Second-Place Citizens

The New York Times ^ | August 25, 2008 | Susan Faludi

[2ndDivisionVet]

MUCH has been made of the timing of Hillary Clinton’s speech before the Democratic National Convention tonight, coming as it does on the 88th anniversary of women’s suffrage. Convention organizers are taking advantage of this coincidence of the calendar — the 19th Amendment was certified on Aug. 26, 1920 — to pay homage to the women’s vote in particular and women’s progress in general. By such tributes, they are slathering some sweet icing on a bitter cake. But many of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters are unlikely to be partaking. They regard their candidate’s cameo as a consolation prize. And they are not consoled.

“I see this nation differently than I did 10 months ago,” reads a typical posting on a Web site devoted to Clintonista discontent. “That this travesty was committed by the Democratic Party has forever changed my approach to politics.” In scores of Internet forums and the conclaves of protest groups, those sentiments are echoed, as Clinton supporters speak over and over of feeling heartbroken and disillusioned, of being cheated and betrayed.

In one poll, 40 percent of Mrs. Clinton’s constituency expressed dissatisfaction; in another, more than a quarter favored the clear insanity of voicing their feminist protest by voting for John McCain. “This is not the usual reaction to an election loss,” said Diane Mantouvalos, the founder of JustSayNoDeal.com, a clearinghouse for the pro-Clinton organizations. “I know that is the way it is being spun, but it’s not prototypical. Anyone who doesn’t take time to analyze it will do so at their own peril.”

The despondency of Mrs. Clinton’s supporters — or their “vitriolic” and “rabid” wrath, as the punditry prefers to put it—has been the subject of perplexed and often irritable news media speculation. Why don’t these dead-enders get over it already and exit stage right?

[2ndDivisionVet]

FWIW

[Dilbert San Diego]

Hillary was never a real woman to start with. She’s only in politics because of Bill Clinton, and she was only considered the front runner for pres. early on because of Bill Clinton.

Most American women have very different lives and political views than Hillary does. Most women just couldn’t identify with her.

[DB]

Let's see... One women rides her husband's coattails to power. The other achieved it on her own through her own hard work while raising a family.

Next.

[George Smiley]

Agreed. And it’s not worth much.

[flowerplough]

While "(t)he grail of female franchise yielded little meaningful progress in the years to follow", the decades since show real evidence of women's voting and governing - any casual reasearcher who ain't a fool can easily see how the female vote has turned almost every representative government in the Northern hemisphere into an tax-bloated mommy-nanniocracy.

The woman's vote equals big government, because female voters are milksop, security-blanket voters. No two ways about it. As Harry Stein wrote in City Journal today, "Lots of liberal women politicians call themselves strong and independent—and spend their careers relentlessly working for programs that increase people’s dependence on government."

[Navy Patriot]

Bright, strong, independent, competent women fooled again by the DemoRat party. I'm so surprised.

You can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can fool all of the NAGs all of the time. (forgive me, Pres. Lincoln)

[generally]

I don’t like Hillary Clinton’s politics, but I do think she deserves credit for paving the way for other women.

I think we FReepers should give credit where credit is due. Hillary made people sit up and take notice and most people considered her as a serious candidate, not as a novelty candidate like Ferraro or Shirley Jackson, (though I think they deserve some credit, too).

I would never vote for a woman just because she is a woman, but now that there is a woman on the ticket who looks like a viable option, I am excited about the opportunity to vote for her.

[generally]

Not all women are “security-blanket” voters. Just look around here at FR.

Maybe with a woman on the ticket, a strong, accomplished woman who is not riding her husband’s coattails, more women will see that there are opportunities for them and feel less of a need to vote for the man who will give them the biggest handout.

[patriot08]

At least Palin made it on her own merit.

[llandres]

“Agreed. And it’s not worth much.”

Hey, it could be worth a LOT - like millions of votes (which we NEED). I pray they’ll come over to OUR side, now that they see the hypocrisy and treachery of the Democratic party.

[flowerplough]

Generally, Generally, gays are Democrats and women are “security-blanket” voters. When I look around here at FR, the women I see are like Clarence Thomases- exceptions to the rule. Women are overwhelmingly wimps, and they vote wimpishly. Just ask Barbara Boxer, Nanny Pelosi, and Hillary. That’s life. Sorry.