Here in hour five of what promises to be a nine-hour delay in Denver, I enjoyed Ann's article on why Sarah Palin ain't no Hillary Clinton. But on some level, I think the media spin that Palin is suddenly going to swoop in and rip away Clinton supporters is actually obscuring a broader, and pretty cool, reality: This year, Hillary Clinton's campaign proved that it's an electoral attribute to be a woman. Indeed, here in the airport, the CNN voiceover just blared "Sarah Palin's name might not help John McCain, but her gender might!" In this, you're seeing a tangible aftereffect of Clinton's campaign, which proved that women do not necessarily look weak when they compete for higher office and they're often pretty good at appealing to the 54% of the electorate who are also women. It's a powerful that this election, amidst two wars and the continuing threat of terrorism, has seen Hillary Clinton's remarkable run and a female vice presidential nominee. Palin's elevation is, I'd say, a victory for progressives and for Clinton, though that doesn't mean she's a good candidate for progressives or for Clinton's supporters.
