And Don't Forget The Sistahs, My Brotha!
With a new poll showing Obama besting Clinton by a 5-to-1 margin among African-American women, both camps are dispatching celebrities, high-ranking politicians and other surrogates to beauty salons, women's colleges and other venues to promote their campaigns.
While Barack currently trails Hillary and John Edwards in support among white women, in Charleston, South Carolina a less vocal but no less intense battle for one of the Democratic party's key constituencies is making everybody nervous.
Women currently make up about 60% of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina and nationally plays a critical role in the Democratic race. Clinton has won contests in New Hampshire and Nevada largely because of strong support from women. By comparison, when Obama narrowly won the women's vote in Iowa, he also won the state's caucus. "It's basic arithmetic," said Kristi Andersen, who teaches about gender and politics at Syracuse University. "You have to do well among women to win the nomination."
Race is an added dimension to the fight for women voters here. Blacks make up more than half of the Democratic electorate, and a pundits are speculating that large numbers of our women are supporting Obama in his bid to become the nation's first black president.
Sisters, are you showing up at the polls giving Michelle's man some ballot love or do these politcal hacks have it wrong? Please, do tell! [USA Today]