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Broad Appeal
June 16, 2008 10:11 AM
Both Sens. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and John McCain, R-Ariz., had women on their minds this weekend.
Obama gave a provocative speech on Father's Day (watch HERE) in which the first major-party African-American presidential candidate gave some tough love to the black community, specifically on the epidemic of fatherlessness. There were any number of interesting dynamics at play here, but one of them is Obama telling dads -- specifically black dads -- to grow up and start acting like men.
It's a message with some appeal to women voters, Obama's push that single moms need help from government and from dads as well.
But McCain is not giving up women voters, who tend to vote Democratic, without a fight.
In a conference call Saturday, McCain praised Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, hoping to pick up some of her disappointed supporters. "I’m told that Senator Clinton inspired millions of young women in this country," McCain said, adding that she "inspired a whole generation of young Americans in this country."
He cited Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Meg Whitman and Sandra Day O'Connor as role models for women. He did not mention the highest ranking Republican woman in government, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, or the highest ranking woman in the U.S. Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif..
McCain said that women "are still vastly under represented" in government -- on the Supreme Court, in the House and Senate. "I just want to assure you with confidence, at the end of my first term you will see a dramatic increase in women in every part of the government," he said.
The Gallup Poll Daily tracking has Obama with a significant lead among women voters right now, with 54% to McCain's 38% (McCain takes men, 50-44).
Lately Democrats have been trying to make much hay about a fundraiser once scheduled for McCain by former Texas gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams, who in 1990, when inclement weather delayed his cattle roundup here, compared the bad weather to rape. "If it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it,' he said. The comments were later used against Williams in an ad from his Democratic opponent, eventual winner Ann Richards. (Watch HERE.)
Williams later said, "I feel just terrible about this. Rape is one of the most violent types of crime we are faced with today and will be met with a firm hand if I'm elected governor. Once again, I apologize from the bottom of my heart."
ABC News' Rick Klein broke the news of this fundraiser Friday, which the McCain campaign first said it was canceling but now appears to be rescheduling for a later date. Democrats are now calling upon McCain to return the $300,000 Williams has raised for him.
“The only thing more insulting than John McCain’s willingness to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash raised by Claytie Williams is his attempt to get away with it by simply changing the venue of his fundraiser," said Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan. "It’s clear that John McCain is more concerned with dealing with a ‘perception problem’ than in condemning these despicable remarks or in living up to the straight talk reputation he brags about."
So…does that mean the Obama campaign won't have anything to do with former comedy writer Al Franken, the Democratic Senate nominee in Minnesota, who is currently under fire for a rape joke he made in 1995?
- jpt
June 16, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (89)
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I meant to say that the Dems did NOT refrain from abandoning Hillary Clinton and they did NOT refrain from stabbing her in the back, over and over and over again. Go McCain! And, it was wonderful seeing Al Gore declare himself for Obama. He just helped tilt a few more million women over to voting for McCain who previously was going to do a write in for Hillary on election day or just stay home. WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR FEE HELP! THANKS SO MUCH!! You should see the amount of women calling me today stating they are going to cast their vote for MCCain because Al Gore abandoning Hillary Clinton was the last straw! You go Al! Thanks so much!!!
Posted by: Mary Anne | Jun 17, 2008 7:22:22 PM
You will find that people who are conservative in their views are also conservative when it comes to technology (more comfortable with older things like AOL and Microsoft than newer-feeling things like Google, Apple, and Facebook).
Posted by: Brian | Jun 16, 2008 4:47:18 PM
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AND they ALL VOTE!!
Posted by: HP Boston | Jun 17, 2008 7:41:02 AM
________________________
Somebody should school McCain! He said he was "not familiar with PC's or Macs." I guess no one on his staff knows about Google either or maybe McCain would have thought twice about taking campaign contributions from Clayton Williams
Posted by: rhbate | Jun 17, 2008 3:28:16 PM
You will find that people who are conservative in their views are also conservative when it comes to technology (more comfortable with older things like AOL and Microsoft than newer-feeling things like Google, Apple, and Facebook).
Posted by: Brian | Jun 16, 2008 4:47:18 PM
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AND they ALL VOTE!!
Posted by: HP Boston | Jun 17, 2008 7:41:02 AM
Well it's nice that McCain wants to kiss up to us. Sandra Day O'Conner is a good one and she was appointed by Ronald Reagan. Hmmm; looking to the Republicans for the advancement of Women in government roles. Hmmmmm. No, can't do it...I want the DEMOCRATS TO BE FIRST WITH A FEMALE PRESIDENT, OR VP damn it! Hillary, Hillary, Hillary!
Posted by: irma | Jun 16, 2008 9:54:31 PM
Al Fraken's support is the last thing ANY candidate needs. He does not make Dems look good. If anything, he represents all the fears of "Liberals" in the eyes of those who are in the center or to the right. What am I saying? I am to the left of EVERYTHING and I can't stand it when AF opens his gutter mouth.
Posted by: irma | Jun 16, 2008 9:49:23 PM
It's apples and oranges as far as Franken and Williams go. Franken hadn't begun his involvement in politics when he came up with the parody of Rooney and Stahl for SNL. The republican ladies must have read long and dug deep to find that skit from '95. In contrast, Williams was a highly visible candidate running for governor when he made his comment about rape in the midst of a large press conference.
Posted by: kat | Jun 16, 2008 8:42:49 PM
TV:
You are right. The black community owes the Clintons nothing. And, neither do so many women like myself, who stuck their neck out countless time to defend a black co-worker from unfair treatment in the workplace risking the loss of their own job, so the alliance is over with all of you. I'm done and I know a lot of people who feel the very same way I do.Unless someone is getting physically hurt, I will not step in and get involved any longer. I don't need to have someone forced down my throat because his race runs to the polls to vote for him or because the highly educated young think he is their guy. I can make up my own mind. The polls are at a dead heat for a reason. It can be anyone's race and I am doing everything I can to be sure it is McCain who is elected and not Obama. Obama blew it when he began the gender bashing. Up until that point, we all would have voted for him, no problem. He is the one who blew it. Did you really think that his behavior would not have consequenses with women across the country? How much baloney do you think you can keep throwing at women before we stand up and say it is enough? So, blame yourselves for this situation and not the woman. We are entitled to be upset because the entire time the campaign was going on Hillary was constantly getting bashed by everyone. For being such a bright guy your candidate certainly didn't use his intelligence in dealing with the fact Hillary was a women very effectively at all. And, McCain has women in his campaign, Obama only has one, the one he appointed two days ago to try and lure over the baby boomer women whom he know he needs to beat McCain. Women were stupid for not uniting after the first gender based insult was hurled at Hillary. WE WILL NOT MAKE THAT MISTAKE EVER AGAIN!
Catonahittinroof: Neither does Obama, he told hillary he knew her claws would come out, he called her Annie Oakley and he told her that she was whining about negative campaign fliers. Oh yes, he really sounds like he is pro-women! What a joke!
McCain may not support women's causes but the Dems will learn not to allow such abusive treatment of a candidate every again after all the backlashing that has gone on since Hillary dropped out of the race. The goal is worth the suffering. I think they'll get that message loud and clear when McCain is elected President in November.
Erin: McCain is getting my vote simply for the fact that the Dems allowed this joke of a primary season to go on in such an abusive manner towards Hillary Clinton. Perhaps next time they'll see we will suffer anything rather than have OUR VERY OWN PARTY mistreat us like they did this year.
I know a lot of women who are going to be voting for MCcain and not for Obama. What's the matter Obama supporters? It's upsetting for you that you can cram your candidate down everyone's throat in the generel election like the Dem party was able to do in the primary, isn't it? Too bad!
The huge block of Hillary supoorters I am referring to are the baby boomers who are so enraged with the sexist behavior of Obama during this primary season. At least 17% are voting for MCCain and that doesn't factor in the over 60s, the blue collars and the very poor who wanted Hillary to be elected. I think it is enough of a comination to change the election into a losing election for Mr. Obama.
Posted by: Mary Anne | Jun 16, 2008 6:23:34 PM
Paulie Abeles, the woman who organized McCain's virtual town hall, has a very unsettling personal history:
To summarize, Mrs Abeles was involved in Thomas Jefferson's family reunion at Monticello; she was actively trying to prevent attendance by the black descendants of Jefferson and Sally Hemmings. She even spent eight months spying on a Yahoo! message board for Hemmings descendants by posing as a 67-year old black woman. That's some seriously paranoid racism and elitism all rolled into one.
Honestly, where does McCain find these people? I mean, every day you hear about some new terrible person intimately involved in McCain's campaign. Is this going to be going on for the next five months?
Posted by: Justin | Jun 16, 2008 5:08:47 PM
"Check out the latest AOL Straw Poll of 6/13 - 6/20/08 - it shows McCain with a 55% lead. Surprising because most AOL account holders used to appear as liberals."
Makes sense. AOL is largely still used only by the technologically unsavvy and less informed. Those folks tend to be older and more conservative, because they have less of a need to master new technology. It's not as important to them as younger folk, who tend to be more liberal and more technologically savvy.
You will find that people who are conservative in their views are also conservative when it comes to technology (more comfortable with older things like AOL and Microsoft than newer-feeling things like Google, Apple, and Facebook).
Posted by: Brian | Jun 16, 2008 4:47:18 PM
"And all the women who attend his rallies are there because they thought it was a shoe store??"
Let's see ... which OTHER political phenomenon in western political history was based on mass rallies?
Posted by: Mama Knows Better | Jun 16, 2008 3:57:59 PM
Big Daddy has a PROBLEM with women -- and women have a problem with HIM.
Posted by: Mama Knows Better | Jun 16, 2008 3:28:46 PM
********
And all the women who attend his rallies are there because they thought it was a shoe store??
Nice try. Some women have a problem with Obama. MOST women have a problem with McCain.
Posted by: Get Over It Already | Jun 16, 2008 3:36:50 PM
I like what Hillary has done to her site. Took that nonsense of backing Obama off of there and put a book of campaign pics instead.She should leave that book on there.
Btw whomever said that no Clinton supporter is that bitter, THINK AGAIN!I know quite a few that are.
Posted by: J | Jun 16, 2008 3:10:40 PM
I wouldn't worry about a contrived vote total. The problem and it is a BIG problem is the contrived delegate system which does not reflect the electoral system
Posted by: geevill | Jun 16, 2008 3:05:36 PM
yavo wrote:
Diversions, to distract from the main message, and to create "plausible deniability".
********
LOL!! But sad that you beleive this to be true. The Democratic Party has always been a weird little party that comes up with the strangest conspiracy theories I have ever seen. No wonder you guys always seem to lose. You do it to yourselves. You guys couldn't unify conjoined twins, LOL!
It will be fun watching you all implode.
Posted by: Get Over It Already | Jun 16, 2008 2:37:52 PM
"So…does that mean the Obama campaign won't have anything to do with former comedy writer Al Franken, the Democratic Senate nominee in Minnesota, who is currently under fire for a rape joke he made in 1995?"
Touche jpt... tres touche... looks like you are doing some homework. Still a little too late for my liking.
Posted by: CTJD | Jun 16, 2008 2:17:20 PM
"Be afraid of McCain - what happened for those five years he was a POW?"
And how about those 20 years that Obama sat in the pews of that racist church and didn't lift a finger to stop the mis-information that his mentor was spewing.
Posted by: Mack | Jun 16, 2008 1:56:55 PM
Yavo,
In the speech you claim that Obama gave Clinton the "middle finger", he scratched his cheek 5 times, 2 times with the index finger, 2 times with the pinkie finger and once with the middle finger. So what were the "messages" he was trying to send the other 4 times?
Posted by: Get Over It Already | Jun 16, 2008 1:55:37 PM
Obama says he will raise taxes on the rich and lower them on the POOR. Hogwash. Every politician is filthy rich and always written tax laws to allow loop holes for them to pay no taxes or very little if any at all.
If they talk a flat tax then i will believe it.
Posted by: Christopher | Jun 16, 2008 1:54:33 PM
Posted by jmc663
I really hope you succeed in voting in McCain. Many of us Obama supporters are UPPER Middle Income. WE have faired quite well under the Shrub. Have you?
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This is the same typical "out of touch" comment as Obama! Obama only attracted 55% of upper income voters and 65% of younger voters under 30!! The rest voted against him. Hope you belong to one of 55% not 65%.......
Posted by: True Truth | Jun 16, 2008 1:47:59 PM
The Manchurian Candidate - google it. Be afraid of McCain - what happened for those five years he was a POW?
We don't know enough about McCain. He takes both sides of every issue. What does he stand for?!?!?
Posted by: Dave | Jun 16, 2008 1:42:50 PM
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