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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
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
January 14, 2008
7 Shevat 5768
Women trivialize politics by rushing to Clinton in the tracks of her tears
By
Michael Goodwin
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Even as it is being digested on its way to becoming conventional wisdom, the emerging narrative of the New Hampshire Democratic primary offers a profoundly distressing scenario. Hillary Clinton apparently was rewarded with a crucial victory for that teary moment in a diner.
Forget her intelligence, her long career, her hard work, her positions and even the quality of her opponents. None of that mattered after the briefest sign of waterworks. Instantly, large numbers of female voters seemed to have put aside their reservations and rushed to support her.
It is a breathtaking development in the glorious history of women's fight for equality. The first woman with a real shot at being President of the United States rides a wave of tears to a victory. The arsenal of democracy has a new weapon. Will Iran be scared of us now?
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and the other suffragettes must be smoldering in their graves. This is what they fought for?
The moment also is ominous for the presidential campaign. With women making up 57% of the Democratic electorate so far, Barack Obama faces a daunting challenge: how to combat Clinton without handing her victory on a sympathy vote. She can, as she has, accuse him of peddling false hopes and even of making America more vulnerable to a terror attack, but the minute he responds, she'll be the victim. If she cries again — and why shouldn't she? — he'll be a cad.
As if her being married to a former President isn't enough complexity, the incident adds another riddle to Clinton's historic campaign. Whether her tears were real or scripted is almost beside the point. What matters is that her comeback victory, where she erased a huge deficit in 24 hours, stems from how women responded to her display of emotion.
The diner moment was the only significant event of the day before votes were cast. Overnight, it turned what even Clinton's campaign saw as a large Obama victory into a win for her.
Predictions that Obama would win by double digits are cited by some as proof of the racism of white voters who lied to pollsters when they said they would vote for the black candidate. No doubt that has happened, but the evidence in New Hampshire points to a different but equally troubling phenomenon of gender solidarity.
Many reticent women voted for her because Clinton's out-of-character display persuaded them she is authentic and real.
Some analysts also believe the sudden embrace of Clinton was prompted not so much by the event itself as by repetitive media coverage of it, which included ridicule by permanent nemesis Rush Limbaugh and other men.
Whatever, the result was dramatic. Only five days earlier in Iowa, Obama got 35% of the female vote, against Clinton's 30%. In New Hampshire, Clinton got 46% of the female vote, against his 34%. Although the surveys were not exact copies, the difference in voting patterns is stark enough to be reliable.
That crying carried the day for her is more than bizarre. She has always been proud of her poise under fire, opening a November debate by saying "This pantsuit — it's asbestos tonight." Her Senate career has been about showing toughness in a time of war. Her vote for the Iraq invasion, her request to be on the prized Armed Services Committee and her recent vote to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization suggest a desire to be seen as one of the boys on security issues. But at crunch time, when her career was on the line, her tears counted most.
Of course, if men candidates cry under stress, they're toast. Just ask President Edmund Muskie. The Maine senator blubbered his way out of the 1972 race after blistering attacks by a New Hampshire newspaper on him and his wife.
But tears are back. Think how many professional women have cried secretly in the office rest room or into their pillows at night. What a waste, and not very effective.
If she's elected, Clinton can hardly be blamed if she calls on her new weapon from time to time, but she better use it with discretion. It could work if Congress resists her health care plan, but the real test would come in a faceoff with, say, Vladimir Putin. He would see it as proof of our weakness, so that might be the time for her to bite her lip and run to the rest room.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and the media consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Michael Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the New York Daily News. Comment by clicking here.
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