true, we all have our slip ups and temper tantrums. But if McCain can openly call his wife that vile word in front of the whole world, then what on earth does he say to her behind closed doors?
“WHO CARES,” the last of the loyalists will finally say, “my hatred for Obama is more important than me being respected as a woman! It’s more important than what happens to me, and every woman in this country.” This will also be just about the same time we all realize the truth – these women are not really Democrats at all, and probably never were. Even if Hillary Clinton personally came to their doors, got down on her knees, and begged them to reconsider their vote, they would then be convinced that their own dear Hillary is a liar, a back-stabber, and has partaken of the “Obama kool-aid.” She would be shocked to realize that not even SHE can stop her masses from the political gates of hell.
Jeez, and I thought it was Barack who had his work cut out for him this fall…