One of the most surprising developments of the current campaigns to be elected president in 2008, has been the apparent inability of Illinois Senator Barack Obama to sway a majority of Black female voters to his effort to become the first Black president in American history.
A superficial analysis would suggest that Black women would be the most natural base of support for Obama.
However, if national polls represent a true depiction of reality, Obama has failed to convince Black women that he should be president.
A series of polls support this fact, but the most detailed was released last month by the Washington Post and ABC News.
It showed Black women supporting New York Senator Hillary Clinton over Obama by 52 percent to 35 percent. Meanwhile, Black men were evenly divided between Clinton and Obama (44 percent for each one). A CBC News poll came up with similar results.
The Black female support for Clinton has been labeled by some analysts "the sista factor" suggesting that Black women are more interested in seeing a woman elected president than another man - even if the man happens to be African American.
Democratic Party strategist Donna Brazille (a Black woman) echoed this view when she was recently quoted as saying, "Most Black women simply believe Clinton can win. They loved her husband Bill and would like to see a woman elected first."
[Taylor Media Services, a Black news gathering organization, is collecting views on this topic. Interested persons can share their thoughts via email TaylorMediaPrime@yahoo.com or by leaving a brief message at 202-657-8872.]
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