Unholy Troika: Gender, Race and Religiosity in the 2008 Presidential Contest

B.C. Thy Husband Shall Rule Over Thee [Genesis, Old Testament] A.D. Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is head of the wife just as Christ is head of the Church ... just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also let wives be subject to their husbands in all things. [St. Paul, Epistle to the Ephesians 5, New Testament Darby Translation] The 2008 presidential election is a convergence of America's four pervasive, oftentimes, conflicting social issues: religion in the form of Mike Huckabee; race in the form of Barack Obama; gender in the form of Hillary Clinton and the conservative perspective in the form of John McCain. While Americans can never be judged as a monolithic voting group, choosing the right candidate poses an especially interesting dilemma for black people and in particular, black women. This confluence of race and gender creates additional stress for millions of black women who historically have been the stalwarts of the Democratic Party. The loyalty of the black female vote for Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 underscored a sense of security then and garnered the foregone conclusion of a significant voting bloc to catapult Hillary Clinton's campaign to become the first viable female president. (1) But enter a young, black male, first term senator from Illinois named Barack Obama who has taken the country by storm--the ultimate political phenom who has seriously affected front runner Clinton's meteoric rise to the top. Clinton established her own credibility as the junior senator from New York and was reelected overwhelmingly for a second term. (2) Her strategy to establish her political position via her Senate credentials--coupled with Democratic voters' and especially the black community's affection for her husband--created this seemingly unstoppable political machine that solidified her position as the heir apparent to Bill Clinton's legacy. The other critical element in Senator Clinton's election calculation is the women voters, who comprise fifty-two percent of the electorate; surely they would welcome the opportunity to help her make history. These two constituencies, women and the black community's vote, would provide a solid footing to get Hillary Clinton into the White House. However, the emergence and political ascendancy of Barack Obama as a serious contender has challenged conventional political wisdom. The impact of his candidacy is sending once skeptical blacks, including black women, in record numbers to vote in primary after primary for this historic first. On the other hand, one wonders how the Clinton political machine miscalculated the electorate's willingness to accept an untested, non-vetted newcomer? Would women make a decisive difference in this race based solely on x chromosome commonality? In the New Hampshire primary, women overwhelmingly voted for Senator Clinton; however, such support in subsequent primaries did not help maintain her shrinking lead. (3) In fact, white woman over fifty remain her strongest supporters through the presidential primary season. (4) During the same period, Obama's momentum was fueled by his ability to cut into Clinton's base by crossing demographic lines of race, gender, religion and party affiliation. This has proved pivotal in his quest for the White House. The presumption of blacks' allegiance to Hillary Clinton, who once stated that she had not considered the possibility that she would not be the nominee, seemed hollow as her campaign plunged into disarray with numerous straight primary losses. (5) During the same period, Former President Clinton's attacks on Obama's inexperience and electability lacked resonance as Obama's momentum continued to accelerate. Some ardent Clinton supporters such as Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia) were forced to jump the Clinton ship and support the young black contender. …