Can you imagine if Hillary had only been a Senator for three years, and had spent one of those years running for President. No woman could ever get away with that

But overall, she's had two fewer years in public office than Obama has.

"I have three reactions to this. First, Okay then, let’s send Obama forward. He’s got the better chance to win. But…then…I think: Well, fuck, maybe it’s more important to get a woman into the White House, and Hillary has a solid shot."

lets take a 3 point shot from half court rather than take a jump shot inside the arc?

That was a classy lady

Yeah and if her name wasn't Clinton she wouldn't be where she is right now. No way.

All true. So, give em heck about global warming and ST LINK for Nov 08 vote, ok? We need action not dithering.

while we're going off topic, why is Obama afraid to debate Clinton?

Didn't Lincoln debate Douglas about 5 hours at a time? Repeatedly?

Now there's a guy who was afraid.

I have three reactions to this. First, Okay then, let’s send Obama forward. He’s got the better chance to win. But…then…I think: Well, fuck, maybe it’s more important to get a woman into the White House, and Hillary has a solid shot.

I have a radical idea. What about choosing the best person for the job, regardless of gender or ethnicity?

One of Hillary's rationales for her campaign is that she's a woman. Obama never uses his ethnicity as a rationale for his campaign. Advantage (as far as I'm concerned): Obama.

The odd thing for me is that Hillary's ascent isn't a triumph of feminism; it's a triumph of nepotism. There's something strikingly anti-feminist about Hillary's political journey. (Uh-oh, I'm starting to sound dangerously like Andrew Sullivan.)

I'm sure in 1972 what the remarkable Rep. Chisholm said was sadly very true. Can we agree things have improved? I sure hope so.

My dream president: Texas Representative, Barbara Jordan, 1976. The conscience of the country.

I'm sure in 1972 what the remarkable Rep. Chisholm said was sadly very true. Can we agree things have improved? I sure hope so.

My dream president: Texas Representative, Barbara Jordan, 1976. The conscience of the country.

He's not afraid of Clinton. He's debated her plenty of times. He's just not willing to give her free air time. She'd be doing exactly the same thing if he was low on dough.

Douglas beat Lincoln

Seriously, Hillary has to debate to win; she doesnt have any intangibles to work with. obama can choose when to debate, where to debate, and the context of the situation. hillary is desperate. maybe she should cry about it?

obama should make a buy in for a debate be 14 million dollars.

I had some of the same thoughts the last month or two but when it came down to it I chose Electibility and Integrity which (for me) = Obama.

Obama's service in Illinois State Senate gets shoved aside like it doesn't matter (it didn't hurt Lincoln). He technically has more elected service than Hillary.

Also there is a Lurleen Wallace aspect to Hillary's candidacy I am very uncomfortable with. That nepotism and just the overall slime factor of the Clintons that 8 years of Bush made me forget--but then Bill reminded me of in South Carolina--cancelled out my positive feelings for her.

The issue isn't racism v. sexism, it's electability! Nominating Hillary will, in a heartbeat, unite the now-in-disarray GOP. It will give the R's the energy, drive, and fundraising zeal to make McCain a more formidable candidate than he will be otherwise.

Hillary's vote is limited to Democratic voters and some of the independents. Obama can win not only the same Democrats as Hillary, but also a larger bloc of the independents, and even some disaffected Republicans.

This is all sad for Hillary. She doesn't deserve the hatred and condemnation she gets from the R's, but we can't pretend it doesn't exist.

As a Democrat, I'm best served by letting the GOP stay fractured, at least for a while.

Obama = much better opportunity for Victory in November.

Thank you constant voter. this is what i've been saying for the longest time now. how are democrats served by a GOP president?

What about Obama's "experience" when, as a Harvard-educated lawyer, he could have had a cushy job anywhere else but chose instead to be a community organizer on the streets of Chicago?

Does it only count if it's in a governmental bureacracy or when you're the spouse of a governor or president?

How about we give everyone credit for their "experience" ...and then judge who can be McCain?

Bellevue Ave how can you say that when you claim you will be voting republican if its Clinton

hils...

So, yeah, while Clinton does get way too much credit for her 35 years of “experience,” there’s definitely some truth in the observation that no woman with as little experience as Obama would ever have made it this far. Unthinkable.

Bullshit. I think that if you had Shirley Chisholm around today, and she was able to wow today's crowds like Obama can now, I think that she'd get the same level of support.

voodoo, I dont want to hear 4 more years of seattle complaining about a republican president when the very real option to change that was on the table.

i'm thinking about what i want first; obama for president, and what i want second; no bitching and moaning about how democrats lost the election in spite of having a better chance with someone else.

@20--or Barbara Jordan? A black Texas Lesbian in a wheelchair who's speaking style is Obama X 10? Wheeeee....

Look up her 1976 Keynote Address to the Democratic Convention. Goosebump-inducing.

How about bringing up Edwards' paltry experience? Six years in the Senate? Give me a fucking break.

As a black woman, Shirley got shit on by white men and black men. While I've been on the receiving end of misogyny from black men, as a white woman, I'm perfectly aware that I have higher social status than they do.

I don't particularly like playing the oppression Olympics, but there's no way that white women have it as bad in this country as black men.

lmao, it's like the olympics of oppression!

Apples, Oranges, can we agree oppression is bad and work toward addressing it in its many forms? Racism might require a different solution than sexism, but we all share the same goals here. Let's not vote as victims, though. Let's vote for victory.

Which is why I choose the candidate who wants to transcend the divisions, and not running as the "first" anything. Just the best candidate to win against Grampa McCain and Pastor Huck.

The "riding Bill's coattails" criticism of Hillary annoys me, since this happens all the time in politics. W and Jeb rode the coattails of their father. The current Mayor Daley rode the coattails of his father. It goes all the way back to WH Harrison/Benjamin Harrison and Adams/JQ Adams.

People like people who are familiar to them more than they like an unknown quantity. Someone who is related to a popular politician is in the public eye and therefore has a better shot at the Presidency than a Joe Biden or a Chris Dodd. Deal with it.

Argh. Reading slog comments is not helping me get off the fence about who to caucus for. Yes, I think Obama is an inspiring speaker, but he doesn't really say anything. And gee, when was the last time folks were wowed by some charismatic, inspirational guy. Oh yeah, that was Clinton, the oh-so-gifted politician that was going to save the US from the accumulated damage of 12 years of Republican rule. So, I can't help, when I hear Obama, feeling like he's just another good-lookin' sweet-talker who's going to turn out to be a putz.

And Hillary! Oy, the war, the fucking war!

I find the whole discussion of experience interesting, though. I think that Hillary has a hell of a lot more relevant experience for the office than, say, our current president, who also ran as a nepotism candidate (as was Gore, for that matter). I think coming from a family steeped in the political culture is probably useful, the difference being that Hillary created such a family through marriage rather than being born into it.

Julie, shouldnt the fact that there are some serious negative impact from her being Clinton's wife not be included then? You can't the quality of coattails, can you?

@26: You've perfectly stated the problem with all politics in this country. That is why we're in this mess. People vote for familiarity instead of what's right.

Emily G, if you haven't already, do some research on the Internet. Go to the candidates' websites. You should not rely on SLOG or any other such medium to help you make an informed decision. Good luck!

And where did Shirley Chisholm's and Barbara Jordan's candidacies get to, exactly? I'd like to WIN, people.

Julie, note that the coat-tail riders usually SUCK. Being like G.W. is nothing to brag about.

Fnarf, wouldnt you rather be self righteous at running a candidate with no chance? I mean, it feels good to lose elections and then have the country go in the complete opposite direction of what you wanted, right?

Emily, I agree with above:
DO NOT rely on the SLOG for becoming informed about the candidates. Reasonable political discussion won't be found here.

Shirley Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed is a killer doc!

And even W and Jeb didn't have the nerve to add their father's years in the white House to their own years of experience in public service. That takes some balls.

I think McCain could easily throw off Hillary in a debate. I'm not so sure he can do the same to Obama.

I'm overseas. People keep asking me if we still have Democracy in the US.

@31, fnarf--i DID qualify Jordan as "Dream" (as in IMPOSSIBLE) candidacy. i'm supporting Obama BECAUSE he can win, especially by attracting independents and in NOT being a walking GOP-fundraising-target like Hillary and her 48%-negatives ratings.

@35, amen to that, great piece of filmmaking.