Pundits marvel at how and why Hillary Clinton would keep going when her chances of winning the nomination are now essentially nonexistent. We can all examine the psychological and political motives that keep her going long past the point when common sense would dictate that she throw in the towel. But they underestimate the fervor of her support, and perhaps the difficultly many Democrats will have in moving on to support Barack Obama.
Emily’s List founder Ellen Malcolm penned a heartfelt plea for Clinton to stick in the Washington Post that included this:
It’s not surprising that low-income working women are the cornerstone of Hillary’s success. Many of these women live on the edge of disaster. A pink slip, a family member’s illness, a parent who can no longer live alone, a car that won’t start or a mortgage rate that goes up — all are threats that could devastate the family. And yet these women do what women have done for ages. They put on a confident face, feed their children breakfast and get them off to school. They don’t quit. They suck it up and fight back against whatever life throws their way.
They see in Hillary Clinton a candidate who understands the pressures they face. As they watch her tough it out against all odds, refusing to quit and continuing to compete against whatever the media and her opponents throw her way, they see a woman as tough and resilient as they are. They clearly want her to win. Her victory, I believe, is their victory.
We might scoff at the identity politics run wild in this election cycle. But this personal identification and the sense that once again one of their own has been aced out by a young, glib, and underqualified male will be a bitter pill to swallow for many of Clinton’s staunchest supporters.
Will they eventually make their way to the ballot box and vote for Obama? Perhaps. But many won’t be making calls for him or walking precincts. And some would rather vote for the other experienced, qualified candidate than let that whipper-snapper (whose surrogates are now demeaning her in the most personal terms) win. The “You’re nice enough, Hillary” condescending debate comment was one of those moments that is going to be hard for some to forget.
You say it’s irrational and contrary to their own fervent political views to take it out on Obama? Welcome to identity politics and the results of a year of Clinton cementing a bond with her female peer group. We’ll find out soon whether McCain can capitalize on this by outreach to the aggrieved Clinton female voters (or by putting a woman on the ticket). But at the very least Obama will need to spend considerable time and maybe money trying to lock down women voters who up until now have become one of the Democrats most reliable voting blocs.
