The genitalia vote

A liberal friend posted this on her Facebook page in an effort to drum up support for Hillary Clinton for President:

IT is time to put our ducks in a row and support a woman IMHO. We all cashed in that chip and supported Barrack Obama the last time – and we did the right thing — even though he gave us Arnie Duncan!! I want to win. I want a woman to run. I like Bernie but come on – he will not be elected and he is not a woman — if we have a qualified woman does not she deserve our support? Where are all you affirmative action progressives? And bashing Hillary is harming our party and will harm our election chances and many many days the comments against her seem like “excuses” to support another man. Many comments are on the edge of sexist innuendos and often rude. I love Bernie’s brashness- boldness-his honesty and finger wagging BUT I do not want him to be my President – Hillary has experience as Sec. Of State alone that outranks his experience. I think it is time for a woman in the USA to be President. IMHO.

I was a bit taken aback that somehow Hillary was the Chosen One and that to point our her flaws is considered “bashing.” We are over a year away from the actual election, of course. There’s a long way to go. But there’s more.

Another friend responded, including this in his reply:

We certainly should not vote for someone based on what genitalia they have.

This drew another response; one from a woman:

You make some good points. But saying voting for Hillary because she’s a woman is voting for her because of genitalia is pretty insulting. The experience of being a woman in America is not all about what’s in our underwear.

Uh, the original poster appears to endorse Hillary, well … because of her genitalia.

I’m mystified by this. I voted for Obama because I thought he was the best person (yes, person) willing to lead the country at the time. I didn’t vote for him because he was black, or because he was a man. I couldn’t care less about those things. A female candidate with the same credentials would’ve been just as likely to get my vote.

Didn’t we just all celebrate a Supreme Court decision that says if you want to get married the law doesn’t care about what genitalia you have? And didn’t we just celebrate an American soccer team’s world championship, a team that happened to be female? Aren’t we on the way towards leaving stereotyped gender roles in the past where they belong? It sure seems that to me. Good riddance, I say!

Look, I’ve got nothing against women (some of my best friends are women, ha). I am a husband supportive of my wife’s career and achievements. I am fiercely protective of our daughter’s right to do whatever the hell she chooses to do, unencumbered by society’s opinion. I have proudly voted and supported city councilors, mayors, secretaries of state and treasury, and also governors who happen to be women. It’s not because they were women, it’s because they were the best qualified.

I respect my Facebook friend, but anyone who votes for someone solely based on their gender has got their priorities way out of whack. The best candidates should win not based on their gender but what they can do for the people they represent.