Obama gains among women
Depending which poll you look at, Barack Obama is doing much better among female voters -- or he still has a big challenge ahead.
Gallup's daily tracking poll suggests that Obama has widened his lead over John McCain since Hillary Clinton, who bested Obama in the primaries among women, dropped out of the Democratic race and endorsed him.
In tracking polls from May 27 through June 2, Obama led McCain 48 percent to 43 percent among women. But in tracking polls from June 5 through June 9, he led the presumptive Republican nominee 51 percent to 38 percent among women.
And among women 50 and older, Obama had turned a 46 percent to 43 percent deficit into a 47 percent to 41 percent lead.
But in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey released this afternoon, while Clinton led McCain by 14 percentage points among suburban women, Obama trailed by 6 percentage points. Overall, Obama leads 47 percent to 41 percent.
To win in November, a Democratic presidential candidate typically needs to build a sizable gender gap, drawing far higher support among women than the Republican.
In a conference call today with reporters organized by EMILY's List, a political action committee that backs female candidates who support abortion rights, its president, Ellen R. Malcolm, and others acknowledged they were disappointed by Clinton's loss and that Obama has some fence-mending to do.
But they said the priority now should be to elect Obama, in part because McCain opposes abortion rights.
"There is definitely a period of mourning that ardent Hillary Clinton supporters are going through," Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida said during the conference call. "I think there is a fairly large group of women that are going to need to be won over. And that's going to take some time."
Absolutely understandable that this will take time. But frankly I would be shocked if any woman who supported Hillary because of her stance on women's issues, particularly reproductive rights, didn't vote for Obama. McCain absolutely represents the GOP mainstream in his opposition to reproductive rights and his unwillingness to defend other women's issues. Even if disappointed by Hillary's loss in the primary, supporting Obama now should be a no-brainer.
Two words to prove the point: SUPREME COURT
Why do some HRC supporters feel BO is so horrifically different from their candidate? To me this says they support her because of gender and not issues or character. Is this also sexism, or would it be called "reverse" sexism?
Kind of funny when blacks support Obama 92% without knowing his agenda nobody called Blacks racists other the media going after Bill Clinton for what he said. The blacks are far more racist than any race I know.
McCain left his first wife and 3 children for a younger woman.
I'm surprised no one looks at the ideological split in the Democratic Party. I won't vote for Obama because he's simply too far to the left. I'm a fiscally conservative, socially liberal Democrat. I view Obama as radically to the left as Bush is radically to the right.
Although McCain is certainly not what I would ordinary choose, I feel he is the lesser of two evils. Additionally, he will be forced to deal with a Democratic Congress, and will probably also be forced to swing more towards the center to capture the Clinton and Independent vote.
All in all I can deal with 4 more years of that than deal with someone who keeps more secrets than Bush and has more terrible economic ideas than Carter.
these women don't "need to be won over" by obama, they need to be forced to apologize to everyone, including obama and the men they have consistently and viciously trashed. they are NOT little princesses whose every emotions and demands need to be capitulated to by men, boys, the media or politicians. coddled, little, shameless brats is what they are. grow up!!!!!!!!!
You may want to call it sexism or "reverse sexism", but what I call it is cutting off your nose to spite your face. Something I'm not going to do.
Over 50, white, female voting for Obama.
McCain's gonna go down hard, and dozens of Congressional Republicans will fall behind him. Tough luck for the Republican Party! It's beginning to smell like 1932 out there!
Women have it in their power to spare their reproductive rights. McCain will not only continue the economic downfall started by Bush and his cronies, he will complete the transformation of the Supreme Court into a Mafia of retrogrades. Women will lose their reproductive rights and the US will stand alone in the civilized world as a place where women are treated like in the XIV century.
Women could prevent this from happening by getting past their racial prejudices and being pragmatic about what is at stake. We are witnessing the US turn into a backward third world nation in front of our eyes, a nation plagued by fear and aggression. Although women have the most to lose, whether they will react rationally in defense of their rights is doubtful, however. The power of racism and prejudice runs deep in the national consciousness.
Why is it Obama's fault that Hillary lost? They were both trying to win. He ran a better campaign with a better organization. Let's look on the bright side: the long race had its good side, bringing lots of voters in and stirring up excitement. But grow up, people. Wake up!
I heard a woman say she was voting McCain--the Supreme Court knew better than to overturn Roe. Okay, let's say she's right about that. But the Supreme Court governed by whackos can do a lot of other damage. That would change life in this country for the rest of the lives of most people reading this. I think I would emigrate, frankly. Not kidding. And what about never-ending war???
Elect Obama and let him make HC a Supreme Court justice. They need a liberal killer over there.
--Obama '08!!!
Amaizing - all posters above make sense!
Hillary supporters have reason to say that some media used sexist remarks about Hillary; however, Obama never made any sexist remarks. In addition, Obama has been very active in the support of women's issues.
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