Confessions of a Young Hillary Supporter Or, how I became the loneliest man on campus. By KVH Posted Monday, Feb. 4, 2008, at 3:28 PM ET
I'm a young male Democrat, and I support ... Hillary Clinton. I may be the loneliest man at Georgetown University, where I'm practically a social pariah. Supporting Hillary on a college campus this year is like being a Yankees fan at a Red Sox game, a Barry Manilow lover at a Radiohead concert.
At Georgetown, the Obama supporters???devotees? cultists????are everywhere. He's the best thing to happen to college since campuses went co-ed. Red, white, and blue O's line the windows of dorm rooms. It won't take long for someone to invent a drinking game where you count the words change and hope in the senator's stirring stump speech. (That would be 16 shots of headache, if his speech after the South Carolina primary was any indication.)
My Obama-loving friends???that is, all my friends???have tried to rationalize my support in a number of ways. Maybe I have a thing for older women? Or it's some sort of latent Oedipus complex? Dear God, I hope not. Am I just doing it to get a date? No, and unfortunately, it's having the opposite effect. Being a college guy who supports Hillary is a like being the jock who takes the women's studies class to pick up girls. It just does not work. It is as if my lack of a second X chromosome sends a signal to women that I am an interloper in Hillaryland, and my support is less than genuine.
Although we are rarely seen in the wild, young Hillary supporters do exist (not that I've ever met another one). To give you an idea of just how outnumbered we are among young voters, I turn to the most tested and reliable gauge of all things collegiate: Facebook. Earlier this fall, Facebook added an application that allows members to declare the candidate they support on their main profile page. Hillary Clinton makes a respectable showing with 88,159 supporters. Barack Obama on the other hand, trounces her with 353,757 supporters. That means for every student who finds Hillary's signature cackle more charming than demonic, there are four more young voters lined up behind Obama. But the odds aren't just against me there. Among young Hillary supporters, men are virtually nonexistent. Of the 60 members of Facebook's "Hilltop???Georgetown Students for Hillary" group, only seven are men. In other words, during the most passionate presidential election in a generation, on a heavily Democratic campus, approximately one out of every 1,000 Georgetown men is supporting the most popular Democratic candidate. (Barack's Georgetown Facebook support group has a much cooler name, of course: "Obama Is a Pimp.")
I don't just feel the "Hillary effect" on campus. Last summer, upon returning home to Jacksonville, Fla., I ordered a "Hillary Clinton for President" bumper sticker and proudly pasted it onto the back of the family car. In the weeks that followed, nothing changed for me (except for the lovely drivers of northeast Florida who showed their support by raising their middle finger in solidarity).
My mom, however, noticed a world of change when she drove the car. Routinely, women who saw her around the neighborhood or at the office would stop and say something to her about the bumper sticker. She laughed when telling me the story a few weeks later. "They are always shocked when I tell them it is not mine, it's my son's!" It seems by virtue of nothing more than my age and sex, my support of Hillary Clinton is not taken very seriously.
At least her staffers have welcomed me with open arms. Last summer I volunteered at a small Clinton campaign fund-raiser in my hometown. As I walked into the lobby of the venue, I was greeted by Courtney, a disarmingly beautiful finance director for the campaign, whose eyes registered slight shock upon my arrival. While I hoped this was because of my good looks and charm, as other volunteers trickled in, I realized it was because I was the only man, and was 20 years younger than anyone else in the room. Unlike the other volunteers, I didn't have to work behind the scenes corralling attendees or setting up the venue: Instead, I was dispatched to the front desk to greet all incoming donors.
As the event came to a close, Courtney and I stood in the hallway watching Sen. Clinton display her unrivaled knowledge of policy during a rigorous Q&A session. Courtney turned and asked me what I thought of the event, "It was great!" I replied. She paused, and cautiously inquired, "So, you think you are really going to support her?" And there it was. Despite treating me like a king during the event, even Hillary's own staffers seemed befuddled by the prospect that a young man would actually support their candidate.
However counterintuitive it may seem, the confusion and distrust I've encountered when I reveal that I'm a Hillary supporter have actually allowed me to be a much better advocate for her than I expected, and they've made me much more thoughtful about my own political beliefs. As my friends and neighbors continually try to find reasons to explain why I would not join the Obama camp, I get to explain why I have chosen to support Hillary. I get to talk about her command of policy and her fierce political intellect. I get to explain why her plan for universal health care is superior and why I trust her more when it comes to foreign policy. In short, my experience as a college-aged man who supports Hillary Clinton has forced me to weigh the myriad reasons I have chosen her as my candidate. None of these, so far, are oedipal.
obama has made amazing/surprising gains in the last few days has gone from 20 points down to "even" in a lot of places he seems continually on the verge of a tipping point i do believe a longer race favors him, as some have said, so hopefully he makes it through tomorrow in good shape
I saw a California Romney TV ad, he is attacking Hillary instead of McCain
1) The Democratic primaries are proportional, but Hillary is already way up on Obama in that count so unless he comes away with wins in some big states like CA, he's going to be screwed. It'll drag out longer, but tomorrow I think will be the deciding factor in the ultimate winner for the nomination.
2) The Republican primaries are winner take all, so whoever wins Tuesday will probably win the nomination for the GOP.
3) I think the Latino vote is still mostly Democratic, although the Republicans have been doing a lot of recruiting and out reach to them. I think in 2004 the majority voted for Kerry. The anti-illegal immig. rhetoric from the GOP hasn't helped things.
1) The Democratic primaries are proportional, but Hillary is already way up on Obama in that count
Obama leads without superdelegates added in there. I think that, if Obama's momentum holds, the DNC will pressure superdelegates to switch to him come convention time.
1) The Democratic primaries are proportional, but Hillary is already way up on Obama in that count
Obama leads without superdelegates added in there. I think that, if Obama's momentum holds, the DNC will pressure superdelegates to switch to him come convention time.
Word. I don't see a bunch of career politicians standing in the way of "the will of the people".
1) The Democratic primaries are proportional, but Hillary is already way up on Obama in that count
Obama leads without superdelegates added in there. I think that, if Obama's momentum holds, the DNC will pressure superdelegates to switch to him come convention time.
Word. I don't see a bunch of career politicians standing in the way of "the will of the people".
1) The Democratic primaries are proportional, but Hillary is already way up on Obama in that count
Obama leads without superdelegates added in there. I think that, if Obama's momentum holds, the DNC will pressure superdelegates to switch to him come convention time.
Word. I don't see a bunch of career politicians standing in the way of "the will of the people".
joking right?
Not at all. Politicians are spineless. If Obama has the momentum and the mandate, they'll all turn over like flapjacks.
hi, not for nothen but ron paul owns the LA freeways. i seen more makeshift shits for that dude on the freeway than anyone else. actually, than anyone.
1) The Democratic primaries are proportional, but Hillary is already way up on Obama in that count
Obama leads without superdelegates added in there. I think that, if Obama's momentum holds, the DNC will pressure superdelegates to switch to him come convention time.
Word. I don't see a bunch of career politicians standing in the way of "the will of the people".
joking right?
Not at all. Politicians are spineless. If Obama has the momentum and the mandate, they'll all turn over like flapjacks.
More like those insiders want to stay insiders and will listen to their masters. At least my theory goes...
i dont see mccain as nearly as invincible as other folks do. i think hillary would take him out too ... hes so damn old!! im voting tomorrow mornnning bright and early. my vote means more now probably than it does in november, when illinois will undoubtedly go dem anyway - in primary season because the ballots are proportional, a stronger showing for obama in a state that is already 2 to 1 in his favor is still a stronger showing for obama
If either candidate ends up with a large lead in delegate count the super-delegates will line up behind the leader. If it is close the super-delegates will feel a lot of pressure not to overturn the "will of the people". The wild card is the months between the last primary and the convention. If the leader can be shown to be too vulnerable or scandal arises then they would "save the party" by voting for the other. Superdelegates are loving all the attention they are getting. The undeclareds are getting calls from Obama and Clinton 2-3 times a week and their surrogates daily. "What do you want? Federal Judge seat? Cabinet post?
If young voters turn out it is a big win for Obama. Seniors always turn out, young voters not so much. I think that's what sunk Howard Dean, huge young support but they didn't show up to vote.
Don't underestimate McCain. He was dead in the water last summer and some people thought he was going to drop out. Now he is the front runner with 2 weak candidates fighting for each others voters while the independents and moderates line up behind McCain. I say he does real well Tuesday and is formidable candidate in the fall.
This morning some local pundits were discussing Super Tuesday with Texas own Kinky "Texas Jewboy" Friedman who stated that Texas Governor Rick Perry is a likely VP candidate for the McCain ticket.
there will be no democratic candidate chosen today, or anytime up to the convention. Hillary will never give up because this has been in the works since the day Bill was elected, if not earlier and Obama doesn't need to give up 'cause the guy is pulling in over $1M a day.
This morning some local pundits were discussing Super Tuesday with Texas own Kinky "Texas Jewboy" Friedman who stated that Texas Governor Rick Perry is a likely VP candidate for the McCain ticket.
Texans know how scary this is.
on the scary part...
I'd like to hear why Perry would be a candidate. He barely beat Kinky and Chris Bell combined. I don't think even a staunch conservative would believe that a VP that want to criminalize homosexuality is electable.
This morning some local pundits were discussing Super Tuesday with Texas own Kinky "Texas Jewboy" Friedman who stated that Texas Governor Rick Perry is a likely VP candidate for the McCain ticket.
Texans know how scary this is.
on the scary part...
I'd like to hear why Perry would be a candidate. He barely beat Kinky and Chris Bell combined. I don't think even a staunch conservative would believe that a VP that want to criminalize homosexuality is electable.
I dunno...
Amazingly, 2-3 years ago there was a story printed out of Austin that Perry WAS gay himself.
This morning some local pundits were discussing Super Tuesday with Texas own Kinky "Texas Jewboy" Friedman who stated that Texas Governor Rick Perry is a likely VP candidate for the McCain ticket.
Texans know how scary this is.
on the scary part...
I'd like to hear why Perry would be a candidate. He barely beat Kinky and Chris Bell combined. I don't think even a staunch conservative would believe that a VP that want to criminalize homosexuality is electable.
I dunno...
Amazingly, 2-3 years ago there was a story printed out of Austin that Perry WAS gay himself.
they are always the ones that are most virulently anti-gay.
This morning some local pundits were discussing Super Tuesday with Texas own Kinky "Texas Jewboy" Friedman who stated that Texas Governor Rick Perry is a likely VP candidate for the McCain ticket.
Texans know how scary this is.
on the scary part...
I'd like to hear why Perry would be a candidate. He barely beat Kinky and Chris Bell combined. I don't think even a staunch conservative would believe that a VP that want to criminalize homosexuality is electable.
I dunno...
Amazingly, 2-3 years ago there was a story printed out of Austin that Perry WAS gay himself.
they are always the ones that are most virulently anti-gay.
apparently my polling center does not have my registration on file (been registered in this district for 4 years now). Anyways, i filled ill out a paper ballot and i guess the voter's bureau will verify my registration later...
anyone know what this means in terms of counting priority? i was under the impression that these votes are not counted unless the margin is super narrow.
incidentally, this happened to about 5 people in front of me. wft?
2 of the 4 voting machines at my precinct in Brooklyn were not working. I filled out my ballot and had to put it in a big cardboard box. Pretty pathetic if you ask me.
apparently John Corzine (Gov NJ) had to wait an hour to vote at his precinct because of broken machines.
Maybe we can suspend the stimulus bill and instead throw some money towards updating the countries voting machines. I don't need a retinal scanner, but I would like something more than a cardboard box.
Comments
obama has made amazing/surprising gains in the last few days
has gone from 20 points down to "even" in a lot of places
he seems continually on the verge of a tipping point
i do believe a longer race favors him, as some have said, so hopefully he makes it through tomorrow in good shape
I saw a California Romney TV ad, he is attacking Hillary instead of McCain
The superdelegates will switch sides of Obama's momentum continues.
2) The Republican primaries are winner take all, so whoever wins Tuesday will probably win the nomination for the GOP.
3) I think the Latino vote is still mostly Democratic, although the Republicans have been doing a lot of recruiting and out reach to them. I think in 2004 the majority voted for Kerry. The anti-illegal immig. rhetoric from the GOP hasn't helped things.
Not really though. She's only up if you count "superdelegates".
Obama leads without superdelegates added in there. I think that, if Obama's momentum holds, the DNC will pressure superdelegates to switch to him come convention time.
lol
Word. I don't see a bunch of career politicians standing in the way of "the will of the people".
joking right?
the local arab experience agreed that anyone would be better than bush tho
Not at all. Politicians are spineless. If Obama has the momentum and the mandate, they'll all turn over like flapjacks.
More like those insiders want to stay insiders and will listen to their masters. At least my theory goes...
im voting tomorrow mornnning bright and early. my vote means more now probably than it does in november, when illinois will undoubtedly go dem anyway - in primary season because the ballots are proportional, a stronger showing for obama in a state that is already 2 to 1 in his favor is still a stronger showing for obama
If young voters turn out it is a big win for Obama. Seniors always turn out, young voters not so much. I think that's what sunk Howard Dean, huge young support but they didn't show up to vote.
Don't underestimate McCain. He was dead in the water last summer and some people thought he was going to drop out. Now he is the front runner with 2 weak candidates fighting for each others voters while the independents and moderates line up behind McCain. I say he does real well Tuesday and is formidable candidate in the fall.
Or not.
I was thinking about this crying business, it seems at odds with someone who is "tough"
Yet eerily appropriate in someone who's every move is calculated.
Texans know how scary this is.
who says he is invincible? i'm taking all bets that hillary or obama will smoke mccain.
do people find michelle obama likeable? i'd like to see peoples reaction if bill spoke negatively of her everytime someone put a mic in his face.
I'd like to hear why Perry would be a candidate. He barely beat Kinky and Chris Bell combined. I don't think even a staunch conservative would believe that a VP that want to criminalize homosexuality is electable.
I dunno...
Amazingly, 2-3 years ago there was a story printed out of Austin that Perry WAS gay himself.
they are always the ones that are most virulently anti-gay.
[Footsy] Larry Craig [/Footsy]
It'll balance out with mail in votes and Clinton backer's election fraud.
anyone know what this means in terms of counting priority? i was under the impression that these votes are not counted unless the margin is super narrow.
incidentally, this happened to about 5 people in front of me. wft?
apparently John Corzine (Gov NJ) had to wait an hour to vote at his precinct because of broken machines.
Maybe we can suspend the stimulus bill and instead throw some money towards updating the countries voting machines. I don't need a retinal scanner, but I would like something more than a cardboard box.
Probably a result of that Ann Coulter endorsement.