Like many in the netroots, I haven't been thrilled by the prospect of Hillary as the Democratic candidate, mostly because of her position on issues I care about. Example: She's pro-death penalty and has been a vocal supporter of the War in Iraq. But, that's what I see when I view Democratic contenders through an issue-based lens, and I'm trying my hardest to overcome that.
When I view her through a values-based lens, and think about how Democrats can take back the White House so we can restore some balance to our Supreme Court and federal judiciary and better the economic conditions of our poor and middle class, she's much more acceptable.
I think Carville and Simon are right that women voters can put her over the top. If we are going to have a woman presidential candidate, there is no one with more experience, smarts, savvy and fortitude than Hillary Clinton.
Last night at Firedoglake, Parachutec noted:
The biggest electoral strength of the Dems is single women....We need to reach out to single women and get moving on their issues, on their terms. They are consistently the most progressive consituency out there.
But what about Hillary and the War in Iraq? Atrios notes, "Clinton supporters apparently think they can hold a 2008 presidential campaign without mentioning the war. "
Digby notes the result of this recent LA Times/Bloomberg poll l showing:
The survey's results suggested that an old challenge "the gender gap" could pose a renewed threat to the Republican hold on Congress. Although men split about evenly when asked which party they planned to back for Congress in November, women preferred Democrats by nearly 2 to 1.
Digby goes on to give the Dems some key advice:
I would suggest that instead of reacting to the macho posturing bulls*it this time, the Democrats look to where their voters are and figure out what they need to do to get these women to the polls. And keep in mind that it isn't "girly domestic" issues that have motivated this change. It's Iraq. Being less likely to be impressed by all this macho posturing in the first place, after watching it play out over five long years it's quite likely they've just had enough.
Instead of trying to appease to the 25% of overgrown boys (including the media) who continue respond favorably to this GOP foolishness, maybe the Dems should take a look at the other 75% of the population and fashion a message for them. As those of you who read this blog regularly know, I see some ominous signs in the fact that in this political environment, Democrats are being viewed less favorably lately. That translates at least partially to disillusionment among the base and that spells trouble.
Jane at Firedoglake agrees:
I've said it before and I'm sure I'll have occasion to say it again -- the Democrats have a women problem. Everyone from Hillary to Evan Bayh on down in sporting Limbaugh-esque wood (read: unimpressive) to be the 2008 War President, but nobody is factoring in that all this codpiece swinging is looking extremely suspect to the distaff side of the electorate.
The Democrats already had a women problem -- in 2004, 20 million unmarried women did not vote. That was a group that favored John Kerry 2 to 1 and could have put him over the top. If there has been any significant GOTV effort by Democrats with regard to this group, I haven't seen any evidence.
....Rather than play catch-up, it would be nice to see someone with the vision to get ahead of the curve, stop the dick-swinging nonsense and start talking to, and for, women.
Hillary made a smart move in hiring Peter Daou to reach out to the netroots and bloggers. She's behind the curveball in her blogosphere efforts and she'll need our support and the buzz we can bring. But, she has time. She's running for the Senate in November, not the Presidency.
Now, consider this. What if Hillary could get the women vote and the immigrant vote? There may be 14 million new immigrant voters by 2008 -- U.S. citizens who are exercising their right for the first time due to a national campaign to get out their vote.
Hillary introduced the "Count Every Vote Act of 2005'' which would restore voting rights to felons who have completed their sentences (starting on page 52, and from page 56):
The right of an individual who is a citizen of the United States to vote in any election for Federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual--
(1) is serving a felony sentence in a correctional institution or facility; or
(2) is on parole or probation for a felony offense
If this legislation could pass, how many of these potential 5 million votes might she garner?
If Hillary wants the nomination, she has a lot of fence-building to do with progressives. But, I think it's do-able, and if she's the Democrat with the greatest chance of actually winning back the White House come presidential primary time, we need to think about giving her the netroots help she'll need. While the war in Iraq is a huge issue, it's not the only issue. I'm willing to wait and see how she evolves over the next several months.