Many women agree with Ferraro on media's treatment of Obama & Clinton

[2rth2pwr]

Lifetime Television's "Every Woman Counts" project just released some new polling data. According to a national survey of 500 women, done by pollsters Kellyanne Conway (a Republican) and Celinda Lake (a Democrat): http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/04/poll-women-thin.html

• 41% thought Democratic Sen. Barack Obama has received "more positive" news coverage because he is an African-American. Of the rest, 27% said the coverage has been "neutral," 20% said it has been "more negative" because of his race and 12% said they didn't know.

• 33% believed Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has received "more negative" news coverage because she is a woman. Of the rest, 30% said Clinton's coverage has been "more positive" because of her gender, 25% said the coverage has been "neutral" and 11% said they didn't know.

• As for Republican Sen. John McCain, 36% said his coverage has been "more negative" because of his age (71). Of the rest, 27% said the coverage has been "neutral," 19% said he has gotten "more positive" coverage because of his age and 19% said they didn't know.

The pollsters are holding a conference call about their findings right now. They say the margin of error on each of those results is +/-4.4 percentage points.

As for the candidate the women preferred: 27% chose Clinton; 25% chose Obama; and 25% chose McCain.

The numbers on the media's treatment of Obama and Clinton echo controversial comments made last month by 1984 Democratic vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro, who told the Daily Breeze in California that:

"I think what America feels about a woman becoming president takes a very secondary place to Obama's campaign -- to a kind of campaign that it would be hard for anyone to run against. For one thing, you have the press, which has been uniquely hard on her. It's been a very sexist media. Some just don't like her. The others have gotten caught up in the Obama campaign. ...If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

[marmar]

1. That Ferraro quote shows just how detached from reality she is......

n/t

[Life Long Dem]

2. Hillary is always the victim and never a leader. n/t

[Writer]

28. Sexism always victimizes and never dies away. n/t

[booley]

3. But doesn't this also mean that

59% of women didn't think Obama got better treatment because of his race? OR are we to parse numbers and say it's 47% because of the 12% that don't know.

Which means 67 (or 56%) didn't see CLinton as being treated negatively because of her gender.

So while many women may agree with Ferraro, MOST do not.

Well it's always fun playing with numbers. But I am getting 100% sick of this being the only thing we discuss about the candidates.

Here's a crazy idea. We stop implying that Obama voters are sexist and Clinton voters are racist and consider that there may be other reasons why a voter may choose one side or another. Maybe Obama voters really want Obama to be President because they think he would make a good President?

In fact, isn't the fact that we can have a black and a woman as serious candidates mean that we have progressed as a nation? Or was all that civil rights stuff as much of sham as the Cons say it was?

[dchill]

20. You beat me to it!

:thumbsup:

[mattclearing]

4. So basically, you're saying that a bunch of people think something is one way.

There are countless examples of polls that show that a majority of people believe things that aren't true. Remember Osama bin Laden and Iraq?

Hillary isn't getting bad coverage because she's a woman. She's getting bad coverage because she's a bad candidate, with tons of baggage who a lot of people don't like.

[Evergreen Emerald]

24. bullshit

The coverage has been negative in part because she is a woman. To deny it is to ignore the facts. We only have to look at Tweety's own words to see the reality of it.

[dkf]

5. I think its racist to attribute his positive news coverage to his being black.

Its like saying Tiger Woods gets positive news coverage because he is black...no its because he kicks ASS that is why he gets positive news coverage.

[DemVet]

14. So you're saying...

...Obama hasn't gotten ANY positive press coverage because of his race?

Are you saying Barack Obama hasn't gotten ANY votes just because he's black?

If he has gotten one, just one little vote throughout all of these primaries so far, just because he's part African-American, then Geraldine Ferraro was correct.

Uh Huh...she was correct.

[booley]

18. No she isn't

What ferraro said was.."If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

So Ferraro said that Obama was a viable candidate because he was Black.

Here's the reason she is wrong. Obama is hardly the first Black person (Male or female) to run for the Presidency. And yet those other candidates never were as viable as Obama. So if it was race, Obama wouldn't be where he is now. There is something specific about Obama beyond the color of his skin that is attracting voters. One vote would not have gotten Obama where he is now.

She's also morally wrong. But others have already discussed that.

[dkf]

25. This is attribution question...and it is in the eye of the beholder.

Everyone can look at positive press coverage, but not everyone will come out with the same reason for it.

How's about he gets positive press coverage because he is a likable fellow?

I wonder how many people say JFK got positive press coverage because he is white? Do you see how that would not occur to anybody that that could be the reason?

[Writer]

29. Don't you think that, with all the younger voters and more enlightened voters...

in the electorate today, that "The nation's first black president" doesn't have a unique marketing appeal? (Other than obviously being a good thing for the country?)

[SeattleGirl]

6. What Ferraro seems to forget is that racism is also an ugly

truth about America.

Ferraro has disappointed me six ways to Sunday.

And I find her faux outrage to be very disingenuous.

(NOTE TO HILARY CLINTON SUPPORTERS: I am not dissing Senator Clinton here. I'm just saying that someone who supports her is being disingenuous.)

Sexism IS a problem, but IMHO, that doesn't give Geraldine Ferraro a free ride to turn racist.

To me, that just means she is being as ugly as those who claim there is racism, but give sexism a pass.

Sorry, Gerry.

I used to admire you.

I really did.

But your remarks have turned me off.

I don't care if, at this point, you change your mind and say that Barack Obama causes the sun to rise (and this Obama supporter says that he does NOT), you cannot (and you WILL NOT, for me) have your cake and eat it too.

[bowens43]

7. ahh poor Hillary......

of course nothing is ever her fault. none of her failures are her fault........

she's pathetic.

[quickesst]

8. Ferarro stated a fact......

and everyone knows there is no room for facts in this primary, that is, unless it can be spun into a racial attack, which has been the main weapon of Obama supporters since the beginning of this campaign. Bush had religion, Obama has race. Both are equally effective when played right. Deja vu with a different label. Thanks.
quickesst

[Kahuna]

9. Kellyanne Conway is a republican pollster. Enough said. nt

[Writer]

31. Read again: It was co-orchestrated by both a Republican and a Democratic pollster.

[Window]

10. "Some just don't like her."

Telling statement.

[mmonk]

11. There's been negative coverage of McCain?

Maybe on Olberman but that's about it. Proof that this is just an opinion poll lacking some substance.

[2rth2pwr]

26. Yes, this is an opinion poll. Very perceptive.

[JoFerret]

12. Sounds about right

Would be true of male voters too - if they have been paying attention and have a shred of fairness in them.

[Vinca]

13. They must have missed the Rev. Wright coverage.

Not to mention the entire year before the campaign began when Hillary was the presumptive nominee according to MSM.

[kevinmc]

15. 33% believed Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has received "more negative"

The same amount think Bush is a Genius.

[rodeodance]

16. small sample but I think it is appoximate to other polls

[myrna minx]

17. And the poll also shows that more women *don't* agree with Ferraro, by your logic.

:shrug: So basically this poll demonstrates that women are not a monolithic bloc and have differing opinions about different subjects, you know just like men. Earth shattering. :eyes:

[Medusa]

19. This woman doesn't.

And I refuse to vote for a candidate because we share a gender. She's a terrible candidate (the way she's run her campaign shows that) and I believe she'd be a terrible president. We've had 8 years of that, I want better for this country.

[LaurenG]

21. Many woman also don't agree because we aren't hooked in to the

"victim" mentality. As Skinner suggested we all have our biases though.

[reflection]

22. In other news,

Many fundies believe the earth is 6000 years old and is held up by four pillars.

[CreekDog]

23. Many people agree with Ward Connerly and David Duke

I don't recall that makes those folks right.

[scheming daemons]

27. Yay! 59% of women think Ferraro is off her rocker.....

...

[anonymous171]

30. Hillary is lucky to be the wife of a former president.

Otherwise she probably wouldn't even be a senator right now.

See, it's not a nice thing to say.