Women under 35 are supporting Sanders over Clinton!

[Maggie Mae]

Interesting-ish article from Rolling Stone. Of course, I'm biased, but this is great news! 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/move-over-berniebros-a-wave-of-young-women-is-boosting-bernie-sanders-20160112

[Guest]

Awesome!  I hoped this would happen.  I think as more people start paying attention and getting to know him, he's going to do better and better.  I hope so, anyway.

[Imagine20]

I've been a Bernie Sanders fan since back in the day when I had satellite radio and he was on every Friday during one of the shows. 

I think many Democrats are sick of the party drifting more and more right, while looking at Western Europe and what they have: paid time off, maternity/paternity leave, cheaper higher education, better healthcare. Basically, we're realizing how screwed over we have been. 

[apple1]

There are women far older than 35 who also support Sanders. (wink wink)

[PraiseDog]

All this "Berniebros" crap is just fed to the media to insinuate a narrow, young white male base who supports him. This has no bearing in fact.
I'm glad to see lots of younger women supporting him. Many people who follow nothing but mainstream media believe that women will automatically support Hillary because she's a woman; these are the same people who assume all Black people automatically support Obama. 
I understand why that might be so - I'm a woman in my 50s who supports Bernie, but it kind of kills me that here's a woman candidate for our next president, yet Bernie espouses my views more than Hillary does.

Those of us who grew up in an era when sexual harassment in school or the workplace was considered just good fun, you had no recourse if you got fired or downgraded for not submitting to sexual propositions from your professor or boss; when you were hazed up to and including physical means (which would be considered assault today) to become part of a formerly men-only workplace...
Up to and including today, when your raises at work are minimal because your performance reviews include code words such as "pushy" or "strident" (but identical statements and behaviors from men are considered "leadership" and "assertive") so the guys who most resemble the guys who are evaluating you, get the raises and promotions.  

I can't really blame progressive women of my vintage for supporting Hillary. I believe Hillary as president won't differ much from Obama, who has been disappointing in some ways, encouraging in others. At least Hillary will not turn back the clock for civil equality (even though "equality" for all of us continues to mean less and less in terms of the corporate global structure.)

If Hillary gets the nomination, I will be disappointed, but I'll certainly vote for her and consider it a no-brainer, given all the regressive, racist, sexist, dumb-ass clown-car comedians of the GOP and the crazy laws they think they'll be able to approve.

I'll still have hope that Bernie, and several other progressives like Elizabeth Warren, will continue to have a strong voice in congress and keep the dialog moving forward. And let's not forget, Supreme Court nominations that come up in the next 4 to 8 years need to fall to a progressive.  What ever your politics, the swing voter needs to be centrist.  I for one, wish that Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsberg could serve forever, but at least her opinions, both majority and dissent, will live forever.           

[Gobbles]

I have never heard of Sanders before and I just read his Wikipedia article. I agree with the poster above that a woman would be great, but he seems to be a good guy. Maybe even better than Clinton on some topics. 

But in the end: It all doesn't matter, what matters is that there will be no republican president for the sake of all sane Americans.

(Just my two cents as a person as a foreigner...) 

EDIT: He could easily be in a German political party. That is surprising for a American politician. Normally they don't really fit. Guess he would be in the SPD (Social Democratic Party). 

[Firiel]

I support Bernie over Hilary.  She hits one of my biggest hypocrisy pet peeves to the extent that no amount of policy or X chromosomes will save her.  And it's unfortunate because I really want to like her.  She's a woman, and she is propelled more by policy than personality.  I think Obama and Sanders (as well as the Republican front-runners) all rely on personality more than she does.  I like the idea of someone who is just practical and (not an insult!) boring being in the White House, but I can't get over my hang-up.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Firiel said:

I support Bernie over Hilary.  She hits one of my biggest hypocrisy pet peeves to the extent that no amount of policy or X chromosomes will save her.  And it's unfortunate because I really want to like her.  She's a woman, and she is propelled more by policy than personality.  I think Obama and Sanders (as well as the Republican front-runners) all rely on personality more than she does.  I like the idea of someone who is just practical and (not an insult!) boring being in the White House, but I can't get over my hang-up.

I used to like her a lot, back when she was one of my senators.  I don't hate her now, but I don't trust her at all.  I see her as someone who will do and say anything to get elected.  I really hate the way she tried to make it seem like Bernie was going to repeal the ACA and leave people without insurance, and how she got Chelsea involved too. And now that she sees that Bernie is doing much better than expected, she's moving to the left. But as soon as she wins in November, you just know she'll go back to the right.  

With Bernie, what you see is what you get.  I've been following him for years, and he's the real deal.  And for what it's worth, I actually think he is pretty boring!  He seems to live and breathe politics, and I don't think he's nearly as personable as Obama and Bill Clinton.  But he genuinely cares about people, ALL people, imo.

[GiggleOfGirls]

I like Bernie. I hope he gets a fair chance. I'm a 30-something female. Everyone I know in real life is either not voting for anyone or voting for Bernie. Except for my parents who are still extremely Republican, but won't be voting if Trump gets the nomination. 

The primary election date is on my calendar. 

[alwayscaffeinated]

I'm 39 and love me some Bernie. 

[Trynn]

I'm still waiting on my absentee ballot. I hope it comes in time to vote. I kinda left it till the last minute.... I have to admit this is the first election I've voted in where I thought the candidate (sanders) was really talking sense.

Not that Obama wasn't, but he did have a hard time fulfilling his promises.

(I sadly didn't vote in the last election. I got overwhelmed by all the paperwork required to register. I voted in 2008, and I'm going to actually force myself to do the paperwork this year.

For some strange reason, I have mental issues that cause anxiety when paperwork is brought up.

[Rachel333]

I'm in that category! I'm annoyed at the "only young white men like Bernie" narrative because there are so many Bernie supporters who don't fit that. When I hear all the "BernieBros" talk I'm just like

Spoiler

(Okay, I really just wanted a reason to use that gif )

[AlysonRR]

On 2/3/2016 at 8:45 PM, AbandonAllHope said:

I used to like her a lot, back when she was one of my senators.  I don't hate her now, but I don't trust her at all.  I see her as someone who will do and say anything to get elected.  I really hate the way she tried to make it seem like Bernie was going to repeal the ACA and leave people without insurance, and how she got Chelsea involved too. And now that she sees that Bernie is doing much better than expected, she's moving to the left. But as soon as she wins in November, you just know she'll go back to the right.  

With Bernie, what you see is what you get.  I've been following him for years, and he's the real deal.  And for what it's worth, I actually think he is pretty boring!  He seems to live and breathe politics, and I don't think he's nearly as personable as Obama and Bill Clinton.  But he genuinely cares about people, ALL people, imo.

I agree with you on all points. Clinton will move toward the right if she wins the nomination. Sanders has stayed constant for years.

I like boring politicians. I hate that you have to be charismatic to win an election. As long as a person can compromise (and Sanders has shown he can), they can be as boring as they like - if their positions are closest to mine, I'll vote for them. Right now, that's Bernie Sanders.

[OnceUponATime]

24 minutes ago, AlysonRR said:

 

I like boring politicians. I hate that you have to be charismatic to win an election.

no, you need to be positive to win. in undergrad psych they told us about people analyzing the speeches between the two presidential candidates and every time (except one president - i forget which one) the person with the most optimistic speeches won. I wonder if that theory still has merit. It's one of those random things that I remember from uni

[Whoosh]

I think the last two posts hit on my question when I go to vote in a primary - I never know if I should vote for who I feel is the best candidate vs. who I think has the best shot of winning in the general election.  I fret over that every primary season.  It almost makes me just want to stick my head in the sand and wait until the general election rolls around.

[OnceUponATime]

I hate voting because I have yet to find a politician/party who/which I agree with on all areas. Sometimes I wish they would put all the minister post policy areas (ie: education, environment, military, ...) and let you vote a party per area. I think that would (for me personally at least) let me feel like I was heard and that democrazy had a point. I always feel like the parties \ then say "well we got more votes than any other party and it was all because of policy issue #311" when in reality most people probably voted for them because of issue #11 which they feel has a higher priority.  I've voted in two different countries (neither US) and had the same feeling in both.

I'm a 'strategical' voter - if it looks tight I vote for who I consider to be the best of two evils, if it looks like a landslide will happen, I vote for who I believe is best (even if they don't have a chance).

[GiggleOfGirls]

I always vote for whomever I see as the best candidate. Of course, in a non-swing state I probably have a little more freedom of conscience in that area than those in swing-states do. 

That's why it generally comes down to a 3rd party candidate for me. The main parties' candidates don't usually talk about the issues that are actually important to me, which lets me know that those issues aren't important to them either. Bernie talks about the issues that are important to me and the 3rd party candidates usually do too. 

[Maggie Mae]

Sorry for the link to jezebel. 

http://theslot.jezebel.com/gloria-steinem-says-young-women-support-bernie-sanders-1757518755

 

[FundiesInParis]

I read the NYT write up on this and my eyes may have rolled all the way back into my head.

Quote

“Women are more for [Hillary Clinton] than men are...First of all, women get more radical as we get older, because we experience...Not to over-generalize, but...Men tend to get more conservative because they gain power as they age, women get more radical because they lose power as they age.

And, when you’re young, you’re thinking, where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie...”

[Mercer]

What Steinem said is insulting to me as a woman.

I support Sanders because his politics are more in line with my own, and because Clinton has had several scandals attached to her over the years that make me question her integrity. I would love to have a woman president someday, but it has to be the individual who is the best suited for the office, not someone I vote for based on gender alone. For me, Clinton is just not that candidate.

I have no issue with people who disagree with me about whether Sanders or Clinton is the better choice for high office. Differences of opinion are valid.

I do have a major issue with Steinem telling me that my carefully considered and well-researched political opinions aren't real because I'm a woman, therefore it must somehow be about "boys." Not trusting women to know our own minds and make our own decisions is about as un-feminist as you can get.

[Maggie Mae]

It seems like most FJers are saying that they will vote for Hilary over Bernie, but the LA Times has a different read on that situation. 

 

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-clinton-sanders-20160206-story.html

 

Personally, I, not being in a swing state, probably would not vote for Hilary. I'd vote, but only to keep my record of always voting. But I wouldn't vote for a religious person, and I will not vote for Hilary. 

If you are going to keep merging anything I post, may I request that you rename this thread? 

Also, I'm not going to create content for QOP anymore. Because obviously no one wants new threads in a sub forum that has 23 topics. It's just too much, huh? 

[desertvixen]

I'm with @Mercer on this subject.

Seriously Gloria?

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

I too feel the Bern, but I' ready for Hillary as well.  I think if the two could merge, his financial  policies, and her foreign relations and diplomatic skills they would be my perfect candidate. I will gladly vote for either of them and not be the least bit disappointed.  

[louisa05]

22 hours ago, Mercer said:

What Steinem said is insulting to me as a woman.

I support Sanders because his politics are more in line with my own, and because Clinton has had several scandals attached to her over the years that make me question her integrity. I would love to have a woman president someday, but it has to be the individual who is the best suited for the office, not someone I vote for based on gender alone. For me, Clinton is just not that candidate.

I have no issue with people who disagree with me about whether Sanders or Clinton is the better choice for high office. Differences of opinion are valid.

I do have a major issue with Steinem telling me that my carefully considered and well-researched political opinions aren't real because I'm a woman, therefore it must somehow be about "boys." Not trusting women to know our own minds and make our own decisions is about as un-feminist as you can get.

My nephew shared a meme this weekend that said we have to vote for Bernie because you always need "an old white guy" to fight evil (comparing him to Obiwan Kenobi, Gandalf and Dumbledore). It literally uses the words "an old white guy". The implications of sexism and racism in this meme went right by nephew even when it was pointed out to him. And he got it from a young woman. And last time I looked, four young women he knows clicked "like" and two of them shared it. You may have carefully considered your choice and researched it. But there are young women out there who somehow believe that we need white men in charge because they are white and male. That is not the first sexist Bernie meme I have seen that has been shared and liked by young women. 

[Mercer]

1 hour ago, louisa05 said:

My nephew shared a meme this weekend that said we have to vote for Bernie because you always need "an old white guy" to fight evil (comparing him to Obiwan Kenobi, Gandalf and Dumbledore). It literally uses the words "an old white guy". The implications of sexism and racism in this meme went right by nephew even when it was pointed out to him. And he got it from a young woman. And last time I looked, four young women he knows clicked "like" and two of them shared it. You may have carefully considered your choice and researched it. But there are young women out there who somehow believe that we need white men in charge because they are white and male. That is not the first sexist Bernie meme I have seen that has been shared and liked by young women. 

I'm sure that's true. The problem isn't that women never internalize sexism or make choices for bad reasons - the problem is the generalization. The problem is that those generalizations so often put women down and infantilize us, or treat the lowest common denominator as the norm.

Some women liked a silly meme, and are voting for Sanders. I have a political science degree, and am voting for Sanders. Women aren't all the same, and shouldn't be treated as if we are... and Steinem of all people should really know better.