to all those women who think that I as a woman MUST vote for HRC....

[Windy]

Just because I'm a woman DOES NOT MEAN that I have a responsiblilty to vote for Hillary Clinton.

I am not only a woman, but a mother. I watched that woman raise her hand and say yes to bush's IWR for purely political reasons thinking that it would help her in the general election against the republicans, because she thought she already had the primary in the bag. She played a part in sending our kids into a war that was unnecessary and without the proper equipment to keep them safe! A war that also cost the lives of mothers and their children in Iraq.

Even after the fiasco that became the Iraq war, she still to date has yet to admit that she made a mistake. She then votes to give Bush the authority to attack Iran from inside Iraq. While in a presidential campaign, she took the time to stop campaigning for a last minute vote on Kyl/Lieberman, making a POINT of flying back on a rush to vote FOR a measure that could cost the lives of even more of our troops, not to mention innocent Iranians who are fighting to make things better in their own country without the "help" of the US.

My obligation, as a woman, is to vote for the BEST candidate. The one who represents my values and what I hold dear. I have made my choice based upon the EVIDENCE.

You and the organization you site, Guerilla women... are small minded and sexist. Your actions actually degrade women and attempt to deny them the opportunity to be intellectually honest.

I don't pick my candidate based upon anatomy. I pick my candidate based upon intellect, humanity, common sense and decency!!!! To do otherwise is a slap in the face to all women who have struggled to give us the right to vote, etc.

[ursi]

1. ...I can't vote for her either

[JVS]

2. I saw this in the other thread, and I'm glad to see it is now an OP

Recd

[Moh96]

4. Thank you for that

[angie_love]

3. well said, as a woman I support Obama too

and a big portion of the reason was because of that IWR vote that led to thousands of innocent lives being taken away for a shitty, dumbass reason. If Hillary represented what we wanted (us NY'ers that wanted her to vote against it) I would be supporting her today. But I can't get my head around that vote. It was a definitive moment for me and so many around the world.

[AX10]

5. I'm young and I can't stand Obama.

[Bicoastal]

10. We know, we know. nt

[emilyg]

20. I can't either.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

47. me too.

[havocmom]

6. Another mother here who won't vote based on anatomy. To do that IS sexist

Vote your heart and mind based on the evidence, the record, the facts. To do less IS demeaning to women and those who sacrificed so we COULD vote.

Special thanks to my ol granny, where ever her soul may be tonight. Thanks for all you women of the time did to give me and my daughter the right to vote. We won't be bought off with silly pandering to our gender. We give it serious consideration, Grandma. We know it cost the women of your day dearly.

[eridani]

12. Unfortunately we are all going to be forced to vote based on money

The health care activist in me says that Clinton is marginally better on health care. The party organizer in me has observed that Obama is bringing in more new people. Both candidates have been brought to us by corporations. I caucused as uncommitted because I'd like to go to Denver and ask both of them some hard questions before committing one way or another.

[Darth_Kitten]

41. So silly pandering to race either, huh?

But NO, it's only when those silly women start screeching about Hillary!! :sarcasm:

Thanks to all the women out there who ever fought for women's rights. Unfortunately there are some people out there who still haven't really grasped the real message.

[Darth_Kitten]

42. So silly pandering to race either, huh?

But NO, it's only when those silly women start screeching about Hillary!! :sarcasm:

Thanks to all the women out there who ever fought for women's rights. Unfortunately there are some people out there who still haven't really grasped the real message.

[havocmom]

48. Voting against or FOR someone just because of race is racism

just as for or against just because of gender is sexism

Anyone who thinks a woman not voting for a woman for any reason is unacceptabel, who thinks women are incapable of making decisions based on logic, observation of patterns of past behavior and disagreeing with a candidate's policies is exactly the shit my granny fought to secure the vote for women.

Lock step isn't pretty when done by the GOP, the KKK or DEMS looking to find ways to intimidate other DEMS into doing what they want instead of just making the case for why a particular candidate is worthy of consideration and votes.

If gender or race is used as the primary reason as a means of intimidating others into voting a particular way, it is bigotry and disingenuous to the concept of respecting human rights.

[Darth_Kitten]

43. So silly pandering to race either, huh?

But NO, it's only when those silly women start screeching about Hillary!! :sarcasm:

Thanks to all the women out there who ever fought for women's rights. Unfortunately there are some people out there who still haven't really grasped the real message.

[mod mom]

68. Agreed. My vote will be based on issues and FREE TRADE, CORPORATISM & IRAQ

are tops on my list. Free trade is destroying the middle class by exporting well paying jobs so that the investor class benefits. It's damaging to families when parents must work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Does this benefit childrren? I don't think so.

[NashVegas]

82. Havocmom

Would you say that the percentage of the black population who are voting for Obama based, at least in part, on racial identity are racists and that their votes are demeaning to black people? I would like to think you wouldn't. However, I would also like to think you aren't naive enough to believe that's not a factor at all.

[havocmom]

92. I would not demean any part of the population by thinking race was the sole reason for voting FOR

Sadly, I do know there are segments of the population that would use race as the sole reason to vote against someone.

I have been accused of hating women because I am not wildly enthused about HRC. The accusations have come from people who do not know me, have no clue what work I have done for women and women's issues. Making such wild accusations about what someone is without knowing them is bigotry. There has been WAY too much of that here at DU the past year.

[HopeforChange]

7. I too am a mother, career woman, and I support Obama ... Thank You ! n/t

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. I'm not a mother, but I agree with your sentiments

I can't vote for someone just because they are a woman, or just because they are black, for that matter. I have to vote on what they have done and what they promise to do. What matters is not the race or gender but the content of their character.

[Kittycat]

9. Three Cheers for Windy. A mama with her own mind!

Thank you so much for your post. You put in to words EXACTLY what has been on my mind, as a mother of two boys. There are a few other reasons, but the compounding evidence of her support for the war, and barbaric weapons (clusterbombs) shows me that she either has little conscience, concern or holds her own political ambitions above what is right and just - maybe a bit of all three with a little greed thrown in for good measure.

[robbedvoter]

11. I missed that: someone coerced you to vote Hillary because you're a woman?

Who and where? Whom are you really fighting here?

[Windy]

16. many posts on DU that have this mindset as a premise. Not to mention

some of the feminists such as the rep from Naral NY that editorialized that sentiment.

If you're blind to it, then you won't relate to my post. So be it.

[Yael]

19. I have lost count of the number of times I have been called

sexist (and racist) on this very site because I was backing the white, southern male in the race.

[Political Heretic]

70. How about N.O.W. in addition to posters here.

[NJObamaWoman]

13. yeah I hate that. Womens organizations just wanted fair and equal treatment.

but right now many women are doing a great disservice to themselves by telling other women to vote for Hillary cuz she is a woman. Encorage women to look at bot candidates and to vote for whoever based on the issues that fits their needs. Not because she is a woman. Another thing that ticks me off is the notion that the clintons were the best thing ever for blacks so we must vote for them. I'm black and grew up during bill clintons time in office I saw my mother struggle to put food on the table as a single parent. The clintons did nothing to help single mothers to get child support. My mom did not recieve child support because of the long legal system. Therefore I barely spent time with mom while Hillary got to spent tons of time with her child because my mom had to provide for me by working 2-3 jobs all with a college education. The clintons havens done anything for the middle class. My mom fought hard to provide so that we didn't have to rely on the gov. which I feel the clintons want people like my family to do.

[truedelphi]

51. And the Clinton years were even better to the banking class

Than to those with college degrees.

President Clinton's bailout of Mexico's bank helped the bankers there but reduced the working man's salary froma high of 86 cents an hour to about 47 cents.

But that action was praised as charitable and also as being non-racist.

No matter how much it negatively impacted the poor in Mexico.

[LordJFT]

14. k&r

[Kahuna]

15. Brava Windy!!!!

:yourock:

[Windy]

17. thank you. Its nice to see that other women share my feelings on the matter. nt

[Yael]

18. You are not alone!!

:hi:

I actually resent the implication that race/sex should trump the reasons why I vote.

[BlackVelvet04]

21. I don't understand why, if women are entirely comfortable with

their decision to not vote for Hillary, they think they have to come on here and write posts justifying it. Who are you trying to convince?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

23. its as though someone held a gun to her head. only no one did.

its weird to project this onto us.

[grace0418]

29. I think it's in response to the threads like the one talking about how women (not some women

or a few women) are going to decide to stay at home and not vote at all if HRC isn't the nominee. I know that's when I felt the need to stand up and say that I'm a woman who'll only vote for HRC if I absolutely must (I'm not so silly or selfish that I would decline voting if she were the nominee, I just wouldn't be happy about it).

[K Gardner]

22. Thanks Windy ! This woman, mother and grandmother votes for the future of my children

and grandchildren, and their children whom I may never know. I can leave them something.. my vote for Peace and a new beginning for America and the world. I do that by helping to elect Barack Obama as President of the United States, all the states, of America.

:hi:

[Avalux]

24. Excellent post! As a woman and a mother, I agree with you.

I have a responsibility to vote for the BEST candidate and I refuse to be guilted into voting for Hillary because she is a woman. I've been called sexist for saying she is a woman I do not want my daughters to look up to. I have a right to think that.

[bklyncowgirl]

25. Thank you , Windy, you've put it much better than I could have.

Tribal politics is ugly. Insisting that a person vote for a member of their tribe--or in this case their gender--or be labled a traitor--is the lowest form of politics.

[Meldread]

26. You said it perfectly.

:applause: :hug:

You are absolutely correct.

[Whisp]

27. no warmongers for me, no matter what kind of gotch they wear. nt

[Egnever]

49. whats gotch?

[Whisp]

60. gotch/gitch/underwear. ;)

[nonconformist]

28. I've never heard anyone say that women have to vote for Hillary.

:shrug:

[Windy]

30. then you aren't paying attention. n/t

[Windy]

31. then you aren't paying attention. n/t

[Windy]

33. then you aren't paying attention. n/t

[joeybee12]

32. Nice rant not based on reality...

...as to your further comments that this is the tone of mnay posts here...bullshit...I've never seen one...it's all in your mind...that Kool-Aid must be working. BTW, if some women are excited about HRC's cam paign, why is that any different than mnay African Americans are excited about BO's???

[GoldieAZ49]

46. no there have been posts here

from Captain (something or other) and letters from NOW saying that women owe their vote to Hillary.

It really was (is) disgraceful.

I don't OWE my vote to anyone but myself and who I believe will best serve this country.

Hillary only serves herself, this woman will not vote for her.

[bettyellen]

76. so, it was one poster?

that sounds about right.

[GoldieAZ49]

77. nope, someone else put the NOW letter up and another with the NOW

letter saying Kennedy betrayed women when he endorsed Obama.

There were individuals as well, most not worth remembering or responding to.

[NashVegas]

83. IIRC, The People Posting the NOW Letters Were Anti-Hillary

I must have been reading different threads from what you were reading.

[VotesForWomen]

91. yes; one could say the OP is a 'straw-woman.' nt

[RichGirl]

34. Thanks for the advice...

I also pick my candidate based upon intellect, humanity, common sense and decency. That's why I'm voting for Hillary.

How about a thread that says "to all those African Americans who think that I as an African American MUST vote for BO...."

[LWolf]

35. That's quite true.

It's also quite true that black americans have no responsibility to vote for Obama because of his race.

As voters, the only responsibility we have is to be informed about the candidates and make the choice for the nation that our conscience dictates.

[RichGirl]

36. dupe

[OzarkDem]

37. As a woman and a mother I disagree

Obama, who chose Joe Lieberman as his mentor, is actually more likely to keep our troops in Iraq than Clinton. Why? Because he doesn't have the experience or strength of conviction to do what's best for the country. He's a go along, get along guy whose main priority is advancing his own career. He's proven many times in the past he will make the most expedient choices if they benefit him.

Sorry, I don't trust him to have the courage to stand up and make difficult choices.

[bunnies]

58. Obama did not "choose" Lieberman.

Mentors are assigned not chosen. This has been explained ad nauseam on DU. Enough with this lie already.

[Arkansas Granny]

38. As I have stated before, voting for or against Hillary just because

she is a woman would be sexist. Voting for or against Obama just because he is black would be racist. Whether a person supports Obama or Hillary, I would hope that they have not based that support on skin color or anatomy. Either of them will be better for the country than another Republican.

[Darth_Kitten]

39. Uh, nobody is telling you whom to vote for??

I really like all the women out there though who put extra energy into this "cause". :sarcasm: The "excuuuusssse me, you don't vote for me" cause. Women who feel they can talk down to other women only for the simple fact they feel they can never speak up to ANY man. :eyes: Misdirected energy.

Can you put just as much energy into the folks who are allegedly just voting for Obama because he's black? I'm sure they are absolutely none of those people around,huh?

Nice try. Maybe if some women put their energies into fighting the right and necessary battles, the world would be a better place.

[suston96]

40. Oh, baloney - nobody thinks you have to do anything -

Indeed, I want Hillary Clinton to win because she IS a woman. I am a man with many daughters, granddaughters, sisters, nieces, and a couple of ex-wives - and for them and for all women - whose great-grandmothers were denied voting rights long after blacks got theirs, I support a woman candidate.

But that doesn't mean that I believe that any and every woman MUST vote for a woman simply because she is a woman. That is pure nonsense!

No citizen MUST vote for anyone in particular. But every citizen should vote for the candidate of choice and for the political ideology that the voter believes in.

[cooolandrew]

44. Kiss & heart . Lovely post.

[Jennicut]

45. We should all pick who we feel is best for the country

regardless of our age race and sex. I voted for Obama. I'm a young white mother of two daughters ages 2 and 3. I live in CT which is considered the richest state in the United States but I am far from rich. I live in a small town called Terryville. I am not into cults though I do attend a Lutheran chuch when I have time as my husband is a musician and plays the organ and piano there. I'm about as unremarkable as you can get yet I always had parents that talked about politics at breakfast and dinner. My father unfortunately moved into a very conservative direction while my mother was always aa moderate Republican. The best thing they did though was let me speak my mind freely even though they disagreed with me. I voted for Clinton in 1996 (was too young in 92). I defended the administration and thought Clinton should not be impeached. I voted Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004. Now in 2008, I voted for Obama. I voted for him because I like his ideas and moving towards the future and not the past. I like his ideas of talking to other countries and letting go the fear and bitter partisan battles of the past. In order to get anything done we need new arguments. We do not need the same bitter fights. I am ready for change. Not just for its own sake but because we desperately need a leader who will not be afraid to lead but at the same time will listen to other points of view. If that happens to be a half white, half black man born in Hawaii then so be it. If it was a white southern man or a white woman than that would be who I would vote for.

[Sparkly]

50. Straw-women...

If ANYbody has said you "MUST" vote for HRC, they're in a small minority (of jerks).

Obviously, you can tell them to get outta your face, since you are free to vote for whomever you choose. :shrug:

[lumberjack_jeff]

52. One thing I do like about this place...

... is that the people here are self-selected to be the most aware of, and influenced by substantive policy issues.

Unlike in the real world, here you'll find very few who vote for Hillary primarily because of her gender, nor will you find very many who are voting for Obama primarily because of his (or race either, I suspect)

Probably more so than just about anyone here, I've found myself targeted by feminists for refusing to accept their world-view.

Nevertheless, I'm supporting Hillary because I feel strongly that healthcare is the primary issue that this country needs to fix.

The candidates gender should be a non-issue.

[incapsulated]

53. Who said you should?

What a stupid strawman.

What I have had to listen to is people telling me I SHOULDN'T vote for Clinton because of her gender.

To which I say, tell it to the black vote going for Obama.

I don't begrudge *anyone* voting for their race or sex in a sexist, racist society.

[TexasObserver]

54. Before there was Ann Richards there was Sissy Farenthold.

In Texas, Sissy Farenthold took on the Democratic establishment in Texas in the early 1970s, and made a spirited fun for governor. She was part of a group called The Dirty Thirty, who were mainly Texas populist/progressives like Fred Head of Athens, Price Daniels, Jr. of Liberty, and John Hannah of Lufkin.

I supported Sissy for Governor because she was the best candidate.

I supported Ann Richards for Governor because she was the best candidate.

If I felt Hillary was the best candidate, I'd support her without the slighest hesitation.

-----
disclosure: I'm male and didn't want anyone to infer I might be female because the thread title is directed at women.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

66. Yes, the great Frances Tarlton Farenthold.

She ran for governor in '72. I wasn't old enough to vote. I pushed cards for her at the polls. At the Democratic Convention she got the second highest number of votes for the Presidential nomination; therefore she SHOULD have been nominated for Vice President, but she wasn't, of course.

Her grandfather was John Tarleton, whom Tarleton State College was named after. Sissy should have run on her maiden name. She probably could have been elected had she run under her maiden name.

Her name is Farenthold because she married a rich Belgian guy.

[TexasObserver]

86. right you are

Last time I talked to her was in the 1980s. She called me to handle something for one of her family members. I was early 20s when I met her and first campaigned for her in 1972. I was smitten, too. Funny woman.

Remember Dolph "Texas Passes" Briscoe at the national convention?!

The Sharpstown Scandal? Gus Moescher? Ben Barnes?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

89. yup.

Now Sissy's hair is short and white. Now she looks distinguished. When her hair was longer and brown and a bit curly she could almost pass for a movie star.

My folks told me about the 1958 State Dem Convention. They were campaigning for Henry B. Gonzalez for Governor, which was radical back then. Other people were campaigning for Smilin' Ralph Yarborough for Governor.

They had a walkout, a rump convention, fist fights, and some old lady hit Dad over the head with her purse!!!

Ah, the good old days.........:evilgrin:


You're not Ronnie, you're too young to be him.

That was Gus Mutscher. He was married to some beauty queen. Ben Barnes is still alive and telling secrets about Shrub. And you should see the movie "Charlie Wilson's War". Funny as hell. Great lines. Tom Hanks plays the congressman from Lufkin very well.

[Freetospeak]

55. My wife voted for Obama!

[ForeignSpectator]

56. I agree, doesn't voting for Clinton "just" because she is a woman...

...reduce her as a person and candidate to her gender alone? You erase all her qualifications, knowledge and personality from the equation. And isn't that exactly what would happen if you voted AGAINST her because of gender?

Voting for her because she is a woman is the other side of the same sexist medal.

[ForeignSpectator]

57. I agree, doesn't voting for Clinton "just" because she is a woman...

...reduce her as a person and candidate to her gender alone? You erase all her qualifications, knowledge and personality from the equation. And isn't that exactly what would happen if you voted AGAINST her because of gender?

Voting for her because she is a woman is the other side of the same sexist medal.

[JerseygirlCT]

59. I'm right with you

And yes, if she really realized the mistake she made with the IWR, then Lieberman/Kyl? Should have been a no-brainer. That's troubling, to be sure.

[kwassa]

61. But, Hillary being a woman is a valid part of the argument

just as being black is a valid part of the argument for those who vote for Obama. There is a shared experience in both those conditions, and that combined with a consideration of other qualities might make the deciding factor. Hillary is getting the majority of the vote from white women, and Barack is getting the majority of black voters of both sexes.

That seems completely natural to me.

and so is this ....

My wife is a black woman voting for Hillary, because she personally feels a stronger relationship, as a professional woman, to Hillary's experience than to Barack's, who she sees as someone with no track record, and who hasn't actually shared the issues that she has.

As for Hillary's vote on the war, she and the rest of the Democratic establishment voted for it. Barack never had to face that vote. He can say anything.

[DemBones DemBones]

71. Your wife is smart. Barack can indeed

say anything about what he would have done but he wasn't in the Senate and didn't get put on the spot and forced to vote. If he had, he'd probably have voted "Present" like he did in Illinois. :D Hillary has a better track record and better proposals for health care, ending the war, etc.

Shirley Chisholm, who was of course the first black woman to run for president back in 1968, said later in her life that she had faced more discrimination as a woman than as a black. As a white woman, I was surprised by that. I've faced discrimination as a woman but never dreamed a black woman would say sexism is worse than racism. The sexism is running rampant at DU now, though, and is not reined in. Why do people not get it that it's OK to vote for Obama because he's black and OK to vote for Clinton because she's a woman? It would be better to vote for the one who is best-qualified, but we've never had a black president or a woman president so it's inevitable that some wil vote based on race or sex.

[kwassa]

62. dupe

[daleks not included]

63. What about

Blacks who won't vote for Hillary because they can't stand whites or white women?

What about blacks who don't vote for Obama. Are they scared of being independent and don't want to leave the plantation?

Are blacks who don't vote for Obama race traitors?

Race is more powerful than sex. I had a discussion last night and it was agreed that it prboably the only chance for white women to get into office. Any other white woman that wants to get into the WH would have to be extraordinary, pretty, young. and more than likely married to a non whtie woman.


It iwas not a KKK meeting LOL! It was just a couple of black professional talking about life.

[NashVegas]

84. I Can't Do Anything About Them. Can You?

I just think that black people who want to vote for BO because they're psyched a black person might actually have a chance, for once, have every right to feel that way. Just as I feel that women who lean towards HRC for similar reasons should get an equal break from harassment. Cause really, I don't see that much difference between the two candidates.

[loveangelc]

64. Thank.You.

[daleks not included]

65. What about

Blacks who won't vote for Hillary because they can't stand whites or white women?

What about blacks who don't vote for Obama. Are they scared of being independent and don't want to leave the plantation?

Are blacks who don't vote for Obama race traitors?

Race is more powerful than sex. I had a discussion last night and it was agreed that it prboably the only chance for white women to get into office. Any other white woman that wants to get into the WH would have to be extraordinary, pretty, young. and more than likely married to a non whtie woman.


It iwas not a KKK meeting LOL! It was just a couple of black professional talking about life.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

67. I don't like either one of them

The best candidate dropped out, in my opinion.

[DemBones DemBones]

69. Of course women don't have to vote for Hillary Clinton.

But women should not be accused of supporting Clinton because she's a woman, as we have been.

I'm a woman and I've been a Kucinich supporter since 2002 but now that I'm looking at Clinton, Obama, and McCain, Clinton is the most progressive of the bunch as well as the most experienced.

Obama loves to say he opposed the war from the start but he wasn't in the Senate and didn't have to vote on it. It's Monday morning quarterbacking from someone who wasn't on the team so it should be discounted.

He has voted to fund the war every time it's come up since he was elected to the Senate. If he were truly anti-war, he wouldn't have done that.

Only a few in Congress, including Kucinich, were brave enough to vote against it. They were given false information and no doubt they worried about their constituents thinking they were "soft on terror." Most voted for the resolution; Clinton was not in the minority at all.

Voting for someone who wasn't there to vote because you don't like it that Clinton voted with the vast majority of Congress isn't logical. I wish she hadn't voted for it but she has a detailed plan to end it. What has Obama got?

[boston bean]

72. Don't flatter yourself. nt

[ingac70]

73. Awesome! n/t.

[mckeown1128]

74. K&R nt

q

[Rosa Luxemburg]

75. I don't vote based on gonads!

I have had my woman president Margaret Thatcher. Nightmare!

However, I don't think Hillary Clinton is quite as bad as Thatcher but in any case I wouldn't vote for gender. I only hope the next president will clean up the rotting mess in DC and clean up the swamp. Nancy Pelosi sadly has failed.

[Cha]

78. hilary lost a lot of women's vote in 2002 when

we could see she had presidential aspirations and voted the path of least resistance..and still pandering with her 2007 vile kyl-lieman bill vote.

[Megahurtz]

79. Here! Here!

[pathansen]

80. You need to see the WHOLE PICTURE

Edwards, Kerry, Dodd, Bidden and many others voted for the same bill authorizing Bush to use force again Saddan H.. HIllary has repeated said it was a mistake. They did it of course because they were repeated lied to many many times. It happened shortly after 9/11 when everyone was afraid of terrorist and were led to believe Hussien had something to do with it. Bush would have found a way to go to war with or without their votes.

Read more on Hillary's own life at Wikipedia:
HILLARY’S 35 YEARS OF IMPRESSIVE SERVICE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton

BEFORE MARRIAGE

“In early 1968 she was elected President of the Wellesley College Government Association and served through early 1969; she was instrumental in keeping Wellesley from being embroiled by the student disruptions common to other colleges at the time. A number of her fellow students thought at the time she might someday become the first woman President of the United States”

“Stemming from the demands of some students, she became the first student in Wellesley College history to deliver their commencement address. Her speech received a standing ovation lasting seven minutes.”

“Rodham then entered Yale Law School, where she served on the Board of Editors of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action.”

“She also took on cases of child abuse at Yale-New Haven Hospital,<35> and volunteered at New Haven Legal Services to provide free advice for the poor.”

“1970, she was awarded a grant to work at Marian Wright Edelman's Washington Research Project, where she was assigned to Senator Walter Mondale's Subcommittee on Migratory Labor, researching migrant workers' problems in housing, sanitation, health and education;”

“The following summer, Rodham and Clinton campaigned in Texas for unsuccessful 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern.”

“During her post-graduate study, Rodham served as staff attorney for Edelman's newly founded Children's Defense Fund in Cambridge, Massachusetts,<53> and as a consultant to the Carnegie Council on Children.”

“During 1974 she was a member of the impeachment inquiry staff in Washington, D.C., advising the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Watergate scandal. Under the guidance of Chief Counsel John Doar and senior member Bernard Nussbaum, Rodham helped research procedures of impeachment and the historical grounds and standards for impeachment. The committee's work culminated in the resignation of President Richard Nixon in August 1974.”

“By then, Rodham was viewed as someone with a bright political future; Democratic political organizer and consultant Betsey Wright had moved from Texas to Washington the previous year to help guide her career; Wright thought Rodham had the potential to one day become a senator or president.”

“Meanwhile, Clinton had repeatedly asked her to marry him, and she had continued to demur.”


ARKANSAS FIRST LADY

“In 1975, Hillary finally agreed to marry Bill Clinton.”

“working pro bono in child advocacy;”

“publishing the scholarly articles "Children's Policies: Abandonment and Neglect" in 1977 and "Children's Rights: A Legal Perspective" in 1979”

“Rodham co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a state-level alliance with the Children's Defense Fund, in 1977.<33><77> In late 1977, President Jimmy Carter (for whom Rodham had done 1976 campaign coordination work in Indiana)<78> appointed her to the board of directors of the Legal Services Corporation, “

“Clinton appointed her chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee the same year, where she successfully obtained federal funds to expand medical facilities in Arkansas' poorest areas without affecting doctors' fees.”

“During her husband's campaign, Rodham began to use the name Hillary Clinton, or sometimes "Mrs. Bill Clinton", in order to have greater appeal to Arkansas voters; “

“As First Lady of Arkansas, Hillary Clinton chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee from 1982 to 1992, where she sought to bring about reform in the state's court-sanctioned public education system. One of the most important initiatives of the entire Clinton governorship, she fought a prolonged but ultimately successful battle against the Arkansas Education Association<92> to put mandatory teacher testing as well as state standards for curriculum and classroom size in place.
She introduced Arkansas' Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youth in 1985, a program that helps parents work with their children in preschool preparedness and literacy.”

“She was named Arkansas Woman of the Year in 1983 and Arkansas Mother of the Year in 1984.”

“From 1987 to 1991 she chaired the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession,<98> which addressed gender bias in the law profession and induced the association to adopt measures to combat it.<98> She was twice named by the National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America, in 1988 and in 1991.”

“Clinton served on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital Legal Services (1988–1992)<102> and the Children's Defense Fund (as chair, 1986–1992). ”

WAL-MART: “Clinton was the first female member on Wal-Mart's board, added when chairman Sam Walton was pressured to name one; once there, she pushed successfully for the chain to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices.”

“active in a number of organizations concerned with the welfare of children”

U.S. FIRST LADY

“Bill Clinton said that electing him would get "two for the price of one", referring to the prominent role his wife would assume”
“She is regarded as the most openly empowered presidential wife in American history, save for Eleanor Roosevelt.”
“In 1993, the president appointed his wife to head and be the chairwoman of the Task Force on National Health Care Reform, hoping to replicate the success she had in leading the effort for Arkansas education reform.”

“Along with Senator Ted Kennedy, she was the major force behind the State Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997, a federal effort that provided state support for children whose parents were unable to provide them with health coverage”

“She successfully sought to increase research funding for prostate cancer and childhood asthma at the National Institutes of Health.<48> The First Lady worked to investigate reports of an illness that affected veterans of the Gulf War, which became known as the Gulf War syndrome.”

“Together with Attorney General Janet Reno, Clinton helped create the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice. In 1997, she initiated and shepherded the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which she regarded as her greatest accomplishment as First Lady.”

“As First Lady, Clinton hosted numerous White House Conferences, including ones on Child Care (1997), Early Childhood Development and Learning (1997), and Children and Adolescents (2000), and the first-ever White House Conferences on Teenagers (2000)<143> and Philanthropy (1999).”

“Hillary Clinton traveled to 79 countries during this time, breaking the mark for most-travelled First Lady held by Pat Nixon.”

“In a September 1995 speech before the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Clinton argued very forcefully against practices that abused women around the world and in China itself, declaring ‘that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights’.”

She was one of the most prominent international figures at the time to speak out against the treatment of Afghan women by the Islamist fundamentalist Taliban that had seized control of Afghanistan
She helped create Vital Voices, an international initiative sponsored by the United States to promote the participation of women in the political processes of their countries.”
“In 1996, Clinton presented a vision for the children of America in the book It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us. The book was a New York Times Best Seller,<303> and Clinton received the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 1997 for the book's audio recording.<303> The title refers to an African proverb that states "It takes a village to raise a child".
U. S. SENATOR
“Clinton has served on five Senate committees: Committee on Budget (2001–2002),<203> Committee on Armed Services (since 2003), Committee on Environment and Public Works (since 2001),<203> Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (since 2001)<203> and Special Committee on Aging. She is also a Commissioner the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe<206> (since 2001).”
“Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Clinton sought to obtain funding for the recovery efforts in New York City and security improvements in her state. Working with New York's senior senator, Charles Schumer, she was instrumental in quickly securing $21.4 billion in funding for the World Trade Center site's redevelopment. She subsequently took a leading role in investigating the health issues faced by 9/11 first responders.”
“Clinton voted for the USA Patriot Act in October 2001, as did all but one senator. In 2005, when the act was up for renewal, she worked to address some of the civil liberties concerns with it.”
“As a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Clinton strongly supported military action in Afghanistan, saying it was a chance to combat terrorism while improving the lives of Afghan women who suffered under the Taliban government. “
“Senator Clinton voted against the tax cuts introduced by President Bush, including the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, saying it was fiscally irresponsible to reopen the budget deficit.”
“Along with Senators Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh, she introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act, intended to protect children from inappropriate content found in video games. “
“Clinton opposed the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 and supported a February 2007 non-binding Senate resolution against it, which failed to gain cloture.<233> In March 2007 she voted in favor of a war spending bill that required President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within a certain deadline; it passed almost completely along party lines but was subsequently vetoed by President Bush.”
“In March 2007, in response to the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy, Clinton called on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to resign,<238> and launched an Internet campaign to gain petition signatures towards this end.”
“Clinton has enjoyed high approval ratings for her job as senator within New York, reaching an all-time high of 72 to 74 percent approving (including half of Republicans) over 23 to 24 percent disapproving in December 2006, before her presidential campaign became active”
“She has been ranked among the world's most powerful people by Forbes magazine<245> and Time magazine's Time 100.”
Ratings of various interest groups:
• “Through 2006, she has a lifetime 96% "Liberal Quotient" from Americans for Democratic Action.<292>
• ProgressivePunch gives her a 91.4% lifetime progressive rating, ranking her the 28th most progressive of current senators.<293>
• Through 2006, she has a lifetime 9% rating from the American Conservative Union.<294>
• She received an 'A' (excellent) on the Drum Major Institute's 2005 Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.<295>
• The American Civil Liberties Union has given her a 75% lifetime rating through September 2007.<296>
• NARAL Pro-Choice America consistently gave her a 100% pro-choice rating from 2002 to 2006.<297>
• The League of Conservation Voters has given her a lifetime 90% pro-environment action rating through 2006.<298>

[NashVegas]

81. I Would Never, Have Never Said a Woman Should Vote For Hillary Because of the Gender

But rather that it would be understandable, and that no woman should face gender-based criticism for voting for Hillary.

[girl_interrupted]

85. Who is telling anyone WHO they have to vote for?

If you are Woman and You Vote for Hillary, you're wrong & If you're black & vote for Obama, you're wrong?

So where's John Edwards when you need him?

What ever happened to voting for whom ever you want and not having to explain or be told your vote is only because of your sex or color?

I hope you people are kidding but I fear you are not. The OP has to "boast" that being a woman she won't vote for a woman. What's next? Blacks "boasting" they wont vote for Obama because he's black? Who cares?

The way I look at it Obama is breaking the barrier, the way Hillary & Barbara Boxer did for women. These women fought the battle that made it easier for all of us & I expect Obama will do the same for blacks. So both Women & Blacks can be proud. Nothing wrong with that and will it effect some people's votes?, Who knows and who cares?

I dont like Obama, and it's not because I am woman, but because I think he's a phoney. He claims he was so Anti-War, and yet in 2004 he campaigned for John Kerry, who voted for the war. Never once did I see Obama question John Kerry's "Judgment" and whether or not it was "Right", a claim he uses against Hillary. Didn't seem to bother him when it was Kerry's vote.

When in the Congress and he could finally vote, he voted to continue funding it. Hardly a "Rebel" who stands up for what he believes, now is he?

Mr. Anti War Obama had a chance in 2005 to vote against the confirmation of Condi Rice for Secretary of the State. Her nomination went before The Senate Foreign Relations Committee of which Obama was a member and who voted to endorse the nomination where it moved on to the Senate for a vote. Barbara Boxer, who had voted against the war from the beginning, was also on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and had voted against endorsing her nomination. And when the nomination moved onto the Senate for a vote, Boxer went after her. I have never been prouder of being a democrat than that day. Not only did she embarrass the hell out of Condi, she voted against her again in the Senate. And Mr Anti War, Mr. "They all had terrible judgment but me", Mr Barack Obama? He voted again to confirm Rice.

Between Kerry & Rice, maybe someone should start questioning Obama's judgment.

And one more thing, I hope & pray that Obama's connections with Rezko are not what they appear to be http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/353829,CST-NWS-rez23.article Because if it ever comes out that Obama knowingly worked for a slum lord, a lot of black people....well lets just say he won't be that welcome in Harlem.

No Obama does not impress and I don't find him particularily truthful, he reminds me of empty suit, with not much of a record of accomplishments, a snake oil salesman repeating the same catch phrase like a "Head On!" commerical. Always making sure to throw in some reference to Dr King in his speeches. But thats fine . Whatever appeals to the masses. But a snakeoil salesman is what we just might need to win in November. And it's sad to think that way, but it is what it is.

[protect our future]

87. I would happily vote for a woman candidate

if I believed she was better suited to govern our country than any other prospective nominee.

On that basis, I resent other women considering me a "traitor" to my gender when they learn I am an Obama supporter.

[MagsDem]

88. Well I'm different....

I think you should vote for Hillary because Obama is a bald faced liar.

[VotesForWomen]

90. which women think that? seriously. nt