I wrote this as a comment on this post, but then it got long and required spellcheck and paragraphs, and I decided that it really should live over here. So read the original post first and then come back here. It’s ok. I’ll wait.
Back? Excellent.
I seem to be in the minority here, but Obama is my man, and here’s why:
1. It IS sad that so much sexism has been leveled at Hillary, and that’s not her fault, but it also doesn’t sway me to vote for her, if only for one, very practical reason–sexism is more entrenched in the US than racism, or at the very least, it’s more socially acceptable. It’s OK to say “yeah, but because she’s a woman,” where it would NEVER be ok to say “yeah, but because he’s black…” This sucks. However, it’s a practical (albeit ugly) fact of politics in the United States at the moment that a lot of people will quite openly make their decision to vote (or not vote) for Hillary based on her sex. Historically, black men have been elected to most offices before white women, and I think this leaves Obama with a better shot at the Oval Office in an open election. It’s more important to me that some of the crazy Republicans NOT take office than that I make a symbolic vote for my gender over my bleeding heart politics.
2. She does have experience, and that’s part of the problem. She’s so hooked into the political system that I worry that she’s a figurehead for a lot of powerful people. A lot of powerful MEN. (Not that there’s anything wrong with men, but why have a woman president because she’s a woman if she’s not a genuinely exciting political choice in her own right, but instead is just another candidate with good connections?) Obama is an exciting political choice. Sure, he needs an experienced Vice President. Sure, he’s newer to all this. But so were some of the presidential greats, and clearly presidents with the oval office in their bloodstreams aren’t going so well for us.
3. Which brings me to: If Hillary were to hold office for two terms, that would leave the leadership of this country in the hands of two dynastic families for a grand 32 consecutive years, which is TOO LONG, especially for such a young country. The point of democracy is not to pass leadership around from one member of a prominent family to the next. The point is to bring in some fresh blood. It highlights the inherent inequality of the system if we elect her as an extension of her husband, as I think we can’t escape doing. It sucks for her, but she’s always going to be standing in his spotlight for a lot of people, and her politics are certainly difficult to separate from his.
Basically, I’m a big sucker for the Obama tagline. It’s time for change, and I think that means it’s time for a young, fresh, half-Kenyan guy whose middle name is Hussein. It’s time to move away from the political establishment. It’s time to find our inner agitators. We’ll have a female president someday, but when we do, I want it to be someone I’m excited about voting for, someone who isn’t constantly compared to her husband, and someone who brings new exciting ideas to the table BESIDES her gender.
I’m emotionally swayed by the sexism launched at Hillary. I feel bad for her. It’s terrible that people are using her gender to talk about her politics. But it makes me as a woman want not to buy into the pitch. I want to see her outside of her gender. I want to not be having this conversation as if her gender is a statement about her ability, politics, or potential. And when you remove gender from the picture, I’m more excited about Obama. I’m all for feminism and the advancement of women, which is EXACTLY why I don’t plan to vote for Hillary–because the pronouns we use to refer to her shouldn’t cast a light on her politically AT ALL. It’s just not FAIR.
Of course, that said, if Hillary gets the Democratic nomination, I’ll vote for her, cheer for her, and probably jump up and down squealing if she wins. But I’d rather have my man Barack
