I have a piece up in Alternet about the feminist vote on Super Tuesday. I don’t stake out much of a position; it’s more an outline of where feminists are falling and what the divisive issues are.
Also worth checking out: Robin Morgan’s Goodby to All That (part 2), about why she’s voting for Clinton, and Laura Flanders’ response, wherein she argues that Clinton’s policies have actually not been all that great for women around the world.
Ann has a great (succinct) run-down of who feminists are voting for. (Damn you, Ann, why was this not up last night when I was writing my Alternet piece? You could have done all my research for me…)
Like Zuzu, I remain undecided. And for the same reasons as Zuzu — I like Clinton’s health care plan better, but Obama’s foreign policy stances are much more responsible. I’m (unsurprisingly) leaning Obama, though, for a few reasons:
1. Clinton’s foreign policy positions, including her eagerness to embrace the “Iran is next” threats and her refusal to take responsibility for her Iraq war vote, scare me.
2. Both of them have great records on choice, but the Clinton campaign’s smearing of Obama’s decision to vote “present” on an important abortion rights vote in Illinois also turns me off — Obama’s vote was part of a NARAL-organized strategy.
3. Rhetoric is important in presidential campaigns and in presidencies. It sounds silly, but at the end of the day, a president is an important figurehead whose rhetoric can make or break national unity. Obama has that thing. He is somehow able to connect with people, and he understands which messages are important to focus on. Policy positions are obviously the most important thing, but once those are solid — and Obama’s are — how you talk about them really matters a lot in getting stuff done.
4. For all of the great things that Hillary Clinton has done for women — and I don’t want to under-play those things, because she has done quite a bit — she has also made and supported decisions that sell some women out. The prime example is Clintonian “Welfare Reform,” which cut off aid to many, many low-income women. It also did significant harm to immigrant communities. And, yes, that was Bill Clinton’s policy — but Hillary came out in very public support of it. I don’t want a president who is so quick to throw poor women and immigrant women’s interests away. And Clinton is definitely not ideal on immigrant rights.
Of course, on the other hand, I’m absolutely thrilled with the prospect of a Democratic female president, and if Hillary Clinton wins the nomination, I will work very hard for her and my heart will certainly be 100 percent in it. She has worked hard for this. She has done everything right, in the face of sexist slams and horrendous attacks. She’s been walking on a tightrope for years, and she’s had to make some hard compromises. I can understand that, and I think that a lot of feminists (myself included) are harder on Clinton because our expectations for her are so very high. We want her to be the perfect feminist, and instead she’s an excellent politician.
I do think there’s a lot of value in having a female figureheard in office, and arguments that “the feminist thing to do is to vote for whoever you like better” don’t really appeal to me. Feminists have long championed the importance of women in positions of power, and letters like this one illustrate why it’s so important to have positive, powerful female role models.
But it’s also important to have strong role models of color, and to have a president who represents your values. I will work very hard for whoever wins. I will be satisfied with either candidate. But I think that I’ll be excited if Obama gets the nomination, and that, for me, makes all the difference.
Super Tuesday stuff will be going up on Alternet throughout the day, so keep checking back.