WE'VE LONG BEEN a huge champion of Hillary Clinton (richly qualified, inspiring, electable). We honestly don't think the best Democratic candidate won. We hope the delegates get real and support Hillary at the convention. Meanwhile, we'll focus some of our anger on how scary John McCain is. ¶ Welcome to the Smart Women for Hillary MEDIA ROOM (an extension of our Home Page)—our news + video archive. A news room of smart, sane, empowering voices against a tide of media bias, triviality, distortion, sexism, and stupidity in the 2008 presidential election.

MORE SMART PEOPLE WORTH READING>Our Archive 1
<from our Home Page------Links will open in new windows------also see -The Case for Hillary

Why Obama Should Pick Hillary

Lanny J. Davis, AlterNet, 8/19/08 | "Sen. Clinton is the only Democrat who gives Sen. Obama a statistically significant boost in any national poll results. | Related: Clinton Is VP Favorite Among Dem Delegates (WCBSTV, 8/18) | Clinton is the Best Choice to Run Alongside Obama (NY Daily News, 8/22) | "Clinton is head and shoulders above the names that have been bruited about as being on Obama's short list."

Have You Read These?

Great interview with Hillary backer/friend
A Hillraiser Not Yet Ready to Back Obama
Carol Felsenthal, Huffington Post, 7/9
"I think the Obama campaign has really been very disrespectful to both of the Clintons."

Have the Clintons Gotten Over It?
Karen Tumulty, Time, 8/6
"[B]ehind the united front … is a feeling on Clinton's part that Obama has never shown proper regard for a campaign she believes was as historic an achievement as his."

Democratic Party Maybe Presumes Too Much—About Women
Robin Lakoff, SF Chronicle, 7/29
"So many women feel that the election was somehow stolen, and by their own party, to boot."

Hillary Clinton's Supporters Look to Make Her Struggle Count
Alison Baker & Nancy Kirk, NY Daily News, 7/27
"'This is our Norma Rae moment. We're ready to get up on the tables again, the way our mothers did for us. We'll do it for our daughters. … Hillary went the distance. We owe her something.'"

Self-Inflicted Confusion
Paul Krugman, NY Times, 4/25 "[Clinton's] no-nonsense style, her obvious interest in the wonkish details of policy, resonate with many voters in a way that Obama’s eloquence does not."

More on Electability:
THE CASE FOR HILLARY page

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The Feminist Reawakening: Hillary Clinton & The Fourth Wave Amanda Fortini, NY mag., 4/13 | "Then Hillary Clinton declared her candidacy, and the sexism in America … yawned and revealed itself."

More on Campaign '08 Sexism: MEDIA ROOM 4

Unified Party? Clinton As VP Might Do It

Jack Torry, Columbus Dispatch, 8/18/08 | "If Obama really wants to unify the party and win the key states of Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania, he should … choose Clinton." | Related: Hillary: Still The Best Choice For VP (L.D. Janakos, Huffington Post, 8/18) | The Lingering What-If Question: Clinton? (Patrick Healy, NY Times, 8/18) | "Some Democrats continue to see her as exactly the partner that Senator Barack Obama needs."

Half of House Dems May Vote Hillary at DNC

Amie Parnes & Ben Smith, Politico, 8/15/08 | "The roll call is a ritual that will defuse any potential tension with Clinton or her supporters without affecting the outcome or the theater of Obama’s dramatic nomination."

Hillary Clinton's Name to Be Placed in Nomination at Convention

Peter Nicholas, Los Angeles Times, 8/14/08 | "The two campaigns believe that by setting aside time to acknowledge Clinton, the party stands a better chance of … emerging from the convention united." | Related: Obama and Hillary Reach Deal On Convention (TPM, 8/14) | Clinton Never Pushed for Convention Compromise (CNN, 8/14) | Clinton To Make History Again (NOW, 8/14)

Clinton Delegate Decries Strongarm Tactics

Denver Post, 8/12 | "Denver Post, 8/12/08
"[A Democratic party leader] ordered [a Clinton delegate] into his office to explain disparaging comments she made about Barack Obama.". | Related: Explain, Dems Tell Clinton Delegate (Denver Post, 8/12) Delegate Intimidation at the Democratic Convention (The Confluence, 8/12)

Barack Obama Needs to Carefully Handle Hillary Clinton's Supporters

Bonnie Erbe, US News & World Report, 8/11/08 | "One would think …Obama's people would be happy to take the high road and acknowledge Clinton's accomplishments. Particularly since a new poll shows some 24 percent of her former supporters say they will either vote for rival Sen. John McCain or not vote at all."

Atlantic Bombshell on Hillary's Internal Memos Not Much of a Bombshell, Really

Hot Air, 8/11/08 | "All of those angles have been covered before ad nauseam. "| Also see: Author of Atlantic's Hit Job on Hillary Lied About Al Gore, Too (Tennessee Guerilla Women, 8/12) | "Over the years, Joshua Green has written enough negative pieces about Hillary Rodham Clinton to make him a charter member in the Chris Matthews club."

The Necessary Audacity of Hillary Clinton as Vice President

Adam Hanft, Huffington Post, 8/11/08 | "The reasons for Senator Obama to choose Senator Clinton as his running mate are manifold, inter-connected, and urgent."

Hillary's Surprise

New York Sun, 8/11/08 | "Could Senator Clinton win the Democratic presidential nomination at the last minute by taking advantage of buyer's remorse among … super-delegates who are dismayed by the performance of [Obama]?"

Clinton to Headline Second Night of Convention

Nedra Pickler, RealClear Politics, 8/10/08 | "The Obama campaign is trying to avoid hard feelings among Clinton's supporters at their carefully orchestrated convention. But they still haven't reached a deal on whether Clinton will be included in the roll call vote." | Also see: Plans for Clinton Convention Rallies Intensify (The Hill, 8/8) | Related: Info on The Denver Group + other pro-Hillary groups> Links + More page

Hillary Supporters Want Their Vote Before Boarding Unity Train

TalkLeft, 8/8/08 | "The Denver Post interviewed Hillary supporters on why they believe it's so important to be able to vote for Hillary at the convention. It's not that they are in denial. It's that they want their voices heard." | Related: Backers Want Clinton Nominated at Convention (Carla Marinucci, SF Chronicle, 8/11) | "'Since 1884, we've had a roll-call vote. … It's a nominating convention, not a coronation.'"

What Does Hillary Want?

Katharine Q. Seeye, NY Times, 8/7/08 | "Clinton came very close to winning the nomination, of course. She won 8 of the last 13 primaries, back when she was warning that she would be a better general-election candidate than Obama. Interestingly, she remains just as popular among Democrats these days as Obama …"

Hillary's Growing Shadow

Victor D. Hanson, RealClear Politics, 8/7
"It seems the more Americans get used to Barack Obama, the less they want him as president -- and the more Democrats will soon regret not nominating Hillary Clinton."

The Clinton Question

Dan Balz, Washington Post, 8/7/08 | "Clinton hits the campaign trail for Barack Obama on Friday, dutifully playing the role of cheerleader for the presumptive nominee. …She is doing this in spite of obvious pain, disappointment and regrets after losing the nomination battle by the narrowest of margins."

Clinton to Supporters: Your Voice Will Be Respected

Brian Montopoli, CBS News, 8/7/08 | "In a web chat today, Hillary Clinton wrote that she wanted to 'assure' participants that Senator Obama and I are working together …'" | Related: Hillary's Web Chat | Also see: I Will Believe It When … (HeidiLiPotpourri.blogspot.com, 8/8) | "It is essential for the Democratic Party not to deny either Senator Obama or Senator Clinton [a roll-call vote] at the Democratic National Convention."

Clinton Aims to Soothe Delegates at Convention

Steven K. Paulson, AP, 8/6/08 | "Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking a way for her delegates to be heard at the Democratic National Convention, telling supporters such a step will help unify a party that split between her and Barack Obama during their hard-fought nominating contest." | Related: Clinton to Supporters: 'Yell and Scream, Then Back Obama'(CNN, 8/7)

Have the Clintons Gotten Over It?

Karen Tumulty, Time, 8/6/08 | "In public, Clinton is doing everything she is asked — and then some — to help the man who defeated her get elected. But behind the united front …Clinton remains skeptical that Obama can win [and] is also annoyed that Obama has yet to deliver on his end of [a mutual fund-raising] bargain …Underlying it all is a feeling on Clinton's part that Obama has never shown proper regard for a campaign [just] as historic as his." | Related: Obama Rejects Talk of Trouble from Clinton Backers (AP, 8/7) | Obama Denies Rift with Clinton (Fox, 8/7)

Obama Supporters Pray for Clinton Supporters

Amanda Erickson, The Swamp, 8/7 | "[T]his is listed under community service."

Obama Takes Heat Over Shifting Positions

NPR, 8/6/08, with audio | "Obama takes his message of change to heart, as he switches his positions on offshore drilling [and other issues]."

The Dream Team Redux

Caryl Rivers, Huffington Post, 8/5/08 | "Maybe it's time to bring back the working class heroine. OK, she went to Wellesley and Yale Law School, but Hillary Clinton turned out to be a world-class campaigner when it came to lunch-bucket Democrats, the ones who seem to be eluding Barack Obama."

Obama, McCain Lack Female Majority

Katie Fretland, The Swamp, 8/5/08 | "Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain has secured the vote of the majority of women voters, according to a new poll. More women support Obama, but nearly 20 percent of women who supported Clinton now support McCain." | Related: In Poll, Obama Loses Some Women Supporters of Clinton (Dallas Morning News, 8/6) | Poll: Clinton Paved Way for First Woman President (Newsday, 8/5)

Group Plans to Hail Hillary

Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News, 8/6/08 | "Hillary Clinton supporters will march through Denver during the Democratic National Convention to show appreciation for Clinton's historic primary run and urge the party to place her name in nomination." | Related: DNC Woman's Suffrage Gala to Feature Clinton (Rocky Mtn. News, 8/5)

Behind Obama, But Not With Joy

Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8/3/08
"Bonnie Chang decided to throw a house party at her home in PA to unite supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton. It was not a rip-roaring success. 'The Clinton supporters told me they're going to vote for Obama but they're not going to work for him.'"

Hillary Wants [at Least] A First-Ballot Vote at Convention

Carol Felsenthal, Huffington Post, 8/3/08
"'Look, what we want to have happen is for Sen. Obama to be nominated by a unified convention of Democrats … [Clinton told supporters in CA]. 'The best way … to do that is to have a strategy so that my delegates feel like they've had a role and that their legitimacy has been validated …'" | Related: Hillary Clinton Fundraiser in Los Altos Hills, Calif. (great first-person account on Momocrats, 8/2) | VIDEO: 'Hillary & the Ballot' (VIDEO of Hillary at Los Altos event) | More video links>Media Room

Problems Mount for Barack Obama as the Democratic Convention Nears

Bonnie Erbe, US News & World Report, 8/4/08 | "The Obama campaign has to weigh the potential disturbances Clinton supporters might stage if he denies her a roll-call vote. … [T]he spectacle of continued party disunity must be rattling the cages of Democratic leaders … particularly as Obama's short-lived bounce in the polls (following his travels … in which he appeared to have appointed himself president) has dwindled to nothing."

Obama's Gesture

The Confluence, 8/4/08 | "I can’t decide what I loathe more: that Obama all but acknowledges he stole the primary or that he assumes that the average Hillary supporter will be assuaged by this obscene gesture of asking …to restore full voting rights to FL and MI now that he’s taken his victory lap."

Democrats Embrace Clinton's Health-Care Ideas

Thomas J. Sheeran, AP, 8/4/08 | "The [Democratic party platform committee] agreed to include suggestions from Clinton, whose campaign emphasized universal health care." | Related: Dems' Plank Unites Rivals (Denver Post, 8/4) | In Wake of Hillary Clinton Bid, Democrats' Platform May Denounce Sexism (LA Times, 8/8) | Hillary Clinton's Influence on the DNC Platform (The Atlantic, 8/8) | Democrats Derail Bid by Clinton Backers to Ban Caucuses (McClatchy, 8/9)

VP Pick May Chafe Hillary Supporters

David Paul Kuhn, Politico, 8/3/08 | "Many of the foremost activists in the women’s movement ardently believe that Hillary Rodham Clinton should be Barack Obama’s running mate — and primary wounds that are just beginning to heal may be torn back open should the Democratic nominee select someone else." | Related: Obama Looks Beyond Clinton (ABC News, 7/31/08 | Hillary supporters angered as Democrat considers other women for vice president. | Obama-Clinton Ticket is Seen As Unlikely (NY Times, 7/29) | "The Obama camp has done little to prepare Clinton supporters for the increasing likelihood that she will not be on the ticket." | Hillary on Tuesday, Tim or Jack on Wednesday? (Salon, 7/28)

Hillary Clinton Rouses Union Workers in S.F.

Carla Marinucci, SF Chronicle, 8/1/08 | "Clinton delivered a rousing call to thousands of union workers in San Francisco to put Barack Obama in the White House - but it was a bittersweet moment for some of her most loyal supporters, particularly women, who said they are still deeply pained she's not the Democratic candidate."

Clinton Touts Her Support For Obama

Joey Nichalakes, The Hill, 8/1/08 | "Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) told a group of supporters Thursday that she has done more for former rival Barack Obama’s presidential bid than past Democrats who have lost nominating battles."

Hillary, as Feminist Icon, Rallies Book Party Attendees

Kelly Nuxoll, Huffington Post, 7/31/08 | "What role Hillary Clinton will play in the upcoming election and an Obama administration is still unclear, but if her appearance last night at NY Rep. Carolyn Maloney's book signing is any indication, she's currently being cast as a Helen of Troy, launching a thousand feminist critiques." | Related: Hillary Praised at Feminist Gathering (Tennessee Guerilla Women, 8/6)—with VIDEO

President Obama Continues Hectic Victory Tour

Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 7/30/08 | "Barack Obama has long been his party's presumptive nominee. Now he's becoming its presumptuous nominee. … There are signs that the Obama campaign's arrogance has begun to anger reporters." | Related: Arrogance Won't Win the Election (Susan Estrich, RealClear Politics, 7/26) | Media Love of Obama Doesn't Equal Victory (Susan Estrich, RealClear Politics, 7/24) | Party Unity Still a Problem For Obama (St. Louis Post Dispatch, 7/30)—+ link to VIDEO about the buying of superdelegates

Obama Needs to Make Nice on All Sides

Susan Estrich, Fox, 7/30/08 | "Spare me the true believers. I don’t mean the people who support Barack Obama for president. I support Barack Obama for president. I mean the people who worship him to the point that anyone who says anything raising questions about the inevitability of his rise to sainthood … is deserving of damnation."

Still Pushing Hard for Hillary -- For President

Carol Felsenthal, Huffington Post, 7/30/08 | "The Denver Group duo claim that superdelegates are having 'buyers' remorse,' that they are coming to believe that Obama is not electable. … [Howard Dean is] just trying to promote this totally false idea of party unity.'" | More on the Denver Group> Links + More Page

Obama Seeks to Overcome Doubts Among Women

Christopher Wills, AP, 7/29/08 | "Many of Clinton's supporters aren't so willing to embrace Obama. Independents and moderate Republican women remain a question mark, too. … Obama supporters [point out] that McCain opposes abortion rights, opposes making it easier for women to sue over unfair wages and doesn't want to require insurance companies to cover birth control."| Also see: Obama Meets With Key Women (LA Times, 7/30) | Women Voters Aren't Warming to 'Cool' Obama (Chicago Sun Times, 7/30) | "[T]he women Obama needs right now are the ones who do not dine downtown. They're the ones forced to choose between a gallon of gas and a gallon of milk."

Hillary Clinton Agrees to Denver Keynote - Sign She's Not Running Mate

David Saltonstall, NY Daily News, 7/30/08 | "Hillary Clinton has agreed to speak on Day 2 of the Democratic convention to commemorate the 88th anniversary of women's right to vote - a move seen by delegates as another sign she won't be on Barack Obama's ticket." | Related: What Happened to Hillary Clinton? (CNN, 7/30) | Campaign for Clinton Ends (NY Times, 7/31)

Ludacris Gets An Earful From WomenCount

Wall Street Journal, 7/30/08 | "Rap artist Ludacris released a song today in which he calls Hillary Clinton an "irrelevant b****" … WomenCount is calling for an apology as well as a blanket condemnation by the party leadership." | Related: Ludacris Raps for Obama (and Even Obama Isn't Happy) (Atlanta Journal Constitution, 7/30)

Obama Brings Hillary in From the Cold

Jason Horowitz, NY Observer, 7/29/08 | "Clinton’s heightened activity for the Obama campaign comes as the presumed nominee seems to be narrowing his vice presidential selection, and by most accounts she has been squeezed out … [The broad] Clinton coalition—roughly 18 million people in the primaries and caucuses — has been the linchpin for the arguments that she deserves a place on the presidential ticket with Mr. Obama."

Obama The Unknown

Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 7/29/08 | "I know that Barack Obama is a near-perfect political package. I'm still not sure, though, what's in it."

Why is Obama Not Improving in The Polls?

Adam Nagourney, Int. Herald Tribune, 7/28/08 } "Voters may be holding back because they have all kinds of apprehensions about Obama. Or they might just not be ready to make a decision quite this early." | Related: New Poll Shows McCain Leading Among Likely Voters (US News & World Report, 7/29)

Hillary Supporters, Still Angry, Frustrate Attempts at Party Unity

Andrew McLemore, The Raw Story, 7/27/08 | "Hillary Clinton supporters have been criticizing Barack Obama with increasing frequency as the senator's trip overseas captured media attention bordering on adulation. … Questions of Obama's viability as a presidential candidate … have resurfaced in Texas … Protesters brought their anger over the supposed mistreatment of Hillary Clinton by the Democratic Party to a Howard Dean appearance in Charlotte … sparked by a rumor that Clinton's name would not be put in for nomination at the Democratic National Convention … ." | Related: Obama Campaign Strives to Unify Texas Democrats (Austin American Statesman, 7/26) | Feelings For Clinton Still Strong Across NH (Union Leader, 7/31)

Obama's Path to Presidency is Far From Clear

Peter Nicholas, LA Times, 7/25/08 | "The Democrat is winning fans on his trip abroad, but is struggling to gain real ground against McCain at home. Some key Clinton backers remain alienated."

How Obama Can Finally Break Free of McCain: Hillary

Jackson Williams, Huffington Post, 7/25/08 | "Everything has gone well for Obama on this foreign excursion, and McCain spent the week floundering from gaffe to gaffe … So this begs a question: Why so close? Shouldn't Obama be wiping the floor with this guy? … NPR reported that McCain's numbers had recently ticked upward in four key battleground states, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado. … [A new poll] shows Obama's slim lead increases substantially with [Hillary Clinton] on the ticket." | Related: Hillary Clinton as Obama V.P. choice? (Hal Brown, Capitol Hill Blue, 7/25)

Clinton Supporters Try One More Tack

Sarah Wheaton, NY Times, 7/23/08 | "Sen. Barack Obama is only the presumed Democratic nominee. And that fact has given heart to some of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s supporters, who are pressuring the party to put her name to a binding vote at the convention. [The founders say] that a perceived forced unity imposed by party leadership is likely to alienate Clinton supporters and ultimately cost the eventual nominee the election."

Making It: How Chicago Shaped Barack Obama

Ryan Lizza, New Yorker, 7/21/08 | "He runs as an outsider, but he has succeeded by mastering the inside game."Why Nothing the Press Throws at Obama Sticks (Slate, 7/29)| Related:

Hillary Donors Not Backing Obama

Newsmax, 7/23/08 | "Of the 311 fundraisers who bundled more than $100,000 in donations for Hillary Clinton ['Hillraisers'], only 8 are on the list of contributors to Barack Obama. Their total: just $19,250."

Top Dem Party Officials Send Sharply Worded Email Demanding That Hillary Supporters Back Obama

TPM, 7/19/08 | "'She lost. Barack Obama won. It's over.'""| Also: Sexism, Derision Won't Help Obama Camp Win Clinton Supporters (Springfield News Leader, 7/18)

Hillary Clinton Rips Bush's Abortion Proposal

Matthew Jaffe, ABC News, 7/18 | "These rules pose a dire threat to women's health, to health-care providers, and to uninsured and low-income Americans.'"Hillary Rips Bush on Birth Control (WCBSTV)| Related: -with video

Obama Strategy: Downplay Roe v Wade

Avi Zenilman & Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico, 7/14 | "Obama’s emphasis on equal pay …signals a shift …that some activists have seen as softpedaling or even backpedaling on abortion."

It Should Be a Democratic Year, But …

Susan Estrich, Fox, 7/16/08 | "The polls make me nervous. … Barack Obama should be ahead right now. Way ahead. … It should be a Democratic year, but that is no guarantee that it will be one."

Poll Shows Clinton Would Do Better Against McCain

Wake Up America, 7/15/08 | "[A new poll shows] that …Obama would not do as well as Hillary Clinton would do if she were the Democratic nominee."

MORE> Media Room 2>… news archive page 2 + one great read in its entirety

Also see:
Media Room 4 … news archive page 4 + special news focus on women, gender, + Campaign '08 sexism
The Case for Hillary … pro-Hillary spin … + our news archive highlighting Hillary's electability
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