PUMA’s Counterproductive Actions

I’m concerned about women’s future.  I’m concerned that certain woman are allowing their pride to take over their common sense and I’m truly afraid of what’s going to happen come November.  Here I am poking through the internet, reading the latest news, when I catch this over at the Washington Post.  Basically this is about the recent rise of PUMA’s.  What are they?  According to this article it stands for “People United Means Action”.  The main point is about the Hillary supporters who have decided that it’s Hillary or no one, or in some cases McCain.  One woman listed in the article started a web site Just Say No Deal, and this is their mission statement on their front page:

 While the Coalition respects the genuine nature of Senator Clinton in keeping her word 
to campaign with and for Senator Obama, we will not support him now or on November 4, 
2008. Senator Clinton’s vote is her own; our votes are our own and they will not be cast for 
Senator Obama. The Just Say No Deal Coalition members will either choose to stay home in 
protest, write in Senator Clinton’s name or vote for Senator John McCain. Our votes are our 
voices and Just Say No Deal’s voices are 2 million strong and growing. 

Again, I have to reiterate how incredibly dangerous this stance is to women and the reasons why this is dangerous.

Several groups are planning marches in Denver, the site of this summer’sDemocratic National Convention. Others are organizing a Clinton write-in campaign or have switched to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), creating sites to promote his candidacy. Some have more targeted interests, such as establishing an ongoing critique of misogyny in the media, pressing for changes in Democratic National Committee rules on delegate selection, even the ouster of national party chairman Howard Dean. “Howard Dean is running this party like it is a Soviet-style dictatorship,” fumed Faith Chatham, a Clinton delegate to the Texas Democratic convention.

Personally I am a Clinton supporter, I always was on the issues, but I also have to understand that this is a democratic society and the person I voted for and was in favor for did not win the primaries.  So in answer of “what do we do now?”, we move on as women, we continue to fight for our equality, and we vote for the candidate who most covers our issues, not the one who will be more than happy to take away our rights!  This is from his own web site:

John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench.

Do you hear that PUMA’s.  Voting for McCain will not be a vote to support feminism, it is actually against woman, against feminism, and in my opinion, you will be undoing everything Hillary was attempting to do!

According to the Post-ABC poll, 62 percent of women who backed Clinton say they will support Obama, compared with 25 percent who say they will support McCain. The poll, however, did show a residue of bad feelings from the primary battle (40 percent of Clinton supporters described themselves as dissatisfied with the outcome, and 7 percent described themselves as angry). But on the question of which candidate is trusted more to handle “issues of special concern to women,” Obama outpointed McCain 56 percent to 29 percent among all women regardless of political affiliation.

…

Defining the Just Say No Deal coalition is not simple. The clearest and strongest sentiments seem to be that party leaders tried to force Clinton out of the race prematurely, allowed sexism and misogyny to go unchecked in the media, and made decisions about the Florida and Michigan contests that were designed to favor Obama.

“Their goal was to stop Hillary Clinton by any means necessary,” said Robin Murray, an Indianapolis therapist and social worker whose nine-minute YouTube video, ” Mad as Hell/Bitch,” detailed examples of sexism in the campaign and became a visual anthem for many feminists.

Given that she is a supporter of abortion rights and holds other beliefs that are at odds with McCain’s, Murray was asked why she would consider voting against her own interests. “Whether it’s appropriate or whether it will work doesn’t matter at this time,” she said. “The vote is a protest vote — be it if I vote for McCain, if I don’t show up, or if I write in Hillary’s name.” Added Murray: “I view it in a holistic way. It says, we will not be controlled and manipulated by these singular issues in order to cast a vote that we feel is deceitful, negative, there is just no pretty way to say it — they cheated.”

You have every right to be angry.  The way the DNC handled Hillary was atrocious.  The way the media handled her was despicable.  I’m still angry over the sexist comments, the misogyny, the overall outcome of the primaries, but am I going to be a responsible voter come November?  HELL YES!  Saying that how you vote during these elections “doesn’t matter at this time” is redundant because it sure as hell does matter and I don’t think she’ll be saying the same thing if McCain is elected and Roe v. Wade is overturned.

I’m scared that my own gender is going to be our undoing.  I’m afraid that come November my gender is going to help put in motion a further oppression of women and aid in restricting my rights and my decisions to my own body.  I think this last paragraph says it best:

The Obama-McCain comparison is what Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) has been trying to emphasize. A prominent Clinton supporter, Wasserman Schultz said for women who care about reproductive rights, the economy and a range other issues, the only choice is Obama. “The opportunity to elect a woman has been missed this time, and that’s deeply disappointing,” she said. “While I understand the temptation to gravitate towards a Puma attitude, I don’t think that is productive. In fact, I think that is counterproductive. It will result in an outcome, if it becomes widespread, that elects John McCain by accident or de facto.”