If not now, when?

[Gogi]

Hillary Clinton is the first woman presidential candidate who can go the distance and many women like me (50ish) feel that, if we are going to see a woman president in our lifetime, this is the time. It's as simple as: If not now, when? Tweety did say one thing last night that is all too true, he said: There are no other female politicians right now who have the potential to win the Presidency. And to that Obama staffer who played the race card on MSNBC today, it has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with seeing other countries like Pakistan (Pakistan!!) elect female leaders while sitting here in the world's oldest democracy wondering why we can't do the same. So here's a campaign slogan for Hillary: If not now, when?

[Berry Cool]

1. That may be true, but I am still not sure she is the RIGHT woman.

My concern is not for "when" we get a woman president, but that we get the "right" president. Period.

I'd love to see a woman president, but I vote for people--not for sexual plumbing.

I don't believe in playing the race card. I do believe my country should be more than ready to elect a woman president, or a black president, or any other kind of president we've never had before. But I want it to be the right PERSON more than I want it to be the "right" sex or color.

The slogan "If not now, when?" creates a false dilemma--implying that if we don't elect a woman president right NOW, THIS YEAR, there will never ever be one. Or that we may at least die before it happens. That we have something to "prove" to the rest of the world: namely, that we can elect a woman, or a black man. And that if we don't elect THIS woman, or THIS black man, it proves that we are still too sexist or racist to do so and reflects poorly on us, implying we chose against these candidates strictly because of sex or race.

It's as silly as telling a woman who hits 30 that she should marry her current boyfriend--even if she's not sure he's the right man for her for a lifetime--because she's getting old and he's the only likely candidate at this point and "If you don't marry now, when will you?"

"If not now, when?" is empty rhetoric, and asks a question that can only be answered--by me, anyway--"When the right woman comes along who has the potential to win."

I see no reason to vote for Hillary just because "she may be the only woman who has a chance to be president in my lifetime." If that's the case, then let me die before there's a woman president. My country will be better off if only the right people become president. If "the wrong woman" is all we get, I guess we will just have to wait longer for the right one.

Thanks for letting me express my honest feelings. I don't hate Hillary, but I'm not sure she is the right person.

[Gogi]

3. If you seek perfection in a politician you will not find it.

Hillary has her problems but so does Obama. He gives wonderful speeches about changing the 'culture' in Washington, okay, fair enough, it needs changing whatever it is, and that's the problem. Define 'culture'. The word 'culture' is used in his speeches like President DumDum uses the word 'some'. It's an amorphous word to which the listener supplies the meaning. What is his definition of Washington's 'culture' and how does he propose to change it? No, there's been too many politicians who have promised to change Washington's 'culture' and yet it somehow never changes. If it involves lobbyists and all the money sloshing about the place he's set himself an impossible task. He talks about changing current policies but can he do it without a Congress firmly in Democratic hands? I doubt it. He talks a great game but there's no objective proof he can accomplish any of it.

It makes as much sense for me to vote for Hillary because she's a woman as it does for someone to vote for Obama because they like his enthusiasm and speechifying. In the end it's all a crapshoot anyway.


(If Obama thinks he can win the Presidency on a wave of young people's votes I would like to remind him of all the other failed attempts to do the same. Anybody remember Eugene McCarthy?)

[Berry Cool]

4. Ah, but I do not seek perfection. Just a candidate I can feel most comfortable with.

And right now, Hillary isn't it.

You're absolutely right that Obama has problems. So does Edwards, so does anyone. There's not a candidate out there who doesn't use charged words like "change" and vague phrases like "I want to change the culture" and things like that. The question becomes, aside from what is said, what is a candidate capable of doing and most likely to do? On that should your choice be made. But even then, not everyone is going to pick the same person.

You're right--no one should vote for anyone merely because of sex, race, eloquence, etc. And a wave of young people's votes may be helpful, but it may not be enough.

A lot remains to be determined in this election. All we can do is play our small part and watch what happens.

[gkhouston]

2. The same slogan could be used for Obama, could it not?

Which tends to diminish any effectiveness it might have had.

[Berry Cool]

5. Anybody can use any slogan they want.

Very true. Which brings us back to the same thing. I would hope Hillary wouldn't be fool enough to say "Vote for me because I'm a woman" and Obama would not say "Vote for me because I'm black." And I'd hope people would know better than to vote for them for that reason. But who knows? I'd just say, if sex or race is all they expect to be able to use as a means to collect votes, they'd be cancelling each other out.