In Elderly Women, Clinton Sees an Electoral Edge

NYT: In Elderly Women, Clinton Sees an Electoral Edge
By PATRICK HEALY
Published: November 27, 2007

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 26 — They usually sit in the front row — to hear her better, to see her better and to make sure they have a chance to shake her hand. Some lean on canes. Some have traveled a great distance. Some have never been to a political event before. The first one who shared her story with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was Ruth Smith, 87. She drove 160 miles to Des Moines from Buffalo Center to attend Mrs. Clinton’s first rally in Iowa as a presidential candidate and went up to her afterward.

“I told her that my grandmother was the first person in town to vote, and my mother was the second,” said Mrs. Smith, who was born three months before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. “And I told her I was born before women could vote, and I want to live long enough to see a woman in the White House.”

Since then Mrs. Smith’s story has become a grace note in Mrs. Clinton’s stump speech. At the same time, the many other elderly women who turn out for Clinton campaign events have become welcome set pieces, visibly demonstrating the candidate’s effort to highlight her sex and her overtures to female voters, whom the campaign is counting on to propel her to the Democratic presidential nomination. Many young women have been enthusiastic supporters, but Mrs. Clinton, of New York, has shown particular pride in the women in their 70s, 80s and 90s at her events. She spends extra time with them on the rope line and repeats their stories to audiences.

“A couple of weeks ago in New Hampshire, a woman said, ‘I’m 98 years old, this will probably be my last election, we need to hurry up,’” Mrs. Clinton recounted recently in Vinton, Iowa. “And I said, ‘I don’t know, I may need you for my re-election.’ And she said, ‘Well, my doctor just put in a new pacemaker, and she says it’s good for seven years.’”

The Clinton campaign is courting these women in Iowa as the senator seeks an edge in a three-way fight with Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and John Edwards of North Carolina to win the state’s caucuses on Jan. 3. According to some opinion polls, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama are running roughly even among female voters here; she is behind Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards among men. So the Clinton campaign hopes to find an advantage with older women, who might feel an emotional bond with Mrs. Clinton — seeing her like a daughter or seeing something of themselves in her....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/27/us/politics/27ladies.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

this article warmed my heart.

I read it this morning in the Times and Mrs. Smith reminds me of my own mother and neighbor who are both in their 80s and can't wait to vote for Hillary. These women fought against discrimination and sexism all their lives and KNOW how it felt to be held back simply because they were women.

Never underestimate women! Many will not post comments online and many will not even tell their male partners who they are voting for, but come next November women will decide who will be the next president.

voted for Hillary. I was eviscerated for daring to say that.My 80 year old aunt loathes Hillary and she is feminist. She states that Hillary is not a "real" feminist but only one when convenient.I concur.I know "anecdotal" evidence is dismissed by the faction of the "alleged front runner' but there it is.And if pro Clinton anecdotes are acceptable so should be those that do NOT support her.

you know perfectly well why you were criticized for that thread.

:rofl:

Jesus!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3761566

A Doctor's Support for John Edwards: A Physician's View of John Edwards
Edited on Tue Nov-27-07 08:02 AM by saracat
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/26/15814/964

A Physician's View of John Edwards (UPDATED)
by leisure
Sun Nov 25, 2007 at 11:44:48 PM PST
I came across a comment that said physicians would not support John Edwards because of his past medical malpractice litigation against doctors, and felt I needed to respond.

I'm an MD. Family practice and emergency medicine trained, working emergency medicine for the past 10 years.

I have a duty to provide compassionate, standard-of-care medicine to all my patients, and I take that responsibility seriously.

But it's a tough job for physicians to do consistently, without error, for each of the tens of thousands of patients they will see over the course of their career.

Gross malpractice occurs sometimes... and when it can be proven, I believe victims should be fairly compensated.

leisure's diary :: ::
I support John Edwards. For many reasons.

Universal healthcare is a big one for me-- the sick and injured must be cared for with decency and respect.

ALL of them.

And not just when they're on death's door in the Emergency Department where care is federally mandated. Cost effectiveness, in addition to human decency, requires primary preventative care as well.

In my opinion, nobody but John Edwards stands a chance of achieving Universal Health Care, because nobody but John Edwards is willing to fight the HMOs and risk losing their continued financial support.

Do you know which two United States senators took in the most money from HMOs this current cycle?

#1. Hillary Clinton
#2. Barack Obama

First and second place-- out of all 100 senators, Republican and Democrat.

http://www.opensecrets.org /...

Health Services/HMOs:
Money to Congress

Election cycle: 2008

List: Summary Top 20 Members

Candidate
Amount

Clinton, Hillary (D)
$246,480

Obama, Barack (D)
$175,093

(Chris Dodd is #7 on that list, by the way.)

John Edwards was completely right-- the Clintons had all three branches of government, and they didn't get anything passed that remotely resembled Universal Health Care. Regardless of their true intentions, that's what "sitting at the table" gets you.

John has a history of taking on big HMOs for the little guy and winning. He and Elizabeth are now fighting to bring good health care coverage inexpensively to everyone.

Just like they're fighting to end global warming and our dependence on non-renewable energy.

Just like they're fighting to redeploy the combat troops from Iraq, and bring most of them home to their families.

I can't speak for all physicians, but this physician trusts John Edwards to do the right thing.

Corporate control of congress must come to an end-- now.

We deserve a President who is bought and paid for by the American people.

.
.

UPDATE:

The Clintons had the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and a reasonably balanced Judicial Branch, yet 27 million Americans still LOST their health insurance while Bill Clinton was President.

The percentage of uninsured jumped from 7.4% -> 13.5% between 1992 and 2000. Almost double.



1992 -- 19 million uninsured Americans

Population: 254 million. 7.4% uninsured.

http://www.census.gov /...

2000 -- 38 million uninsured Americans

Population 281 million. 13.5% uninsured.

http://www.census.gov /...

That's what the "sit down at the table" approach gets you.

It's time we elected a fighter.

Try again.

doctor supports Edwards a "slam".Is anyone supporting anyone other than Hillary a slam and is her record unimpeachable? Sheesh. I guess supporting another candidate is a "slam ' against Hillary to you.

It's a slam.

You live for that shit.

I Am Woman!!! Imagine all the wisdom we could gather from these wise,experienced women. They have seen so much in their lifetimes. Why do so many ignore them,scorn them and think of them as useless? Many cultures revere the elderly and are richer in spirit and knowledge because of it.

90 year old women ALL support Hillary.To suggest otherwise is heresy!LOL!

The poor ol woman is probably afraid she won't get her bowl of gruel from

you if she said anything positive

I haven't met anyone who supports Obama or Edwards

:rofl:

were their daughters and grand-daughters. They collectively changed the world for the better for all women.

After mid-century, the feminists took over the fight. They had their sights on something better, equal progress and respect right along with men.

The Boomers are the daughters and grand-daughters of the feminists.

Phyllis Schafley will probably not vote for Hillary, but many women--perhaps most--will vote for Hillary.

Why? Because full equality is still a battleground here in the US and around the world. Think of the rape victim in Saudi--200 lashes because she was raped. There are other problems that women still face and women will naturally respond to those problems. Perhaps, someday, their daughters and grand-daughters will achieve parity around the world.

Yeah, I believe women will help Hillary carry the election.

Self respecting feminists I know are not particularly impressed with a woman getting to the White House on her husbands coattails.

Women have been waiting since 1920 for a female president.
Black people have been waiting since 1870 for a black president.

I mean, as long as we're comparing non-white males and wait times.

Women of all colors, shapes, sizes, and conditions have been waiting for a female pres.

Do you contest that?