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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 5, 2008
/ 29 Shevat 5768
What If?
By
Kathleen Parker
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If Barack Obama were a state, he'd be California, said Maria Shriver as she endorsed Obama last weekend.
But what if Barack Obama were white? What if Hillary Clinton were a man? What if John McCain were a woman? What if Mitt Romney were a black female Baptist?
The "what if" question is useful across the board as voters wrestle with identity politics. I don't mean to be flippant, but rather to suggest that we are more biased than we admit and that just possibly our bias interferes with judgment.
We keep hearing that Obama's candidacy isn't about race and Clinton's isn't about gender. But clearly this presidential campaign season is about both. It is also about age and religion, in the cases of McCain and Romney, respectively.
Sometimes it isn't possible to separate content from these prisms of perception, as this exercise demonstrates. But removing the lens of personal identity can be instructive by forcing us to focus more intently on substance.
Despite key endorsements from the African-American community, the Obama phenomenon primarily has been about white America, as black author Shelby Steele recently noted.
"There is this (white) need, this driving hunger, to somehow get this race thing resolved, to redeem the country, to get beyond it. ... That's (the) phenomenon," he said in an interview with the Hoover Institution's Peter Robinson.
Voting for Obama because he's a black man may be defensible for all those reasons. He is also capable of inspiring hope and unity, no small things, and seems to take a thoughtful approach to issues. But would a white Obama and the most liberal member of the Senate, according to National Journal be acceptable as the leader of the free world?
If Hillary Clinton were a man, she probably wouldn't be running for office because she wouldn't have been married to Bill Clinton, which means she probably also wouldn't be a U.S. senator. It's almost impossible to separate Hillary Clinton's candidacy from her marital status and thus her gender.
It may be that Americans want to see a woman in the Oval Office enough to overlook what is an unremarkable Senate record. They may well figure that she's smart enough and note that Clinton consistently has surpassed her male challengers in debate.
Liberals may find her standing as the 16th-most-liberal senator acceptable and bet that she will keep her word to withdraw troops from Iraq no matter what generals on the ground say.
But they shouldn't fool themselves into thinking that Hillary Clinton would be their first choice for president were she not a woman and the wife of Bill Clinton.
A female John McCain also probably wouldn't be running for office, because most 71-year-old women have better things to do. And, let's face it, at no time in these United States would a 71-year-old woman be elected to the presidency. We simply have a different standard for women than for men when it comes to age.
Those who tilt toward McCain do so precisely because of his manly record as a prisoner of war. His voting record, which can be viewed as reaching across the aisle, is seen by many conservatives as something else. National Journal, which also calculated Clinton's ranking, couldn't rate McCain because he didn't vote enough in 2007. His 2006 conservative score, however, was 56.7 (meaning that he was more conservative than 56.7 percent of other Republican senators).
Finally, Romney as a black woman Baptist would be the ideal candidate. She'd kill both birds race and gender for all time, and her religion would be a nonissue.
More to the point of what a presidential race should be about, she would be admired for her intelligence, her executive record as a governor and as the woman who bailed out the Olympics. We'd adore that in a woman.
A female Mitt Romney would also be attractive, well put together, disciplined, neatly dressed and carefully coiffed. We like that in women better than men, apparently. Mostly we would like that she had made such a success of her life while staying married to the same man, her high school sweetheart, and raising five exemplary children. We give white men little credit for those same accomplishments.
Some may be able to justify all these biases as recompense for past inequalities, but we shouldn't be confused about why we vote a certain way.
Far from transcending race and gender, we have made them our political masters.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Kathleen Parker can be reached by clicking here.
Kathleen Parker Archives
© 2006, WPWG
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