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Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 00:30:02 AM EDT
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| You've gotta hand it to the mid-west... they have some pretty sharp BS meters and can see through it quicker than most. Well a Chicago Sun-Times columnist - Carol Marin - hit the nail on the head with her column this morning. Kinda goes back to that arugula flap in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses. Big donors are just as clueless when it comes to understanding why millions of us are still not ready to ride that unity pony of Howie's.
Michele Obama spoke at a "women for Obama" fundraising event recently where well-dressed (and well-off) women dined on a gourmet lunch, and I think they're starting to understand they've got a problem here.
Women voters aren't warming to 'cool' Obama
Departing from her prepared remarks, she cautioned a ballroom of applauding "Women for Obama" that despite their unwavering support, "there's a whole country out there that still needs a little convincing."
Umm... hate to break it to you Michele, but we're going to need more than a little convincing here. A whole lot more. For many of us, that train left the station months ago. For others - well you might (just MIGHT) still have a shot at winning them over.
... the women Obama needs right now are the ones who do not dine downtown. They're the ones who can't afford organic anything, forced to choose between a gallon of gas and a gallon of milk because they can't buy both on the same day.
Women like Sarah.
Make the jump... |
| Alegre :: Women Are Not Warming Up to Obama |
A few hours after leaving the "Women for Obama" luncheon, I ran into Sarah, not her real name. I've known her for a few years. A single mom, she free-lances, working as many jobs as she can to support two growing boys. She dreams of a permanent gig with benefits, but it's still just a dream.
A 37-year-old Democrat, she is also a college grad and a news junkie who has watched this campaign like a hawk. She surprised me with her anger Tuesday, saying she's voting for McCain.
To Sarah, Barack Obama is like the organic chicken at lunch. Sleek, elegant, beautifully prepared. Too cool.
Marin then notes that she asked the women at that fancy luncheon whether they think there's still a big gap between the BHO's and Hillary's camps. I don't' think those women are listening to what's going on out here. They point to the issues the DNC often uses to scare us back into line (choice, healthcare, wage parity for women etc), but when you get right down to it - BHO hasn't exactly been our champion when it comes to choice OR healthcare.
Marin's last line was the take-away for me and I think it encapsulates BHO's problem with more than just the women who've supported Hillary in this campaign. Rather than gourmet lunches at high-priced fundraising events, BHO needs to get out there and meet regular folks like us - listen to us talk about our healthcare horror stories, that many of us have been out of work now going on 2 years, or of the looming foreclosure on our homes.
Oh, and one other thing...
They may need to try offering more macaroni and cheese. |
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"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. When you stumble, keep faith. When you?re knocked down, get right back up. And NEVER listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on."
Hillary Clinton - June 7, 2008
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