So yesterday I wrote all about how practical privilege is what is driving the “racism” against Obama.

But does it work the same way for the sexism against Hillary. Only sort of.

Racism is not part of Hillary’s campaign strategy (despite the O’bots crying). She is not endorsing it, she has apologized when someone, herself even, has made a comment that seemed racist. All she has done is appeal to working class and poor voters, many of them white working class voters.

Sexism is a part of Obama’s campaign, whether being dished out by him and his campaign personnel (99 problems but a bitch ain’t one?) Or whether he is using the sexism in the media to further his candidacy.

And women, to the liberal elite boyz who get all tingly over the koolaid, are a much bigger threat to them than AAs are. AAs aren’t directly competing with them for college admission and graduate programs. And AAs aren’t their biggest competition in the workforce. Women are. Well educated white women.

But once again, Obama misses an opportunity. He could be talking about making things easier for everyone. He could be talking about more access to college educations for everyone or fostering industries that will create more creative class jobs for everyone. Instead he lets the boyz and their anger loose. And he sells out the rest of us.

Racism and sexism are real and awful, but whether the candidates try to improve the situation for everyone (like Hillary) or use those things to their own advantage (Like Obama) says a whole lot about what kind of president they will be.

I don’t want a president who will pit struggling people against each other for political gain.

Cause it was just that damn good:

So if anyone thinks that someone with a rather non-accomplished career, no experience, generally a poster child for those holding the money, makes a deal with the devil to buy a mansion he couldn’t afford while the poor under his watch went through a winter with no heat and no trash removal is qualified to keep track of the country when he could not keep track of his own district..go vote for him.
If those are the qualifications one’s seeks to be a leader and a president, vote for Obama. No use trashing Hillary Clinton or John McCain to make Obama look better. Vote for Obama on his experience, connections, record and judgment. No one has yet told me why I should vote for Obama. Everyone tells my why I shouldn’t vote for the other candidates.

I believe the criteria for GWB was that he ran a “better campaign”. I fail to see how that translated to being a better president.

For what it is worth, I do not smoke hopium and I have not yet had an obotomy. So one’s argument needs to be more compelling for me to support Obama.

From Linda C on the Dear Blogger Boyz thread.

In the best possible ways.

Go read Legitimacy or Unity (and BTW- I actually knew the Machiavelli stuff, but the Rousseau stuff is new to me)

ETA: Hey I said sort of the same thing here. And I also said it to the Kid, who then went and said it to his social studies teacher. Who didn’t get the point. Sad really the a 13 year old boy can understand that democracy needs opposition but a 40 something teacher of US History and government does not.

Hey Soopermouse- this one’s for you, you gypsy goddess

Via Riverdaughter

I can’t embed CNN’s videos- so you all are gonna have to be old fashioned about and click this link.

The question of the day is- Should Hillary reject the votes of racists?

I dunno- Should Obama reject the votes of sexists? Should Kos and the Obamabots have their votes disenfranchised because of the raging sexism? Has Obama been called on to denounce the sexism of himself (other than an apology for his “sweetie” moment”)his campaign, and his blogger boyz?

Nope.

I don’t think I’ve heard a single Hillary supporter say that Obama should ignore say all the white male votes in Oregon (Oh I am way too familiar with the particular Northwest form of misogyny- it’s the “But I can’t be a sexist cause I’m a democrat- BITCH!” form).

Because a vote is a vote is a vote. Racists get to vote, sexists get to vote, southerners get to vote, northerners get to vote.

So Obama can’t win working class white votes. He can’t win southern white votes. Why might that be?

Partly it might be racism- but let’s go back to that practical privilege idea I keep talking about. Poor, working class whites are much more likely to be in regular contact with poor, working class AAs. In that situation, AAs become their direct competition for jobs and being on the thin edge of the poverty line makes it difficult enough. They don’t have room for competition. Losing a job means homelessness and hunger. One of the ways the elites keeps their power is by keeping the poor fighting each other in groups. Hello Obama! Riling up the poor whites been working for you as an election strategy so far? Huhmm?

So Obama could have gone a long way towards making ALL working class people; black, white, yellow, brown, feel more secure. He could have offered up an economic plan for creating more middle class jobs. He could offer up a real health care plan. But instead of giving people the impression that he wants to increase opportunities for everyone, he gives fuzzy visions of hope and unity. But neither of those things put bread on the table. And to scared, working class and poor whites, unity sounds a whole lot like they are about to be screwed. To them, Obama’s vision of unity means another round of pushing one group of poor people ahead at the expense of another group of poor people. They’ve seen that before, it’s part of the reason why they loathe affirmative action. (Note that I am pro affirmative action- I am explaining a mindset folks)

Hillary actually has the background in creating opportunities for every race at the bottom of the ladder. We know it. Before Obama, the Clintons were dearly beloved by both poor AAs and poor whites. Both Bill and Hillary understand that the only way to overcome racism in this country is by increasing opportunities for everyone.

I don’t fault AAs for voting for Obama (duh! First truly viable black candidate. They should vote for him if that’s what they want) but it is up to Obama to make himself viable to the entire country, even to voters he personally detests. That means working class whites. That means Latinos. That means middle aged (and younger- hello!) women who think sweetie is condescending and would rather have more bodily autonomy than “some”.

And he has failed.

Miserably.

So when they say Hillary should reject the votes of racists, they mean that they want to cut off poor white southerners from the voting process. That is a mistake not just for the party- who will create a permanent Republican majority by ignoring such a huge voting block, but for the advancement of our country as a whole. We will never get past racism as long as it’s a black or white question. We will only get past racism when it’s a black AND white solution.