Hillary Clinton’s “history making” turn as the first female presidential candidate of a major political party (if we discount Victoria Woodhull’s candidacy in 1872) hasn’t been a home run among one group: women.
Poor Hillary. Women in general haven’t been as enamored with the glass ceiling as your typical gender studies major feminist. It could be sexism, but it isn’t. Disliking Mrs. Clinton has everything to do with the dishonesty rampant in her professional and personal life over many years. And if there’s anything us women despise it’s a serial liar among us.
The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, which Dan Spencer discussed here, is abysmal for both candidates, since they rate as two of the most unpopular candidates ever. For Hillary, though, the favorability shift from early to late August among women has been drastic. In early August she polled at 54% favorable and 43% unfavorable among her kind. As of late August her likeability among women had taken a 9 point hit, and had changed to 45% favorable and 52% unfavorable. That’s quite a difference, and makes quite a statement, especially when you’re celebrated as history-making and all that nonsense.
Even though a majority of women dislike Trump (we do), the same poll shows he rose in popularity among women, such as it is. Early August showed 26% favorable and 70% unfavorable among women. Late August shows his likeability had risen to 33% favorable and 65% unfavorable. Still heavily disliked, yes, but the polling results among women were actually in his favor and not hers in the year that’s supposed to be hers.
If Hillary Clinton were to lose the election, you can imagine just how often the claims of misogyny will be used in an effort to explain her loss. It would be reminiscent of the accusations of racism against those who did not vote for Obama. Same template, different year. Last summer, at the beginning of the debacle known as Election 2016, Hillary admitted that she believed her gender was a “merit”, and made her worth voting for.
“Clearly, I’m not asking people to vote for me simply because I’m a woman. I’m asking people to vote for me on the merits,” Clinton said.
Then she directly addressed gender, adding: “I think one of the merits is I am a woman. And I can bring those views and perspectives to the White House.”
It’s clear that female voters, two months before the election, aren’t buying it.
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