Reply #23: We should not underestimate the American voter [View All]

[oldcoot]

Yes, there is sexist people in the Unites States who probably would not vote for a female candidate no matter how qualified she is. These same people probably oppose equal rights for women and abortion rights. In other words, they would not support the Democratic candidate under any circumstances. It would be a waste of time to try to win this voter. Fortunately, this voter is neither a typical voter or typical American.

During the Cold War, many Americans may have hesitated to vote for a female candidate because of the fear that a woman would not be as strong as a man on defense issues. Since then, we have had a female secretary of state (Madeleine Albright). While many may strongly disagree with some aspects of Clinton's foreign policy and Albright's statements, no rational person can argue that she was too timid for the position.

Indeed, the right female candidate might attract new voters to the Democratic Party. Americans who do not normally pay attention to politics might start paying attention if we had a female candidate. We should definitely should not be afraid to support quality female or minority candidates.