Female Base for Hillary in '08 Isn't A Gimme

A number of women's rights groups who might be considered the natural foundation of a historic White House bid by a strong female candidate are holding back support for New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, considered the early front-runner for the Democratic nomination in 2008.

"I would be really disappointed if Hillary Clinton were the first woman president," said Medea Benjamin, a self-described feminist and founder of Code Pink, a women-initiated antiwar group based in Venice, Calif.

Among issues of concern to some women are Clinton's support of the war in Iraq, her rhetorical emphasis on preventing pregnancy rather than abortion rights and her reluctance to back universal health care.

"It's that push and pull of wanting to see a woman at that level of government and also wanting to see that issues that affect my life as a woman are being addressed," said Jen Sunderland, chair of the Women's Liberation Social Wage Committee, a New York group that lobbies for better wages and benefits for women and parents.

Clinton has teamed up with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada who opposes abortion rights, to introduce legislation aimed at preventing pregnancy by enhancing access to contraception and reducing health care costs. Critics see the bill as an attempt to shift the debate away from the controversial issue of abortion rights.

"I would like Senator Clinton, as I would like all pro-choice representatives, to start any conversation about reproductive justice and reproductive health by saying, 'I support access to safe, affordable, legal abortions,' period," said Melody Drnach, action vice president at the Washington-based National Organization for Women.

Plenty of women thrilled

Plenty of women are thrilled with the possibility of voting for Clinton in 2008, said Marie Wilson, president of the White House Project, a group in New York aimed at seating a woman in the presidency. Young women in particular view Clinton as a "rock star," she said.

Wilson says Clinton faces higher expectations from voters--including women--because she is the first credible woman to consider running for the presidency. Progressive women in particular want the first serious female candidate to be "100 percent perfect on issues," Wilson said.

"Women always suffer more scrutiny and they always suffer sharper criticism," added Georgia Duerst-Lahti, a professor of political science and women's studies at Beloit College in Beloit, Wis. "Every move she makes is magnified."

Clinton has not said whether she will seek her party's presidential nomination.

Spokesperson Ann Lewis said Clinton is focusing on winning re-election to her Senate seat and can expect strong support from women in the November elections. In her 2000 campaign, Clinton won the women's vote by a margin of 60 to 39 percent, Lewis said.

"We are very pleased with the support we're getting from women," Lewis told Women's eNews, noting endorsements for the September primary by the New York state chapters of NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, both pro-choice groups.

Clinton earned a 100 percent rating last year from NARAL Pro-Choice America, the country's leading abortion rights lobby, and voted against the nominations of Samuel Alito and John Roberts to the Supreme Court.

Clinton has championed legislation that would address pay disparities between men and women and another bill that would raise the minimum wage. She has fought to preserve Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which disproportionately aid women because they tend to have lower incomes than men. She has worked to protect equal access for girls and women in sports and education and supports increased funding for small businesses owned by women and programs that aid battered women. She is also co-chair of Vital Voices, an international program she initiated as first lady that invests in emerging female leaders around the world.