I find the media's collective uproar over whether or not Clinton played the gender card to be just plain silly. Given the extent to which the male gender card is played, swapped, and collected 24/7/365 on the network and cable news, their feigned outrage is not without irony.
The truth is that identity politics has been central to the political process since long-before the Roman Empire. Further, every President in US history got there by playing some form of the male gender card.
Indeed, any objective view of the current Presidential field reveals that Clinton is not alone in trying to win over voters by means of identity politics.
Earlier in the campaign, when asked about any concern she had for her husband's safety, Michelle Obama replied:
"The realities are that . . . as a black man . . . Barack can get shot going to the gas station".
Obama himself appealed to fellow African Americans by citing the historic opportunity in electing the first African American during a recent swing through South Carolina:
"Now I've heard that some folks aren't sure America is ready for an African-American president. So let me be clear, I never would have begun this campaign if I weren't confident I could win. But you see, I am not asking anyone to take a chance on me. I am asking you to take a chance on your own aspirations."
For their part, the Edwards campaign has also utilized identity politics throughout their campaign.
When Elizabeth Edwards blamed the media for their campaign's poor press. She said:
"We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman".
During a recent swing through the south, John Edwards was accompanied by "good ol' boys" Mudcat Saunders and Cooter, from Dukes of Hazzard. During a speech addressing electability in the southern states, Edwards said:
"If you're running in a tough congressional district somewhere in America, anywhere in America, and I'm in one right now, okay, you gotta ask yourself would you rather have Senator Obama at the top of the ticket to help, Senator Clinton at the top of the ticket to help, or John Edwards at the top of the ticket to help. You got to have someone who is strong in all those places and who is not a drag on candidates who are trying to win in those places. The easiest way to do it, honestly, is to picture in your head each of us running in a tough place -- we're in one right now -- and which one's going to be more helpful and which one's not, because I think that does matter."
A few eyebrows were raised when the Edwards campaign highlighted Elizabeth's ongoing fight with cancer in its recent "Heros" ad. This same ad came under additional scrutiny for using only white Edward's supporters. Some even suggested that the non-diverse ad was an intentional effort to appeal to overwhelmingly-white Iowa caucus voters.
Personally, I think it's all OK!
Each candidate has the right to appeal to whomever they want, however they want. In turn, voters can exercise their right to vote for whatever reason they so chose.
The marketplace of ideas will always clear itself and the candidate with the most compelling argument wins. Because, in the end, it's for the voters to decide which card is trump, not the media
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