And I am quite definitely considering voting for McCain.

While you may believe the MSM is exaggerating the possibility of Clinton supporters shifting to McCain, as one of those Clinton supporters considering a party change - I'm not so sure.

There are valid reasons for me to consider doing so and I dislike being told that if I'm pro-choice I MUST vote for Obama. Umm no, really, I don't have to. I have a choice.

It is very possible to be a pro-choice Democrat and vote for McCain. Just as it is possible to be a pro- choice Republican. Just as it is possible to be a lesbian pro-choice Republican who voted for President Bush twice.

In your next post on this topic, I hope that you'll feature women who ARE considering McCain rather than the women who are judging us inaccurately and on their own terms for exercising our right to choose the candidate we believe in.

John McCain is obsessed with fighting wars and extending the war of choice on Iraq, but these women would rather vote for him than Obama. Why? Because they seem to feel that Hillary Clinton is somehow entitled to the nomination, despite the fact that she didn't get the votes.

That quote is so far from what I believe and who I am that it is laughable. It's also an interesting look at Senator McCain . "obsessed" really? Interesting. I don't see that at all.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

was that there were a number of good Democratic choices including Edwards and Richardson along with Clinton and Obama. I'm more interested in getting one of the Democrats voted in rather than being only in favor of a particular Democrat. I can't imagine voting for McCain just because an individual Democrat that I backed didn't make it.

http://www.webteacher.ws/ http://first50.wordpress.com/

I had a conversation about voting on issues right here on BlogHer with our own Morra Aarons. Her suggestion - which is so totally right on - was that we LOOK AT THE VOTING RECORDS. We need to look at where the candidates stand on the ISSUES.

Personally, I don't understand how a Hilary voter could go for McCain. I just can't get my head around it - especially now that Hilary has called for her supporters to get behind Obama. I understand the anger and frustration of those voters in not getting their candidate in, but after the disappointment has chilled a little, I would STRONGLY suggest we all go back to LOOKING AT THE ISSUES.

McCain and Hilary did not represent the same point of view. I don't understand how one could go from Hilary to McCain without totally changing one's politics. I just don't get it. I don't see how a Hilary voter can believe they're represented by McCain in any kind of logical way. In an emotional way, okay? But in a logical way? 

Is it only because Hilary is a woman? Would that be the deal breaker for these voters? If that's the case, would they have chosen a Republican woman over a male Democrat?  That's not voting on issues, that's voting on what's in the candidate's pants.

And Catherine, me too. The unity ticket. Lather, rinse, repeat. If I say it enough, will it become true?

Nerd's Eye View

Good post, Catherine. I always suspect that respondents like those who claim to be Hillary supporters who now will vote for McCain actually are McCain voters trying to capitalize on whatever might help them win. I’ve voted as an independent in almost every presidential election, and I generally agree with folk singer/storyteller Utah Phillips’ statement that, “if you vote for the lesser of two evils, you’re still voting for evil.” But on the rare occasions when I’ve lived in a state where my vote might actually matter (mostly I’ve lived in heavily red states where the outcome was a foregone conclusion), I’ve had enough sense to vote for the person most likely to support my interests.

One thing I do know: Conservatives will revel in the irony if disgruntled women voters give McCain the votes he needs to win and finally guarantee the Supreme Court majority that will overturn Roe v. Wade. Much of the reason for the current court majority is that Republicans who disagreed on various things–-taxation, immigration, war, abortion, etc.–-managed to put aside their differences to vote for one bad nominee after another. As a result, we’ve all lost–-but progressives have lost the most. And those of us who care about women’s rights likely will be the biggest losers if McCain wins.

On the other hand, I suppose if you cut off your nose to spite your face, it makes it easier to stick your head up your butt.

Oh gawd, see,  that last comment is just the sort of cheap shot meant to make the speaker look so cute and clever that I was talking about in my other comment tonight.  Sloppy thinking; sloppy writing.

Denise, I'm right there with you.  Catherine, how hard did you look?  

By Jane 

http://byjane.blogspot.com

MidLifeBloggers.com

Jane, though I admit I didn't spend a lot of time on it, I also haven't found any bloggers who answer what I think are Catherine's two most important points: "How anyone who was backing Hillary (and her positions on the issues), would think that McCain is now the candidate they most relate to on the issues," and "If you have links to women blogging about how they supported Hillary as a Democrat, but are now switching to McCain because of his positions on the issues...I would love to have those links, and I would gladly post about it."

If you have those links, you'd do us all a service by sharing them. Thanks.

Flat out on issues across the board there is no reason for Clinton's supporters to choose McCain. I'm only going to repeat what Pam said, but it scares me that so many thoughtful people are so blinded by their rage that Clinton is not the candidate that they would vote for a person who stands for everything Clinton is against.

And to be frank, if we think Clinton lost due to sexism, voting for McCain who told people that he supports companies discriminating against women as long as they can successfully hide it for more than 6 months, is not going to fix the situation. Obviously, I am paraphrasing here, but here's what happened in the Lilly Ledbetter case, as I noted when Republicans shot down legislation to remedy the horrific decision in April:

"...the Supreme Court is also loaded with people who have no interest in justice or equality these days. Thus, Ms. Ledbetter was chided in a 5-4 decision for not consulting psychics, breaking into the payroll department, or doing whatever else she could do to determine that she was paid unequally for her work. Bush appointee Sam Alito hated that companies that discriminate against people might be faced with "the burden of defending claims arising from employment decisions that are long past. (In other words, "the longer you discriminate, the less you should be held accountable for your actions, so do whatever you can to not get caught in the first six months!)

"And don't forget that McCain missed the vote [to allow people to sue if they don't happen to find out they were discriminated against in the very small timeframe the Supreme Court set up to protect companies], but cheerfully told people during a speech that he would have opposed it, since women need "education and training" to pull them out of poverty, not actual paychecks."

Cutting off our noses to spite our faces is not very effective at making the world better for women.

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

 I am still waiting for someone to answer the original question.  Why would a Clinton supporter vote for McCain when considering the issues that they represent?

 If someone did answer the question and I'm missing it, I would find it helpful if someone could elucidate.  I'm reading that people who are defending this possibility are questioning the author of this post without the courtesy of answering her question.

I've been wrong before, though.  Tell me if I am, please.  I would like to actually here the details of this point-of-view.   

 Atena

Assumptions, Biases & Irrational Fantasies

the vote for obama was already against women. the anti clinton media bias was based a large part on sexism.  i cannot reward obama for this.  every victory of clintons was down played, and they pretty much were baying for her blood in a shameful manner.

as for mccain, clinton voters are centrists. and mccain is more centrist than obama who has the fringe left pushing him.  

for the first time in my life i'll be voting for a republican, thanks obama.   i'm not voting for someone just because he happens to be a democrat.  pro choice? i'm not a single issue voter.  there are so many other issues.  iraq?  obamas got an incredibly immoral position on it.  we broke it, we fix it, regardless of who was at fault. we all are. thats how it works. you don't switch seats after a hit and run and pretend it was fine. mccains been tested and it seems we can trust him. obamas shiny but his long past of associating himself with bigot extremists when he thought no one was looking show that he's probably an empty suit. i don't trust the man no matter what pretty words he manages to say.  he's a creation of perfect market packaging.

Well said, wetnap!  I'm sure the obama-ites will be breathing down your neck, but you've articulated--short and sweet--what so many of us are thinking.   I feel about Obama right now the same way I felt about George Bush eight years ago--god help us.

By Jane

http://byjane.blogspot.com

http://midlifebloggers.com

If Clinton voters are so outraged that a woman didn't get the nomination, they shouldn't vote for Obama - if they really want to vote for a woman, they need to vote for Cynthia McKinney (assuming she gets the Green nomination, which it looks like she will).  Of course, I don't actually know any Democratict "defectors" who are voting for McCain just because Clinton didn't get the nomination.  Maybe I have the wrong friends and visit the wrong parts of the internet?

 I actually will be voting for McKinney (in theory), but I decided this in February, well before we knew the outcome of the Democractic primary.  Neither Clinton nor Obama match with my values, and McKinney does.  I don't know why it took me so long to think about third party candidates, but for the first time ever, I feel like I'm not voting for someone who is simply the lesser of two evils.

Very few Americans are aware of the power of blog. It has been proven through millions of dollars in research to be a powerful influencing tool. So much so that now there are thousands of companies that offer "blog influencing" services. That's right. Companies that seek out influentiial blog sites and strategically place entries that identify themselves as a certain demographic or party and then offer their opinions on issues as a way to show the "me-too" personality types, looking for the direction they should fall of the fence that lands them in the safe majority, where their opinions should fall. They hire influential people AND WELL KNOWN BLOGGERS to fuel their campaigns by putting their paid-for positions out in the public realm. They take part in and influence polls as well along with many other gorilla warfare tactics. This isn't a conspiracy theory either, in fact this new approach at marketing actually has an industry name: Gorilla Marketing.

Often I see entries that just don't ring true. They typically use partial statements of candidates and slant them in the direction that best supports their position. A good rule of thumb is never believe anything you read that does not provide a solid reference for it's validity. And for the sake of all that is right and just, TAKE A LOOK AT THE VOTING RECORDS of the candidates and see exactly what their positions have been on issues close to your heart and life before being influenced by propaganda.

Point in case, just how many women do you know personally that were clearly hoping for a Hillary win that are now saying they won't vote? How many that say they would vote for McCain? I have a pretty large and diverse social circle and I have not heard this a single time. It seems to me like more of a suggestion than an observation.........

Do you really believe that NONE of the women who supported Hillary did so because she is a  woman? In the same vein, do you really think that all of the Afro-Americans who support Obama, do so without noticing  the fact that he is black? Come on ladies, every voter has her or his own agenda and therefore each votes accordingly. Since Hillary is out of the picture, sort of...what is wrong with women supporting McCain? He offers tried, true, tested and proven ability in remaining steadfast to our country and our people. I believe that Obama is a good man. My problem with him is that he has no history to prove that he can step up to the plate that is currently  in the middle of a mine field? Mc Cain has proven that he can. So ladies, this is really about Democrats vs. Republicans and not the candidates, isn't it?  

owww.ClaudiaBroome.com

www.LadiesDontQuitYet.com

www.ToHaveAndToHoldHostage.com