Hillary has an op-ed in today's NYT that looks at the Bush administration's latest effort to undercut women's health and reproductive rights. Someone in our office suggested that the piece's failure to mention any of the current presidential combatants means Hillary has decided to check out of this race and focus squarely on rebuilding her own brand. Maybe. But I actually see this piece as lending a hand to Team Obama by aiming to make voters think twice about the consequences of a pro-life White House.
This reminder is important, particularly for those women voters we keep hearing so much about. It's hard to tell at this point whether a significant chunk of gals beyond the GOP base have indeed been over by Sarah Palin. But any who have been need to be confronted with concrete examples of why policies matter more than chromosomes. More specifically, any embittered Hillary supporters still considering casting a vote for McCain-Palin even in semi-protest should be urged (by Hillary herself in this case) to ponder just how far this Republican ticket is from Hillary in terms of women's rights and a whole host of other issues on the table. As already has been noted countless times, backing a woman who opposes universal health care, comprehensive sex-ed, stem cell research, and abortion (altogether now!) even in cases of rape and incest seems an odd way to honor Hillary's achievement.
None of which Hillary actually said in her op-ed. But Hill is no dummy. She knows that McCain would rather reproductive rights stay out of the spotlight in an election where the Republicans are hoping to woo chicks with talk of women's rights and shattered ceilings. Who's to say Hillary can't rebuild her cred for future races while screwing the GOP in this one as well?
--Michelle Cottle