As the final six contests in the Democratic primary near, it would look as if Senator Barack Obama of Illinois will be the eventual Democratic nominee. However, Senator Hillary Clinton is not out of the race yet.
After the May 6 contests, it would seem as if Senator Barack Obama of Illinois is a few steps closer to grabbing the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton barely defeated Obama by two points in the Indiana primary. Obama crushed Clinton in the North Carolina primary.
However, there are still six contests left. But, things do look grim for Clinton’s candidacy. As another indication of a grim outcome, the feminist voting block has been divided. This was a crucial voting bloc for Clinton’s campaign. It is a given that they want to see a woman become United States President. While Clinton has the chance of winning the Democratic nomination, the
feminist voting bloc is divided between herself and Obama.
This could be deemed a turn of events. It would seem highly likely that most if not all would stand behind Clinton. However, that is far from the case. There has been a good deal of feminists standing behind Obama, a man. Overall, this is something that seems to be going beyond the gender lines.
One such feminist named Ellen Bravo supports Obama. She advocates the cause of working women. Bravo gave criticism towards Clinton for voting in 2002, to let US President George W. Bush invade Iraq in 2003. Recently, the fifth year anniversary of Iraq has passed.
Bush’s disapproval rating is at an all time high.
However, Bravo came under fire from fellow feminists that support Clinton. Bravo felt she was given an ultimatum. To her, they were saying that she is betraying the movement if she didn’t vote for Clinton.
Bravo said: “
It’s very self-defeating and alienating, particularly to younger women who, regardless of who they support, don’t like to be told ‘Do this. Do that.’”
However, former Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Gloria Feldt, who supports Clinton, said that it was fine that the movement does not have a single mind. However, Feldt expressed worries like the Democratic Party, that the feminist movement will be divided.
It is at risk of becoming a strong voting bloc. If it loses solidarity, the movement will cease to become a viable voting bloc. That is the biggest threat that the feminist movement faces right now.
The main rift in the feminist movement could be generational. In the past, Obama said it was neither about Democrat vs. Republican nor Black vs. White. He said that it was about the past vs. the present.
In the case of the feminist movement, it is a clash between the older generation and the younger generation. A good portion of elderly women made up a huge part of Clinton’s base.
The older feminists say that the pro-Obama feminists are in denial of the “sexual caste system.” The younger ones accuse Clinton of using the race card to hurt Obama.
According to Ariel Garfinkel, a student at Mount Holyoke College said that Obama is the true feminist over Clinton.
This gives the strong indication that the feminist voting bloc does not exclusively belong to anybody due to a matter of gender. In short, the feminist voting bloc is fair game. If one looks closely enough, this could also be viewed as moderate feminism vs. radical feminism.
