what lies beneath

please read this article. it sums up everything i want to say about the democratic candidates, as well or better than i could. it calls out so-called "hillary hating" for what it really is, for the woman-hating that lies beneath it. the attacks against her in the media and by private citizens, and the tolerance of these attacks by the general population, is completely appalling.

http://www.womensmediacenter.com/ex/020108.html

i have been thinking about the election a lot. many of us have. i, for one, am not so naive as to think a democrat in the white house is a done deal. (call me a cynic, but i think realist is more accurate.) that said, we should not determine our democratic primary vote based on who we think is more "electable" against a republican -- in doing so, we let the republicans (and arguably the media) choose our candidate for us.

i've also been thinking about the criteria i look for in a president. yes, the ability to inspire citizens is nice. but i see the presidency as any other job, and experience and training count tremendously. personally, i expect the candidate i back to either have a strong track record as an executive leader at the state or national level (i.e., 5-10 years governor, vice president, perhaps cabinet member) or a strong track record in either house of congress at the national level. basically, you gotta really know how to be a head executive or you gotta really know the workings in washington, and preferably you know both. only one of the two leading democratic candidates can claim this.

one other request, if you have not already done so. please ask yourself: if they were both white women, who would i vote for? if they were both black men, who would i vote for? if they were both white men, who would i vote for? if they were both black women, who would i vote for? if all other things were equal, would obama's talent for charismatic delivery (sometimes of his own but sometimes of someone else's words) outweigh his lack of substantial executive branch or federal level experience?