Feminist.... Obama?

In an article in the NY Times, it was noted that Obama thinks that, in terms of feminism, Hillary may not be the best bet. He thinks that, being raised by a single mother, he understands the problems of women and is committed to issues that affect them - "Because I know what it’s like to be raised by a single mom who’s trying to work and go to school and raise two kids at the same time, doesn’t have any support from the father. These are issues I’m passionate about.” It isn't just passion, though. It's also sheer political intelligence. Obama knows that getting the "woman vote" is very important, especially in the Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton, however, has gotten a huge following among women. Many voters were pushed toward Hillary for the mere fact that she could be the first female president, but Obama's platform may look better for women voters. It's the same thing, though, with many ethnic minorities wanting to back Obama because he would be the first black president. The main difference is that this is not Obama's platform, but for Hillary, the gender card is. Either way, though, it isn't enough to vote for someone because of things they can't control as a general rule. Their history and ideas are what people should vote based off of, but many uneducated Americans are going to either ignore or not even look at the candidates' experience when they vote. Women may just vote for the woman because they think that naturally they will be represented. This isn't always true. Some of Hillary's platforms go against what most women and feminist voters would want.
Obama said that the candidate's gender shouldn't make a difference anyway, good or bad for him. There are many out there who agree, saying that sex alone cannot legitimize a campaign and it is acceptable for women, or feminist, voters to follow a male candidate. It's the same thing with Barack, though, with black voters. It's okay for them to want a white candidate and vice versa. His "black-ness" doesn't mean that black voters want him as their president, just as not all women like Hillary Clinton.
I think all in all, though, Obama's campaign has been the smartest of them all, winning over all of the main voting groups along with showing that he is not playing the "Washington game" that other candidates take pride in. For that reason, he has gotten a lot of slack from politicians and journalists in the field, but those aren't really the people who matter in this case. He has gotten a lot of positive feedback from voters about his new ideas for D.C. and for that reason he better do well in the polls and in the election. Hillary, though she can win over the woman vote just for being a woman, cannot convince people that she's human as well. At least Obama speaks the same language as voters.