Should women feel obligated to vote for Clinton?
Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver, and Michelle Obama talk at a campaign rally Sunday, Feb. 3 in the Westwood section of Los Angeles. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Women should not feel guilty if they prefer Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton… so says Oprah Winfrey.
During a rally in Los Angeles, Winfrey said, "Every part of me believes in the empowerment of women. But the truth is I'm a free woman. Being free means you get to think for yourself and you get to decide for yourself what to do." She said women who had already planned to vote for someone else – that would mean Hillary – ahad "the right to change their mind."
Winfrey described how she was criticized by some women after she campaigned for Obama in Iowa. She says they called her a traitor to her gender.
Oprah participated in a huge rally for Barack Obama yesterday along with Michelle Obama, Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver – wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This is all part of a push by the Obama campaign to reach out to women voters. That's because women are expected to make up about 55% of Democratic primary voters. And in a state like California, where Obama has now come within striking distance of Clinton, more support from women could make the difference.
Here’s my question to you: Should women feel obligated to vote for Hillary Clinton just because she's a woman?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
McCain’s GOP colleagues wary of his temperament?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/images/02/04/art.mccain5.ap.jpg caption=" Senator John McCain."]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
John McCain sounds confident that he'll be the Republican nominee for president.
But not everyone is ready to place McCain at the top of the ticket. The Washington Post reports several of McCain's Republican colleagues are warning that his well-known tirades on and off the floor of the Senate suggest a temperament unfit for the office of president.
Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran says, "The thought of McCain being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me." Another Republican, former Senator Rick Santorum, describes McCain as being "very rough in the sandbox", saying he hasn't built up a lot of goodwill. Witnesses cite several examples of McCain cursing and belittling senate colleagues in front of people.
But his supporters insist McCain's fiery personality is a good thing, saying his capacity to get outraged shows how much he believes in something. One top aide dismissed the idea that McCain isn't fit to be president and said most stories about his temper are "wildly exaggerated."
When it comes to House Republicans, McCain has had a strained relationship with many of them for years. But Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole says, quote: "You'll have more Democrats running away from Hillary Clinton than you'll have Republicans running away from our nominee." unquote.
McCain has been endorsed by 13 of the 100 senators. That's more than any other candidate, Republican or Democrat.
Here’s my question to you: What does it mean when some of John McCain's Republican senate colleagues question whether he has the temperament to be president?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Which Democrat could unite the GOP?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/images/02/04/art.calidem1.gi.jpg caption=" Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton at the CNN/LA Times/Politico Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California."]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
John McCain is looking more and more like he'll be the Republican presidential nominee after tomorrow's Super Tuesday contests. However, it's worth noting that one of the defining factors of this Republican primary race has been the inability of any of the candidates to unite their party. But maybe they won't have to. Maybe a Democrat can do it for them.
In fact, many people believe that Hillary Clinton could become that powerful unifying force for the Republicans. Supporters of Barack Obama along with top Republicans say that although many voters passionately support Clinton, there are just as many who really don't like her.
As a Reuters piece points out, there are lots of reasons why some believe this is the case, including left-over resentment for her husband – the former president – her policies on issues like gun control and mandatory universal health care, and a personality that some see as too aggressive and insincere.
Clinton's campaign dismisses these concerns, saying she has a proven track record of winning, and it emphasizes her record of reaching out across the aisle to get results.
Nonetheless, the idea of Clinton as a polarizing figure is a particular concern for Democrats in states that have many rural, conservative voters like Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and others in the Midwest and South. As one Missouri politician puts it, Clinton is quote "a lightning rod" who would bring people out to vote against her.
Here’s my question to you: Which candidate has the greater chance of uniting the Republican Party, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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