Divided, We Will Fall

Last week, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton conceded defeat in her bid for the White House. (Sort of).

Meanwhile, on thousands of chat boards and in conversations across America, a good chunk of Clinton's avowed 18 million supporters were adamently expressing their revised voting intentions. It seems that in lieu of Clinton, these people, most, if not all of them, registered Democrats, would rather vote for Republican nominee John McCain or worse, not at all, than cast a vote for the official Democratic nominee, Barrack Obama. What could possibly account for this hostility directed at a candidate whose platform is more or less identical to Clinton's? Certainly, there could be some Americans who woke up over the weekend to a completely changed philosophical outlook which now obliges them to switch party allegiances. But for the rest, it seems to be more than a question of the issues.

As the statistics bear out, older white women in particular have clung fiercely to the idea of a female president and refuse to accept anyone else as their candidate. They do not seem to be aware that this position actually demeans the significance of having a woman candidate in the first place. By basing one's support of a candidate solely on that person's sex, it removes whatever objectives, ideas and principles that that candidate had wanted Americans to consider when placing a vote. It renders moot the idea that women voters are exercising good judgement and free choice if their only criteria is that a female be elected to office.

Obviously, not all Clinton supporters are women who base their support on gender. But this idea that it is at once imperative to vote for a woman but absolutely not ok to throw support behind a black man of the same party after the woman candidate loses the nomination doesn't make any sense.

According to the chat boards, many of these Democrats don't really seem to have good reason for not supporting Obama in the wake of Clinton's defeat. Of those who posted comments, most cited his supposed lack of experience (does being a former first lady lend credibility in these people's eyes?), his "Muslim" background (as if a middle name has anything to do with one's religious affiliation or moral position), and of course, his "elitist" background and "un-patriotic" wife.

The term "elitist" has become a dirty word in modern day America. John Kerry's debates with George W. Bush went down in flames in 2003 not because Bush made any particularly salient remarks but because Kerry had the audacity to speak articulately, perhaps even using big words, and thus alienated Americans with his "inaccessibility." Instead of being suspicious of those more learned than ourselves, couldn't the American voter be inspired and encouraged by it? Wouldn't the most educated, trained, thoughtful and articulate person be the one you'd most like to have operate on you or prepare your taxes? What is there to distrust about a candidate- or anyone- who thinks that America can do better? Who studied and observed and learned from history and yes, perhaps even says things that you occcasionally don't understand? It is not "un-patriotic" to question things in this country and strive to make them better. It is loving, it is thoughtful and it is patriotic to care enough to speak up and do something about what is hurting America.

And so, a 48-year-old man with arguably short experience in the Senate is the official Democratic nominee. He is educated, but try not to hold that against him. He has an opinionated wife, but so did another candidate who became president in recent memory. And he is black. If this is your criteria for withholding support, then you probably wouldn't have been ready for a woman in office, anyway. If color is your sole criteria in lending your support, your actions are as misguided as those who would only consider a woman for president. Consider the issues. Consider the future. But don't let superficialities like color or gender stand in your way of making the the best, most thoughtful decision in November. You owe it to yourself, to your neighbors and to the candidates- all of them- who want to do what they think is best for this divided America.