As I write this, Joe Biden has over 400 delegates, Bernie Sanders over 300. Trump has called Elizabeth Warren "selfish" for vowing to fight on. Rumors of her impending departure from the race are swirling. Her delegate numbers are basically tied with Mayor Pete's, and he's not even in the race any more.
Amy Klobuchar has already dropped out. Fellow senator Kamala Harris dropped out long ago. Meanwhile, three old white men fought on, with Bloomberg just dropping out today, several million (or is it billion?) poorer for jumping into the race. I'm a little nauseated as I write this. Our country is 245 years old. We've only had male presidents. Barack Obama was the one exception to only White male presidents, and then of course the nation was so alarmed it reverted to the blueprint.
Misogyny is so pervasive in American culture that even many women would rather have a female president in office. Interestingly, in the 2016 presidential election, an overwhelming majority of Black women voted for Hillary Clinton, at 98 percent. However, 2 percent of their White counterparts actually voted more for Trump, 45 to 47 percent. While this, in part, is attributable to political party affiliation, it would appear something deeper is going on here. I remember a woman in her sixties telling me that she just didn't like Clinton. Shaking her head, I really didn't hear any substantive "why" issue from her lips.
A male close to me told me he doesn't like the sound of Warren's voice, that he tunes out; as opposed to when Sanders speaks, and everything he says makes sense to this person. Now, that could partly be their policies, their passion, their method of communication; or again, it's something deeper. I am taking Door no. 2.
I recently obtained my M.A. in Eighteenth-Century Studies. Immersing myself in this period was, of course, fascinating but also disturbing. I remember thinking how horrific it must have been for the women, from manner of dress to being deemed a spinster by their twenties; to not being allowed to claim benefits after a spouse's death; to being married off by their fathers and not be allowed to argue. Women's voices were squelched, along with their waistlines.
Sadly, not much has changed when it comes to presidential politics in America. Thank you to Klobuchar, Warren and Harris for, at least, fighting the good fight. Keep at it.
PHOTO: Michael Bloomberg, Wikimedia Commons Images, by Gale Skidmore; Additional information on research: https://www.people-press.org/2018/08/09/an-examination-of-the-2016-electorate-based-on-validated-voters/
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